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Anti-Freeze

ClaytonG's picture
Sat, 2008-09-27 18:25 — ClaytonG

Can someone tell me...do our bikes require a certain kind of anti-freeze, or will any kind be safe?

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Mon, 2008-09-29 21:44 — Philthy McNasty

Anti-freeze color

I can't speak to the color, but your owner's manual tells you which weight/blend (?) to use. I can't remember what it states, but I know it's in there. If you haven't got one, email me & I will look it up for you.
Roll me away

Sat, 2008-09-27 20:46 — brajande

The OEM anti-freeze is

The OEM anti-freeze is green. Make sure to only replace it with green anti-freeze. The orange antifreeze may cause damage to our bikes.

Brajande
abundans cautela non nocet

Mon, 2008-09-29 20:35 — subnuke

How so?

Fair winds~

David

Mon, 2008-09-29 22:14 — BoomerSooner

Only for aluminum

I don't know what our radiators are made of, but "orange" anti-freeze can only be used in aluminum radiators.

From Popular Mechanics:
"An alternative to tradition green antifreeze is a product currently used by many engine manufacturers. "Orange" antifreeze is a long life or extended life type of antifreeze used to increase the useful life of engine coolant. It is ethylene glycol base as is the green antifreeze. The difference between the two colors is that orange antifreeze contains a different type of corrosion inhibitor that has a much longer service life than silicates, phosphates and borates. Orange antifreeze contains organic acids that protect engine parts from corrosion. Silicate (green) type antifreeze does not mix with orange type antifreeze. Never mix the two colors in a cooling system. The organic acids in orange types will cause precipitation of silicates in the green type and corrosion protection is greatly reduced. Orange type antifreezes are good for five years or 100,000/150,000 miles in newer vehicles (1996 and later). They can be used in many older vehicles (ask your vehicle dealer if it is safe to use orange antifreeze) if all of the green mixture is flushed from the system and is replaced with the orange mixture. Useful life is about four years or 60,000 miles in older cars."

The new organic acid antifreezes may be used only if the cooling system has an aluminum radiator (rather than copper-and-brass).

Now a whole 'nuther issue is auto vs cycle anti-freeze. Old fashioned green antifreeze had silicates in it to "scrub" the lime out of auto rads. These silicates also happen to have the unfortunate side effect of destroying (over a lot of miles) the water pump seals. The new orange or red antifreeze is silicate free.

Boomer Sooner
Potestatem obscuri lateris nescis

Mon, 2008-09-29 23:43 — BoomerSooner

UPDATE

I was looking through the service manual and found this (pp 3-19):

"Recommended antifreeze: High-quality ethylene glycol anti-freeze containing corrosion inhibitors for aluminum engines."

Silly me. I knew the engine was aluminum, just wasn't thinking.

I guess that means orange is OK. Be sure to flush out the system thoroughly before swapping from green. Personally, I would use one specifically formulated for cycles.

Boomer Sooner
Potestatem obscuri lateris nescis

Mon, 2008-09-29 23:49 — subnuke

Just curious what the answer was going to be.

I looked into it when I had the "spear" through my radiator. I've been running the orange stuff ever since. Thanks Boomer.

Fair winds~

David

Mon, 2008-09-29 22:59 — brajande

Great answer

Great answer. I read something like that in Popular mechanics. I love that magazine.

Brajande
abundans cautela non nocet