Temp gauge

[triumph]

Hi all
Been refitting the loom to an 06 minitwin and got everything working as it should (big relief!!) but noticed the temp gauge in the clocks isn't registering anything. The bike doesn't have any coolant in at present as I'm still playing with the hoses and whatnot. Does the bike need water in it for the temp gauge to work? I'm using the original clocks.
Cheers

[gadget]

I would say 'yes'... it needs water in order to register heat, the water would act as the medium as it circulates, the increase or decrease in water temp will be picked up by the sender. I'm no expert on such things but having run a car radiator bone dry some years ago ... gave me the same kind of scenario as you're experiencing. Having said that ... I may be wrong, someone with far more experience of such things will be along soon I'm sure.

[glang]

Does that mean youve started it without coolant? Not to be recommended as, even if not run for long, localised hotspots can develop because the heat isnt being removed. Also Im not sure if the water pump should be operated dry as its seal may need cooling/lubricating by coolant...

[triumph]

Turns out you do need water for it to work, all sorted now, thanks for your input.