I am wondering what type of coolant for my bike is needed. I think I stripped the plastic cap for the coolant jug on the bike. I wanted to make sure the coolant was still nice and clean, but the sh**ty cap I think is stripped or something cuz after a long ride the coolant gets hot and pressure builds up and leaks down the side onto the engine. What a mess. I jut had my fairings off yesterday to clean the damn thing and it happens again. I learned a new lesson. If it aint broke, dont touch it.
Coolant
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Idk if this is a stupid question or not, but is the coolant for motorcycles the same as for cars and trucks to some extent or do I have to buy the coolant at the dealer. I know to put disstilled water in with the coolant, but if I buy from dealer does it come 50/50 already?
hey xthrice the coolant spilling out is not cause the cap, its the overflow. there is a tube that dumps excess out. i think the maximum level in the white resevoir is like halfway up the tank or something. dont overfill it, and dont worry about the cap. just tighten it, and if there is spillover when the bike is hot, that means there wont be spillover next time.
Ok I fixed the problem today. I took the fairings off the other day to clean my engine up and I guess I bumped the hose and clamp on the lower side of the coolant jug. It was pulled off the nipple a little bit. And it did it twice but it never got below the low mark in the tank. I rode it today with the fairing off until I saw where the coolant was slowly pouring out of. The hose for the overflow is so tight, so I just took off the tube where it goes into the radiator, pulled some slack, and pushed the hose on as far as it would go. And then I put a zip tie and the metal clamp that came with it. Filled the coolant back up and no more problems.
Oh and don't worry Zartan, the coolant didn't even make it to the ground, just a little bit poured out while riding and it trickled down onto the engine and it dried it fast. So I had to just wipe it off the engine. None on the ground. I didn't even spill any on the refill haha. I almost did though. I needed my gf to sit on the bike for me so I could get an accurate reading of the coolant level and when I was done pouring she was about to put the bike down before I put the cap on. But I caught her intime and no spillage!
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oh, and xthrice - the dealership will happily sell you coolant in a much smaller bottle, for a lot more. But in the end, it's basically the exact same thing you can buy at a 7/11. All bottles of antifreeze that I've ever dealt with will say on the label if it's diluted or not, and provide instructions of how much to dilute based on the temperature you're riding in...
In the winter I run 70/30 antifreeze to water. In the summer 50/50..
In the winter I run 70/30 antifreeze to water. In the summer 50/50..
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On occasion, I've run 100% antifreeze in my truck and bike (had no way to get to the water), and I think, but I might be very wrong here, that the only reason to thin it out is to keep it cheaper and not use as much of it. Can somebody correct me on this?
it's also used to maintain a balance between freeze protection and boiling protection. you know that water freezes at 32 F and boils at 212 F. adding the coolant in a 50/50 ratio helps to both lower the freezing point and raise the boiling point of the mixture. plus the radiator cap also raises the boiling point by pressurizing the system (for every psi of pressure, the boiling point is raised by 3 F). a typical radiator cap for a car will hold pressure upto around 13-15 F which raises the boiling point about 45 degrees. not sure about a radiator cap for the bike though. sorry, kinda went off on a tangent there.
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