Hello,

I recently got a CBR1000rr, amazing bike! However, it looks like the previous owner was a bit careless with the installation of, what appears to be, a full system exhaust. One of the header pipes comes very close to the edge of the radiator as shown in the attached picture. As a result, I believe it burned through the plastic casing of the radiator and now it is leaking coolant quite rapidly from that corner when I fire up the engine. The nearest motorcycle shop is 8 miles away (about 20 minute ride). Do you think it would be safe to ride that distance to get the radiator replaced? Are there any temporary fixes to ensure the integrity of the engine on the 20 minute ride? Or do I absolutely have to resort to towing?

Your feedback would be much appreciated.

 

Yikes!

The coolant inside the engine will stay there until it warms up and the thermostat opens. It takes a few minutes to heat up, so you'd potentially get away with it, but not ideal

If you're handy, you can probably just as easily remove the radiator yourself, and save some money by replacing it with a new part

The other preferable alternative is to call a tow truck. It's not that expensive for a short trip like that

If you decide to ride it, I'd clean the damaged area then apply foil tape to try and hold the coolant in long enough to make it. You'd risk catastrophic failure if the tape gave out and sprayed hot coolant down your leg, but the more likely scenario is that it would start leaking a bit but would leave enough fluid to avoid overheating the engine

End of the day it's your call. Good luck

 

I would just order a radiator and replace at home, it is not difficult just annoying to get the hoses off. If you must ride to the shop, maybe you could wait for a cold day, keep an eye on the temp and stop often to let it cool off. Towing is $$$ af so it would be my last resort