NHBandit69

I'm running a Pilot Sport on the front and a Pilot Road on the rear. For the riding I do, around town combined with a lot of twisty back roads, this combination has been great.

My Renthal rear sprocket is trashed after about a season and change. I haven't looked at the front yet, but since I believe firmly in the rule about changing your chain and sprockets at the same time, I'm going front, rear, and a chain this time around too. What really hurt was that chain... US Tsubaki, not the cheapie, because I was told I was getting really good sprockets. Weight doesn't bother me, durability does, so I'm thinking I want steel this time around. Does anyone have a favorite brand? I don't want to spend more than necessary, but in this case "necessary" means for a high-quality long-life set of sprockets. I'm keeping the UST chain as an emergency spare, since it has quite a bit of adjustment left on it, but I'm buying another chain too, so I'll take recommendations for those as well. Thanks!

I noticed the same thing after changing from the 190 that came on the bike when I bought it (used) to a brand new 180. Wobbles a bit behind semis, nice and stable all other times, and I LOVE the way she turns in now. I just pass the semi and drive on.

Went to check if the siphon tube was kinked when I put in the new thermostat. Pulled on the tube to make sure I was tracing the right one - and the hose that moved behind the frame member didn't go anywhere near the overflow container! WTF? I started moving the tube that was indeed running to the overflow container, and found out it connected UNDER the filler neck, directly into the radiator. the shop manual calls this the air bleed tube, and it's supposed to be part of the pressurized part of the cooling system. Of course, this means that my radiator had a free and clear shot directly into the unpressurized overflow container... Swapped the two hoses to correct their routing, and haven't seen a drop of coolant snce. The thermostat does indeed have the bike running cooler on hot days; I never would have thought that. Yet another thing I've learned from this board. I had never touched these two hoses, so I have to assume this was a gift left to me by either the previous owner or their mechanic. The Pilot Sports with lots of tread that were mounted on the bike were a gift I am enjoying; this little present was driving me completely nuts. In any case, I'm all set now. Thanks for all the advice and help! :cool:

Okay, here goes... Refilled the radiator, and bled the system again per shop manual, then sealed her back up with the new radiator cap. Took a lap of the city on the highway, and then dove in and took her through the city itself in traffic. Everything running GREAT, temperature guage never got much above the half-way point, fan came on when it should, and even when in stop-and-stop traffic, stayed well within normal operating temperatures. Of course, this was yesterday, and it was only in the mid-60's, but I was still feeling pretty enthused. Pulled in the driveway, shut her down, pulled off helmet, gloves, jacket, etc. Then I heard the dreaded gurgling noise... Was only rewarded with about 8 drops or so of coolant out the overflow, no steam. What the FUCK... Again, the temperature guage never got near the top of the normal range, much less near overheating, and was a bit below half when I shut down. Oil level is good, and not milky in the least. I'd almost understand if I had really heated up the bike, but she was running nice and normal. I would tend to think that a severely lean condition would show up as running hot most of the time. Ditto a water pump problem or blocked hoses. Looks like I now have the process of removing the right inner cover down to about a five minute process including bringing down tools (live in the 2nd-floor apartment), so if I'm relegated to weekly coolant-adding and radiator-bleeding sessions, it'll SUCK, but I guess I'll deal. I'll see what happens over the next couple of rides; not beyond the realm of possibility that it's actually fixed and I'll never see a drop of coolant again. If that's not the case, I guess I'll be looking into a visit with a local shop I trust that charges $40/hour instead of $60. I'll certainly keep this thread informed of what happens. Who knows, watch this space long enough, and you may get to see details on my conversion to a completely air-cooled XX... :twisted:

New radiator cap and the rubber seal for the radiator cap on order from the local dealership. Will straighten my fins and top off the coolant before I put the new cap on, and let this thred know what happens. Expect the parts to be in just before the weekend; with the weather we're having in New hampshire this week, there's really no rush at all. :sad:

Thanks for all the advice. I'm going to start with the fin straightening and radiator washing, and a new cap. Then I'll progress on to the more advanced/ expensive solutions. The lean condition makes a lot of sense, as I have some doubts as to whether the previous owner rejetted for the Yoshimura exhaust on the bike. I'm already tentatively scheduled for a dyno run once I get the cooling squared away based on those suspicions; now I think I'll head down there once I get the fins straight and the new radiator cap. Thanks again for all the help; you guys are great! :cool:

I need advice. '97 Blackbird is running routinely in the upper part of the temperature guage, and once the bike is turned off, leaks from the overflow in varying quantities. I have done the following/ made the following determinations: 1. Definitely from the overflow, not from a hose, join, etc. 2. Only after the engine is turned off. 3. Not due to overflow being too full, especially after what I found during the coolant swap, detailed below... 4. The fan is working, and does come on when the temp gets over the halfway point on the guage. 5. The water pump appears to be working, based on observed circulation through the open radiator with the bike running, and the hoses getting nice and warm as coolant circulated through them. 6. Other than the cooling problem, the bike runs great as far as I can tell. This past weekend, I drained the cooling system (and only came up with a bit more than one Honda pre-mix container of used coolant!!!!!!!), completely removed the thermostat at the suggestion of a mechanic at a local shop I trust (I know I'll suffer for that in the winter, but I'm trying to diagnose overheating here), tested the fan motor (it works), and then filled and "burped" the cooling system in accordance with the shop manual. Made sure everything was nice and tight and not leaking. Rode in today and all was well until I got behind a truck that impeded airflow. Even then, temp stayed at about the halfway point - until we hit traffic and a stoplight. Needle never hit the upper white mark, but got very close, maybe a needle's-widt of black between the needle and the white mark. Never rose above that, and came back down once I hit clean air on the highway. Normal pissing of coolant in the parking lot at work followed, although in drops and not streams. Air temps today were in the high 60's - low 70's. Pretty much duplicated the performance at lunch. Possible next steps I've thought of are Water Wetter, hooking up a manual fan switch to bypass the switch in the radiator and run the fan more - and I'm out of ideas. This CAN'T be normal. Local dealership charges $60/hour for labor, and an ungodly rate for parts, so I'm hoping to be able to fix this without going that route. Any ideas or suggestions?