Overheated Bike
I have a 2002 ZX6R with about 7k miles it. I ride it almost every weekend for an hour or two at a minimum. Before I ride it, I start it up with the choke closed and let it run for a minute or so to warm up while I put on my helmet, jacket, gloves, etc. Today, after I started it up, and while putting on my equipment, I got an emergency phone call that took me away for a few minutes. I let the bike warm up with the choke on for about 4 or 5 minutes, but during this time, it seems like the fan failed, resulting in the bike overheating. When I got back to the bike (still running with the choke on around 4k RPM), the temp sensor read "HI" and there was coolant coming out of the release valve above the rear tire. I noticed that the fan was not running at this time. I immediately shut the engine off, and let the bike cool down for a few hours.
I have been able to start the bike and it seems to run ok, except for a few things. The bike starts up ok with the choke open (the lever up), but I am unable to start it with the choke closed (the lever down). If I start the bike with the choke open, and then close the choke, the bike dies right away.
Also, the bike seems to heat up faster than normal, this could be due to the fact that the radiator fan seems dead, but I'm wondering if the thermostat is damaged or the coolant pump (the fan shouldn't be kicking on until it gets to around 180 degrees anyways, and it's getting there a lot faster than I remember it doing in the past).
Anyways, I'm wondering if someone on here knows what I should check to verify the bike is working properly. What components are most likely damaged? Does this choke problem sound normal? Are there easy fixes to it, or do I need to take it to a shop? Is there a check I can do to make sure the engine didn't get damaged during the overheating?
Thanks.
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07-05-2008
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