Coolant System Flush and New Tires

[metalmike]

Hey, I'm new to this forum thing, but I need some help. (I appologize if I am posting this question in the wrong place, but I think this is where this should go.) I just bought an '01 F4i 3 weeks ago, and I know that it's never had the coolant changed (it's only got 930 miles), so I thought that this should be the first thing I do after changing the oil.

Does anyone know a procedure that should be followed when doing a radiator flush and coolant change? This may sound stupid, but this is my first bike so I don't know where the water pump is, can anyone give me directions or a picture of its location? I really don't want to drain the wrong fluid.

I was also wondering what some opinions are of my tire situation. Again, the bike is 7 years old, has been garage kept, and only has 930 miles, but I'm not sure about the tires. The rear looks ok, but the front has some very small cracks in the crevices. Should they be replaced? (This is what I was leaning towards doing, since I've heard that tires can go bad after a couple of years even with no use.)

Thanks for any help.

[1HardRyder4Life]

I assume those are the original tires, id replace them...especially if cracked from age. not sure about the coolant thing. make sure it doesnt have bad fuel in it from sitting.

[metalmike]

Yes, they are the original tires. So I'll probably do as you suggested and replace then soon. But yeah, the fuel had done some damage. I had to get new injectors. But it runs perfect now.

[Vtec44]

It's not that hard to do a coolant change, althought I generally do it once every year or so (6 months with WaterWetter). Typically, it's a 50/50 mix between distilled water and coolant. You can get distilled water at most of the major supermarkets.

Basically, remove the side fairings. F4i water pump will be on the left side, remove the big hose leading to the radiator and let it drain. You may need to pour distill water into the radiator (on the right side of the bike) and rev it a few times to flush out all the old coolant. Continue to do this until the water that comes out of the water pump is clean and clear. Make sure to check the temperature of the bike since you will run it without coolant for a few minutes. Don't let it go beyond 225 degrees F.

Picture of water pump and big hose on left side of bike (shifter side)
http://www.600rrforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=124


Once the water coming out of the pump is clear, connect everything back and slowly pour the mixture into the radiator (so you won't get air bubbles). Give it a few hard reves once a while when filling up to push out any possible air bubles, and continue to poor until it's full. You're set! :)

As far as tires, since they're original and it has been 7 years, you will want new fresh tires.

[Asian Dave]

Post up pics of your tires. Chances are they should be replaced. Even though they're not worn, the tires could have harden up. To be on the safe side, I'd replace them. Your tires are 7 years old and it would be cheap insurance to get new ones.

As for flushing the coolant, just get kitty liter and a bucket or oil pan. It's gonna make a mess. If you have stands, put your bike on them.

If you choose to replace your coolant w/ water wetter, be sure to use distilled water. If you're anal, you can drain your coolant, replace w/ distilled water. Run your bike for a bit. Drain again and replace w/ distilled again. Then replace w/ distilled and water wetter.

It's not too hard, but it can get messy.

[metalmike]

Awesome! Thanks a bunch for the picture and the help. This site is great, I can't believe how quick you guys respond.

[1HardRyder4Life]

we got nothing better to do.

[Vtec44]

Awesome! Thanks a bunch for the picture and the help. This site is great, I can't believe how quick you guys respond.

We're on here all day! It's good to have new blood once in a while LOL

You want a free t-shirt??? :D

http://www.600rrforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=442

[Asian Dave]

I PW M-F, 7 to 4.

[metalmike]

I've got another question unrelated to the radiator issue. I know someone who bought an '07 600RR a year ago (with only 1100 miles then) and he recently got a call from the district attorney saying that the bike he bought was listed as stolen and they want it back as evidence. Apparently the person he bought it from had purchased it from a dealership with a stolen identity and the dealer never got the money. He checked carfax and even has the title, completely clean. What should he do? I fear if he gives them the bike he will never see it again and will be out the money he put into it. Has anyone ever heard of a situation like this?

[Vtec44]

Oh shit, he's SOL then. He can just take off the parts that he put in.

[HollywoodBush]

I don't think there is anything he can do...if there is a property warrant out for it he is SOL.

[1HardRyder4Life]

have him check with an attorney, just in case.

[HollywoodBush]

True. They may just want to bike as evidence but may return it after the case...it depends on the charges and what is claimed against the bike.

[metalmike]

Alright, that's what I thought. He's probably out of luck, but should check with a lawyer. Thanks, it helps to get a few other opinions.

[HollywoodBush]

Anytime! We might mess around a lot on this site but a lot of smart people who know bikes can help you out with anything.

[1HardRyder4Life]

yeah man put a turbo on that thing.

[metalmike]

What's the best brand of antifreeze to put in my bike?

[HollywoodBush]

I use the 50/50 pre mixed coolant for my bike. If you do trackdays you will need WaterWetter.

[HollywoodBush]

The plus about using the OEM coolant is if you live in cold areas below 30 degrees you will have no problems. The WaterWetter stuff works great to keep the bike cool but it will not hold well in freeze temperatures...so I have been told.

[metalmike]

I've bought prestone that says it offers "extended protection to all engine cooling system metals including aluminum", and says that it is "silicate, phosphate, borate, and nitrate free", does that sound alright? I've heard that you want to avoid the ethylene glycol that contains silicate, does anyone know anything about this.

[HollywoodBush]

I believe the silicate in the coolant eats the pump seals. I just buy the Honda pre-mixed coolant.

[HollywoodBush]

The Prestone silicate & phosphate free mixture should be okay. Just make sure you get one that say that and it is approve for aluminum radiators. I just buy the Honda stuff because I get it from Ron Ayers when I buy Honda Polish for my bike.

[1HardRyder4Life]

u can still get honda polish?

[HollywoodBush]

Yup..just not in California. I can give you a can if you want buddy...I got one left.

[metalmike]

Thanks!

[HollywoodBush]

Yeah sure anytime! Feel free to ask anything

[metalmike]

Does anyone have a suggestion for what kind of tires I should get? I'm just going to be riding on the street for the most part. I was looking at the michelin pilot power, but I'm not sure.

[Asian Dave]

Pilot Powers are nice.

http://stores.sportbiketrackgear.com/Categories.bok?category=TIRES%2C+WHEELS+%26+WARMERS%3AMichelin+tires%3APilot+power

[HollywoodBush]

Agree...I run Dunlops.

[Asian Dave]

I'm gonna run Qualifiers for the street. I'll see how they are next weekend.

I've got 209's for tomorrows track day.

[HollywoodBush]

Let me know if you like them Dave.

[Asian Dave]

I'm hoping to tell you personally on the 12th.

[metalmike]

Thanks. Any idea what the best tire is for the money, or is there some personal preference involved?

[HollywoodBush]

So are you running Qualifiers on the street or the SportMax GP?

[HollywoodBush]

Thanks. Any idea what the best tire is for the money, or is there some personal preference involved?

Only you can answer that question....everyone has personal pref. on tires. Just try them as you go and see which works best for you.

[1HardRyder4Life]

dont stress too much about the tires if u just riding around town on the streets. Just go with something with a good rep.

[metalmike]

Alright. Thanks again!

[HollywoodBush]

I love my Dunlops...been using them for years. I stuck with Qualifiers since I commute so much on my bike and the tire will hold up better then the 209's ( SportMax GP ) will on the street.

[Asian Dave]

209 = Track.

[HollywoodBush]

Yeah I figured it out once I read what you said earlier.

[Asian Dave]

Bush = Awesome!!

[HollywoodBush]

Kim = Sexi Time!!

[Asian Dave]

Bush = Pimp.

[HollywoodBush]

Kim = Man Whore

[Asian Dave]

Fru

[HollywoodBush]

Brut

[Asian Dave]

:word

[HollywoodBush]

Pwn

[1HardRyder4Life]

after you radiator flush, den flush colon.

[metalmike]

Hey, I just wanted to say thanks again for the advice and help. I changed the coolant and got new tires last Friday. Got the Dunlop Qualifiers, and the bike feels quite a bit better now. I'm not sure if it is just in my head or if there really is a difference between the new tires and the 7 yr. old ones.

[Vtec44]

Whatever it is, have fun! Oh, make sure you lube all the cables.

[AdvSac]

Have fun! keep the shiny side up!

[1HardRyder4Life]

and always always always ryde it hard 4 life.

[pavel_123]

i was just curious i was going to do a coolant change on my 02 f4i after you drain all the fluids, do you recommend a certain coolant for bikes or is it the same as cars and the waterwetter do i just add this to my coolant mixture and how much do i add or is the waterwetter even necassary?

Thanks

[HollywoodBush]

Hey, I just wanted to say thanks again for the advice and help. I changed the coolant and got new tires last Friday. Got the Dunlop Qualifiers, and the bike feels quite a bit better now. I'm not sure if it is just in my head or if there really is a difference between the new tires and the 7 yr. old ones.


Bikes are usually easy to tell on the difference so I am sure it is not all in your head. Ride hard 4 life and have fun!:thumb

[HollywoodBush]

i was just curious i was going to do a coolant change on my 02 f4i after you drain all the fluids, do you recommend a certain coolant for bikes or is it the same as cars and the waterwetter do i just add this to my coolant mixture and how much do i add or is the waterwetter even necassary?

Thanks

Read pages 2 & 3 for information on coolant for your bike. For information on WaterWetter go to page 1 of this topic and there is a paragraph on it.

[Vtec44]

i was just curious i was going to do a coolant change on my 02 f4i after you drain all the fluids, do you recommend a certain coolant for bikes or is it the same as cars and the waterwetter do i just add this to my coolant mixture and how much do i add or is the waterwetter even necassary?

Thanks

I replied to your other post but might as well to here to get my post count up with something useful. Coolant are all the same from what I was told. How much WaterWetter to your distilled water is on the bottle itself, usually a few caps. Based on your geographic location, I'd go with coolant since WW doesn't prevent freezing.

[Legojr_88]

to get off subject abit, how the hell so you get chain lube of the rim once its sticky and dry on it, with out damaging the finish

[Vtec44]

Try dish washing liquid.

[Legojr_88]

ya tried that with a kinda of a rough sponge, didnt really work at all, and dulled the rim some

[Vtec44]

Yikes, then use rubbing alcohol or GooGone. Remember to let it soaks into the wax for like 5-10 minutes before trying to remove the goo.

[Legojr_88]

thanks ill try it, hope it works and hope i can get the shine back

[Vtec44]

Not sure about the shine, but the goo should be easy to remove. :(

Also, you can try using a blow dryer to soften the wax. Heat shouldn't damage the clear coat of the rims, at least the blow dryer won't have enough heat to damage it.

[Legojr_88]

i found that M30 hand cleaner works pretty good, but looks like ill be polishing these rims back to what they were

[Cookiebug79]

to get off subject abit, how the hell so you get chain lube of the rim once its sticky and dry on it, with out damaging the finish
Simple Green will remove the grease faster than a Bon Jovi groupie's panties will peel off for a backstage pass. And it's safe for most finishes.

[Dr. GoFast]

i use chain cleaner for cleaning the lube off the rim. works like a charm and no damage to rim clear coat/ paint..

[Dr. GoFast]

It's not that hard to do a coolant change, althought I generally do it once every year or so (6 months with WaterWetter). Typically, it's a 50/50 mix between distilled water and coolant. You can get distilled water at most of the major supermarkets.

Basically, remove the side fairings. F4i water pump will be on the left side, remove the big hose leading to the radiator and let it drain. You may need to pour distill water into the radiator (on the right side of the bike) and rev it a few times to flush out all the old coolant. Continue to do this until the water that comes out of the water pump is clean and clear. Make sure to check the temperature of the bike since you will run it without coolant for a few minutes. Don't let it go beyond 225 degrees F.

Picture of water pump and big hose on left side of bike (shifter side)
http://www.600rrforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=124


Once the water coming out of the pump is clear, connect everything back and slowly pour the mixture into the radiator (so you won't get air bubbles). Give it a few hard reves once a while when filling up to push out any possible air bubles, and continue to poor until it's full. You're set! :)

As far as tires, since they're original and it has been 7 years, you will want new fresh tires.


why not disconnect the upper big hose on the left side of the radiator which is flowing the hot coolant directly from the engine jackets and drain that? (end of the loop). In this method you mention- you are not draining the fluid from the engine jackets- thus it is not a complete flush, but more like a 2/3 flush. the big hose coming from the water pump is just receiving newly cooled water from the radiator and if you're topping it off from the radiator while you're doing this, the water is simply flowing from the radiator straight down to the pump..... and not through the engine itself...

or am i missing something? :dunno

[Vtec44]

I do this because it's the lowest hose I see, so natually water will drop to the bottom and out (hopefully). Filling it is just to flush out whatever that's still left in the radiator. If the hose is disconnected and you give it a few revs, you'll see water rushing out from the pump side which then will completely empty it out from the engine. It's just personal preference I guess. I'm not sure which upper big hose you're referring to though, pix? I'm a visual person. :D

[Dr. GoFast]

here is a picture of the page in my 2003/2004 cbr600rr official honda service manual which diagrams the cooling system. the manual states that to flush the system- you should just remove the drain bolt on the water pump and remove the drain bolt on the cylinders. the cylinder bolt is basically impossible to get to without removing the headers, so I did it lazily by only draining the water pump and then flowing water through the radiator and out of the pump 'til it was clear, but i don't think i drained the engine jackets, which is fine for now- i will do a more comprehensive flush in october when i switch back to 50/50 from my current 19 coolant/80 water/1 water wetter mix that i've got going on for the summer.

http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/426940db7c.jpg (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/)



as you can see, it looks like the best way to really drain the thing out is to remove the upper hose which is flowing hot (read: black arrows) directly out of the engine (end of the loop indicated with a red circle and green check mark), rather than the water pump which is flowing newly cooled and newly poured-in water (indicated with a red circle and red "x" through it). what do you think? am i missing something? the method mentioned by asian dave is good, but still wouldn't theoretically accomplish a 100% flush and would also be more time consuming than simply draining from the "hot hose" coming out of the jackets into the radiator to be cooled while constantly monitoring water level in the radiator...

[Dr. GoFast]

better quality image - PLEASE CHECK BOTTOM OF THE PREVIOUS PAGE (page 7) FOR A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF WHAT I'M TALKING about:

http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/fc084267da.jpg (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/)

[Vtec44]

here is a picture of the page in my 2003/2004 cbr600rr official honda service manual which diagrams the cooling system. the manual states that to flush the system- you should just remove the drain bolt on the water pump and remove the drain bolt on the cylinders. the cylinder bolt is basically impossible to get to without removing the headers, so I did it lazily by only draining the water pump and then flowing water through the radiator and out of the pump 'til it was clear, but i don't think i drained the engine jackets, which is fine for now- i will do a more comprehensive flush in october when i switch back to 50/50 from my current 19 coolant/80 water/1 water wetter mix that i've got going on for the summer.

http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/426940db7c.jpg (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/)



as you can see, it looks like the best way to really drain the thing out is to remove the upper hose which is flowing hot (read: black arrows) directly out of the engine (end of the loop indicated with a red circle and green check mark), rather than the water pump which is flowing newly cooled and newly poured-in water (indicated with a red circle and red "x" through it). what do you think? am i missing something?

Based on the picture, it seems like the upper hose is at a higher point than the water pump. I'm no expert, but that that doesn't seem like it would drain from the engine part if it's that high. Shit, the picture is so blurry, I can barely see. lol

[Dr. GoFast]

it wouldn't drain by gravity- it would drain by the pumping pressure of the water pump while the engine is running... you would need to monitor the water level in the radiator constantly, sort of like bleeding brakes... your original method is dangerous because it starves the engine jackets of any coolant whatsoever while you're flushing with the engine on! (by disconnecting the big hose from the water pump, you are not allowing it to be delivered to the water jackets of the engine). please check the second picture i posted which is higher quality. i will be flushing exclusively from the upper/left hose in october because it is the only way to quickly and easily accomplish a complete flush without starving the engine while it's running. it's just natural that you should drain from the end of any given loop and not the middle....

[Vtec44]

Yeah, that's why you give a few quick reves and shut it off :D

[Dr. GoFast]

even still, you're not getting the coolant out of the engine, you're just leaving the old coolant in their to boil and not circulate. my old statement was wrong, you're not starving it- you're just not circulating it or pushing it out of the cylinders at all. it's just sitting their and stays sitting there 'til you close the system again. the original coolant in the engine never gets drained. it starves the engine of any new coolant is what i meant.

[Vtec44]

Hmm... that kind of make sense. I'll give your method a shot the next time...

[Dr. GoFast]

yea, i mean, with "my" method, the coolant wouldn't theoretically start draining until the thermostat popped open because thats what releases new coolant into the engine (ref. the diagram). So, you would just remove the upper/left tube, and then run the engine until the thermostat opens, then as soon as it opens, you pour water into the radiator as it's flowing out of the engine. it would probably be better to do with two people, one pouring into the radiator and one monitoring the fluid coming out, but it could be done by yourself too. once the fluid coming out of the upper/left hose is completely clear, you can be confident that the entire system is flushed. you could just use a garden hose to do the flushing, or buy a couple extra bottles of distilled water if you want to be anal about not getting tap water into it.... after you see it clear, then you can drain by your method and then just reinstall the hose and fill/burp the system and you're set :D ! there will still be a bit of water left in the engine jackets, so if you're filling 50/50 your ending mix will probably be around 45/55 in favor of water which will be fine. at least you can be confident you got any scale, build-up and old coolant out of the engine- the place you want to flush more than any other place!

[Vtec44]

Yeah, but you can just fill the radiator up simultaneously and it it run to flood the new fluid and drain out the old one. My method will drain it completely once the themostat opens up, because the pump will push the water out the other way. So if you forget, you can overheat the engine. So I guess it was just my habit since that's how I've been doing for years. lol

[Dr. GoFast]

i'm not understanding what you mean. the pump never receives the hot water from the engine. that water goes straight to the radiator (from the engine) where it is cooled and returned to the pump cold for service in the engine.... and the cycle continues... your method would never drain the coolant from the engine- thermostat open or closed- doesn't matter. or am i missing something :dunno . how do you figure that the hot coolant from the engine reaches your drain point at the pump? it would only do so after using your method 2-3 times and even then, you could not be certain it was 100% flushed. also, if you left the water jackets without any coolant, the sensor wouldn't have anything to sense, so your temp reading would be inaccurate and there wouldn't be any way to tell if you're overheating.

[Vtec44]

Since I disconect it from the radiator where the cool water suppose to to return to the engine, once the thermostat opens up hot water suppose to be pushed out into the radiator and cool water pulled in. So my assumption is that when the left over coolant from the engine gets hot and being pushed back into the radiator, by gravity it will go to the bottom and out to the hose where it suppose to return to the engine. Of course, still doesn't change that fact that even if it works, I'm leaving the engine without any coolant.

[Dr. GoFast]

hmmm.... the water will not be pumped from the engine to the radiator if you have the big hose disconnected from the water pump though. once the system is open from the water pump, the pump doesn't really work to pump anything to the engine (it has no pressure). you would have to close the system up, fill/burp it, then drain again. and even then, you couldn't be sure about what you're draining and what you're not draining. i maintain that the best way is to drain it is from the top left hose with hot water coming out of the engine at the end of the loop. this helps retain the pressure throughout the system so you can be sure it's still pumping.


or..... maybe, the upper/left hose DOES need to be connected in order to have the coolant come out of the engine and into the radiator...... maybe the radiator has some suction mechanism..... that would suck, then my whole theory is f'd :( maybe i need to just go back to square 1 and figure out how to get at that cylinder drain bolt! :lmfao but even still, i'd rather have a way to completely flush rather than simply drain, since i use water wetter, i want to make sure everything's out (water wetter can build up and stick to internal parts if it's not flushed out on a regular basis). i'll try my method in october and report back then. :D when is the next time you're gonna flush/replace coolant vtech? maybe you can see how this works faster so we can get an answer. i just did mine and with all the fairing removal, etc... i'm not gonna do it again 'til october.

[Dr. GoFast]

http://www.techguys.ca/howto/coolant_flush.html

the above link explains how to flush a car's cooling system, in it, they mention:

Once the cooling system has been completely filled, start the engine to allow the water to circulate. Once again remove the radiator drain plug. As the engine runs, pour fresh distilled water into the radiator fill hole at the same rate that it exits the system.
Continue this process until the water being drained from the radiator appears to be clear and free of debris. Once you are satisfied with the drain water's appearance, stop the engine and allow all remaining water to drain out.

-----------------

this is basically what i was saying. problem is that motorcycle radiators don't have drain plugs. however, the upper/left big hose can be substituted as a very large radiator "drain plug" :-) i think if they're saying that you can leave the drain plug open on a car radiator while pouring into the radiator, that means that all the pressure that needs to be created is created by the water pump and there is no necessary suction being done by the radiator itself :thumb ....which means my theory should work beautifully!!! I CAN'T WAIT TO TRY IT!

another good link: http://www.misterfixit.com/antifrez.htm

[Vtec44]

I just did a coolant flush, phew. Interestingly enough, it does seem to work with gravity. :dunno I disconnected the outter hose, and water seem to rush out from the hose and from the water pump for like 30 seconds. I put everything back, refill the radiator, ran the bike until the thermostat open up, give it a few rev, refill it again the radiator is completely full. Once it's cooled down, I disconnected the hose again, and once again water rushed out from both sides, the radiator and the water pump for a while until it's completely empty.

Plus, now I remember why I didn't disconnected the other hose: It's a pain in the arse for some reason on my bike and I couldn't get it out. Unfortunately I work on my bike like once a year, so I don't remember all the little details.

So, go figure... :dunno I'll try your method next time for sure, it got dark way too quick for me this time. :D

[Dr. GoFast]

awwwww.... man! i was so pumped when i saw your post on sportbikers.net to hear how it went and come to find out, you didn't even try it! hahahahaha. well if you ran the bike for awhile and then drained it again, it's probably all good, you got 95+% of it out your way. i thought you had a 600rr for some reason, not an F4i , your water pump does not look the same as the one on my '04 600rr.... the diagram i posted was for a 600rr... why don't you just use the drain bolt? do you not have one? why do you have to disconnect a hose at all?

[Dr. GoFast]

as soon as it cools down, i'm crackin my system open and trying this shit !!! i almost want to do again right now for no reason! the fact that you did it got me all pumped up! :lmfao

[Vtec44]

I have a 03 600RR damn it! The paint scheme looks like an F4i. :(

[Dr. GoFast]

your pictures don't look like a 600rr, the fairing is different.

[Vtec44]

I have race fairings, so the whole entire bottom is 1 piece. Yeah, I was going to try your method but couldn't get the top hose off. I strip the hose clamp bolt too, so that will need to be replaced. lol

[Dr. GoFast]

hmmm..... so you don't have to remove the middle fairings to get to the reservoir and to the radiator cap? I had to remove the two middle fairings, two bottom fairings, and pull the upper fairing out a little bit so i could loosen the right (sitting on the bike) ram air duct to get at the radiator cap.... hmm.... what do you mean you couldn't get it out? i mean i've never tried to get it out either, but seems like you just unscrew the little metal zip-tie thing and pull? :dunno maybe it would come out easier if you heat it up a bit to soften it. I still don't understand why you don't just use the drain bolt on the water pump like the manual suggests, instead of pulling the hose off.... it does the same thing...

stripped the hose clamp bolt?! lol. oohhhh, so you couldn't get the clamp loosened at all? or did you get the clamp loosened and then just couldn't pull the thing off?

[Vtec44]

With race fairings, there are less pieces that you have to remove. There a re only 4 fairings: upper, lower, tank, tail. For most of the services, you need to remove the lower and get away with it.

This one is missing a tail piece but you get the idea.
http://www.jmhroadandtrack.co.uk/catalog/images/FR150%20Race%20Fairing%20CBR600RR%202005.jpg (http://www.jmhroadandtrack.co.uk/catalog/images/FR150%20Race%20Fairing%20CBR600RR%202005.jpg)

Yeah I was just curious to see if gravity works, cuz there must be a reason why I prefer this method but totally forgot why. I'll try the bolt next time. It does seem to drain much faster if you remove the hose since water comes out from 2 different areas (radiator and engine) simultaneously. I couldn't get the clamp to losen at all... mother f**** lol

[Dr. GoFast]

damn, race fairings are AWESOME! why don't they make the stock ones nice and easy like that?! i drained mine from the bolt and it came out VERY fast, it pissed about 2-3 feet away from the bike, i had to quickly move my oil pan to catch the flow, then it slowly died down, sort of like changing oil. the bolt lets out the same thing as the hose/water pump, they both flow down to the low bolt- your method might let the fluid out faster, but i'd rather leave a hose on if i can. unscrewing and screwing a bolt back in is easier than untightening, pulling and re-tightening a hose IMO. plus, it's what the manual says to do. the bolt is called a "drain bolt" :lmfao anyway, i guess this thread will have to be resurrected in october when i do my next flush. nice discussing this with you today though. do you always go with WW for the track?

[Vtec44]

WaterWetter is required by most track orgs because it's easier to clean up. Although they don't always check, some will ban you if you crash will coolant when the rules required you to have WW. So yeah, I always run WW on my bike but you need to change it out every 6 months or so, since it doesn't have any anti-corosion property. The bike does seem to run a bit cooler with it also, 180-190 while moving.

[Dr. GoFast]

yea, i know, i've noticed a huge drop in my temps which is always a good thing! from what i hear, thetrackclub doesn't require it and neither does fastrackriders. what are some of the orgs that you know for a fact- DO REQUIRE water +watter wetter and no coolant whatsoever?

[Vtec44]

On top of my head, TrackDaz.com. I haven't done many track days in the last 3 years so I don't remember the other orgs but I know for sure TrackDaz requires you to have WW. On another note, Fastrack will require you to safety wire your oil filter and oil drain plug, starting Aug 2008.

[Dr. GoFast]

thetrackclub, sorry to say- has a very shitty website. they don't even have a section where they discuss what they require etc.... it's pretty rediculous.

doesn't look like trackdaz requires WW, they just "suggest" it:

http://trackdaz.com/ti/trackdaz/showcontent.html?content=bikeprep

[Vtec44]

Dang, there goes my memory lol

[Dr. GoFast]

i keep hearing "most orgs require it etc...." but i've yet to find an org that does... :dunno there might be some conflict as far as bike warranty in combination with their liability etc... it might not be legally sound for them to suggest something that is not recommended by the manufacturer :dunno.

[Vtec44]

Probably they don't want to exclude track newbies because of strict requirements?

[Dr. GoFast]

on second thought, after much reviewing of different sites/forums to see how people flush their coolant- nobody seems to use my method. I've been thinking about why that might be since it seems like the most logical and easiest way (on paper). however, upon more careful consideration, i was thinking that taking that hose off would mean that once the thermostat opens, the water that would come out of the upper/left hose would be VERY hot and may rush out VERY rapidly...... so, i think i will continue to use the drain bolt and just do flushes until the water runs clear.... what do you think vtech?

[Vtec44]

Either my method or the drain bolt should work :D I'm not picky..

[Dr. GoFast]

no, i'm talking about the upper/left hose method of draining from the flow of the engine.....

[Vtec44]

Well if you're going to try that, don't burn yourself. D

[Dr. GoFast]

hahahaha, yea, i may still try it- i dunno, i just think it's weird that nobody ever mentions it...

[Vtec44]

I never thought of doing it any other way, that's why. It's like if it aint broke, don't fix it! :D