So, my cock up for winter is as follows:

I took the bike on a lot of rides this summer but as I live in a slightly urban area I get a lot of stop/starting after rides and my bike gets stonking hot, I put a bit of 'summer coolant' in there but I know full well at the moment that the bike has mostly water and some summer coolant, no anti-freeze.

The bike is 200 miles away in Nottingham at home, the bike is locked up on stands and next to a wall and my dad only has one arm after losing the other on a motorbike so he can't really do it for me. Going to have to get a train home to the tune of £50 to go drain it.

What's the best way to drain the system, any cleaners I can run through it that I can get from Halfords and what ratio of anti-freeze to water? Everyone seems to recommend (I think) distilled water, where can I get that easily and how much will I need?

Cheers,
Dan

Just pull off the most bottom hose, get ready as there's quite a bit in there for a little bike lol!
Then get some anti freeze, if it's not ready mixed I mix mine 50/50 or even sronger.
I've never used cleaners, if your that way inclined that you think you need to flush it out, just use a hose pipe.
Good old council pop (tap water) is good enough as far as i am aware, never heard of anyone using distilled water for a radiator, a battery maybe.
Easy peasy

get your dad to take the cap off the rad so that if it does freeze then it has somewhere to go..

What is summer coolant? Just water? 100% water is the best coolant...but obviously does feck all for corrosion and water softening and also can freeze..

Draining is easy enough - get a catch tray, an 8mm socket and take the lower drain off the waterpump..let it piss out, then but the bolt back in. Fill it 50/50 and you can sort it when you get back home.

My dad can't really drain it, it's on stands, locked up (steering lock too) and I stupidly left the key in my pocket and brought it to Uni with me. My dad's gonna wrap a load of blankets around it and I'll deal with it when I get home, hate winter, if it snows I've lost my transport too.

Fucking country!

I can't remember without looking, can you take the rad cap off without removing the fairing? Iirc you need to remove one of the little upper fairings between the lowers and the nose?

The rad cap is under the r/h infill....

When can you get home? It's quite a mild winter so far, so dont panic and the 7 day forcast is still mild.

Home on the 17th, if it starts getting bad I'll try talk him through getting the r/h upper panel off and pulling the rad cap off. I could of swore I saw a load of people on here advocating running a cleaner through the system?

Depends mate, sounds as though you've looked after it..... if not I guess it's like descaling a kettle lol

vfrderek wrote:Depends mate, sounds as though you've looked after it..... if not I guess it's like descaling a kettle lol

Summer coolant is often antifreeze too.



Unless you use something like wetter water.

Maybe your radiators need a good cleaning out if it's getting too hot.

I doubt it'll be cold enough to freeze it for a while, if it's indoors too?

If your really worried put a washign up bowl under the left hand fairing and undo the drain bolt on the waterpump (can access it with the fairing on) and let the coolant run into the bowl.