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My bike (2002 RS) is in the carport (rainy day) with both lower fairing bits removed. My mission is to remove all air from the cooling system. I think that there is air involved because, until I had a small problem with a loose hose clamp allowing a small amount of coolant to leak (my own fault, in case anyone wonders), my RS always ran at a rock-steady 82 deg. C, in moderately warm coastal BC summer weather (What other kind is there?) I tightened the clamp, refilled the empty reservoir/overflow/surge tank (take your pick) and thought everything was fine. The temperature now constantly cycles between 82 and 86 when riding at highway speeds, where before it was steady.
Today I took the plug out of the right-hand side top of the radiator, and it was right full. I replaced the plug, tipped the bike as far over to the left as I could, and squeezed the hoses and thumped the rad with my fist. Removed plug - still no air. Then, tipped the bike as far over to the right as I could, squeezed and thumped, and propped it up on big blocks of wood so far to the right that it was close to toppling. Removed radiator cap – right full, no air, in fact a little coolant dribbled out (a teaspoon or so).
If anyone is still reading, you have probably guessed that I want to know where enough air could be trapped to cause a blip in the temperature. I have arsed around (correct English term?) with this long enough without any additional knowledge or information. I stopped and waxed the tank and panels while I thought about it. I had supposed that the surge tank would act like the one in the car or truck – as the cooland warms up it would expand, forcing air in the top of the rad out the neck, under the cap, and out the hose into the tank. As the coolant cools down, it would contract and suck coolant back into the radiator. This is apparently not how the bike system works.
If I have missed any old threads with really pertinent information, please direct me there. I asked a question like this quite a while ago, but the thread mainly ended up being others saying that they also were frustrated by the same type of problem. I can fully appreciate sarcastic comments about this topic.
By the way, is it likely that Clymer or Hanes will bring out a manual for the ‘02-on 955 bikes, now that they have been in production for almost 4 years?
Thanks, Alan L. in BC, in pouring rain
(also posted this on T595.net)
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Alan L. in BC, '02 RS (Black), '69 TR6R, 3 others
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