One of the hoses coming from mine is cracked and I am trying to figure out if it can be repaired or if it needs to be replaced.

Cracked hose coming from reserve tank


I pried at the rubber at the bottle end but it seems pretty tight and I didn’t want to go further.

so I tried to take the bottle out but I can’t figure out how to get it out short of removing the rear shock, as the bottle curves underneath it on one side, and in the other side the bottle is pressed against the frame.

Anyone done this ?

 

Well I was able to figure this out myself. I had to :
- remove both pillion peg side brackets
- remove rear fender
- remove battery box and all wiring that goes in that area
- improvise a hoist using an a frame ladder and ratchets to lift bike

Then, and only then was I able to wiggle it out. What a pain. The good thing is I didn’t need to remove the rear shock.

Whoever designed this thing made it clearly did not anticipate it needing replacement very often. Here’s a picture in case anyone is interested:




the bad news is that I was hoping there would be a plastic nipple at the bottle and that a fix would just be a matter of replacing the hose. But it turns out the grommet in the picture and the outgoing hose are on and the same piece.

I will see if the hose/grommet is a separate piece but even if it is I am guessing it will be impossible to order from the dealer and there would be little after market for this.

 

The top hose is just overflow/vent. Won't come into play unless radiator REALLY overflows and completely fills up resevoir. Such as from blown headgasket, in which case, you've got more to worry about than extra coolant dripping from bike. You don't even need that upper hose, can leave it off reservoir to save some weight.

Bottom hose is important one where all action occurs. As coolant expands when engine warms up, extra coolant volume leaves under radiator cap and goes into reservoir at bottom. Then as engine cools after turning off, coolant in radiator contracts and sucks in extra coolant from reservoir through same bottom hose.

That bottom hose should be in good condition or else you'll lose coolant and radiator will suck in air instead.

 

Thanks @dannoxyz ! I suspected as much, that the hose isn’t critical. But this is the first time I have ever worked on a bike and I am afraid of making any assumptions !

 

Hey, better safe than sorry. You're doing awesome, keep up the good work!!!

 

Nice job figuring that out! I can't count the number of times I looked at how things were arranged on my F4i and thought "Just a quarter of an inch more would've made this job soooo much easier..." or "wth did they do it like that???"

 

Honestly, it’s great to hear that. As I mentioned in another thread I am brand new to wrenching and knew nothing about how bikes worked before I bought this one. Each time I hit a snag like this one I wonder whether it’s a stupid question, so it’s encouraging to know others have had similar problems and that I am not just being dumb!!

thanks @dannoxyz and @Doc Samson for the encouragement here !

 

I'm happy to share anyone's growing pains! Not CBR related but spent most of the summer replacing various parts on my truck. Had to removed the radiator shroud and fan multiple times because... reasons (lol). First time, I had to have my youngest daughter underneath the truck while I worked from above. By the third time? I was doing by myself in half the time. No substitute for hands on experience.

Keep up the good work!

 

LOL, I know I couldn’t handle a project as big as a truck. There was a classic car show near our cottage this past weekend, and all I could think of was how much time these guys must spend under the hoods and sourcing parts, and how much it must cost them. I am beginning to wish I had picked a project that had parts more readily available, and mine really started from a pretty good place.

 

It's easier in a way because there is so much more room to work with once you start pulling stuff out! I came from a background of knowing exactly zilch when it came to fixing literally anything until I was in my early 20's. No YT back then! I still plan on something taking 2-3 times as long as the internet tells it will take, unless I've done it multiple times...