Honda CBR 600RR Forum banner

Standard cooling system temps (REVISED)

77K views 96 replies 55 participants last post by  NewRedRider 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
This data, as far as i can tell, applies for ALL years of the Honda 600RR

for imperial measurement (U.S.)

the temp gauge starts reading at 98f
the thermostat STARTS to open @ 176f
the thermostat should be fully open @ 183f
the fan turns on when the bike reaches 220f, and continue to operate until the bike is brought down to 212f
the fan will still operate if the motor is off, key in ignition, and ignition is on, and the bike temp is over 220f, and it will continue to still operate until the coolant in the system is brought down to 212f

operation of the bike to the 240 - 250F range is NOT acceptable, this is the range where you would want to find a safe place to park

Metric

the temp gauge starts reading at 36C
the thermostat STARTS to open @ 80C
the thermostat should be fully open @ 84C
the fan turns on when the bike reaches 104C, and continue to operate until the bike is brought down to 93C
the fan will still operate if the motor is off, key in ignition, and ignition is on, and the bike temp is over 104C, and it will continue to still operate until the coolant in the system is brought down to 93c

operation of the bike to the 120C range is NOT acceptable, this is the range where you would want to find a safe place to park
=-=-=-=

The standard mix of Coolant (ethylene glycol - with corrosion protection inhibitors) is a 50%/50% mix of coolant and distilled (soft) water

The radiator and engine contains 3.2 Liters (or 3.4 US Quarts)
the Reserve tank contains .3 Liters (or .32 quarts)

the radiator pressure limits are 108-137 kPa (or 16-20 PSI) .. note, this is the pressure range where coolant should be switching to the reserve tank as an over flow

the thermostat as from start to open to full open should have an 8mm lift (the valve moves 8mm from full closed, to full open)

to sum things up... any thing below 230F or 110C is NORMAL 248F (120C) is flat out the over heat point and the warning light should be ON

it is not uncommon for the bikes to get to 240F or 115C


All of this information was obtained from the shop manual
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Thanks for the well put together information Tenjin. Like myself I am sure they are many others on the forum who this information will help by knowing that because the bike’s temp goes above 180 °F it is not over heating but normal running temp.
Last week I noticed my fan continued to run after switching off the bike with the key but while the key was in the on position. While I attributed this to the temp being to the point where the fan needed to kick in I did not know what this temp was. I now know what to expect.
 
#3 ·
This is great info and exactly what I've been looking for. I get low 230's sometimes in traffic and it FREAKS me out. Lol Now that I know it's completely normal I won't worry about it. Does anyone notice that their bike runs differently at high temps? I feel like mine is much more sluggish when I take off from a light at around 220 or higher.
 
#5 ·
:+1: on that...gotta give it a lil more throttle if shes hot. goes for your bike too :spank:
 
#8 ·
does running a constant high temp above 220 ruin the fan motor, I keep popping fuses due to circuit overload, and have already replaced the fan once after it went bad.
i wouldnt imagine so, though its possible ... how ever my bike has endured4 long, blazing hot summers in the arizona heat.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dixon cider
#11 ·
is guess i'm still a noob for asking this question...but what exactly does it mean when it says "thermostat starts to open"?
 
#13 ·
it means just that

the thermostat is not a on/off device

its a mechanical device, at the specified temp, the valve begins its journey to being fully opened as it gets warmer and warmer

untill that temp the tstat is nearly blocking all of the water from flowing
 
  • Like
Reactions: dixon cider
#16 ·
Thanks bro. I saw 220 today and got a little worried.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dixon cider
#20 ·
It would, but that may cause other problems in itself depending on the climate your in.
 
#23 ·
Very Informative...

Thanks for the info, having a digital temp is great but not if I don't know when I should start worrying. Excellent.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dixon cider
#24 ·
Awesome read!! :thumbup:
 
#30 ·
Nope, its all good...

Pretty sure mine does the same... never really taken that much notice.
 
#32 ·
the ecu is programed to do it @ 220, but i think its on a slow pole rate, ive seen from 220 - 225 depending on how fast my temps are climbing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dixon cider
#34 ·
Thanks Tenjin. I bout $hit a brick one hot day last summer when I got up to 248degrees in traffic... although I am pretty sure being an '04 with 26k miles, I could use a radiator or atleast get it treated. I am looking into it.

It is actually not rare for me to be in the 230's during hot summer days. Does it sound too close to abnormal?

Btw, what do you mean by safe place to park? to sit and let the bike cool? I heard that you should not turn your bike off with overheated temps?

ok no more questions :)
 
#35 ·
yes a place to park

why wouldnt you turn it off when it starts over heating? its just going to get worse, and you will destroy the motor if it does
 
#36 ·
This data, as far as i can tell, applies for ALL years of the Honda 600RR

for imperial measurement (U.S.)

the temp gauge starts reading at 98f
the thermostat STARTS to open @ 176f
the thermostat should be fully open @ 183f
the fan turns on when the bike reaches 220f, and continue to operate until the bike is brought down to 200f
the fan will still operate if the motor is off, key in ignition, and ignition is on, and the bike temp is over 220f, and it will continue to still operate until the coolant in the system is brought down to 200f
operation of the bike to the 240 - 250F range is acceptable, how ever this is the range where you would want to find a safe place to park

Metric

the temp gauge starts reading at 36C
the thermostat STARTS to open @ 80C
the thermostat should be fully open @ 84C
the fan turns on when the bike reaches 104C, and continue to operate until the bike is brought down to 93C
the fan will still operate if the motor is off, key in ignition, and ignition is on, and the bike temp is over 104C, and it will continue to still operate until the coolant in the system is brought down to 93c

operation of the bike to the 115 - 221C range is acceptable, how ever this is the range where you would want to find a safe place to park
=-=-=-=

The standard mix of Coolant (ethylene glycol - with corrosion protection inhibitors) is a 50%/50% mix of cooland and distilled (soft) water

The radiator and engine contains 3.2 Liters (or 3.4 US Quarts)
the Reserve tank contains .3 Liters (or .32 quarts)

the radiator pressure limits are 108-137 kPa (or 16-20 PSI) .. note, this is the pressure range where coolant should be switching to the reserve tank as an over flow

the thermostat as from start to open to full open should have an 8mm lift (the valve moves 8mm from full closed, to full open)

to sum things up... any thing below 250F or 121ish C is NORMAL 250 is flat out the over heat point

it is not uncommon for the bikes to get to 240F or 115C
Tenjin,
Thanks much for the info. this is exactly the info I was looking for and it is not available in my service manual. I have a 2007 600rr and have been cranking it up all winter for about 10 minutes. Today I did the same with the weather out here in the Northeast getting up to the 60's and the fan did not turn on at 215F. I was concerned so I turned the bike off. I checked my fuse and it was fine but didn't check my relay yet. I will run it past 220F to see if the fan now turns on or not. I also did not notice whether the coolant ran into the overflow after 185F. Thanks
Al
 
#37 ·
You shouldn't be starting the bike continuously as you are running your engine without any lube in the upper cylinder which will only cause unnecessary wear. You are far better off just putting it on a tender with a full tank and some fuel stabiliser in it and leaving for the winter, and having her up on stands is a good idea for your tyres.
 
Top