thermo stat... to keep it or to get rid of it

[little_wing]

2015 beta 250rr.
thinking about getting cool guy silicone rad hoses. i have two options.
first one is same as OEM beta just made out of silicone.
second is made from silicone and deletes the thermo stat.

i live in canada and ride 10c to 40c for temps. and dont ride roads just trails and single track.

[wwguy]

I would delete the thermostat for riding in that temperature range.

[aj_mariner]

Keep it, there’s no advantage to removing it

[wwguy]

Keep it, there’s no advantage to removing it

There are several obvious reasons to remove it. The two-piece plastic sandwich design of the thermostat is notoriously prone to eventually leaking (been there, done that.) The thermostat location on some bikes has it rubbing against the radiator fins unless zip-tied back (Been there, done that too.) Some have even experienced eventual leaking radiators due to this.

It serves a useful purpose for faster warmup when riding in cooler climates, and for better engine heating if riding below freezing temps (like on a snowbike etc.) but it's not necessary for the 10 to 40 degree C (50 to 104 degree F) riding mentioned here.

[aj_mariner]

I don’t see a need or advantage to him “fixing” something that isn’t broke on his bike

[NZMarkb]

Get rid of it
I’m sure your capable of warming your bike up
They always leak anyway

[Lotus54]

I would keep it (and have on mine).
I like to keep engine in proper temperature range, and at least around here, in the rain- keeping temp could be an issue. I figure the engineers maybe know something.

If it leaks? Well...for me I would replace it but of course removal has one less leak spot.

If you are racing- probably not really needed if you warm it up right.

[Hyde]

I'm on my on 7th Beta and the only one that leak a little was the 15', I took it apart clean and resealed and rode it another year with no issues. If you ride some where that has a constant temp, you could get by with out it, but every internal combustion engine has a thermostat to keep them at optimal temp, that's not a bad thing.

We ride allot in the winter and they help allot.

[Hurky]

I keep the thermostat on my RR'19, I had no issues with it by now but I've read that some ppl are facing leakage out of the thermostat body.

My previous bike was a Husky WR without any thermostat, I have a temp gauge on all my bikes and that one took ages to get on temp and it won't get on temp in the winter if the riding isn't super slow / technical ... So most of the rides I taped one radiator off, and I was like removing tape during the ride's etc ... not very convenient...
The previous bike, a WR450F, I even installed a thermostat housing out of a KTM to it to get more stable temps.

So it's pretty clear that I like the fact of having one to get the engine up to running temperature faster, and more importat, keep it there...
I am aware that there is also a risk in having it, leaks, you name it, and the thermostat itself can break so it doesn't open and you will overheat, what can be a reason to abandon a race for example...

Cheers.