Getting ready to change coolant. Started searching for how-to's since the service manual pics leave something to be desired. Came across a pic online that says the position shown is for draining the radiator...which is interesting because that's the position it is in right now. Bike runs fine though, so, what gives? Also, because the service manual doesn't say, does it matter which way the valve is turned to open & close?
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Look for the small hole on top of valve housing. Turn the valve until the ball appears in window. This is the drain position. The ball in the bottom window is the normal running position.
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Came across a post on another forum where someone said they were told leaving the valve in the open position results in the bike taking a bit longer to warmup but runs slightly cooler when fully warmed. Think I'll leave it as I found it since reading that others have found this & if it were a problem something would have happened.
That is correct. The purpose of the valve is to drain the coolant from the radiator.
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This is the post the pic came from.
My understanding is that in the drain position it by-passes the thermostat.
If left in the drain position then the motor will take longer to warm up and depending on ambient condition may not reach the correct operating temperature.
This will have an adverse effect on performance and fuel consumption.
My understanding is that in the drain position it by-passes the thermostat.
If left in the drain position then the motor will take longer to warm up and depending on ambient condition may not reach the correct operating temperature.
This will have an adverse effect on performance and fuel consumption.
With all the discussion about how hot our bikes run, wouldn't this only be an issue in the northern climates?
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...and now I know why it was left in that position :bang head:
I guess it would depend how far north you mean but even there it will take the motor longer to get to operating temperature with the t.stat bypassed. In the UK 30ºC isn't that uncommon.
If the motor runs too hot then that would suggest a problem with the t.stat or radiator. If you want the bike to run at the optimum then it would be better to address those issues.
You are right...I'll change it out sometime soon because it'll aggravate me knowing it aint the way it's supposed to be. But it's more aggravating that I didn't know about this until I changed the coolant. Really wished I had turned that knob BEFORE draining.
I think the old adage "if all fails read the instructions" may be appropriate? :bang head:
