Just want to provide a heads up.
While doing a oil change last weekend I noticed a small drip of antifreeze accumulating at the bottom of the thermostat housing. Also noticed signs of drainage on the lower left fairing and block. I checked the coolant recovery tank and it was still full. So as a test I wiped the small drip and ran the bike around the block. With the engine stopped I took another look and sure enough the tear of antifreeze was at the bottom of the housing and I could smell a hint of burning sweetness. So I re torqued the bolts which did slow down the leak but it was still there.
So I went to the dealership and ordered the $5 o-ring and ripped right into it. Also noticed that the hose clamp was somewhat easy to turn initially but I did not want to take any chances. Upon inspection I did not find any issues with the old o-ring. But I did notice those hard water spots you normally see in the shower on the flat mounting surface engine side. So I clean the white spots from the mounting location and added a thin layer of high temp grease on the mounting surface and to the o-ring. Replaced the cheap hose clamp with a beefier one. Followed the coolant replacement procedure to a tee and after 4 complete cool downs no more drips. :clap:
The bike is a 2009 with about 3400 miles in Illinois.
If you see a leak on the left side I would check in this order.
Re-tighten hose clamp
Re-tighten thermostat bolts (it should be 87 inch-pounds, not foot pounds)
Replace o-ring and hose clamp
While doing a oil change last weekend I noticed a small drip of antifreeze accumulating at the bottom of the thermostat housing. Also noticed signs of drainage on the lower left fairing and block. I checked the coolant recovery tank and it was still full. So as a test I wiped the small drip and ran the bike around the block. With the engine stopped I took another look and sure enough the tear of antifreeze was at the bottom of the housing and I could smell a hint of burning sweetness. So I re torqued the bolts which did slow down the leak but it was still there.
So I went to the dealership and ordered the $5 o-ring and ripped right into it. Also noticed that the hose clamp was somewhat easy to turn initially but I did not want to take any chances. Upon inspection I did not find any issues with the old o-ring. But I did notice those hard water spots you normally see in the shower on the flat mounting surface engine side. So I clean the white spots from the mounting location and added a thin layer of high temp grease on the mounting surface and to the o-ring. Replaced the cheap hose clamp with a beefier one. Followed the coolant replacement procedure to a tee and after 4 complete cool downs no more drips. :clap:
The bike is a 2009 with about 3400 miles in Illinois.
If you see a leak on the left side I would check in this order.
Re-tighten hose clamp
Re-tighten thermostat bolts (it should be 87 inch-pounds, not foot pounds)
Replace o-ring and hose clamp