I got a 2010 and think I messed up

[lees]

Here's the story I got a 2010 Voyager Fri. night got home at 10 pm the whole time I thought it was running a little warm and I could smell antifreeze so I checked on here and it was ( line right before red H) . Well Sat. morning I go back to the dealership and tell them and show them the pic. of the temp. Gauge the sales person gets me straight back to service and tells them that I need it looked at asap. Well the service writer says give me a minute walks away and comes back and says it will be 2 hrs or I'll need to set an appointment for next week sometime I tell him I'll wait I need it running right. As I'm walking around the salesman asked if there taking care of me and I told him he said he'll go talk to the service manager to see about getting it in sooner. Well they looked at it right after he went back there and said everything was in spec. and said I was ready to go. I made it less than 15 miles from the dealership and felt my right starting to burn I looked down and seen antifreeze spraying out from under the tank. I pulled over called the dealership and an hour later they had someone there with a trailer and we were on our way back to the dealership. They first said it was a loose cap then a hose was loose but I'll never know the truth. I had to point out all the antifreeze so that they could clean it off. So Sat I was there from 9:30 to 3 with one hour broken down on the side of the road. Now when I left everything seemed to be fine temp looked good ( one line past middle) Sunday I went for a short ride 7 miles and the temp. rose went up again and I could smell antifreeze so I called up the dealership manager and they sent someone out to get it so I'm wondering if I should have passed on this one.

[lees]

BTW its only got 23000 miles on it

[Mr Jensee]

Not familiar with the 1700 model but it sounds like your water pump is not moving the fluid through the system, over heating the antifreeze causing enough pressure to blow the seal on the cap. Take it back to the dealer and have him inspect the water pump thoroughly, replace if necessary. Either something has blocked circulation or the pump has failed is my guess. I am sorry but I have had a poor track record with Kawasaki mechanics in the past. Most of them seem to be kids who are basically part changers not diagnosticians.

[Highway Rider]

Was a the fan running

[hank43]

Lees;

I have a 2009 and it has always run hot - In 2011 I had a Champion trike kit put on it, which didn't improve the heat situation...
I finally installed a KAMS retro fit, which consists of a new radiator, a shroud that fits the front fan close up to the engine block, some exhaust pipe heat deflectors, and a rear fan assembly to blow the heat downward under the bike, for the passenger. This does NOT make the engine run any cooler, these beasts just run hot, remember, you are sitting on top of a basically air cooled 1.7L engine block - that's bigger than some sports cars I once owned. The KAMS kit takes most of that hot air from the front fan, and redirects it downward and away from the rider.
Most of that heat you are feeling is when the front fan turns on.
This was standard equipment on all 1700 Voyagers from 2012 on I think. It has made a big difference on my bike, making it a pleasure to ride once again, especially in stop and go traffic.

I also installed a temperature gauge that has a digital readout that makes sense - Riding my bike (Trike now) in the mountains I frequently see temps of 220 degrees, but that quickly drops to 190 or less when going down hill. On level ground cruising across the desert in Utah and Nevada with a passenger, I see an average temp of about 200 degrees mid day. Remember, it's a big air cooled (Except the Heads) engine, and does not run any hotter than a Harley or any other 103 cubic incher. Keep the radiator coolant bottle topped up, plug any leaks from loose caps and hoses, add a KAMS kit, and ride. Like the XII's I think these engines will last many 1000's of miles with no problems.

hank43

[lees]

Was a the fan running

Yes fan kicks on and you can see the temp come down when it does.

[lees]

Not familiar with the 1700 model but it sounds like your water pump is not moving the fluid through the system, over heating the antifreeze causing enough pressure to blow the seal on the cap. Take it back to the dealer and have him inspect the water pump thoroughly, replace if necessary. Either something has blocked circulation or the pump has failed is my guess. I am sorry but I have had a poor track record with Kawasaki mechanics in the past. Most of them seem to be kids who are basically part changers not diagnosticians.

There going to bring it back to me by Wednesday and I'll ride it some and when it blows antifreeze out again I'll take it to another dealership.

[Highway Rider]

I don't own one of these bikes, but I'm wondering if it is a bad thermostat, or a bad temp sending unit or some kind of relay that operates the fan I really don't know how these work

[hank43]

Lees;
Whenever I see a post about heat on the 1700's, it kinda perks my ears up......Please let the group know what the resolution to your problem was - More and more of us are buying the 1700's, (Mainly because they don't make the 1200's any more, but I do think that was a better design.....)


hank43

[Relics]

I had similar problem with my Voyager XII and it was a bad radiator. Changed thermostats and hoses and water pump. Turned out to be radiator. Previous owner said he changed radiator before so I did not think that was the problem but it was.

[David (N. Alabama)]

The Voyager 1700 expels a lot of heat, but so does every large engine motorcycle. The difference between a V-twin and I-4 engines is that the engineers can channel the heat away from the rider easier on the I-4 engine.

The Voyager 1700s are not known to overheat. The bike in question has something wrong with it that needs to be fixed. Hope it came with a transferable extended warranty, or the dealer is making it right on his dime.

Like others have said, issues with the cooling system need to be addressed. Good luck and let us know what the final outcome is.

[rock42]

i have a 2015 voyager off the showroom floor and live in central texas and it runs one notch passed the middle it has never (yet) gone any further than that. i checked with my dearler and he says that that engine does run with needle around there. still ride in texas heat (100 degrees or more) and the bike never has gotten hot on me. i do keep an eye on it though.

[Me Again]

There going to bring it back to me by Wednesday and I'll ride it some and when it blows antifreeze out again I'll take it to another dealership.

As long as he stands behind his sale and doesn't hand you a bill ,it's not so bad .your still getting it fixed and not paying out of pocket.
See what happens if you tell him to keep the bike and give you your money back .Guarantee the bike will get fixed .
I admit that there comes a point were you feel he his doing more harm than good and it's time to run like heck to a different mechanic.

[lees]

Well got it back yesterday they said they couldn't find anything wrong with it. So I had to ride it needle only went to the 1/2 way mark and I rode 70 miles 4x more than they test rode it ( it was also a cool evening here ) . I also rode it to work today and the needle went to the line past the middle then dropped back to the middle while I was in traffic it kept doing that as it would hit that mark it would drop back down to the middle. So I think they did something but they don't want to say.

[Mr Jensee]

I admit that sounds logical. Fix the problem and don't admit it had a problem then there is less chance he could be faulted for selling you a defective machine.

[David (N. Alabama)]

Well got it back yesterday they said they couldn't find anything wrong with it. So I had to ride it needle only went to the 1/2 way mark and I rode 70 miles 4x more than they test rode it ( it was also a cool evening here ) . I also rode it to work today and the needle went to the line past the middle then dropped back to the middle while I was in traffic it kept doing that as it would hit that mark it would drop back down to the middle. So I think they did something but they don't want to say.

The fan kicks on just barely past the first line after the middle. When the fan kicks on the temp should drop and the fan turn back off.

Keep an eye on the overflow reservoir, and the oil level.

Many folks overfill the oil, or get so frustrated with the lack of a sight glass that they don't check the oil enough. Follow the owners manual when it comes to checking the oil. The oil cap is recessed which allows dirt to collect so make sure you clean that off before you pull the cap to check the dip stick.

I barely ride the Voyager when the temps are in the high 90s. The heat coming off the engine can't be washed away by the wind and it is way too uncomfortable. I stick to the naked bikes in the heat.

[otter]

not the same bike, but sounds very similar to what happened with my 900. It started to blow coolant out of the reservoir when the engine got hot. It turns out the thermostat was stuck closed. Normally, thermostats will stick open if they stick, some smaller bike thermostats will stick closed.

Closed t-stat is not good.

[boscoe]

Possible clogged radiator. Some 1700s have been reported to have a bunch of black "paint" flakes inside their radiators. If it does it again, I would flush the radiator and put new coolant in it. If you find the flakes, you probably found your problem.

[Danny]

I have a 2011. When I got it, the heat gauge ran just south of the middle, and the engine fan would cook your left leg.
Had the cams put in it, the heat gauge runs the same, but normal heat issues to the rider. In traffic it heats up. My usual highway crusin speed is between 70 & 80, (I live in Texas), and the 1700 is comfortable there.
I put the ICE coolant in with the cams kit, but watch the overflow bottle. This is a great bike.

[ughye]

Wow, that sounds like quite the ordeal! It’s definitely concerning to experience issues like that so soon after purchase. It’s good that the dealership is responsive, but it’s crucial to get to the root of the problem. It might be worth having an independent mechanic look at it if the issues persist. Hopefully, they can resolve it quickly, and you can enjoy your ride without any more hiccups!