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1992 900 Trident radiator.

2K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  iconic 
#1 ·
My bike sat for a number of years while my mate owned it, during this time the coolant got to be quite stale and the metal pipe from the water pump to the bottom of the radiator required replacing before I got it back. Later after a ride in stop and go traffic on a hot day the coolant became fouled again, after this I flushed the radiator with a proprietary product followed by multiple changes of distilled water before returning to good quality coolant. Again the bike got hot in slow moving traffic on a hot day, this resulted in the bike getting very hot and losing some coolant which was replaced, in the short term, by some very ordinary car grade coolant. So I dropped that and put in more good quality coolant and continue to ride it as a regular commuter. The nature of my commute allows me to take a longer road home after work on country roads that probably are a bit dangerous to use early in the morning due to the wildlife, even in the afternoon I've had encounters with emus. I digress, temperatures in Western Australia are high at this time of year being in the 40's on the Centigrade scale or up to 110 on the Fahrenheit scale. My radiator is still functional and maintains a respectable needle reading on these hot days but it is increasingly vulnerable to the slow heavy traffic on a hot day. This tells me the radiator ain't what it used to be and I'm starting to look forward to doing something about. A car radiator service man asked me how much I'd expect to a for a new radiator and he considered 700GB pounds to be "good value" for a genuine replacement. I'm inclined to bite the bullet and find that kind of money rather than have the existing one reworked locally. I'm interested to hear what all of you think you might do if you were in my situation. Years ago the bike definitely handled the heat and traffic better than it does today. If I can through this summer without a drama then I'll more time to find the money I need to deal with the issue.
 
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#2 ·
Doubt the radiator is the issue. In traffic at low speeds, stop and go, there's not nearly enough airflow, and imo the radiator fan comes on at too high a temperature. I suggest fitting the lower temp fan switch option (on this forum) and/or fitting a manual fan switch. Have you monitored the operation of the fan to see it's working at all?
 
#3 ·
I agree with Mike that the fan is more likely to make a difference than the radiator. That said, the radiator sells for about $550 or $650 here in the US. (Depending on VIN; the less expensive one is for 4901 or below and the pricier one is for 4902-up.)

Cheers,
-Kit
 
#5 ·
I have checked that the fan is working, but not sure about how well it is working. Remember we are talking about extreme heat. Thanks for the replies.
 
#7 ·
Actually I'm not convinced my cooling issues are related the the cooling fan or the fan switch.
Having the knowledge of my bikes full history and in particular the problems with the cooling system after an extended lay up I'm fairly sure the inside of my radiator is somewhat sclerotic. My mechanic agrees with me. The bike temperature rises rapidly at traffic jam slow speeds and falls fairly slowly once I return to highway speeds. Remember this Perth Western Australia which during peak summer is very hot. A good cooling system is up for the challenge, it is still a challenge for any bike in our heat with stop start conditions. All machinery is challenged in our heat.
 
#8 · (Edited)
I tend to agree with KIWI. A dirty cooling system is always the beginning of trouble. The 00' Legend I have runs a bit hot, but when I got it used 1 1/2 yrs ago it's coolant was a bit nasty. Last summer I drained the ugly light brown stuff out of it and flushed it out a bit. I put in fresh coolant. This summer I am going to drain it again after running it all year with clean stuff in there. I may have to have the radiator reworked. I will see after the next coolant change. ... J.D.
 
#9 ·
Old radiators tend to get bunged up in two ways. Externally with debris on the cooling fins and internally which is somewhat harder to determine. If the outside is clean then a new rad' maybe the way to go.

You could try a backflush woith a garden hose but its difficult to flush a rad' as the water will take the path of least resistance and not take the crap wth it.

I should add that I have never in 35 years had any sucess with back flushing a rad' once its coolant tubes are blocked, but your mileage may differ. Its got to be worth a go though.

A lazy opening thermostat can cause similar symptoms to a partially blocked rad' but my money goes on a part blocked rad'.


This assumes the engine is sound with no leaking head gasket issues....but I don't think we need to go there.
 
#10 ·
The radiator has been flushed internally more than once.
It's not too bad externally, but I'm sure there's a few bugs bits still lodged in between the fins.
I think the time has come for a new one, and I do mean new not second hand.
 
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