Warm right footpeg??

[Meeni]

Hey all,

with the warm weather, I noticed yesterday that the right footpeg becomes uncomfortably hot. The temperature is hot enough that I feel the warm through the rubber of my boots. There are plenty of sources of heat in the area, I couldn't determine precisely where it is coming from, but I am afraid that this might be the sign of some internal damages (shot bearings?), or might in itself provoke some damages if it comes from the cat converter (out of spec oil temperature being an example, boiled brake fluid being another one...).

More details on the symptoms:
* Appears only during super hot days, very occasionally (3 times in about a year, once during a traffic jam on a 100+ day, and two times during spirited twisties, during the 2 beautiful weeks we had in east TN). It looks like the heat cannot be dissipated quickly enough because of outside temperature and builds up.
* It radiated everywhere, from the gearbox to the rear wheel (extremely hot as well). The heat is easily transmitted to remote areas from the original source, which makes the problem hard to assert.
* The cylinders are not hotter than usual (as far as I can tell), the bike runs strong and do not make any particular noise (even during the episodes, no particular cam noise), oil level is correct, the oil filter is an oem from a recent change so the oil pressure/flow should be correct. Trans oil is 3000 miles old, it had a nice normal color, no bubbles, it shifts perfect, no rattling of any sort.
* The rear brake is not dragging/stuck (and I do not drag the brake unintentionally while riding).
* I have minimal play at the paralever needle bearing (I can feel a "clunk" when moving the wheel at 9-3, very small movement though), no measurable play at the output shaft (no movement of any sort at 6-12).
* when the bike is "normal", the transmission is warm to the touch, the wheel is the same temp as the tires, the rear arm and trans are cold, the cat converter is hot enough to vaporise water and create a mist when splashing it.

My suspect is the cat converter, that is just under there, but I'd like to know what I am looking at. Any thought on what can cause that, and how to further investigate ?

[bradzdotcom]

could very easily be the cat. they tend to get really hot.
at the outdoor nationals, the promoters have to be really careful when people start parking cars out in the fields. there's been a few cat-created fires in the parking areas over the years.

disclaimer: a cat converter does NOT convert cats into other things. sad, yet true.

[roger albert]

Too bad, THAT, would be some awesome alchemy.

[PFFOG]

Originally Posted by bradzdotcom

......................

disclaimer: a cat converter does NOT convert cats into other things. sad, yet true.

But should one get caught in there, it might look like this:



I would have to think it is exhaust heat being transferred as well. Raw fuel from a misfire WILL cause a cat to get real hot, I mean RED HOT, bordering on Orange hot.

Any decline in performance or mileage lately?

[Meeni]

mileage is not the greatest (low 40mpg, 120miles before fuel light turns on), performance is ok, idle is a little uneven and it might sound like misfire to a more trained ear, which I am not.

On the plus side, I can use it a lava stones for a sauna when riding under the rain.

[Meeni]

And so, is there an easy check for the missfire hypothesis ? Its the week end I have time and beers,I just need knowledge to get started

[tjs]

basic's. Where do you ride? Death Valley? Real Basic. The right side cylinder is closer to the footpeg in question. tjs

[PFFOG]

Originally Posted by Meeni

And so, is there an easy check for the missfire hypothesis ? Its the week end I have time and beers,I just need knowledge to get started

99% of misfires are spark plug related, I don't care how new they are, in fact seen more new plugs bad than old.

But before you just start throwing wenches at it, listen and feel, on a twin like this a misfire should be evident if you are paying attention to the motor.

[Meeni]

Ok, the overheating is kind of permanent now (outside temperature is just insane these days in TN, like 100 in the morning !! ).

I am investigating plugs, the primary plugs are almost new (autolite platinum), the electrodes are in good shape, but seems to wear fast, for only 6k old, they look like they are already half life. Deposit is white, indicative of a lean condition (-> heat from the cylinder radiates ??).

secondary plugs are beaten to death. I didn't changed them at 12k, and now at close to 20k they look like Mike Tyson ate their ears in a furious craze of his own. Lot of white buildup, to the point of covering completely the electrodes and cathodes, and maybe preventing spark. The electrode is worn, I cleaned them and re-gaped as a temporary measure, we'll see what happens with this. Also a lot of black sooty crap was in the bottom of the thread area.

These plugs are leaving for a better world, I'll get new ones tomorrow. Could non-functional, or mostly misfiring secondary plugs explain a severe heat issue ? I do not feel loss of power, and misfiring is far from evident to my untrained hear (but I would expect it to be very obvious on a two cylinder engine).

I looked inside the cylinder through the holes, could not see anything specific, except that the honing of the sleeves is still visible after 20k There is also some black cooked oil debris in the lower plug area. Might try a leak test at some point if I can't find anything else, but worn rings so early, with like new sleeves ??!


While looking all around, I also found the gearbox-FD rubber boot to be worn out. It lets road debris enter the shaft. Should I make this a top priority item, or can this wait that I have some more time to tear down the entire damn thing for the sake of changing a rubber part ? ...

[Bob K.]

I would do a throttle sync. If one side is running too lean, that could be an issue.

If still seems hot after the new plugs and the sync, I would pull the cat and get a replacement "Y" pipe. It would free up the heat, add a pony or two, and even shed a few pounds.

[jaytee]

On hot days in SoCal I notice heat on my right foot from my R1200S - much more than on my R1200ST. I have always put that down to higher compression and lack of any body shrouding on the cylinders.

Unless your engine operating temperature is abnormally high I'm calling this normal hot bike on a normal hot day.