Total Motorcycle Community Forums

storysunfolding wrote:The fan coming on isn't a worry that's design. If your heat gauge creeps into the red then maybe this would be helpful, but it would just be a temp fix for what you'd really need which is a cooling system overhaul to some degree maybe as simple as a radiator flush, thermostat replacement or fan switch replacement. Could be as involved as a new waterpump or radiator replacement

One - I'm draining old coolant because it is over-due.

Two - I'm flushing the system to clean it out well.

Three - I'm adding new coolant.

Routine, and because the coolant is old, I think the bike is running hotter, and the fan is coming on more than before. Mabye thermostat, or waterpump too, but I'm guessing the 4 year old coolant is the issue. In the mean time, I spent a few extra bucks to try a new coolant and report it here to my friends on this board. I now see that was a mistake. Somehow that just pi55ed people off for some reason

This thread and the reaction to my trying to review a product is very confusing to me. I'm not a stupid person, why am I being treated that way by people who I consider my peers.

I'm not attacking as I'm interested in seeing the result, but I don't know what running cooler would do. Does that mean that it takes longer to reach operating temperatures where your bike is most efficient? Does it mean that you never reach the upper levels of operating temps where things can get worrisome? I don't know.

I was just saying that if your heat gauge was going into the red, new coolant will help a bit definately but there might be some other underlying cause.

jonnythan wrote:I apologize for having my doubts about the product. Clearly this is not the place for discussing motorcycle products. I won't make the mistake again.

You can discuss what you want here. I want you to think about making a $40 investment in what you think is a good idea. Then come to people you consider friends and tell them you thought you had a good idea and wanted to share the idea.

Now, before you get a chance to test it the idea, imagine someone totally discredited your idea and never even gave you a chance to try it and express it.

You see, if you put yourself in my shoes, you might see why you hurt my feelings. Your attack on this product, before I even got to put it my bike. I believed it would be a good thing and worth trying. You're calling it a waste of money and a rip off.

You have to be able to step back and look at what I was trying to do, and they way you responded.

scan wrote:Somehow that just pi55ed people off for some reason

This thread and the reaction to my trying to review a product is very confusing to me. I'm not a stupid person, why am I being treated that way by people who I consider my peers.

The only person I see here who is upset is you. I'm sorry it upsets you that the product you bought appears to be overpriced snake oil, but I don't see anyone here (especially myself) treating you in any manner that would be considered upsetting or offensive. I think you need to take a deep breath, maybe take a break, and realize that:

1) Thinking a product is overpriced snake oil, and
2) Attacking you or mistreating you

are two very different things. Only one of these has occurred.

scan wrote:You're calling it a waste of money and a rip off.

Neither of which are commentary on you.

I'm done with this thread. I'll make sure never to say anything to you that may be construed as a criticism of a product you have purchased in the future.

storysunfolding wrote:I'm not attacking as I'm interested in seeing the result, but I don't know what running cooler would do. Does that mean that it takes longer to reach operating temperatures where your bike is most efficient? Does it mean that you never reach the upper levels of operating temps where things can get worrisome? I don't know.

I was just saying that if your heat gauge was going into the red, new coolant will help a bit definately but there might be some other underlying cause.

We'll see. I don't have a heat gauge on my bike, only the fan and an idiot light. The light never came on, and the fan runs quite often on hot days recently. I'm overdue for the fluid change. If my fan kept coming on, that meant I was at the higher end of operating temp. If I can stay closer to the median, it seems to makes sense to me that it is better for the engine. I can see that I have at least two people who don't agree with me on that idea, but I will report back here anyway. Call me a glutton for punishment.

There is a product called "Water Wetter" that sounds similar, but is an additive rather than a substitute for regular anti-freeze, I think. One thing I have heard about these types of products is that they do not do well with cold weather, they are more "coolant" and less "anti-freeze". Something you may want to keep in mind this winter.

I was thinking if someone else wants to run cooler, then just put in a slightly different thermostat. The downside being you may start to get incomplete combustion burns, fouling the plugs, valves and any emission sensors in a worse case situation along with lower mileage (it would take more gas for the same bang as before).

Just some thought for anyone else looking for the same goal of lowering engine temps but with no current engine temp issues.

Since you have to change the coolant anyway and don't mind paying the extra money for a test, it should be fine. Just be aware of the signs of a engine thats running too cool.

I don't know how many of you have refered to this other website, but I have many times, and consider it a great source of unbiased useful information.

http://www.gadgetjq.com/gadgetsfixitpage.htm

Scroll down the page to Maintance Tips and then find the link for
Coolant Replacement Options..When Plain Green Won't Do

http://www.gadgetjq.com/coolant_replacement.htm

Now granted, this is from the guy who is the owner of the product, but I found many endorsements for what he states in his article.

So, I hope this helps people find some other cool info from Gadget, and I will keep you informed on what sounds to me like a good investment in my cooling system. Hopefully I can either acknowledge the idea this is snake oil, or confirm it is indeed a good performance product.

The change is done. The worst thing about doing the job was flushing the system. draining it was easy, but adding the flush, running the bike, waiting for it to cool, and then running water through the system was a pain. Plus the manual for my bikes suggests doing that twice. So the whole process of draining the coolant, flushing it, and filling it, took a couple hours, mainly due to the waiting for the bike to cool each time I ran it so I could drain it again. Plus beeding the air out of the system is an art more than a science. Oh, and one more thing that was a pain - I have to take my gas tank off to do the job, so I had to keep adding an taking off my gas tank while I was doing the job. I would say hooking up a remote gas tank is worth the extra effort. I remember that next time.

Nothing to report about the new coolant at this point. It is too new to say anything about, but it does seem to be keeping the bike cool enough that it is working. I rode it around for about 2 hours last night and it didn't overheat, but it was a cool evening, and hardly a test. I will keep you all informed. At the worst, I think it would be the same if I added any coolant. My old coolant was almost 4 years old, so it needed changing.