STOP! Change Your Motorcycles Coolant

If your bike is overheating or you don't know when last your coolant was changed it might be time to flush your cooling system. Here's why, how & when to change your coolant.

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📖 CHAPTERS
0:00 Why Change Your Coolant
1:10 What You Will Need
1:34 Out With The Old
3:20 Cleaning
4:50 Refilling

[nir]

I ride an aircooled 220cc bike . And watching this video because why not

[riderramblings]

I agree with most of what you say. I suggest, though, placing a cloth over the open radiator neck when blipping the throttle as coolant can be ejected. Also, only fill the reservoir to the MIN mark, replace the radiator cap and run the bike for about 10 minutes (for the fan to cycle on then off once). Change the oil or do something that takes 15-30 minutes (or, better still, let the radiator cool down completely - I do mine last thing before leaving for the day), then check and top up the coolant reservoir as required (best done when cold).
My bike has 199, 930 km and the coolant has been replaced about every 18 months. I did it two weeks ago, including a flush with distilled water, and the water was as clean as a whistle!

[ZeroKitsunei]

I've done a decent amount of testing on coolant. Since I live in Texas, and ride an FZ1. Which runs pretty hot to begin with. I work at a shop so it's good knowledge to have.
So, what my testing has determined is: Adding a coolant additive like Water Wetter, will generally lower your temps by about 2-5 degrees.
Straight distilled water w/ a few cap fulls of an additive is the best thing you can do. It lowered temps by 15-20 degrees. This comes with a huge downside of having to drain your coolant every riding season since it will freeze. If you use your bike no matter what temp it is outside. This is out, but if you have a race, track or dirt bike. This is a good option.
Engine Ice w/ an additive lowered temps by about 5-7 degrees compared the the stock coolant. My bike still got hot enough to kick on the fan, but never hit 220.
The best I found was the VP Stay Frosty Hi-Performance (the purple one) w/ an additive. I saw temps drop by 12-15 degrees. The fan would not come on unless I was stopped at a light. Even if i rode 25mi to work in 1st gear. The only real downside I could find is: It seems like it breaks down quicker. After one full year of riding at least to work and back everyday. I was only seeing about a 7-10 degree difference. So I'd change it every year. If you want the best effect.
*Your mileage may vary. Only "tested" with my FZ1 in Texas summers (Normally gets over 105F). I recorded my dash with a go pro and wrote down the highest temps for a month. Doing a "1st gear only run" to work, and at least one 2 mile twisty road run at 3pm. (That's usually around the hottest part of the day here.)

[maximusgaming]

Just one more thing to add, might pay to check if your bike has a bleeder screw. I know the CP4 has a bleeder screw at the top of the waterpump, if the air is not bled out it will overheat. Great video 👍

[wenisinvietnam]

5:10 phew. They are similar but there are differences that make paying attention to it worthwhile. At the absolute minimum, it's best to stick to the *same color* of coolant because it actually does mean something.

[rickyv]

Thank you for this..I have an 2022 mt09sp and have been dreading doing the coolant. Great vid 👌

[Mech.E]

For anyone doing this pour the coolant in slowly and after that tap the hoses while the cap is removed.

[ENLSN]

I definitely did mine in 2022.
Not sure if they touched it on last years (expensive) service.. lesson learned.
Forks and brakes next on my 09 R6.

[motorax.service.motociclete]

Actually NOT!!!! Quality coolant has a life span of 5 years and between 100.000 and 150.000 km 🤝👍

[adam]

I am getting water-cooling flashbacks to when I did hardline water cooling on my old computer.. so many things to go wrong... so many bits that can be damaged...

[juavicam]

Something worth mentioning about engine ice is that it’s meant to be changed every year.
I change mine every 2 years and always look for a valvoline zerex alternative. They have like 10 different types and i look for the nearest chemical match to the one the manual suggests. Valvoline zerex is top notch and it comes in gallon sizes, which make it waaayy cheaper and leaves me with a lot for top offs if needed.

[derweibhai]

I buy coolant for Honda automobiles with aluminum engines directly from the car dealer. Same stuff as the bike, but a gallon costs as much as a quart of the bike stuff.

[TheBlauwitje]

Be changing it soon after 2 year. Got it last weak ago. Pre season fluids change.

[tomelwich]

Thanks for the reminder! My KTM turns 3 next month...I'll get right on it.

[jensk.]

Great and often underappreciated advice. Though I do not really stick to the 2 years advice as the coolant system is quite encapsulated and is not exposed to harsh chemicals like, let's say, the engine oil by combustion etc. That said, if the bike is a few years old and you have no idea, if or when the coolant was changed, go for it!

Regarding flushing and cleaning, I have good experience with force-flushing by the good old garden hose to really get the muck from decades of glycol-based coolants out of the lines. But don't flush cold water into a hot engine! And yes, that will leave some traces of tap water and therefore calcium carbonate in the system. But, in my view, that is much better than the muck previously in there (if you do it, you will know...) and if you really want to be thorough you can use distilled water after that again.

[tinawnaruto]

Should i mix motul hybrid tech with water or not? Please answer me

[nickk.]

All coolant manufacture advice 2 ster flushing:
1. Distilated water
2 mixture 80% distilated water + 20% coolant concantrate.

[ericrolland]

My bike is a 2004... not sure it has ever been changed. Thanks for the reminder!!

[racingworks]

I have found throughout my years of draining coolant that a better way to ensure you flush out all of the distilled water and residual coolant in the system is by using a air bed pump, used to blow up inflatable camp beds. If your bike comes with a bleed screw on the water pump, just position a funnel of even a empty 2 liter coke bottle over it, and keep a watchful eye over it as there will be quite a lot of fluid still coming out. Obviously this should be done with the bike cooled of and not running. I have also found that running Samco hoses with Engine Ice does bring down my motorcycles temperature by around a bout 10 degrees. So say what you like about their product, but I believe it has made a name for itself by being field tested time and again, but in the end, it all depends on you, the end user. For street riding, stick to your manufacturer recommended coolant, should you choose not to, make sure that the product you are using will actually protect your bikes cooling system, as some coolants are not compatible with like cast metal blocks, and just with aluminum. Finally, never top up any cooling system with tap water, it contains chlorine, magnesium and other metals that will form scale buildup and rust in your vehicle's engine and ultimately lead to metal fatigue, pinn-holes etc over prolonged use. Rather top up with distilled water in the event of an emergency, and drain it as soon as possible, as water has a higher boiling point, resulting in it evaporating quicker and your vehicle overheating possibly. Yes, you can top up with distilled water, even though it would mean that you are reducing your current coolants properties, but it can help you just to get to where you can drain and refill it again to where it needs to be. Also never mix any brand of coolant with another, even though the color seems to be nearly the same, especially if its not the same color. Each manufacturer of coolant have different additives etc that contributes to lower or higher boiling or freezing points. It's like when you are drinking beer, and all of a sudden you start drinking brandy, whisky, tequila etc, it upsets everything.

[JoshDurston]

I was surprised how much metal dust came out with the coolant when I changed my dirtbike coolant the first time. I would recommend an early coolant change to get any factory casting debris out.