Uh ... yes. Make sure you use a good anti-freeze type product other than an automotive type.

Run 50/50 with Water Wetter or something like the Maxima coolant product.

 

There's alot of radiator coolant products. The most popular are RedLine's WaterWetter, Maxima's Coolinol, and Engine Ice (can't remember the manufacturers name). Engine ice is already mixed, you just dump it in there. One jug will do ya for your KX80. Probably alot less than a jug, actually.

If you do use something that requires you to mix water in 50/50, make sure you use DISTILLED water. It has no additives that will rust your coolant systems or corrode it. It's cheap, too.

 

where can i get these products from does halfords sell them or what

 

There's a truly GREAT article on cooling, coolants and radiators in the new Motocross Action. I highly recommend this to everyone. Very informative and will answer any and all questions you may have on the subject.

 

Get the right coolant from a bike shop. If it's not already mixed, get some distilled water from the grocery store. Owner's manual should help you do it. Otherwise, you can just pull a lower hose loose to drain the radiator and refill it. Don't let any animals get to the old fluid, it's poisonous.

 

There are two types of glycol. One is poisonous, the other is not.

 

well im going to the bikeshop on thursday to get a clutch cable so i will ask the guy in the shop if they do the premixed stuff if not i'll see what he has in

 

Do you have the service manual to show you how to do it properly?

A gallon of distilled water is less than a dollar usually. It will take maybe .5 quart or so of distilled water.

I have used 50% Prestone and 50% distilled water. If you take the radiator all the way off and have access, run water from a garden hose through it for a while to flush it, then pour some of the gallon of distilled water to use as a final flush. DO NOT let it pour out where a dog or cat could drink it as you would be poisoning them! Don't pour all but the .5 quart or so out either. You need some to use in case you have a spill or some other problem.

You can buy a gallon of 50% anti-freeze/coolant and 50% distilled water. The last time I went shopping, it was $8 for a gallon of anti-freeze/coolant and $6 for a gallon of half and half.

Good luck with it.

 

Automotive antifreeze is NOT recommend as it damages seals and your water pump bearing over time.

 

Automotive antifreeze is NOT recommend as it damages seals and your water pump bearing over time.

Really? I've never heard that. Is there that much of a difference in motorcycle seals and pumps then Automotive? I've been using Prestone for the last year....now I'm wondering if i need to switch to one made for dirt bikes!

 

I have never heard that either.

How in the world did they ever get along for years before the high dollar stuff was available in the past few years??

 

I'll bring the article home from work and quote it but some of our racers have said that for some time now...

 

I finally remembered to bring this article from the shop.

Q: What about automotive coolant?

A: Automotive coolants use elevated levels of silicates, since in a car there is no concern about damaging small moving parts and micro seals. At the levels used, the silicates would be abrasive to motorcycle waterpump seals. If the automotive coolant is mixed with tap water, the impurities will only add to the abrasiveness. Automotive antifreeze is not a good mix for your motocross bike. It promotes corrosion, accelerates waterpump seal wear and compromises cooling over time.

That's what they said!

 

Who are "they"? That sounds like a copy and paste from a FAQ on a website of a "we make an expensive bottle of coolant for MX bikes" company.

 

it does sound abit like that lol i like the "we make a expensive bottle of coolant for mx bikes" lol nice one kdx garage

 

Motocross Action.

They referenced several products so I don't think they were biased. As I stated earlier in this thread, I've heard for years that automotive coolant can do some harm to seals and small moving parts.

 

hes partially correct. not ALL automotive anti-freezes have silicates in them. some are silicate free. i usually use the POLARIS in my zrx but had to put in PEAK this time. i dont know if im gonna drain it yet or not , if i do ill use WATTER WETTER and distilled water.

 

Yep, you gotta get the stuff without silicates. I"m just gonna buy the Coolanol or Engine Ice next time. I hear that the stuff that's in there stock, is crap too. I don't care though, my bikes only 1.5 months old (since it left the show room).

 

Just remember campers, even if it looks just like Koolaid, and smells sweet...don't drink it. ;-)

 

Sodium Silicate is the stop leak built in to most older coolants. Dexcool, for example, doesn't have it. If you put it in a vehicle that has been running conventional coolant (older vehicles) you usually end up with leaks. All new car manufacturers are using low silicate coolants now. But what everyone doesn't know is the sealer pellets that are to be added with that type of coolant. Usually they contain ingredients like tumeric and sal soda. Doubt you would have to add it for most motorcycles if they mainly use o-rings instead of gaskets.

An interesting note... Dexcool, I believe, has plasticisers in it which soften plastic over time. GM has a real problem with their plastic intake gaskets. Their own coolant causes them to fail. They have since began using aluminum instead of plastic. I once heard that Honda was upset with GM for using Dexcool in the Isuzus that used the Honda engine....

And there are no safe glycol-based coolants no matter what they claim. You just have to drink twice as much for the same effect.

 

Cooling system should be drained by opening drain in water pump. After refilling, dont forget to bleed air from the system by loosening the valve on top of the cylinder behind spark plug. Keep adding coolant to the radiator till it comes out of the bleeder, then close it.