How to avoid head gasket problems (new rider needing help)

[MadnessWithout]

So from what I understand (which mind you, is not much) a seemingly common problem is a blown head gasket and it seems like it's caused by overheating.

I bought a new 2017 rc390 a few days ago (my first bike and I'm loving it!) and I have noticed that the fan has to kick in pretty quick because the engine heats up very quickly. I'd rather do my best to try to mitigate the risk of overheating issues.

Does anyone know of any way to better keep the engine cool? Like maybe better coolant or a switch to turn the fan on manually or just have it always running. Those are just my ideas on what I could do but I'd really like some help on this. I don't want my brand new baby dying on me.

My bike is completely stock still.

 

[m3hl]

Plenty of info here on the forum. Here is the consensus for the basics.

hi pressure rad cap from helix racing (I went with1.6 bar)
Power commander with richer map
SPAL fan upgrade ([FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]30103011)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Water wetter/engine ice for coolant[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]remove rubber heat shield between the engine and the battery box

Some other people bypass the thermostat. Do a quick forum search and it will come up with results.[/FONT]

 

[zaster]

What m3hl said.

Keep in mind that all modern engines are designed to reach operating temperatures quickly and work best in the upper temperature range.

Don't sweat it as long as the temp gauge stays a couple of bars below the H.

 

[hvlmike]

I don't believe there's anything you can do to prevent the blown head gasket...short of tearing the motor apart, putting in updated parts and perhaps machining the surfaces. I did all the mods listed above on my bike and it still blew the head gasket.

 

[zaster]

I don't believe there's anything you can do to prevent the blown head gasket...short of tearing the motor apart, putting in updated parts and perhaps machining the surfaces. I did all the mods listed above on my bike and it still blew the head gasket.

Ride the heck out of it and the gasket will fail within the warranty period if it decides to do so.