Going to be changing the coolant in the bike, just how many litres of ready mixed stuff do our bikes take ?

Also was going to change the brake fluid front and back.... again how much would i need.

Ta.

 

i'm not for sure, i'm sure the manual has the capacity.

but hudson, don't get focused on those numbers, go buy a jug of ready mixed coolant, bleed out the old coolant, bleed in the new coolant and then top off radiator, then fill overflow to the correct mark. if you have the system full of coolant and no air, that's what is important, not that you used the exact amount that the manual said.


again, with brake fluid, no one focuses on capacity, because believe me, you'll use as much as it takes you to bleed the system, and unless you're a pro at this (which i'm guessing you're not because you're asking how much capacity it is), it's going to take you quite a bit of fluid to get all the air out of the system, especially the first time. just don't use DOT5. and once you feel that you have a very good hydraulic system (no air), make sure the master is filled the appropriate level - which is in between the hi and lo marks. be careful too. i know you're making your bike pretty, and all of the brake fluid (minus dot5 - but that will cause major issues if you use it - so don't use it) will kill the paint on your tank, fairings, master, etc. so take your time. go dot4 or dot5.1 (remember not dot5 - have i emphasized that enough yet?). dot5.1 is going to be very expensive, and you'll likely waste a lot of it if this is your first time, so i'd go dot4 if i were you. and they usually sell it by the pint, and you should be able to get both front and the back with a pint. remember you can always buy more later.

so long as you're not doing the brakes today, i would look into buying a pair of speed bleeding screws. you'll waste much less fluid and it'll be easier to get a great bleed. remember, any air is going to get you "mushy" brakes and they will fade faster than Two and a half men did after they fired charlie sheen.

 

Cheers for that, i was asking about capacity as i would be buying the '' stuff '' to get a major service done and then getting it to an indy dealer to actually do it !!! What a wuss. I already have the oil filter and fully synthetic oil, i really am not that good with mechanics but also don't want the cheap and cheerful stuff the dealer may put in and then charge me top dollar, i want the good stuff going in it from day one.

So what does DOT 5.1 give you that DOT 5.0 does not ?

 

for some reason, the group that desides the names didn't do a very good job. they're based on boiling points. the higher the number, the higher the boiling point.


dot3, dot4, and dot5.1 are compatible because they are non silicone based. they are polyglycol based hydraulic fluids. they do mix with water, and that causes their boiling points to diminish over time (we're talking years and such). so you should be flushing them every few years. it eats paint very badly. it does not eat the rubber seals that hold our pistons in, the rubber around our plungers in the master cylinder, etc.

dot5 is silicone based. it's attractive to a lot of choppers, custom bike builders, because it does not eat paint.it does eat the seals, so those brake systems with dot5 are specially designed to use it. dot5 does NOT mix with water, and while that may seem advantageous, unlike the polyglycol stuff which weakens over time, dot5 will have a very high boiling point, and then all of a sudden, it will drop off. you will have no warning of when it goes bad.

our bikes are made to run the polyglycol stuff. the way that our seals are made hold our system together, the DOT5 stuff will eat the seals, causing you to eventually lose your hydraulic system (meaning, you'd be riding along, and you'd press the brake lever, the plunger would press hydraulic fluid into the caliper, but instead of the pistons pushing on the brake pad, fluid would instead leak out and you'd have no brakes)


and if you were to combine, let's say dot4 and dot5, they could for a blob (think like a blood clot), and that would fail your system.


the polyglycol (dot3 dot4 dot5.1) are all clear or yellow in color. the silicone stuff (dot5) is usually pink or purple.


and if you did accidentally mix these or anything, flush the lines with denatured alcohol, take the calipers apart, clean them with de natured alcohol, and you should be good to go.





if you have your choice (since you're taking it to the dealer), go for dot5.1. it'll last the longest, it has the highest boiling point, but it does cost the most. and it's not at most auto stores, usually only sportbike dealerships carry it. dot4 though, is no slouch when it comes to stopping a motorcycle. that will work just fine, especially if you're not going to the track

 

Wow, cheers for that, i am not having braided lines fitted, i will be just sticking with the standard Honda ones that came with the bike so i think DOT 4 should be fine, thanks for the advice.

 

Coolant capacity according to the manual is,3.2 liters and .4 in the reservoir.
Do as conrice said and all will be good.I strongly suggest you get the service manual and that will help you alot in fixing your bike and save money in the process.