Ok, I have posted about this before. However, I want to post again to get more thoughts if possible. It's well known that the zx14 is a hot running bike, especially in stop and go traffic. It doesn't bother me all the time. But, one of the things I don't like is how it shifts when it gets hot. On an average temp day (somewhere in the 70's), I will leave my garage and the bike shifts buttery smooth at the beginning. But, when everything heats up to the point that the fan is running at every light, it just doesn't shift as smoothly for obvious reasons. Once the bike cools down, it immediately shifts better. I am not looking at redesigning the bike. The ideas I have seen are replacing the antifreeze with something (such as water wetter), zx10 fender, larger fan, etc. Are there any other ideas people have or have done to help keep this bike just a little cooler? I absolutely love the bike, but, if there is something I would nitpick, it would be this......Thanks Much!!

When is the last time you changed the oil?

Good question......About 2 weeks ago......I change approx every 3k to 4k......Use either Valvoline full synthetic 4t or Mobile 1 4t.....both 10w40. I have used Rotella T6 in the past with my bikes, particularly my zzr1200 and it worked well.

Had to ask the obvious. Now we know its most likely not oil related. I had heard that replacing your coolant with a product called "engine ice" can help lower the temps. I have a 2013 and don't really have a heat issue with it so I am kinda useless here. I don't know what the other guys have done. I could be wrong but I believe some people add a second radiator fan? Or a larger one idk. Sorry I can't be of more help. The allstar Rook has a major wealth of knowledge when it comes to tech info on the first gen.

* Last updated by: Cornelius on 3/31/2014 @ 6:54 PM *

I know your looking for new ideas, but I rode with a guy last year who had a similar problem and he had installed a zx10 front fender and said it was an incredible improvement. Before I changed a fender I guess I would check or replace your thermostat and try the engine ice product mentioned by Cornelius. Make certain when you refill that there's no air in the system. An extra fan hooked to a switch that you can control would be pretty easy as well.

thanks, Cornelius. I just read these threads over the years but I'm far from an expert.

This is one where I haven't got much to tell you except that I also run a ZX-10 fender (a Yana shiki copy, actually) and it does not seem to have made much difference in my running temp. The bike already runs about one bar cooler after I installed the full system so I don't think there is much that is going to improve on that. Still will rise to 5 bars in slow traffic on a 80-90 degree day.

you know, I think maybe mine doesn't shift quit as smooth when it gets hot. If it does, it doesn't seem to make to big of a difference. Probably just oil losing some viscosity from the high temp?

I figured there probably wasn't a magic pill here.....otherwise, it would be all over the forums. I just thought I would ask since you are the experts. At the end of the day, it is just part of the design. I think the oil probably does get a little too hot and loses some viscosity. It's just the way the bike was designed. I do still love the bike however.......

I figured there probably wasn't a magic pill here.....otherwise, it would be all over the forums. I just thought I would ask since you are the experts. At the end of the day, it is just part of the design. I think the oil probably does get a little too hot and loses some viscosity. It's just the way the bike was designed. I do still love the bike however.......

Im told Ceramic coating your pipes is a winner

Once the bike cools down, it immediately shifts better. I am not looking at redesigning the bike.

Heat has factored into a formula? Turn the fan on when this temp is at this threshold number? A numbers game? How much volume do I need to run at peak HP efficiency (keep the heat number here for peak HP I'm in this heat range because heat makes HP), unless I have it wrong and cooling an engine down does?

What is the middleman between your foot and clutch lever? The clutch plates.
What would cause the heat to build up in traffic and cause poor shifting? Expansion.
What causes the shifting to come back so immediately? Is it the clutch fluid? No, shifts better and that's oil. Is it the engine oil? No, shifts better. Oil is oil, right? Are you going to change the oil to a different weight the bike cools down? No. We back to liquid that shifts better when at normal temp? Is the coolant about to cool down a bad shift in traffic? There is no coolant around the clutch pack about to cool that oil at the clutch, right? No to the coolant, no to the oil, no to some fan change.
What happens when you boil water and then turn the stove off. The water stops boiling.
What happens if you turn the key off and will this stop boiling or heating the engine? Has to. Show me the energy like blowing gasoline up to cause heat. No spark, no flame. I've got your coolant factor right here.

We still want to redesign the bike lose sleep over it, or leave the engineering where it is.

Put a bigger fan on it!
No, pour wet tear waiter here at it!
Naaa, lets all gang up on the bike and redesign it!

Oh look! Cold Pea Say!

* Last updated by: Hub on 4/1/2014 @ 12:49 AM *

Get a second fan and a CBlast flash, hes on here PM him. Use engine ice (blue) or the red stuff (racing coolant. I have tfound the red stuff works great in my 14, I like it better than engine ice. Heat it the by product of power so with great power comes great heat.

I switched from the M1 4T oil to Motul 300V Double Ester oil. The 300V compared to the M1 shifts smoother once the engin warms up. I have ~2000 miles on this oil change and I dont think there is any difference between shifting cold vs. hot, maybe just a little bit notchier. I also have never seen the 4th temp bar on my bike including a track day last year when it was 95 in the shade at Auto Club Speedway.

Good luck!

I dunno about you guys, but I wish my bike did not have bars for coolant temp. Why could they not just use a numerical read out like most other bikes. :(

A big plus one on the Motul, I switched from Mobil 1 to motul on all my bikes!!!!

So, Hub is telling me to quit f'ing whining about the way the bike shifts and love the bike for what it is......I can go with that. :) hehehehehehe Thanks for the perspective......much appreciated!! :)

I dunno about you guys, but I wish my bike did not have bars for coolant temp.

I dunno about you guys, but I wish my bike did not have bars for coolant temp. Why could they not just use a numerical read out like most other bikes. :(

So, Hub is telling me to quit f'ing whining about the way the bike shifts and love the bike for what it is...

No, not whining, but a 'worry' or 'caution' instead. But to understand the 'heat' being the [science] and the only difference between a smooth shift and a rough shift: that goes away when moving thru the cooler air again. That means you cannot get away from the traffic, nor can you get away with the ambient of the day.

But as soon as you take off, everything is A-OK. Now the question is, did anyone really stop the fan from coming on with the water/oil/fan redesign? Shifts the same on a hot day with all those mods still? Gotta wonder who's winning, the heat or the redesign?

Point taken......I have read such mixed reactions/reviews with the various zx14 cooling mods. It was interesting coming from the zzr1200 with two of just about everything, including fans. They rarely if ever ran and the bike ran fairly cool most of the time. ZX14 temp a big deal? Probably not as big of a deal as I am making it in my own mind. I agree with the others that pointed out the lack of actual numerical temperature readings sucks. Ultimately, the digital temp "gauge" is not really a gauge at all......at best, it's a fancy dummy light/gauge that really doesn't tell you much. Now, if the lcd panel starts blinking alternate high temp and coolant symbol, then I can start worrying. Really, the only time I hit stop and go traffic is on the way home from work.......Other than that, I am as far away from stoplights as I can get. :)

The R's have a digital temp readout. If I'm not mistaken, probably can be reset to read in C because mine is set in F. The water temp is accurate. This is an input sensor so it has to know when to turn off the choke or turn on the fan, and changes fuel metering. Trust it.

Will do......thanks much for your input. It's much appreciated.

Combustions dark partner, without it, we are powerless, with it, we are hot. All about the flow. I run standard type coolant (EG), and as soon as my oil 'turns', I change it. Really about all ya can do. I see the engine ice and water wetter come through and at the end of the day, the temp is the temp. State of tune determines the partners amorous level. An engine in a stock, ie: lean state of tune does tend to run hotter. Getting the mixture and timing right with proper tuning can help see a drop in operating temps throughout the range, but she will still get a little hot and bothered around all them cages.

YW. Back to shift quality, some here can tell you or for me at least, the shift quality is at its smoothest after an oil change. In about 3k miles or less, the shifting quality rears its ugly head and you wonder what happened? Oil thickens when it gets up there in miles. That's drag on the plates and we are right back in between the foot and fingers.

So the other point to the heat release is the thickening factor. Change your oil and she shifts smooth for awhile. When it becomes sloppy, check your oil change mileage against the shift quality. It's probably time to flush it out. I find about 3k on the oil begins the sloppy shifts.

Flush that case with some diesel?

* Last updated by: Cornelius on 4/2/2014 @ 6:38 AM *

No way. Flush like a toilet is what I meant. Same water shows up. So, same oil shows up as in... If you flush with diesel, it needs to come down. There are 100k 14's around that never saw a drop of diesel is my guess, so no other liquids in that crank but oil.