Right Pot gets hot really quickly

[botus]

Has anyone else observed the right pot gets hot really quick ?

ever since I've picked it up it gets white spots all over the front of the bike screen and surrounds - very much like a coolant leak on a car (where the spots are dried antifreeze), first hundred miles I thought it was some dealer crud they threw on the bike- but it still does it every ride...

today took it for first run since ages and I see it claims to get hot fast (which I guess is a really short circuit thermostat controlled warm up thing for emission control) - within 3 mins it was at 81C with ambient temps only 7C
stopped in disbelief any part could have got that hot already - KTM 1290 wouldn't have reached 55C in same conditions and would take till 10 mile for its oil temp to reach 76C in cold weather

after less than 5 mins trickling round 30 limits - running for say 6 mins I almost burnt my finger touching the right Pot just inside from the cam cover (top left of the cyl barrel cooling jacket at you look at the bike side on - the left Pot is much cooler I guess at least 20C less

did about 5 miles and then felt substantial heat from the right rad warming my leg (not really there on the left), saw coolant temp at this point was 86C, rode max 6 miles left to get hot idling as I got it back in the garage and the fan cut in at 7C ambient idling for 1 minute - that is utterly ludicrous in these temperatures

does it sound normal ? K1600 would run its fan all day long too

 

[squibb34]

All Euro 5 will be running lean & hot I suspect. Have you checked the disparity with an IR gun? Has it needed any coolant?

Always worth mentioning to your dealer though, to create a flag, just in case there is a defect.

 

[botus]

thanks for the reply

Didn't have laser temp thing on me - I have the fan come on regularly every ride yet its never been ridden in temps above 15C - so either this one is wrong or they run the cooling far to close to the edge.

I didn't have time for a long ride (plus is was chilly 7C), the idea was to give it a run without coating in salt so was stuck on minor roads - and to get it warm enough it was good for it rather than sit doing nothing - it was upon seeing the temp at 76C after only running for a few minutes at 30 mph, made me stop and just touch the barrels - right side nearly burnt my finger I'd guess about 80C left was more like 55C

the spots of pink white gunk it throws upon itself made me look around but never saw anything looking wrong - and I believe I checked the expansion bottle but that was 3 months back (not run during that time as I was away)
re engine replacement post - dealer mentioned they have done 2 or 3 on really early bikes 2023 / first part of 2024 bikes (VINs with a K are the most troublesome then L not too bad and the M supposed to be OK)

Jun 2024	WB10M2102 R6K45xxx
Mar 2025	WB10M2109 S6L40xxx
Sep 2025	WB10M2100 T6M15xxx

 

[leadfarmer]

Oh dear, mine’s a J

 

[hky]

Interesting. I observed this on test ride of R1300RT which has same engine. It was unbearably hot on right foot and I had to keep my foot away while riding and this was last Aug. I thought it was weird and reported to dealer but they didn't bother as I wasn't keen to buy RT anyway. But my GSA doesn't have this problem luckily.

Looks like a common problem so you beport to your dealer to get it rectified.

 

[JoeBiff]

Yeah. I get this odd hotpot phenomena, too
I just ride into the wind so the wind is on the hottest side.

The extra airflow cools my hotpot down.

 

[Clifton]

I've not ridden my new GS yet but I recall feeling noticeable heat at my right ankle and calf from the 2014 1200 GSA.

 

[TaskMule]

you guys riding in running shoes? Ridden a 1250 and 1300 pretty hard, lots of city as well. Never noticed any heat from the cylinders

 

[EUROPEAN WANDERER]

I agree never noticed any heat coming from the cylinders on my 1250 or 1300 GSA even in 35c ambient temperature.

 

[botus]

crikey - the heat was an eye opener - the air cooled GS you never ever feel any heat - the heat from the rads on a R1300GS is like sitting in an oven on 220C fan

 

[Clifton]

crikey - the heat was an eye opener - the air cooled GS you never ever feel any heat - the heat from the rads on a R1300GS is like sitting in an oven on 220C fan

Same when comparing heat on an air cooled V85TT and that blowing back from the radiator on a V100 Stelvio. Sorry to learn the 1300GS is so hot that's one reason I traded my Stelvio for it.

 

[RallyeGS]

Nothing got as warm as the ST1300 I had briefly. That was hideous in the summer.

 

[Gobsheen]

Are you warming it up in the side stand?? I wonder if the angle it sits at on the stand could be a factor??

 

[botus]

Are you warming it up in the side stand?? I wonder if the angle it sits at on the stand could be a factor??

no it was just trickling along at 30mph in 7C ambient conditions

 

[botus]

just had a look - expansion bottle is showing level OK - then noticed Only the right rad gets a cooling fan - so that explains why you feel the space heater madness when that cuts in

 

[Clifton]

Interestingly when I googled "BMW motorcycle right cylinder gets hotter than left" up popped many discussions going back to R1100's and airheads.

Google Search

 

[steve hughes]

Not a GS but my 2022 390 Ktm ran crazy hot as stock. India ( where these are made) have emissions standards much harsher than ours , so it was running super lean. In winter after ten mins or so the cooling fan would cut in.

I fitted a FuelX lite module which richens the mixture on the “ closed” loop, whatever that is. The effect was night and day. Rarely if ever heard the fan come on , and the low speed fuelling was transformed, really clean pull away and no chugging. If I hadn’t have fitted the module I wouldn’t have credited the change in engine temperatures

 

[botus]

Not a GS but my 2022 390 Ktm ran crazy hot as stock. India ( where these are made) have emissions standards much harsher than ours , so it was running super lean. In winter after ten mins or so the cooling fan would cut in.

umm its the euro 5+ version and is runs less well than euro 5 ones I ridden - but the only real difference is the 5+ must last 20k miles and still land emissions


Entering the electronic age...

Although Euro 1, 2 and 3 came in rapid succession, Euro 3 remained the standard for over a decade.

Euro 4, however, was to be a massive step forward. Applying to new type approvals from 1 January 2016 (with a year’s grace period for existing models) Euro 4 mandated more than just tighter tailpipe emissions.

This led to the widespread introduction of high-precision lambda control sensors and the fabled orange engine management warning light. The standardised system meant code readers could be plugged into the bike’s ECU and issues identified easily.

Euro 5 introduced in 2020, tightened emissions dramatically. By now, ride by wire throttles and sophisticated engine management systems were the norm. Stuff like charcoal canisters and bigger catalytic converters came in and engineers were finding new ways to meet the regulations while maintaining performance.

A new onboard monitoring standard, OBD-II, also came with Euro 5, which means your bike is even more clever when it comes to understanding what’s happening inside its cylinder bores.

And this, in many ways, is at the heart of what Euro 5+ is about. While it doesn’t move the goalposts in terms of headline emission figures, it’s about making sure the vehicle maintains its efficiency throughout its lifespan, and not just in laboratory conditions when the bike is brand new. Without going granular into the details, a Euro 5+ motorcycle should be able to detect any emissions-related faults earlier and more accurately – and that diagnostic data should be easier to access too.

 

[botus]

so been measuring the madness... then remembered the left pot is back to front vs the right pot - so if you measure the same point one side its the cam chain tunnel and not on the other side

but regardless the madness is there - and its consistently crazy - its not random temp values from dodgy readings - its REALLY random engine temps

today I measured front and back of the air intake and for continuity of the other day the same point nearest the rider

5 miles in incredible temp variation on the right pot either side of the air intake

9 mile up right pot remains crazy and now the left pot went weird by 9 miles

the bikes cooling system is such a joke you can have

1) the engine cooling fan cut in just two miles after leaving a cold 9C garage and riding at no more than 3k rpm and 30 mph in 15C ambient conditions
2) (after riding 9 miles travelled) stopping for 20 seconds at a junction the temp will fly up to 89C then riding at a constant 30 mph the engine temp drops to 79C
3) hit traffic and the engine flies up to 95C when its a cold day
4) get blasted by heat from both rads and its not even summer and been riding as slow as is physically possible

 

[seahorse]

You really need to get out more............