Why Is My Suzuki Trike Overheating?

High-performance motorcycle engines are becoming increasingly complex. Design tolerances are decreasing, and consumer demand for a more comfortable motorcycle experience is registering in engineering offices. Some Suzuki motorcycles still perform well while cooled by the surrounding air. Other larger motorcycle engines now include a liquid coolant and radiator system, much like a traditional automobile. Either engine can experience overheating problems.

Dirty Filters, Cooling Fins and Radiators

For both traditional and liquid-cooled Suzuki motorcycle engines, the cooling process can be compromised by mechanical contaminants. Traditional air-cooled motors must receive constant airflow to the engine's cooling fins to maintain low engine temperatures. The same conditions must be maintained in and around the radiator of a liquid-cooled engine. If the radiator fins become clogged with bugs, dirt, road grime or other foreign contaminants, the engine's cooling ability will be compromised.

Traffic Conditions and Traveling Speed

Heavy traffic and slow traveling speeds can also add to high-temperature engine problems. Unless the motorcycle is equipped with a liquid-cooled radiator, motorcycle engines must receive a constant flow of air through the cooling devices. If a motorcycle and driver are trapped in slow-moving heavy traffic, the bike can easily overheat.

Vapor Lock

For bikes equipped with traditional carburetor fuel systems, vapor lock can occur, which would also cause a motorcycle engine to fail during high temperatures. Vapor lock occurs when the gasoline in the fuel line vaporizes, and no longer flows smoothly from the gas tank and carburetor. Operating the motorcycle in a high temperature combined with a high-altitude environment can create this performance problem.

An Improperly Tuned Engine

The internal combustion engine is a highly tuned device. Every system must operate within specific tolerances for the engine to operate without overheating.

Some of the following conditions can push the engine towards overheating. An improperly tuned or clogged carburetor well allows too much fuel to enter the combustion chamber, resulting in engine overheating. A choke mechanism stuck in the open position will create a fuel-air mixture that is too rich for the engine's safe operation. Contaminated engine coolant can deposit rust or scale within the engine's internal cooling chambers, and thus diminish the motor's cooling efficiency.

Dirty, Over-diluted or Insufficient Coolant Levels

Suzuki trike bikes that feature a liquid-cooled engine will overheat quickly if the coolants become contaminated, overly diluted, or are not maintained to manufacturers specified levels. In any of these cases, the high-performance Suzuki motor will overheat because the cooling system is not able to discharge the engine's heat.