head gasket leaking??

[jace7124]

Well, its such a beautiful day so I thought I'd take the bike out for a ride (2003 1600 classic with 5500 miles on it) and i noticed that there was coolant leaking on the ground. After further inspection/cleaning/inspection again/cleaning again/inspection yet again I traced the leak to be coming out from the drivers side, front cylinder gasket. Now this couldn't be a good thing so my question is how much time/money/headache is it going to be to have a dealership fix this over me fixing this? I know some mechanics of the motorcycle but I'm not pro! Thanks

[NY_Guy]

It may well be a hose clamp under the tank you can't see. Kawi is notorious for loose coolant hoses. On the other hand, if coolant is coming out of a head gasket, that's not good. Unless you love and trust your dealer, I'd suggest removing the tank and checking the coolant lines. A month or so ago, there was a post about this. If that's not it, then you can take it to the dealer (it's under warranty, right) and if they tell you it was a loose coolant hose clamp, you'll know something's fishy. Some dealers have a tendency to make up stupid excuses to avoid fixing a problem ("it just needs to break-in" is a favorite).

When you say, "driver's side," did you mean right side (sitting on the bike)?

[jace7124]

oh yes, the left side....its been a long day already!! I don't know what I was thinking--- Its not under warranty unfortunately. It looks as though its leaking right out of the head gasket; I've checked all hoses! This doesn't sound too good!

[NY_Guy]

I wouldn't throw in the towel so early. Someone on the forum wrote about this a couple of months ago and said he had to remove the tank to get to the hose clamp that was leaking. You do a search, I'll do a search, and between the two of us we should be able to come up with that thread.

[NY_Guy]

here's one: http://www.kawasakimotorcycle.org/fo...oolant+leak%22

[NY_Guy]

here's one more: http://www.kawasakimotorcycle.org/fo...oolant+leak%22

[jace7124]

oh sweet, looks like i'll head out to take the tank off. Thanks a lot for your help!

[NY_Guy]

Have you checked you coolant level? Unless you're losing a noticeable amount, the fact that you could identify it as coolant suggests it hasn't been mixed with oil (a good thing). I'd suggest removing the tank and taking your time to track down every dang clamp that's located in the top end and tightening it. Maybe grab a buddy to help with the tank and have a few brews (but not so many that sight is impaired). Might even want to use a flashlight or other bright light source. Let us know how it goes.

[jace7124]

oh its not mixed with oil at all, just bright green coolant. Thanks again, i'll keep you updated!!!

[Chuckster]

Originally Posted by jace7124

oh its not mixed with oil at all, just bright green coolant. Thanks again, i'll keep you updated!!!

This looks like a simi stale thread, but I thought I would inquire anyway. I'm so lucky to now have the same problem. Did you get it fixed and if so what was it? I haven't pulled the tank off yet for the obvious check of the hoses. If it could only be that simple.

[scottie_b205]

My '98 Classic had a visible leak down the back of the radiator. It was leaking from the o-ring at the thermostat and running down the hose then dripping down the rest of the way.