Report: I-basket swap

[gibvel]

FYI... here's a great article on replacing the basket...

 

http://www.venturers.org/Tech_Library/index.php?action=article&cat_id=002006&id=309&highlight=clutch%20basket

 

Couldn't find anything similar in our own site...maybe there is.

Hmmm when I click on that site it throws up a warning that the site may install malicious software on your computer.

[Cougar]

Joe, post to me after 200 miles on that basket please.

I will also be calling you maybe Friday.

Jeff

[SilvrT]

Hmmm when I click on that site it throws up a warning that the site may install malicious software on your computer.

 

on "MY" computer??? ... this happens when YOU click the link...it says it might do this to MY computer??? how can that be???

 

:rotf:

 

All kidding aside, something else must be causing that but you "may" get a "Please read below before entering our free Technical Support Library " page and you have to click the link at the bottom.

 

Also, because of the above you will probably have to do a search for "clutch basket" and poke around until you find the one for changing it. You will get a few pages of results and I think the one you want is on the 3rd page. It's easy to spot as the subject is partly in Red and is titled "Removing the Clutch Basket".

Edited September 2, 2009 by SilvrT

[V-4 Vendetta]

Absolutely and totally not true for a liquid cooled engine.

 

The engine creates it's own heat, and very little of it is dissipated directly to the outside air since the water jackets work like insulators. The radiator is the point where the heat is released from the water, but the key component that makes your statement so untrue is the thermostat. When the thermostat is closed, virtually no water is circulating through the radiator to exchange heat. And thermostats do not act like an of/off switch, they open slowly like a faucet, and they will stay partially open if the mix of heated water from the engine and cooler water from the radiator is just right to meet the target temperature.

 

In short, your statement would be true if you remove the thermostat, but not as the engine is designed (to maintain a constant temperature in spite of changing outside temps). In fact, this design, to maintain a constant temperature, is why water cooled engines have tighter tolerances than air cooled engines.

Goose

 

I don't think you meant (at least I hope) to be condescending. I understand the science behind radiators, fans and thermostats. I work in the electric power industry and work with extra high voltage transformers (345,000 volts)that carry hundreds of megawatts of power. These transformers have a very complex system of pumps, radiotors, and fans that are also thermostatically controlled. Even as well cooled as they are the ambient temperature does make a difference and the units will run hotter as the ambient reaches a high enough point. Motorcycles have the added benefit of the wind chill effect but even that looses its effectiveness in temps of 100 degrees. We get that alot where I live. Next time I'll not just make a quick comment but go into more detail for your benefit.

[Freebird]

Regardless of the fins being "fake", they do offer some cooking capability. Yes, the engine is water cooled but it also gets some air cooling. I can tell you that on the 3080 mile trip that we just returned from, the bike ran hotter on hot days. When the temps were in the 90s, it seemed to run around 200-210 most of the time. When temps were down in the mid to high 70s, it seems to run around 190-200. The highest I ever saw it was on a day when the temps were in the mid 90s and we were stuck in traffic due to an accident somewhere ahead of us. I saw the gauge move as high as 245. Obviously the radiator and fan alone are not enough to keep it in the 200 range.

[V7Goose]

Don, your experiences are different than what I have seen on my 2005 and my 2007 - not a lot, but still different.

 

First, I disagree that the fake fins provide any significant cooling at all. They do not even touch the water jackets except at the three screw points, and even one of those is on a rubber plug. They just cannot pick up any amount of heat from the engine. But that is not really an important point here.

 

Your thermostat seems to be operating just a bit different than the one in my 2005 or 2007, perhaps it is the age? Nothing really alarming about the numbers you report, just that they are different than either of my bikes. I can assure you that many RSVs actually run a bit warmer at 70 degrees ambient temperature than they do at 100.

 

On a final note, the fan does a great job of keeping this engine from overheating at idle in even the hottest temperatures, but you are right that it will not keep the temps down at the normal range. The fan does not even come on until the water temp gets up around 220 or so, but it generally will hold it at around 230. If you are seeing the temps get all the way up to 245, that might just be a variation in the calibration of your temp gauge vs. mine, and no big deal. On the other hand, when I consider the difference in how your bike reads at various temperatures, I suspect that old thermostat is behaving a bit different. Nothing particularly bad, just different. I wouldn't tear into it just for that, but I'd keep an eye on the gauge, and next time I had the tank off to check valves or something, I'd probably change the thermostat too.

 

The main point of this reply is to just clue in anyone who has a temp gauge on their bike to not over react if their readings do not exactly match either yours or mine. Some variation is normal.

Goose