My engine warning light came on the other day after i had stopped my bike at work for all of about 30 secs to open up a gate while the engine was left running.

Ive got a 2010 Tenere, 27k miles, about 3 k miles ago i did a complete service myself of oil, filter, air filter, valve clearances and in doing this i drained the cooling system and refilled with new coolant. After i had done this i checked a few times on the engine oil level and coolant as ive never done the valve clearance and only need to adjust the exhaust ones by a small but as they where on the tighter limits.

In the last few rides which have been slower ive taken the bike to work due to traffic issues ie so slow riding ive noticed the engine feels very warm in part the LHS from the exhaust.

A few days before the engine light came on i was at a motorbike race and while waiting to leave was in heavy traffic and the fan came on but what seem like quiet early but i didn't really think much of it

The other day going to work i had some slow speed stuff for a few miles then it freed up for at least 5 miles of steady 50mph riding, it was around 10 degrees celsuis so not even that warm, i parked the bike up at work and left the engine running while i unlocked the gates and when i got back 30 secs later the engine warning light was on and the bike was roasting hot.

I checked the engine oil and it was ok, checked coolant and it was ok but i took the thermostat off and it had some slime around the seal so i cleaned it and put it back in.

Ive been trying to think what it might have been and why the engine feels so warm.

Only thing i can think of is see what the diagnostics say for that engine warning light or take out the thermostat and make sure its still working by i think placing it in a pot of boiling water and then it should open???

any advice, help very welcome

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Plough on

I would start with the radiator cap. First thing to check if coolant quantity is ok.

Hi Max, ref your overheating , I'm no expert with the xt engine but can relate it to engines I have worked on .
1. To check thermostat do as you said , there normally an opening temp marked on the thermostat if not just put in boiling water it should open fully.
2. Make sure the system is bled ,
3. Have you been off road lately , is the rad blocked?
4. Check water fow through rad, flush.
5. Check water pump impeller .
6. Rad caps can cause this if not holding pressure
7. Is the bike running to lean?
8. Any signs of oil in the water or water bubbling?
Sorry for long reply , hope this helps !
Cheers Mark

Cheers for the reply

Think i might try taking the thermo stat off and boiking it to make sure its working

Not sure how you bleed the system. I tried to find this info but i was on the understanding thats why you have an expansion bottle and its got an air feed ie so when the system pumps it pumps any air to the raditor which then goes to the expansion tank and it bleed out automatically?

Not been off foad in a while and cleaned the radiator out on the vavle clearances

Flow should be fine through thr rad as i had it completely off cleaning it when i did the valves and flush it properly of old coolant.

How do i check the impeller? Can i drain the coolant and just unbolt the water pump housing?

Cap for thr rad seems to be tight as normal with the stanard hard twist to get it to close onto the stops.

Havent touch the fuelling since i got the bike, but bikes got mtc single can, k&n air filter and a kev most but theyve been on the bike for years.

Oils fine no cloudly or water hints. Oil level was ok maybe on the lower side like it had burnt a bit of oil but ive had some long trips for eg 400mil days of 70-80mph riding recently along with my commuting. But its still on the dip stick so not like its ran dry.

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Plough on

Sounds like you have air in the system , to bleed remove the rad cap ( when cold ) check coolant level in rad (to the base of the neck) , run the engine at tick over for 5 minutes or so ( must get hot enough to open thermostat ) . You should see the air coming out in the coolant in the form of bubbles forming.
When no more bubbles appear blip throttle a couple of times and stop , top up coolant if necessary and replace cap . Go for a ride and test , check coolant level ( in rad ) again when cold . Hopefully all will be well.

I've been bimbling around France for the last week or so and noticed a coolant leak from under the overflow chamber. The coolant return hose had split where it clamps to the base of the chamber. An easy roadside fix but I was surprised it was split as there is little stress in the hose.
Other than that my Tenere kept up with 2 big KTM's with little complaint.

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