Airbox/ambient temp unusually high. Slow climb in temp.

Hey all, wondering if someone else has had the same issue. My ambient temp slowly rises and keeps rising. Have seen it get to 114F in fairly mild temps high 70's to 80's outside temp. I gather the head and cover are getting hot and heating up the airbox. Engine temps are a little higher than normal (or so it seems) but not super high. The time it went to 114 I stopped and let the bike cool off, but that even took a bit with the engine off. Also i might have smelled something buring but it was hard to tell since it was just outside of the Holland tunnel and there so much air pollution you can't tell where all the smells are coming from.

I wouldn't worry about it -- the airbox definitely gets heat soaked. I commute daily on mine here in Central TX and when the temps are 100*F+ I've seen the airbox temp hit 119*F in traffic. As long as the fans are cycling as they're supposed to and the coolant temp doesn't get too high you should be just fine. Don't think I've ever seen the coolant temp go above 217*F.

trey

Super10NJ said:

Hey all, wondering if someone else has had the same issue. My ambient temp slowly rises and keeps rising. Have seen it get to 114F in fairly mild temps high 70's to 80's outside temp. I gather the head and cover are getting hot and heating up the airbox. Engine temps are a little higher than normal (or so it seems) but not super high. The time it went to 114 I stopped and let the bike cool off, but that even took a bit with the engine off. Also i might have smelled something buring but it was hard to tell since it was just outside of the Holland tunnel and there so much air pollution you can't tell where all the smells are coming from.

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If you feel something is up, just keep an eye on your water temp. If that is normal, I wouldn't worry.

If you are stopped after riding, that area will get heat soaked. I have seen well over 100* when I started the bike up, but it should go down to less then about 10* difference once you are back on the road, and the air box has cooler air coming into it. Stop and go traffic, all bets are off on temps of the air box (where the probe is). In heavy traffic, I have seen over 100*+ until I can get going in speed. It does take some time for the temp to come down.

If you are riding at speed, and you see the temps increasing to over 100*, and the outside temp is in the 70/80*'s, then I would suspect a problem with the temp probe.

Thanks for the replies, I'm sure I'm just being paranoid. But I'd swear she never ran this hot. Anyway, I'll see how it goes, it's probably nothing.

so that's where these bikes get the ambient air reading from for the dash display?

Clawdog60 said:

so that's where these bikes get the ambient air reading from for the dash display?

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Yes. The probe is actually for the ECM, they piggybacked on it for the display.

Since I have the S10, I have had the doubt that it would happen if the admission entrance was facing forward. Will she breathe more fresh air? ... yes, I know ... and will inhale any bird / butterfly that flies out there, and not even talk about water in a puddle. Better .... I leave things as they are

HeliMark said:

Yes. The probe is actually for the ECM, they piggybacked on it for the display.

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That’s real nice and accurate.

It's there more for the engine's benefit than rider looking for outside temp. The good thing about it is actually reading the temperature in the airbox which is going to be the temperature the engine is seeing. I've seen air temperature close to 130 in heavy stop/go traffic when the fan cycles on 100 times.

I suppose it would be asking too much to have a separate ambient sensor for closer to actual.

I’ll look at relocating the sensor

Clawdog60 said:

I suppose it would be asking too much to have a separate ambient sensor for closer to actual.

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My friends FJR has separate ambient and air box temp sensors. I installed an aftermarket ambient sensor I bought on eBay. Seems to work ok, but folks have relocated the air box sensor, evidently without any issues.


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Clawdog60 said:

I’ll look at relocating the sensor

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There are threads from people who've done it.
But is it worth it? And with the shared data being what sets the fuel air mixture, do you really want to?

Might get me 5hp with a cooler sensed intake charge. Isn’t that what those electronic eBay gizmos do for cars?

Mine is only a couple of degrees off but I’m somewhat of a perfectionist

WJBertrand said:

My friends FJR has separate ambient and air box temp sensors. I installed an aftermarket ambient sensor I bought on eBay. Seems to work ok, but folks have relocated the air box sensor, evidently without any issues.


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I don’t see why they could not have done that to these bikes

Clawdog60 said:

I suppose it would be asking too much to have a separate ambient sensor for closer to actual.

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Oh sure, and next you'll want a gear shift indicator that tells you what gear you're in when stopped! It just costs money. You probably want an accurate gas gage too.

[old guy soap box]
When I was a boy, you didn't get a gas gauge! You knew you were low with the bike died and you manually switched over to reserve. Unless you had already done that, or forgot to switch it back to regular when you filled up last. In that case, you were just OUT.

You knew what time it was during a ride when you passed a town square clock or asked the guy at the gas station.

If you needed to make a phone call during a ride, you stopped at a pay phone.

If you wanted to know what gear you were in you either counted as you shifted or tried to shift up again to see if you were in top gear. Or tried to shift down again to see if you were in first at a stop.

If you wanted to know what the temperature was, you checked the weather rock!

If you rode in the rain, you got wet leather.

If you wanted cruise control, you put a CAT O-ring between the throttle tube and the bar.

If you rode at night, you made sure to turn the light, (singular), on.

[/old guy soap box]

I'm sure some of you can add more to that bit of fun.

Gear indication while stopped would be nice. Harley even does that.

Clawdog60 said:

Gear indication while stopped would be nice. Harley even does that.

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It requires a new engine case casting. They did this for the FJR eventually, but also added a 6th gear to the FJR at the same time so had a bigger excuse to do a new casting.

Maybe that's why I don't have any bitches about the Tenere. I'm on the same box as Eric. I don't think I've ever used a gear indicator on the bikes that have had them; you're either in the right gear, or you're in the wrong gear....the engine will let you know by sound AND feel. No fuel gage? That's why you reset your trip counter when you fill up; and yeah, NEVER forget to reset your reserve switch.