Temperature Sensor Diagnosis

[Tangoman]

Dear All,

I'm having a bit of trouble with erratic engine temperature readout: initially the readout started to display 7 bars in about 1 minute of running but now there are no bars displayed at all - even when the engine is at full temp.

The bike is running very sweetly however and the fan kicks-in as expected, care of the thermoswitch, when I am stuck in traffic etc. So I have no overheating problem.

I suspect the temperature sensor (the one on the left of the rear cylinder head) is faulty. I've traced the wiring and can't find any obvious shorts. Also, I've burped the cooling system as best I could.

So, my questions are:

1. Does any one know how to diagnose a faulty temperature sensor, e.g., readings across its two terminals etc.

2. Assuming the sensor is faulty, has anyone removed the sensor with the engine in place? If so what tool did you use - it is a very tight area to work in and I couldn't see how a socket & ratchet would fit.

Many thanks in advance,

Andy.