First of all, Happy July 4th!

My question has to do with the Savage air cooled engine and long idling periods (For example, long waits in a traffic jam.).  Can an air cooled engine get hot enough to cause damage to the engine?  

I was in a traffic jam with constant stopping, then slowly moving forward … for about 45 minutes.  Luckily, I had a water cooled bike that didn’t get over heated.  Would this have hurt the air cooled Savage engine?  If so, would there be a way to stop any damage?

Open to your thoughts and opinions.

Thanks,
Ron G

I tend to agree with Sero on that one.  You might get some damage.  The temp does seem to go up fast when you stop. Although, I believe a properly designed air-cooled engine should have enough cooling fin surface to idle all day without over heating in the hottest climates in which it will be run. Just like your water-cooled bike will survive just fine, air-cooled should too.

Anybody ever seen any info about how the factory tested idling heat dissipation, or anything like that?

Sounds like given a choice, letting it idle for a limited time is preferred.  Charon's experience in the parade would indicate that the engine is pretty robust when it comes to heating at idle.

Thanks for the responses.

Ron G