Temp guage reading

[dubepj]

On My 1982 Gl1100 the temp gauge shows about 1/4 of the way up unless I'm stopped in traffic then it goes about 1/2 way up then fan kicks in.
i used to have a 2014 1800 gold wing and it always showed about 1/2 way up.
Wondering if my thermostat on my 1100 is not closing all the way. Should the gauge not always show about 1/2 way up??

[Tparr]

From what you are describing i think your cooling system is operating normally. My experience with an 83 interstate is that the temp needle hangs out at the lower end of the white arc. The white arc has a notch on the left side and the indicator stays at the right side where the arc is full thickness. My fan switch turns on (a little early in my estimation) when the indicator moves ever so slightly into the thick part of the arc. My needle shows very little movement. I did replace the fan temp switch and I think it closes at a lower temp than the oem switch.

[OldguyGlen]

Same here as described by Tparr above. 1980 GL1100. Gauge always settles out below halfway. I replaced fan switch a year ago with a non-oem cheap unit. Fan now trips ON sooner than original. This keeps the gauge at even a slightly lower reading than before. That means fan runs more often than before when in slow traffic below cruising speed. Some guys have hardwired their fans ON when the thermal switch fails. They don't seem to have any fan failures. These fans seem durable so I'm comfortable with the situation. Nothing to worry about IMO.

[dubepj]

Thanks a lot. very good replies. I'll quit worrying. Now I'll try to wire in a small indicator light to tell me when fan kicks in. My modified exhaust is quite loud and I'm partially deaf so can't hear it. Has anyone done this?

[Tparr]

Don't over complicate this. You have a temp guage to monitor the cooling system. As long as the needle doesn't stray into the red all is good, it doesn't really matter if you know when the fan is on. I say ride and enjoy.
I found this diagram, which correlates the guage to numbers, of a gl1000 but should be close to the 1100.