Puddle of Antifreeze...

[Canada0937]

underneath my bike in the garage. There's a foot of snow on the ground and won't be riding any time soon. My question is: What should I be worried about? I figure the 50/50 water/antifreeze mixture had too much water in it. My hope is that the solution just came out the overflow tank and didn't rupture any of the lines. In the spring, what should I be looking for? Do I do anything now? Any help would be appreciated.

[rodantking]

sounds like wishfull thinking on too much water. Don't know how cold it has been, but I would start looking now to see were it came from. Check the package to see what the freezing temp is on 50/50.

[Redbird]

So you're thinking your coolant froze? At 50/50 it shouldn't have, even lower ratios than that are good for some pretty low temps. Just how cold does it get in your garage?

Anyway, if it did freeze up, that could be bad. Rubber hoses and plastic overflow bottles will expand a bit, metal will not. Cracked the waterjacket on my '65 Ford that way.

What you shoud do now is drain the thing while it's fluid, see if you can find where it leaked and put some anti-freeze in it at a ratio you know won't freeze where it's being stored.

[Northman]

Tighten the hose clamps.

Hoses contract when they're cold, and coolant is more likely to leak when it's cold, as well. I had the same issue a couple of winters ago, and just the hose clamps needed a bit of tightening.

[Redbird]

Tighten the hose clamps.

Hoses contract when they're cold, and coolant is more likely to leak when it's cold, as well. I had the same issue a couple of winters ago, and just the hose clamps needed a bit of tightening.

I like that answer much better

[beondwacko]

Almost all modern engines have freeze plugs in the blocks. I assume that the XX does as well. It's gotta' be Ozark cold to freeze a 50/50 mix. How big was the puddle? Like big enough to account for a majority of the coolant? Put a heater in the Garage, pull the fairings, and take a close look. Hopefully a clamp and nothing more loostened up.

[matey_peeps]

Tighten the hose clamps.

Hoses contract when they're cold, and coolant is more likely to leak when it's cold, as well. I had the same issue a couple of winters ago, and just the hose clamps needed a bit of tightening.

Happened to me once too.

[Pete in PA]

50/50 is good down to -34F if I remember right. Hope it's not THAT cold up there.

[The Krypt Keeper]

Read my thread "POS Honda"

I had to tighten up my hose clamps as I was getting alittle leak from around my hose from the temp change.

Really no big deal. I see it all the time with our equipment at work once winter time comes around.

[redxxrdr]

I would put a drop light under the bike and add a cover, blanket, something to direct the heat up to the engine. Low watt bulb, 60 to 100 should do. Pull the covers after a couple of days and check the clamps. Then check coolant level. Freeze plugs, were actually casting access. They will pop out if the coolant in a block freezes, but I have never had one actually protect the engine. Hate to think what a aluminum engine would do.

If it were mine, and I could get it outside, I think I would warm it up with a lamp, inspect and tighten everything I could, refill and start it.

Outside of course. I have never tried to warm one up in a area that cold, but I would think you could get it hot enough to get pressure on the system and look for leaks. If no leaks, at least you could sleep better until the thaw.

[Hobicus]

+1 on the hose clamps... Look around, though, because there's a LOT of them. Some are accessible without removing the fairing, some are not.