2011 RT-S running cool - is this normal? Will it hurt anything?

[Leaping1]

My 2011 RT-S SE5 is running cool during the colder months. I am talking about a 1/4 on the gauge even dropped to 1/8 at one point. Is this normal and will it hurt anything. During warmer weather it was running about midway (1/2). Thanks for any advice.
Leon

[safecracker]

It is normal. My 2011 ran just like that in cooler weather. I would not worry. Bruce

[Bfromla]

Runningbetter than NOT running coolant been flushed every 2yr? *& replaced same color *

[Raknid]

Came here for the same question after riding today. Never noticed the gauge that low. It was in the low 40s as I rode.

Thanks.

[Peter Aawen]

My 2011 RT-S SE5 is running cool during the colder months. I am talking about a 1/4 on the gauge even dropped to 1/8 at one point. Is this normal and will it hurt anything. During warmer weather it was running about midway (1/2). Thanks for any advice.
Leon

Came here for the same question after riding today. Never noticed the gauge that low. It was in the low 40s as I rode.

Thanks.

Was it cold out??

If it was, then the gauge should do what you describe, every time; just like it should go up a little (or maybe a lot, but still stay on or below the High mark) if the weather's hot &/or you're working your bike hard.

And if it doesn't do that, then your temperature gauge is not working properly - it's either broken, or it's been deliberately damped, possibly thru programming by the manufacturer; possibly thru the addition of a resistor across the circuit somewhere after the fact; but either way, it's generally done in order to fool people who don't know any better into think that their engine doesn't actually heat up and cool down under varying load &/or temperature conditions or as the thermostat in the cooling system opens and closes during NORMAL usage, and instead, presents them with a temperature gauge that rapidly rises to 'about halfway' on the gauge and then seemingly never moves from there, when that is NOT what your cooling system's actual temperature is truly doing!

Many manufacturers deliberately do this, because they think their customers can't handle knowing or seeing the temperature gauge going up and down as the cooling system's actual temperature does thru normal usage & operation; but in my experience, that lack of 'truly reflecting the temperature changes as and when they occur' can lull people into a false sense of security in thinking that all is OK until it's too late; when apparently 'all of a sudden', the temperature spiked over the top of the 'normal' range and within moments the engine shut down... Cooked!!

So instead of a temp gauge that just sits around half way and (falsely!) never reflects the actual temperature variations that DO occur during normal operation, I'd much rather see a temperature gauge that goes up and down as the thermostat opens and closes and/or the load on the engine changes etc; so that when I see the gauge steadily climbing and sitting waaay up near the High mark, I'll know that if it's still under that mark it's still OK & safe for me to continue running the engine, but I should be aware that there's little latitude for increased load &/or temperature, so I should be a bit careful; and conversely, as in these 'cold weather' cases, when the gauge is showing lower than usual, I'll know that the engine probably isn't quite as 'warmed up' as is ideal, so I shouldn't thrash it too hard too suddenly! But I guess that's just me...

[Mikey]

Cool is a great think, run it!

[Allen42]

My 2019 RTL runs just over the halfway mark on the gauge after about 10 minutes of riding, here in Dallas in the 40's and 50's.