Re: Back on a bike after 16 years.
 

There's two types of coolant. You need to know which one is in there so you can top up with the same. Only problem is it's quite hard to tell. Colour isn't an indicator either as they make both in different colours to confuse things. So, best option is to drain it and refresh with all new. I did that, along with a flush through with a can of Wynn's to clean the old out. Then flush through with lots of water. Some are happy with a hose pipe in there left running, but water is crazily hard in our area so I just went to Tesco and got a couple of litres of value water at 9p a litre and used that. Then I used ready mixed OAT coolant from Halfords (don't bother with buying concentrated and mixing yourself, the cost is negligible). There's loads of guides online for draining and then filling up again. Involves squeezing pipes etc to burp air out of the system. Fairly simple to do, just takes a bit of time and should be done every couple of years anyway. If you don't know the history of what's in there it should be done.



Have you checked the reservoir on the left of the bike (visible below fuel tank through the frame) for coolant level?

Re: Back on a bike after 16 years.
 

+ Make sure you collect the old coolant and take to the tip, don't just let it go down the drain.. it's nasty stuff. And if it's really toxic if ingested. It used to tast sweet so dogs etc would lick it if the found it on the floor and it can kill them very quicky. Now usually has Bitrex added to make it really bitter tasting.

Re: Back on a bike after 16 years.
 

Thank you. I've managed to drop the front I was expecting to have to take the whole thing apart but the fairing with lights and indecaters just comes of complete undo one lead and bobs your uncle. The the radiator most have something in as I can't see in it due to a rubber hose, but a long strip of metal used as a dipstick comes out wet. The tank is up but not of would need the fuleline undoing and don't want to waste a full tank on the floor. So I can see the top of the reservoir however can't tell if anything is in it. I think a wash out and new coolant might be the best thing to do. Thank you for your advice.

Re: Back on a bike after 16 years.
 

Sounds like you're having to take apart more than needed? You should be able to do the coolant from the side of the bike with nothing removed. There's no dipstick in the radiator cap as far as I know, at least not on mine. I can just undo the cap and see the coolant in the top of the rad on the right of the bike just under the edge of the front faring.. then check and top up coolant at the reservoir on the left of the bike.

Re: Back on a bike after 16 years.
 

My k3 as a rubber hose about 3 inch long on top of rad then the cap above that sits behind the fairing.

The reservoir is behind the main down frame total obscured

Re: Back on a bike after 16 years.
 

No the reservoir is just visible but bone dry!!

Re: Back on a bike after 16 years.
 

Well managed to buy the coolant and deanodised water. Drained the old flushed and refilled with all new one job never done before and very easy once you've done it. Gave it a run out don't know if it's my imagination but seems happy and didn't go above 96c. Bought it back home switch it off went in the house to open the garage doors. Went to switch it on nothing no fuel pump nothing!! Thought I'd done something wrong then remembered the alarm pressed the keyfob dead as a dodo. I had hard about the mith of them wiping the memory if the battery dies and was never sure if that was ture. 3 days later new batterys in turns out the memory dosent get wiped.

Re: Back on a bike after 16 years.
 

K3 with an alarm? Probably fitted when new? It will most likely drain your battery like crazy. I had to remove my alarm and this fixed my bike's battery eating habit. I think the hard wired batteries inside the alarm unit just wear out over time and this somehow causes a high drain on the main bike battery.

If you have a garage with power, keeping it on an Optimate or similar would also be a solution.

Re: Back on a bike after 16 years.
 

Oh sorry I mant the keyfob battery. My next door neighbour (biker himself) mentioned the keyfob memory would be wiped if the battery went.

Re: Back on a bike after 16 years.
 

Removing the alarm would fix it in either case :smt043