I have a CONFESSION!

[busaboi09]

Ive been thinking and driving myself crazy what could have caused my bike to go wrong all of a sudden? It didn't do it all all last year through all of the heat......no overheating!
Then it was like a lightbulb.....the very first time my bike overheated:head meets wall:.
I remember it was right before it got really cold and I was still riding, I was about to get off work and went to start my bike up to let it warm up and I moved the idler switch up to speed up the engine. Well something happened at work and I ended up staying inside for like 20 minutes and forgot I left it running with it idling high:head meets wall:!
By the time I got out there it had gotten so hot it started to pop paint off of the bottom of my bike. So i hurried up and shut it down to cool off and well it stayed hot for a long time and would start back up.:rant:

I should have ridden it to cool it down because the night was very cool, but I didn't.
What do you think I could have screwed up? This was the first overheating on my bike and has doing it since, but remember it still only does it in slow traffic and at stops after hitting the highway letting errrr Rip!

[dadofthree]

The bike sounds normal for most Gen I's.

[benek1981]

Check your coolant reservoir. If its below minimum (or just about) you MUST add some more coolant into it as there is not enought flow !!!!! Couple years back after coolant radiator change I forgot to look behind left fairing and check the level. Managed to almost overheat bike few times as the temp (from normal operations) raised to max within 3-5sec !!!! No kidding that quick. And after realising that I'm low in reservoir I set it up for right level. Since then it's gone ..... no more overheating even in traffic :oh yeah:
:cheers:

[DOOM&GLOOM]

Check your coolant reservoir. If its below minimum (or just about) you MUST add some more coolant into it as there is not enought flow !!!!! Couple years back after coolant radiator change I forgot to look behind left fairing and check the level. Managed to almost overheat bike few times as the temp (from normal operations) raised to max within 3-5sec !!!! No kidding that quick. And after realising that I'm low in reservoir I set it up for right level. Since then it's gone ..... no more overheating even in traffic :oh yeah:
:cheers:
What he said!

The GenI is sensitive to the amount of coolant in the resovoir.

I switched to Engine Ice coolant and what a difference it made!