Engine heat

[Ron-M]

All,

 

Need a little assistance with an engine heat issue I am having on my new 1250RT.  1300 on the odometer.  I have not read anywhere, where someone has had an engine heat problem with either the wethead or the 1250.  However,  I am.  My 2007 RT, no heat issues.  This 1250 engine, I get heat, especially in my left shin area that gets very uncomfortable, almost to the point of burning.  I put my gloved hand down in the area, and my glove comes away very warm.  Although there is heat on the right side, it is nowhere close to the heat emitted on the left side.  I checked the coolant level and it is at the "max" line.  This makes my ride not enjoyable.  Any suggestions.  I have not talked to a dealer yet.  I wanted to throw it out here first.  

 

Thank you,

Ron

[TEWKS]

A bit different but not noticeable on a 2014 RT. What's been your temps while riding it? Though that shouldn't matter much. Gear? Boots and at least jeans?  Good luck finding a solution.

[Ron-M]

Hi Pat.  My gear is the same as it always has been, so no change there.  When I put my hand down to feel where it is coming from, I believe it might be right asbpve the cylinder head. It could be coming from the radiator ports, being pushed out and down and then up.  After about 20 minutes it starts to get uncomfortable and the heat starts working its way up into the cockpit area.  start to feel it on my forearms.  It'a almost as if the air is not being deflected out far enough.   

[TEWKS]

Ron, is the Engine Temp running in the normal range? Fan operating normally? Not that I can tell you what normal is because like I said, heat hasn't been an issue up here.  Any other 1250 RT owners experiencing excessive heat on the left side? 

[Ron-M]

I believe the temp is running normal,.  As far as the bars go on the gauge, it is running at 5 bars and the fan kicks in when it hits 6 or seven bars.   I had my run in service completed, and I do not recall the heat issue before that. Some thoughts that run through my head.  Do the service techs need to remove the fearing or any plastic or other parts to complete the service and did they not replace sonething? Is there a heat shield installed some where that is missing or not replaced? It just seems very odd.  

Maybe I should post this in the wethead section as well.  

[wbw6cos]

On the left side, the port should have a wall all the way from the cooling fins.  The right side should have the same with the fan.   Did you check to see if anything was missing from that area?  They should not have needed to mess with any of the tupperware as the run-in service is bascially an oil change.   Hope you get it sorted.  I have not noticed any excessive heat issues on my  1250RT.  Hope you get it sorted.

[Carlisja]

10,000 on my R1250RTP and no issue.  But it has been cold more often than not.  One day at 90 degrees on the interstate with no discomfort.  I wear an Aerostitch R3, blue jeans and boots.   Yes there are parts on the left side that may be out of place but not likely.  

[Bernie]

I can only talk about a R1200RT- LC. I think the body work is the same and I don’t recall any heat shields or such.

The only thing I can think of is possible a block radiator or disturbed air flow through the radiators because of some accessories?

Did you change wind shields?  

If you have the Navigator 6, you can actually temperature readings from the engine and see if it is excessive.

Are you wearing mesh pants?

[Ron-M]

Thanks for the thoughts guys.  I wear draggin jeans when I am riding around town and I have made no modifications to the motorcycle.  It is just frustrating because you can see how the hot air is supposed to flow, but for some reason my legs are catching it.  

[ScottT]

I've put over 12 thousand miles on my R1250RT and have never had any issue with engine heat. My riding jeans are Diamond Gusset. The only thing reasons I can imagine causing your issue with heat is that you are not tucking your legs in or the lower fairing panel is not secured completely and is allowing hot air to get by. . If allow my legs to get out into the air-stream, I do feel the heat from the radiators. I live in N. Texas and regularly deal with upper 90s and low 100s in the summer. I get less heat on the 1250 than I did on my 2005 1200RT. On the hexhead it was the oil cooler heat that I had to deal with.

[realshelby]

I have ridden my Wethead RT in temps above 100 F. In mesh pants. Never have I had what I thought might be excessive heat onto my legs. In fact, I have written before that this bike has virtually no heat onto the rider compared to some other bikes I have owned. I will say that if you splay your knees out much they will get into the hot exhaust air from the radiator ports. You will figure that out quickly enough....

[Veefore]

Having owned an 86' Concours back in the day, it was the BBQ Grille I measure all engine heat by.  A 90 degree day would leave my lower leg pink from heat.......my 15' RT?  Best heat management I've had on a ST bike having owned the Kawi, an ST1100 and a ST1300.  Results may vary though.

[Ron-M]

Heading to the dealer Saturday to see what they have to say.  I would not worry about the heat factor if others experienced the same thing. But that is not the case.  I get nothing on the brake side and heat on the clutch side.  We'll see...........

[kkm]

There is definitely more heat coming out of the left radiator as the coolant is routed through that one first,the right radiator is cooling it further after the left has already dropped the temperature of the coolant some. 

[Ron-M]

Thanks KKM. Good to know.

[Little_Brit]

WE don't get many days when we have to worry about excess heat in the UK but last week it was up in the high 80s and I took my 1250RT out to test my sports screen for effectiveness.  I cannot say that I noticed any "heat" on my lower half at all, remarkably un-hot on my Hood jeans in fact.  The screen however, was a great improvement up top - I could actually get a draught through the vents in my jacket and helmet!

 

By contrast I took my Yamaha MT 07 naked out the following day in similar temperatures and couldn't believe how hot my legs were getting from the engine. 

[Dan M]

No heat issue on my 2020RT. I rode in 101F today. As long as I was moving it wasn't too bad. 

[AndyS]

Hi Ron, I have NEVER experienced anything related to heat. Having ridden the Camhead and now the Wethead, I feel no deiiference.

One possible solution would be to fit the 'Weather Protection' kit as fitted to a lot of the police bikes.

If you do decide that route, you will need:

 

PLEASE DOUBLE CHECK AS THESE NUMBERS WERE FOR THE 1200

CHECK T0 MAKE SURE THEY ARE CORRECT FOR THE 1250!

 

46638548477 Trim cover, front left      -     1 off     

46638548478 Trim cover, front right    -     1 off     

46638548481 Left Center Covering    –     1 off     

46638548480 Right Center Covering   -      1 off     

46638548483 Covering Rear Left         -      1 off     

46638548484 Covering Rear Right       -      1 off    

46638548482 Covering Rear Right       -      1 off     

61138545036 Clamp                              -       4 off    

46638534939 Body Screw                     -      1 off     

46638521653 Body Screw                     -      8 off    

46638521659 Washer                             -     8 off     

46638532314 Insert Nut                        -      6 off     

[TJRL]

On 5/21/2020 at 12:27 PM, Ron-M said:

Heading to the dealer Saturday to see what they have to say.  I would not worry about the heat factor if others experienced the same thing. But that is not the case.  I get nothing on the brake side and heat on the clutch side.  We'll see...........

Any update, did the dealership sort things for you?

[TEWKS]

13 hours ago, TJRL said:

Any update, did the dealership sort things for you?

 

Funny, just yesterday I thought about this also. I took a short ride on my RT with shorts  (gasp  ) and when I splayed my left leg out beyond the fairing I got a fair amount of heat. If I kept tucked in, the heat would flow past without issue. 

[wbw6cos]

 @Ron-M    Although he should be the one to respond, I can tell you that he rode my RT and felt the same type of heat.  I never really thought much about it myself.  I rode his RT and really could not feel much differnence.  I would like to say my mind may have been predisposed to sensing any extra heat, but in the end I could not notice a difference between the two bikes.  He did tell me that the BMW techs did change out a thermostat and got some coolant temps to come down a bit, but he still feels it.  I did remember to look at the coolant temp on the dash and it was running the same as mine was prior to switching bikes.

 

I wear shorts under my mesh riding pants and can, on occasion, feel some heat just above my ankle (sometimes left, other times right side) but not consistant enough to worry about it.  It may be something he will have to get used to.  He had no heat issue on his prior bike, as he stated earlier.

 

[AndyS]

10 hours ago, TEWKS said:

 

.... If I kept tucked in, the heat would flow past without issue. 

 

That's the key thing. The air management is so good that they have dumped the heat OUTSIDE the rider envelope. On cold days it would be good to bring that heat inboard!

I found the same when I was riding once, I popped off my glove and felt around the lower section of the fairing, and the heat that came out from the radiator cut outs is significant. 

The amazing thing is, it misses the rider...UNLESS they ride with their knees poked out beyond the sides of the fairing.

[fourteenfour]

Back in the good old days the RT did have vents to redirect engine heat, or so they say. I never really noticed too much from them on my 96

[AndyS]

Ah, but those (useless) vents were to direct the air from the oil cooler up towards the hands. 

A waste of space because once the oil cooler was hot enough for the thermostat to open, it would be dumping heat into the cockpit anyway.

 

[kkm]

The biggest heat issue with wet heads/shiftcams is to the passengers legs as they tend to be splayed out past the protection of the fairing lowers. My wife noticed quite a difference between the ‘06 RT & the ‘16 wet head. 

[AndyS]

Hi kkm, I think you are right. This is both a positive and a negative thing. On a cool dry day, the pillion benefits from the heat. On a wet day, the pillion tends to get wetter legs. On Hot days, the pillion's legs must heat up more...my wife has never complained that her legs are too warm though.

[Ron-M]

Hi everyone,

Sorry I have not responded sooner but I have not checked into the website in a bit. Been busy. William was a big help to me when he let me ride his RT to compare.  This is kind of an ongoing thing, but the bottom line is that the heat is still there but it is at least tolerable.   To back up a little, the Orlando BMW shop, which is 280 miles away, and where I have been bringing my RTs for a number of years, was closed for a while due to COVID.  When I finally got it there, I had them do the 600 mile service and investigate the heat issue.  The tech, who has a 2019 RT, took it out for a spin and felt the heat as well.  He thought it might be design difference between the 2019 and the 2020.  However, not having his motorcycle at the shop, and the dealership not having any on the floor, or in for service, there was nothing to compare it to.  I was dubious, and took it home, and conducted my own experiments with the fairing trying to figure where exactly the heat was coming from, and is it different on the right side that the left.   The heat was just not tolerable. Especially when the air temps got into the 90s.  Not only did it start to burn my shin, but eventually worked its way up to the underside of my forearm and eventually up into my helmet.   I brought it back a couple of weeks later and they kept it for about three weeks.  Although they still noticed the heat, it was compared to the techs 2019.  All the temps, radiators, cylinder heads, and engine, were compared and they matched up.  However, there was one time when the left radiator was 40 degrees hotter than the techs left radiator.  They decided to change the thermostat believing that it might be sticking and not allowing the radiator to act correctly. After the thermostat was changed out, the tech drove it home one night, it was about a 50 mile round trip, and said he no longer felt heat, other than normal engine heat.  

 

I went to get the bike and test drove it prior to loading up on the trailer.  Went for about a 20 minute ride in about 85 degree weather.  Still felt the heat, but not as much.  The tech offered to have me drive his 2019 to compare.  I did, and found the heat situation was about the same.  Still hot, but tolerable.  I just did not understand why I was so sensitive to the heat flow given no one else feels it.  My thought at the time was, apparently that is the nature of the new beast.  I took William up on his offer to compare and we met for lunch one afternoon.  We switched motorcycles and I found the heat situation about the same on his motor as well.  

 

To me, the air management is good, but it could be better.  I have ridden the motorcycle in different temps, and it really gets noticeable when the temps start hitting 85, into the 90's.   If you put your hand down in front of the left vent, the air coming out of that vent is very hot. Hotter than the right vent. From what I am told, the coolant flow comes out of the engine into the left vent first and then makes its way over to the right vent, where it is cooled down enough to re-enter the engine.  Normal riding engine temp hovers around 187 and when the engine heats up to about 210, maybe a little higher, the only fan, on the right side, kicks on.  The air flow from the vents does flow just outside the riders envelope, and I do ride with my knees planted on the fairing in order to avoid that air flow, but somehow it works its way inside the envelope.  I have experimented to try and redirect the airflow, but amazingly enough, that does not curtail the heated air flow from that vent.  I had it up in the North Georgia mountains a couple of weeks ago, and with the temps in the high 60s to the mid 80s there was no problem.  Every now and then I could feel it, but it would go away.  However, my wife stated that she could feel it on her ankle as a passenger, but not enough to matter.   We are coming off of a 2007 RT, which we still have, that had absolutely no heat issues, so this is something I am probably just sensitive to.  You know,  if you believe it is going to be there, you will find it not matter what.  So, the long and the short of it is, I love the motorcycle. It does and has everything I wanted my 2007 to do and have, but, I just need to deal with, or better mitigate, the heat flow.  I am still working on it, but at least I can ride the thing now and not have my shin and forearm burning up.   

[Paul4450]

Hi Ron,

I haven’t noticed this issue on my ‘14 RTW, but there is a thread in Wetheads on it. 

maybe this might help you. 

[Ron-M]

Thanks Paul.  Interesting idea.  

[Ron-M]

I have thought about installing a fan on the left side to push that air further out when the heat starts to become noticeable.  Questions that present themselves; will this cool down the coolant too much and affect the engine?  How is the fan turned on? Manually with a switch?  I don't think splicing into the existing fan is the answer because I believe that only kicks on when moving at real slow speeds or stopped.  Just thinking out loud.........

[gary45]

when temps are in the 90's the center of my 2018 gets very hot, the seat gets very warm, the panels below the seat are hot, there is really zero air movement around the middle of my body. The heat from the air cooled cylinders is directed to the center of the bike by the panels. The liquid cooling (radiators) is only for the cylinder heads. I currently use beads on the seat when it is hot to cool myself a bit and have thought about putting a couple of 1 inch tubes on top of the tank starting in the forks area where there is high pressure air flow ending near the front of the seat putting cool air in my waist area.

[davagail]

i have a 14 rt and too have  a lot of heat coming from left side radiator port! so much that it bothered me to the point i came up with this idea,www.thebootscoop.com. shameless plug i know but it works to cool the lower extremeties(boys or girls parts) if you happen to have to have one mention this forum and it will ship for free.... ride safe and keep cool

[TEWKS]

Neat idea! 

 

[wbw6cos]

Good thought, but I think Ron is going to need a heat shield as opposed to a device to allow air flow up the pant leg.  It could be worth a try, though.  

 

With that in mind, I wonder if there are any heat resistant leggings available.  I know of ones made of nylon for road spray.  

[Ron-M]

A little update.  I purchased a couple of lower wind deflectors from Memphis Shades.  I heated one up  in my oven and straightened it out.  I then placed it in the left side vent, molding it to the contours of the vent.  I had to cut a little piece off one end to allow it to fit properly.  I then secured the deflector to the vent with Scotch Dual Lock.  Very solid adhesion.  It might not show it in the photos that are attached, but, I believe, it looks pretty good. Now, for its practicality?  Due to weather conditions in our area,  I have only had one opportunity to ride and it was  a cooler morning, 72 degrees.   I believe it moves the hot air coming from the vent just a little further out.  That is a conclusion I made from the hand test.  Placing my hand down to find the flow of the hot air coming from the vent.   Of course the true test is when the temps get back to being hot, and not raining.  Will report.  

 

 

 

 

 

[AndyS]

On 8/24/2020 at 1:55 PM, Ron-M said:

 It might not show it in the photos that are attached,

 

Sorry. For me there are NO photo's showing.

[9Mary7]

Me neither.......

[Ron-M]

Let me try again.........

[kkm]

That’s what I used and my wife said it helps a lot. Never have had a single BMW rider even notice that they were on there. 

[wbw6cos]

I wonder when his production run will start for making those available for riders interested in having that set-up.   It seems like a good venture to start up.  

[Ron-M]

You gave me the idea KKM.  Hopefully, it will be functional.  

[kkm]

Definitely helps,per my wife! 😄

Doesn’t deflect 100% of the heat,but helps. 

[bimmers]

I now have 500 miles on my 2021 RT and I did notice today how much warmer this bike is than my 06 and 09 RTs.

the left leg is significantly hotter and I only made a 50mile stint this morning at 80 to 90F around Palm Beach area. 
 

I used to on the old bikes spread my legs while still keeping feet on pegs and got a nice flow of fresh air that way. Did not work on this new bike, I had to stretch out my legs beyond bike fairing to get any fresh air. 
so conclusion having read all the thread is that the airflow on the new one is distributing engine heat towards rider alongside bike. It may also be that these bikes run hotter or the passing air is hotter because of more efficient radiator cooling. The old ones are air over oil plus air so there may be differences in heat exchange values.

anyway this is a little worrisome as there are no cool days down here and going up north on the interstate was hot already with old bikes. 
 

a drawback I didn't think of, otherwise I love the bike, navigation through wifi is a little painful though.

 

h