Radiator clogged

[Sausages1212]

Hi, just reading through various threads on blocked radiators.
Mine has done a lot of miles and despite cleaning, brushing, ,air compressing, and even using a needle to unclog, I think my radiator is full of crap. Temperature runs at 80 degrees on open roads but as soon as I hit lights, it goes to 102 and the fan kicks in (every day). My question is- how hard is it to remove the radiator please??

[Salish1000]

You are getting crickets and though I haven't done it, I have to say removing the radiator is no big deal. You do it all the time on bikes to access valves and such. That's not the hard part. If you think your bike is running hot due to blockage, which I would doubt, I would try other things first. You can flush it, clean it, run Water Wetter. Many things. Start with the simple fixes, and then get more serious if necessary. My two cents.

[Sausages1212]

Hey thanks for the advice. I know it’s blocked by the dirt I have each time I put a needle in but I will take your advice and try a few other things like coolant first

[smithy]

Originally Posted by Sausages1212

Hey thanks for the advice. I know it’s blocked by the dirt I have each time I put a needle in but I will take your advice and try a few other things like coolant first

Gen-1 or Gen-2..?? You don't say what you have..?? Either way, these bikes do run warm when at a standstill/slow trafic in warmer weather.

If the radiator is clogged with crud, just remove and give it a good clean...it's not that difficult.

Smithy.

[Antares]

Originally Posted by Sausages1212

Hi, just reading through various threads on blocked radiators.
Mine has done a lot of miles and despite cleaning, brushing, ,air compressing, and even using a needle to unclog, I think my radiator is full of crap. Temperature runs at 80 degrees on open roads but as soon as I hit lights, it goes to 102 and the fan kicks in (every day). My question is- how hard is it to remove the radiator please??

Honestly that sounds normal and I wouldn't worry about it, even in cool weather you'll only ever get below 80°C when on the motorway. And based on your description the bike warms up when you come to a standstill which therefore has nothing to do with airflow or your radiator being clogged. If you want the bike to run cooler, get a tune for it and have them adjust the fan kick on temp to start at 97°C rather than 102°C or even 1 step lower.

[Mareng1]

My impression is that the coolant system is very low capacity (Ltrs) and that the temperature rises in the system very quickly at rest.

So - quite possible there is nothing amiss.

[Winger]

Originally Posted by smithy

If the radiator is clogged with crud, just remove and give it a good clean...it's not that difficult.

Smithy.

+1 it’s the only way.

[Sausages1212]

Thanks for all the reassurance
The advice fits in well with my plans. Some short rides through summer then I will take it apart and gunk the rad overnight and wash from the rear.
Next question is - can I easily smooth out the revs under 3k?? It’s very jerky and seems to hunt
I’ve had to change the rear Cush due to play but I, m sure the engine could be smoother at low revs.
The bike is a gem 1 -2015 with 42,000 miles but in as new condition overall. I was thinking about a module which might just plug in. I don’t really want to go to the extreme of a rolling road with full tune?

[LeDuke]

Sausages, to change the way it runs at any rev range you need a tune of some sort.
Whether it be rolling road, Bren, etc....
Maybe you can speak to your BMW dealer and see if they can do anything to alleviate the under 3k RPM issue your looking for , but I doubt it TBH.
You just have to live with it, or sell it and get something that fits your desires to how you want the bike to be.
As always, this is just my 2 cents.

[the bartender]

its a 165 HP Inline 4, its not designed to be run under 3000RPM with any sort of load.