Emergency on the road question....

bullzeye81 · Jul 6, 2019

Set off on my annual bike trip(use all my vacation at once)
My cooling system doesnt seem to be functioning. Bike is around 230F which I feel is interstate breeze. Coolant spitting out on my right leg every so often.

I chamged the coolant a few weeks ago and havent ridden much since.

What can I do ? Shops are of course clpsed for holiday wkend!! Im suppose to be on interstates all day today but im nervous.

appliance821 · Jul 6, 2019

Someone can double check me here but 230F doesn't seem too far off.

Do you know where the coolant is spitting out from. Make sure all the hose clamps are tight. The coolant overflow hose is on the left I believe. Check the overflow bottle and see if it's full.

Maybe there's air in the system. Open the radiator cap and the overflow cap and run the bike to try and get it out. Squeeze the hoses while you're doing this.

bullzeye81 · Jul 6, 2019

Looks like a ton of air in system. Im going on number 2 filling session now. Hopefully im good now

bullzeye81 · Jul 7, 2019

Mmm def not good. Coolant keeps burping out of the cap over time while im driving it. I went through ~2 gallons yesterday to get to my destination. Anyone have any ideas? Seems like my system is drawing in air somehow? Maybe my cap isnt functioning properly? I welcome any advice!

mentalist · Jul 7, 2019

Are the fans cutting in??
I had an issue with bad connection on the RH fan, just disconnected and reconnected to get to work.
Also make sure its only filled to the MIN on fill line when cold, anything over that and it will spit out.

appliance821 · Jul 7, 2019

Also , is the overflow hose connected right below the radiator cap?

gatdammit · Jul 9, 2019

The hottest I ever see is 217 F, then the fans turn on and it usually drops to around 203 F. This is in 95-98 F weather.

There have been instances of the fan blades cutting wires on 1st gen models, but only remember reading about it chopping the ignition cable.

I had an issue where I cracked the radiator mounting heavy driving lamps in the end cap bolt housing. I had a slow constant leak that would stream down the bike after it warmed up but never actually squirted. Sounds like you have a circulation issue if it's bubbling out of the cap. Kinked line?

bullzeye81 · Jul 12, 2019

Appreciate all the great responses.
The issue ended up being a few pin holes on the backside of the radiator, right below one of the top mounting brackets.
Took off the radiator, cleaned it up really well, let it dry and then applied JB weld to the problem area and let it cure over night. So far it seems to be holding after 130mi. Hopefully it holds as I still have a couple thousand to go

bullzeye81 · Jul 12, 2019

.....some additional information for those interested. Believe the holes by the radiator mount, originated from my brother leaving out the large rubber bushing that supports the gas tank. So the tank was putting downward pressure on one side of the radiator(was sitting on the radiator cap)

appliance821 · Jul 12, 2019

Glad you figured it out. I hope you have a great rest of your trip. Give our regards to brother LOL

Emergency on the road question....

Similar threads