My fan kicks in a little past the half mark and only gets there on a hot day and in traffic. When the fan is running is kinda keeps it in the middle and when I get back on the highway it goes back down to the 1/4 mark.

 

Two points:

The thermostat doesn't fully open till 194 degrees F. Keeping it cooler than that will just have the thermostat fighting the fan.

We shouldn't assume that the guage is accurate enough to discuss differences smaller than 10-15 degrees F. They're (generally) just not that good.

 

Should that make me worry more or less? if it's only that accurate then I could be 10-15 degrees hotter than I think I am.

All I can tell you is after about 230 on my guage the bike doesn't run that well (Ok, it doesn't idle that well. . .). If I can keep it about 205-220 it likes it just fine, so that is what I fight to do, keep it under 220. Not to mention above 230 it tends to cook my feet. Most of my riding is in city traffic, and although when on the freeway I have the diamond lane as soon as I hit surface streets I get slowed down And the temperature starts a rising. So, is there a lower temp thermostat? would that be detremental in some other way?

 

I'd start with other questions like is the system well bled, is the cap good, the thermostat opening properly and is the coolant properly mixed. The fan comes on at about 212. and will shut off at about 210.

230 is hot but not unheard of in the desert. If everything is working properly, you may be able to get a couple of degrees with something like Water-Wetter.

 

My 98' fan turns on after the needle passes the halfway mark on the guage. Not sure what temp it is. After reading all the replies, I don't think I have a problem but I need to replace my coolant anyway(service limit).
I will try "Engine Ice" coolant. Supposed to drop operating temp by 15-30 degrees(F). I use it in my motocross bikes(2-strokes) and get good results.
The coolant appears to comply with requirements for the SH. I'll post results as I find out.

 

Sweet! Yea, let us know if you see a difference.

 

I changed the coolant to "Engine Ice".
I took a ride yesterday (91 degrees outside) and quickly noticed a difference in the operating temp.
It operates cooler.
On a hot day with regular 50/50 mix anti-freeze and water, the SuperChicken's fan comes on just after the temp guage goes above the halfway point.
This usually happens at a stop light.
Well, as I stopped at several stop lights with the new coolant("EI") it took longer to heat up to a temp that made the fan come on.
In laymans terms: it stayed below the halfway mark on the guage most of the time.
It seemed to keep the bike slightly cooler and the fan did not come on as much.
So, I'm happy.

 

Sometimes I want to find a way to get it to run hotter, or force the fan on, so I can warm up my hands on cold nights at stop lights.

Guess I could wear gloves, but come ON, it's San Diego....
________
******* THREESOME

 

I was running 212 deg on the highway at 104 deg ambient temp the other day.
Dawg was it a hot day for riding!

 

Hello,
What range does the needle hover in? Does ambient temp play a big role? If a few people post where there needle usually is on hot (85 degree plus) and cool (55 degree degrees) or less, this would give me an idea if the thermostat is stuck open.
Thank you.
Darren Evans

 

On hot days my needle gets a couple tick marks past 1/2 and cool days while moving will stay a few ticks under 1/2. Sitting in traffic on hot days it still doesn't get over a few ticks past 1/2. Even with boiling water in my expansion tank (from a bad radiator cap) the bike didn't overheat. But had I not fixed the cap all of my coolant (straight water at the time) would have boiled out, then there would have been problems. It was definitely low on water from the bad cap being stuck open allowing the expanded coolant to flow freely into the expansion tank and boil under 1 atmosphere of pressure.g

A good way to test the effectiveness of the whole system would be to warm it up to operating temp, let the fan kick on while sitting, and if the fan turns off then the system is operating efficiently. But it is definitely a good idea to flush the coolant, especially on the older VTR's that may have the original juice in them.