Anti Freeze

Hi guys,
Any thoughts on running 100% anti freeze, bike only needs 1.8 litres so was thinking of changing the lot.

Don't run 100% anti-freeze.
You may gain Arctic freezing-resistance but you'll loose cooling-capacity, as the specific heat is quite a bit lower than that of water. That means that, to obtain the same amount of cooling, you would have to flow more coolant - with the identical pump spinning at the same revs?? No can do.
Using 100% is almost the same filling with the stuff sold in the US, Evans, which is advertised as 'will not boil off'. Indeed it will not, in doing so masking all noticeable symptoms of overheating.... whilst you maybe are overheating the poor engine, you would have no idea!
Mix 50/50 with distilled (or de-mineralized) water as per the instructions no doubt tell you, and Bob's your Uncle. It will definitely boil off (into the reservoir) which you - hopefully - will notice if the thing's getting hot - and that many of us have experienced already.

Also, don't just use 'any' coolant, most certainly not cheap generic stuff. This modern engine requires boron-free sillicate-free etc etc stuff, and wise is to use Honda's coolant - or, as a good alternative, Toyota long-life coolant, pinkish stuff, an organic acid: cheap & very good. Oh, the latter you don't dilute (it already is), so 2 bottles (1L ea) will do.
Coolant does, except for cooling & anti-freeze, quite a bit more. It lubricates the waterpump, it keeps the hoses in good condition (it really does!), and also it prevents electro-corrosion caused by the spontaneous potential differential (small electric current) of the various different metals.
Put plain water in and witness over time your engine rotting away from the inside.

BuRP wrote:Don't run 100% anti-freeze.
You may gain Arctic freezing-resistance but you'll loose cooling-capacity, as the specific heat is quite a bit lower than that of water. That means that, to obtain the same amount of cooling, you would have to flow more coolant - with the identical pump spinning at the same revs?? No can do.
Using 100% is almost the same filling with the stuff sold in the US, Evans, which is advertised as 'will not boil off'. Indeed it will not, in doing so masking all noticeable symptoms of overheating.... whilst you maybe are overheating the poor engine, you would have no idea!
Mix 50/50 with distilled (or de-mineralized) water as per the instructions no doubt tell you, and Bob's your Uncle. It will definitely boil off (into the reservoir) which you - hopefully - will notice if the thing's getting hot - and that many of us have experienced already.

Also, don't just use 'any' coolant, most certainly not cheap generic stuff. This modern engine requires boron-free sillicate-free etc etc stuff, and wise is to use Honda's coolant - or, as a good alternative, Toyota long-life coolant, pinkish stuff, an organic acid: cheap & very good. Oh, the latter you don't dilute (it already is), so 2 bottles (1L ea) will do.
Coolant does, except for cooling & anti-freeze, quite a bit more. It lubricates the waterpump, it keeps the hoses in good condition (it really does!), and also it prevents electro-corrosion caused by the spontaneous potential differential (small electric current) of the various different metals.
Put plain water in and witness over time your engine rotting away from the inside.

Cheers Burp, I get the message the book doesn't specify a particular brand; just a good quality Ethylene Glycol as they do recommend a 50/50 split so that's how I will go. I noticed the coolant was on the bottom level so thought was to change it and flush the system through with the hose pipe.
Will get some from the local Honda shop when I am next passing.

Cheers Maus!

Forgot to say that one should never mix coolants, even when they have the same colour. Honda's is green, but it actually should be pinkish because it falls in that group.
The various colours, green, blue, red & pink, normally indicate what 'kind' it is, and ours should use the pink one - but H made it green
If your dealer tries to sell you 'a' brand, green, not branded 'Honda', then walk away, it will almost certainly be the wrong stuff - plus I bet you'll overpay for it then too.

I have some water wetter in mine right now with a pre-mix Prestone stuff.

Hello Modette,

I know neither but have heard Water Wetter (not for sale here) does work.
I've heard that this stuff 'ages', it expires after some time, hence needs to be renewed at intervals?
But that goes for any coolant anyway, even the 'long life' stuff, I put new in every 2 years, cheap enough & piece of mind.

Oh Mauser,

just re-read you're going to flush, sorry for the late remark.
Quite possibly you'll find some fine deposits in the expansion tank, and this stuff won't come out easily. I have a habit of adding some fine clean sand (got a Parrot? )and, with a little water added also, shake the bottle vigorously! It'll 'grind' the deposits loose, and repeated proper rinsing will do the rest.

Unless you've had a major stuff-up along the way in the past I'd not recommend using 'radiator flush'. If the PO however clearly was running tap water (or worse) then I would use it, but rinse very very thoroughly!
This stuff is a bit aggressive, it 'bites' any filth loose, you do not want it to remain in there, if only to keep the waterpump-seal happy.