So after the first ride of my VF1000R it puked the coolant and overflow was boiling! At first my panic of having my first classic bike subsided and I’m now using it as an opportunity to learn the bike.
No overheating on the gauge but I don’t think the fans kicked in at any point (as expected from what I’ve heard about these bikes).
I have flushed the radiator and coolant system, and now I’m the process of replacing the thermostat switch (already purchased) but in need of the thermostat and O ring. I’ve looked on David Silver but he doesn’t have the O ring unless it comes with the thermostat??
Can anyone point me in the direction of the following from the U.K:
Thermostat (lower opening temp if possible)
O ring
Radiator cap (or compatible replacement)
Also if someone wants to come round and sort my cooling system for me feel free to get in touch!!!
Hi Matt,welcome to the joys of old motorcycles.
I went through all this with my own RF.
The O ring is 54x2 so can be bought anywhere,EBay is as good a place as any at present.
eBay item no173911398842 is what I am using for a radiator cap at a fraction of the cost of one from Honda.
The thermostat I have left as standard but fitted a fan switch that is on at 85 rather than 100 degrees.Ebay item no 333504019498 for a tenner.
The fans have a permanent live feed with the ignition on,if you disconnect the switch and short the wire out to earth the fans should run.
Best to take the fairing off and check every joint and clip on the cooling system,not forgetting the one half way along the pipe to the expansion tank,any air drawn in there prevents coolant being pulled back to the rad as it cools.
I would love to come and help but the Scottish government still has me locked down (feels more like up)
Bif you are a scholar and a gentleman! You truly are the guru of all things VF1000!!!
So I already ordered the thermostat switch and also now have the O ring on the way. I’m hoping the thermostat is ok but will know when I manage to get it out the housing.
Electric systems are not my speciality (actually nothing is with this bike!) so can you literally give me a step by step guide of how to short the fans to check function…
The fairing is off completely (which was a mammoth task in itself) but means that I can give that a good clean and polish while it’s free. I’ll be tracing the cooling system to check for leaks etc then once all is complete I will be flushing with some decent flush and then refilling. After that I will be crossing my fingers and praying to the Honda Gods!
No problem,with the ignition on,unplug the thermo switch,it’s located on the left of the main radiator as you look from the front wheel.
Short the connector onto the radiator guard screw,above and to your right of the switch.
You should get some arcing and then hear the fans start up
It’s not unusual for the fans not to cut in,if the water level is below the thermo switch it won’t make contact.
The problem on mine seemed to be that water was pushed to the expansion tank when the bike got hot but wouldn’t pull it back when it cools down.
As the process is repeated the expansion tank overflows and eventually the temperature gauge goes off the chart.
The radiator cap has a major part to play in this,it’s essential that the top seal has a perfect fit on the outside lip of the filler neck,any air drawn here will also prevent coolant being drawn back to the rad
Sorry for the late reply but finally managed to get some parts on the bike and had a tinker.
Changed the thermostat switch and the radiator cap then run the bike standing (all fairing is currently off-I don’t think running up to a hot temp is good without the oil flowing in the engine but it had to be done).
The bike got to mod way on the temp gauge and the fans kicked in!! No excess overflow from the coolant tank so the next stage is to take it for a spin.
While it’s stripped I’m gonna clean the fairing so it’s all shiny for the ride so it should behave itself!!!
Thanks to Bif for the help! I’m sure more questions to follow!
So the fault finding goes on.