[ScreamingYetii]

I fixed up the bike last spring fresh oil let a mechanic rebuild the carb new tires. And all of last summer it would overheat if I rode it any where..i didn't do to much riding last year so it wasn't a concern at the time. But I took it out of storage this year rode it 2 minutes down to a gas station where I only stopped once at a stop sign for 20 seconds and the bike was idling higher and I could feel the heat coming off the engine. I'm not sure how to check the radiator on the front to see if it has fluid and I also checked to see if it had oil after it would idle higher and I could feel the hear and it was still full on oil. And even on the highway cruising at 65mph when I get off the highway it would be idling higher and be so hot I'd be riding with my legs as far away from the engine as they could be.


I want want to ride a lot more this year so I need to get this fixed any ideas on what it could be would be appreciated.
shouls I go buy a thicker motor oil?

 

[TwoBob]

The vl 1500 is an air and oil cooled motor, no water! That radiator in the front is an oil cooler. You may be surprised but i doubt it is overheating if the oil is the correct spec (10W40) as per manual, is the correct level and air is flowing over the motor i.e. not standing idling for hours. Hope this helps.

 

[ScreamingYetii]

I put in 20w50 oil a year ago is it normal to idle higher after riding it for a bit?

 

[Easy Rider]

I put in 20w50 oil a year ago is it normal to idle higher after riding it for a bit?

Yes. You adjust the proper idle speed AFTER it gets warmed up (HOT).

You should NOT put oil heavier than 20W50 in it; probably can't find it anyway.
A good synthetic oil might be a good idea but I think you are just going to have to live with the heat on that model.

 

[Fitzall]

I put in 20w50 oil a year ago is it normal to idle higher after riding it for a bit?

Try Rotella for diesel trucks. It's over with the rest of Walmart oil. 15-40wt it is made for high heat diesel engines. I used in my Volusia 800. My son runs it in mean streak, a buddy uses it in Yamaha 1700.
Your bike is not made for 50wt
don't try it.
Some will argue that Volusia and Mean Streak have radiator. True, but I don't want the fan to run so much that it drains the battery.

tarheel

 

[Wadekeys]

Dude my bike is doing the same exact thing its staying revved up at red lights and stuff after i let off the throttle and its getting super hot. Like my even my gas tank and center console where my speedometer is, is getting hot and i literally don't know why or how to fix it i thought maybe i needed to change my antifreeze but i don't know if it even takes antifreeze and if it does i can't seem to figure out how to drain the old and add the new

 

[Easy Rider]

You should NOT be riding it when it gets hot like that.
It kind of sounds like your thermostat is stuck.
Is there a temp gauge or idiot light indicating an overheat condition ?
Also could be a failed fan.

YOU should NOT be guessing and doing stuff that you know nothing about.
Take it to a shop and get it fixed.

 

[Wadekeys]

No it doesn't have a light and it also doesn't have a fan on it for some reason so im not sure what the deal is with this bike

 

[Easy Rider]

Let's start over, shall we ?
What year and model is it ??

I find it a bit hard to believe that any bike owner doesn't know if his machine is water cooled or air cooled.
But stranger things have happened, I guess.

I repeat the advice to take it to a shop.

 

[Wadekeys]

Its a 2002 intruder VL 1500 and it has a oil cooler on it

 

[Easy Rider]

Its a 2002 intruder VL 1500 and it has a oil cooler on it

OK, so that is just a variation of "air cooled" and your comment about antifreeze and a fan makes no sense.

The odd engine behavior could be caused by a vacuum leak....or by a mechanical binding of the throttle mechanism.
Are you sure that you have the choke all the way OFF ?
Has the exhaust or intake been modified ?

But then.....an air cooled bike WILL get VERY hot when going slow or standing still.
Standing still with the engine running more than a couple of minutes in really HOT weather is not a good idea.