Do i need to put water in my bike ?

Originally Posted by Durbs

Yeah, never just use plain water, antifreeze also acts as a coolant in the warmer weather and also contains anti-corrosion agents. And dont top it up with tap water!!!

He's right. Tap water contains ions which promote corrosion. Use dionised / distilled water (you can get it from halfords). Use anti-freeze al year round, saves you having to add it in winter. The water is to keep the engine cool; inside an engine, surrounding the cylinder bores, there is a sizable cavity where the water flows through. A small water pump (down by the clutch i think) pushes the water around A temp sensor on the radiator detects when the water temp is high and turns the fan on to cool the water, which in turn cools the engine. Water boils at 100 deg.C under atmospheric conditions, but in a sealed system, and with anti-freeze added, the boiling point is higher, so dont worry about things if the temp display shows 103 deg.C (the fan should come on around this tempurature) because the water is going no-where

Oh and for anyone in the Oxfordshire area I can get you distilled water for free from my lab if you pop in with a bottle

[hindle8907]

kool thanks ill rember for when i need to topup/replace the water

[hindle8907]

is there any ratio of water to anitfreez ?

Originally Posted by hindle8907

is there any ratio of water to anitfreez ?

Depends on the concentration but it'll state it on the bottle anyway. I get pre-mixed stuff for my motor cos i'm lazy.