Ask the Editors: Road-Legal ATV Running Too Hot
Hot blooded on-road ATV.
While road legality eludes most of we ATV enthusiasts here in the USA, overheating is an issue that we can certainly relate to. Our time spent perusing the Dinli community forums didn’t reveal a continuous pattern of problems of overheating but the advice of others who’ve owned any given machine should never be taken lightly.
By and large, road riding isn’t as demanding on an engine as the chronic starting and stopping/ additional resistance of off-roading. Also the speeds of road riding often assure a fairly steady supply of moving air passing through the radiator to keep temperatures in check.
If you find even in these conditions the engine is running hot- we would change out the antifreeze to something like Red Line’s SuperCool with WaterWetter. Designed for ATVs, these coolants transfer heat more effectively and keep operating temperatures lower than would running automotive antifreeze.
If you find that’s still not enough, you can pick up a universal oil cooling kit of eBay for under $50. These things are a snap to install and will make overheating a thing of the past. Here’s an example of one.
In short, we’d go for it if it’s a model you’re interested in. Keeping temps in check is a very achievable ambition on a modern, liquid cooled four-stroke.
