Coolant Changing (Radiator Flushing)

Changing your coolant:

• Remove radiator cap.
• Remove cap from overfill tank.
• Place large drain pans on both sides of bike.
• Remove overflow vent hose at radiator filler and aim the now open hose into the drain pan.
• Undo the hose clamps from the large radiator hoses at the engine. (make certain the pans are large enough, or do it one side at a time)
• Pull hoses from engine flanges.
• At this point all of the coolant will drain from both the radiator and the engine. If you turn the engine over a couple of times (not running, just cranking) you will spit out any left in the block.
• Replace hoses, caps etc.
• Fill with whatever you will be using.

Flushing your radiator:

• If you need to flush the system, then only remove one hose and use a garden hose or equivalent (connected to a water supply – tap water is ok) to run water through the system. When I do mine for the first time, I leave the lowest hose open, turn on the faucet and start the engine to flush the water jacketing. After about 2 minutes, turn off the engine, then the water and remove the other hoses and let it drain.
• Fill with whatever you will be using.

Note: Many people have asked why I would use tap water (or water from a garden hose) when the service manual (and good sense) dictate the use of distilled water only to prevent corrosion. I only use tap water to flush the system, but always use distilled water and Water Wetter when refilling. When flushing, you need some decent pressure and a lot of water, so using distilled water for this purpose just isn't practical.