MY RAD LOOKS MULLERED! SHALL I GET A NEW ONE?!

ZX7 s etc have a rep for running hot in traffic - and although mine is fine when going along as soon as I slow down in traffic - usually after a couple of minutes the fan comes on - the rad looks bashed around by whatever moron owned this thing before me - do you reckon I should change it - i.e. would a decent replacement make a lot of difference?Recession means I’m not keen on spending cash at the mo - but seeing as I want to ride this thing in the hopefully hot coming summer I’m prepared to spend the dosh if it’s gonna improve the temp situation.

I’ve seen rads on a reputable site for £125 quid.

p.s. the bike looks in worse nick than it is :hehe: kwaks don’t age well - plus I’m in the process of fitting new braided hoses and possible rear suspension to tie up the plot a bit :slight_smile:

Any opinions gratefully recieved. ;):smiley:

That looks slightly bashed about probably not cooling the bike efficiently,the fan should,nt come on as soon as you stop,unless the rad,s condition is making it run too hot , also have you tried replacing the thermostat.

Thanks BobR1 - it usually takes a couple of minutes of town riding to reach the middle of the temp gauge and the fan to comes on - but a lot of other riders of ZX9/7s experience the same thing - it’s kind of a kwak thing - I’m just wondering if the rad is in such bad nick that I might as well junk it and fit something in beter nick. :slight_smile:

Dont think it can do any harm if you,ve got the dosh,and if its worrying you, but you could try changing the thermostat , and flushing the rad out with new coolant etc ,might do the trick and save you a few quid.

[quote]
BobR1 (27/04/2009)

Dont think it can do any harm if you,ve got the dosh,and if its worrying you, but you could try changing the thermostat , and flushing the rad out with new coolant etc ,might do the trick and save you a few quid.[/qu

  • 1…try taking it off and back flushing it…as you say, it seems to be a Kawa thing… my 11s fan comes on in a minute or two in stationary traffic and constantly off and on in slow,town traffic.

THANKS FELLAS - I’LL TRY FLUSHING IT. :slight_smile:

couldnt resist :hehe:

To be fair I’ve seen worse:D

+1 on the backflush get all that yucky kawa green slime outta there:P:D

:rolleyes::P:D

I would suspect a jet wash - they can knacker radiators on Range Rovers so a bike rad stands no chance!

It’s not till you take a rad off that you relise how many dead flies (or whatever) are trapped in the matrix and how much cack is inside it.

Take it off, give it a good clean inside and out, change the thermostat and then see what you’ve got before spending a handy amount of cash.

If you want to go one better, sit down with a pair of thin nosed pliers and (carefully!) straighten out the fins and give it a spray paint of matt black.

Might also be worth changing the temperature sensor switch. I had angst on a car that cut in the fan almost the moment I’d stopped in traffic. A new sensor cured that.

Thanks Oldguy - will take a look at thermos and sensor.:slight_smile:

I use a pump spray with a toothbrush to clean out my rad fins. Works a treat. I also use some HG Bike cleaner to get the rubbish out. The fins are nice and clean now and the bike temps are a couple of degrees down now.