Ok probably a silly question but I've just came off an oil cooled bike onto a VTR. Theres a little tank that says "coolant" so....
What do I put in there. The book says low mineral water or distilled water and mentions antifreeze too so I thought I would throw it to the VTR lions for advice as to what to bung into the bike.
Coolant
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pinkyfloyd
- Posts: 928
- Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2010 9:58 pm
Coolant
And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes, I'll see you on the dark side of the moon.
History:....CZ125....RXS100.....Lifan LF125-14F.....Suzuki GSXR750
Current:...1999 VTR FIRESTORM!
History:....CZ125....RXS100.....Lifan LF125-14F.....Suzuki GSXR750
Current:...1999 VTR FIRESTORM!
Re: Coolant
Basically any coolant that is silicant free is what you want. When I renewed mine I got it from David Silvers, but there are cheaper alternatives available,
Chris.
Chris.
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benny hedges
- Posts: 6110
- Joined: Sun Oct 18, 2009 5:09 pm
- Location: Warrington
Re: Coolant
water boils at 100c and the fan only comes on around that temp.
water is a shite coolant as well - some boffin will probably tell you it only has a specific latency of 1 so i won't bother with the technical stuff.
get some proper coolant - bike specific if you can.
i run mine on 100% monoetyhlye glycol which s a colourless food safe coolant used in industrial chillers and stuff - it works great & noticed the average running temp is much lower than when i had some diluted orange squash in it.
have a look on fleabay and your bike shop for 'engine ice' - it's a specially formulated glycol mix that is proven to reduce engine temps by quite a bit.
why is that important you ask..... because your ignition timing iscalculated based on throttle position, engine rpm and coolant temp that's why... when the engine is running hot, the ignition timing is backed off so you get less power and we don't want that
just be sure to read the label and make sure the coolant says 'suitable for aluminium engines'
most are, but check anyway.
empty the expansion tank a well so it's not diluted when you change coolant - you will need about 3 litres.
*and as chris rightly says - silicate free
water is a shite coolant as well - some boffin will probably tell you it only has a specific latency of 1 so i won't bother with the technical stuff.
get some proper coolant - bike specific if you can.
i run mine on 100% monoetyhlye glycol which s a colourless food safe coolant used in industrial chillers and stuff - it works great & noticed the average running temp is much lower than when i had some diluted orange squash in it.
have a look on fleabay and your bike shop for 'engine ice' - it's a specially formulated glycol mix that is proven to reduce engine temps by quite a bit.
why is that important you ask..... because your ignition timing iscalculated based on throttle position, engine rpm and coolant temp that's why... when the engine is running hot, the ignition timing is backed off so you get less power and we don't want that
just be sure to read the label and make sure the coolant says 'suitable for aluminium engines'
most are, but check anyway.
empty the expansion tank a well so it's not diluted when you change coolant - you will need about 3 litres.
*and as chris rightly says - silicate free
Last edited by benny hedges on Fri Nov 12, 2010 3:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Coolant
There are two fill lines on the side of the overflow tank, fat lot of good because you can't see them.
So you end up dipping your finger in to see what the level is.
The proper fill point is under the fairing on the RH side, above and at the top-most point of the RH rad.
Fairing off to reach it.
What coolant? If it just needs topping up you can buy it ready-mixed from any dealer.
That'll have enough antifreeze in it for a normal winter.
But if the bike's outside uncovered, I'd recommend putting a stronger mix in, because it's not the sort of job you want to be doing when the temp's already at -5 and the weatherman says it's going to -20 overnight......
I'd recommend changing it for fresh stuff if you have no idea when it was last changed, as it deteriorates a little over time, and you will then know that you're covered for the cold weather.
But if you're going to do that buy proper silicate-free stuff and dilute it yourself, because it's lots cheaper.
Halfords stuff for ali engines is all you need, nothing too special.
Bike stuff tend to be luminous pink or green- don't panic, it's meant to be like that!
So you end up dipping your finger in to see what the level is.
The proper fill point is under the fairing on the RH side, above and at the top-most point of the RH rad.
Fairing off to reach it.
What coolant? If it just needs topping up you can buy it ready-mixed from any dealer.
That'll have enough antifreeze in it for a normal winter.
But if the bike's outside uncovered, I'd recommend putting a stronger mix in, because it's not the sort of job you want to be doing when the temp's already at -5 and the weatherman says it's going to -20 overnight......
I'd recommend changing it for fresh stuff if you have no idea when it was last changed, as it deteriorates a little over time, and you will then know that you're covered for the cold weather.
But if you're going to do that buy proper silicate-free stuff and dilute it yourself, because it's lots cheaper.
Halfords stuff for ali engines is all you need, nothing too special.
Bike stuff tend to be luminous pink or green- don't panic, it's meant to be like that!
It's not falling off, it's an upgrade opportunity.