Motorcycle Repair: water cooling system,stuck sensor, water cooling systems, water cooling system

Question
Thank you for the reply. Since we're in colder weather now I haven't noticed the fan come on; I can ground the switch and force it on so I know the fan is good. I'm more concerned that water is actually flowing through the engine. Is there a way to confirm this without getting air in the system? As a side note, I have not noticed any overflow from the radiator into the reserve tank but this would only confirm that the temp of the coolant is okay; not that the pump is working.
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
My temperature light comes on and stays on from a cold start and/or sitting up overnight; so I am fairly certain the coolant sensor attached to the thermostat housing has gone bad. My question is how can I verify the cooling system is functioning properly? Or is this an indication of something else? I have a 2005 Vision R3(~3000 miles) made by Tank however I suspect water cooling systems are very similar on most bikes.
-----Answer-----
bryan,

i would chk to see if yur cooling fan comes on if you have one .also i would disconnect the sensor then turn key on if light is off then you know yur sensor is bad because the sensor is sending a sgnal to the light as a warning and safety precaution.ok bud .

if you need more info imj here o.k please leave feed-back for my answer ok, we volunteer our time .

Answer
crank the bike and diconnect the return hose if water is flowing fast as you rev then water pump is good,if the return hose is at the bottom  then hold it upright when u take it off so you can see if you have positive water flow.o.k
p.s not just water coming out easy but fast will tell you pump is pushing water.

mitch