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View Full Version : How hot is to hot for air cooled engine?



Pryme
02-07-2020, 10:20 AM
Hi all,

So I took my big red out to test out the new tires and they did well. I usually use it to give my kids a pull in their big sled. Think water tubing but in the snow with the trike.
Total weight about 100lbs pulling through about 5" of snow, some drifts about 8" so she got pretty warm. Plus I was ripping around on it after.

Anyway I used my infrared heat gun and the middle area of the cylinder was 320-324. Top of cylinder was 300, bottom area of cylinder and crankcase top was about 270 and bottom of case underneath machine was 210's

Does that seem too hot? I've never checked the temp like that before.

Homeless Dave
02-07-2020, 11:42 AM
Not sure what actual temps are achieved by these engines, never used a heat gun. I have not overheated an a trike, at least that i know of. Just make sure your cooling fins don't get clogged up. If you have a 200 big red, i will tell you i have never seat a 200cc honda die form overheating. 250es on the other hand i have, but it was low on oil and about 100 degrees outside, so that is not perfectly fair for a comparison. The engines work best when moving at seed so air is flowing over the fins. I saw a guy who put makeshift heat syncs on the fins to make it cool better, but not sure how effective it was. I bet that some other members will chime in and be better help, but in general it is hard to kill these from heat, especially if it is cold outside. I live in south dakota and do a lot of snow riding, only problem i have is getting stuck.

Pryme
02-07-2020, 11:48 AM
I was doing some Google research and it appears fine based on other air cooled atv and bike numbers I read about.
Yeah getting stuck is pretty easy to do in the snow. Luckily its pretty easy to lug out of a hole.