cooling fan not cycling and dead battery

[consultjb]

I've got a 2008 roketa 250. The cooling fan come on and stays on. I did get it to cycle by spraying water mist on the radiator, so it appears to work.

The real problem is that I believe this is causing my battery to run down while riding. Then I get stranded when it won't start.

The charging system appears to be working fine, checking with a new, fully charged battery. My trips are generally short, around town rides as I am not too confident about venturing out further.

I haven't checked the thermostat yet or pulled the radiator to see if it is clogged. I did blow air through with a small nozzle on my air hose.

Any ideas would be appreciated...

[skuttadawg]

Could be the sensor is bad or it is running hot . Is the factory coolant ? I would change it out if you have not already . I use Prestone premixed that says safe for aluminum . The motorcycle stuff like the pink or blue ( forgot brands ) is a fortune . Check the coolant level in the radiator and reservoir when cool . Some can get air in the hoses and need to be burped . Remove the radiator cap , start it up and let it idle until it gets good and warm . Squeeze the hoses and see if any coolant comes out of the radiator . Make take a few squeezes to get the air out of it if it has any .

How is the oil level and color ? If low or blackened change it out and see if it runs hot .

Any mods like airfilter or exhaust ? One that runs lean will run hot . Do a plug chop and compare with this chart http://www.4secondsflat.com/plug_chart.html

On my Echarm the cooling fan is powered by the stator instead of battery so if I shut off the engine while the fan is on it dies . I have done that and went to restart it and the fan had a draw that made me have to attempt to start 3 or 4 times instead of normal instant start . From then on if the fan is running I let it idle until it shuts down unless I will be parked long enough for it to cool down on its own .

Does the temp gauge have numbers and does the fan come on around the same place on the gauge ? Make sure the radiaor vents are free of and debri and that they have not been bent or mashed .

A hydrometer is a squeeze bulb tube with balls in it and you count the number that float when you use it to suck up a sample of your coolant in the radiator as it is impossible to eye and guess if its 50/50

[consultjb]

Hey skuttadawg, thank you for the quick reply. I added some prestone 50/50 about a week ago to fill the radiator. I removed the radiator today to check for clogging, it was ok. So now I will have fresh coolant. When I drained the radiator it looked like clear water came out first, then a girgle and the the pink antifreeze came out. So maybe there was an air pocket.

I did a full tune up on the bike, which had some issues with the intake leaking. Changed the oil, new spark plug, etc... The old plug looked just a little dark, so it might have been running a little rich.

There are no modifications to the bike.

The temp gauge does not have numbers, however, it gets to just a little over half way when the fan comes on. It, too, stops running if I hit the kill switch to kill the motor.

Does this bike have a thermostat? Couldn't find one on the Roketa web site or at any parts outlet. I will check that tomorrow.

Still not sure why the battery is going dead. I will check the current draw when not running to see if any shorts.

Any thoughts are appreciated...

[Guest_3]

Does this bike have a thermostat? Couldn't find one on the Roketa web site or at any parts outlet.Yes it does and it looks like this.

http://www.partsforscooters.com/core/media/media.nl?id=34724&c=ACCT120207&h=4f33f38f520d68d016c6&type=.jpg

[consultjb]

Thanks scooterwayne..

If you're sitting on the bike, is this located under a cover on the bottom left-hand side or on the top of the motor near the intake?

[Guest_3]

I can't remember at this moment. :doh:

Follow the top radiator hose back to the engine and it should be there.

[consultjb]

hello scooterwayne,

Located and took out the thermostat,it appears to open up about 185-190 degrees farenheit. do you know of any online dealers that may have a replacement available?

Thanks for your help with this matter..

[Guest_3]

PM sent. :) or you can ask our sponsor if they have one. http://www.scrappydogscooters.com/

Call, 702-689-6035
(http://www.scrappydogscooters.com/)