Coolant Change

[TSM]

How often should coolant be changed?
It it crtical to change on time or just more so in winter?
Is the coolant the same for bikes as cars?

[Carsick]

2 years is pretty typical. If it's dirty when you drain it then it was left too long.
Use a 50/50 mix of a standard glycol based antifreeze with distilled water.

[embee]

FWIW I'd recommend using a ready-to-use premium grade (5 year) type coolant from a car manufacturer. No water to be added.

I use a "red" coolant from Toyota (red for Japanese built engines, green for European built engines). It comes in 5 lts (around £13) or they do 1 lt bottles, probably more sensible if just for the bike.

VW/Audi also do a very good coolant which was developed specifically due to a problem with some engine variants in Europe (Germany).

These coolants are fine for 5 years (life of the corrosion inhibitors), other coolants I'd change at 3 or 4 years tops. It's very little cost and pretty easy to do, so why not?

If you do use a 50/50 mix type, get some distilled/de-ionised water (i.e. battery top-up water) to avoid scaling from hard tap-water.

[Spokey]

The green / blue stuff is normally glycol based and has a life of around 2 years - the pink stuff is organic acid technology and is classed as "long life" - but has a life of around 5 years. The two are not good bed partners as they tend to annoy each others anti corrosion additives, ( and can cancel them out ) so avoid mixing them - you can however, drain and refill with either ( flush recommended if changing from one to the other )

50:50 will give best corrosion protection and cooling - water is the best coolant, but has no anti corrosion properties, and if you used 100% anti freeze, you'd get great anti corrosion but not very good cooling.

Cheers

Banana

[embee]

50:50 will give best corrosion protection and cooling - water is the best coolant, but has no anti corrosion properties, and if you used 100% anti freeze, you'd get great anti corrosion but not very good cooling.

Cheers

Banana

yes.

Just to be clear though, the stuff I was referring to (e.g. Toyota red) is ready to use as supplied. i.e. it has the water/coolant mix already sorted out, presumably done to ensure the quality of the water used with no undesirable contaminants.

[Spokey]

Most of the stuff you buy over the counter is ready mixed anyway so you just pour it in when you need a top up - water is cheaper than antifreeze as well so it's cheaper to sell you 1/2 litre of water with your 1/2 litre of antifreeze ( although it's now called winter and summer coolant :D )

Banana

[TSM]

My bike is nearly 2 1/2 years old, might change it soon, poss after the summer or if i have nothing to do this wend i will do it.