Radiator Leaks
 

Hi,

After riding in the rain, my 2002 f4i developed a radiator leak. I put some leak stopper in and that took care of it. However, upon riding in the rain again, I got some more steam coming out. Once again after idling it at temp the leak stopper fixed it again. Has anyone else had a similar problem? I think that my front tire is just picking up rocks and throwing them into the rad. Do any of you run some sort of guard on the rad?

Hey Pinefresh ~ simply because steam comes off your radiator when it gets wet does not mean that it is leaking. That's probably just steam created by the rapid evaporation of water on a hot surface. Now if you notice actual coolant coming from the radiator (or a hose) that would be a leak. Typically you'll smell it first. You probably can differentiate between the two so I hope I'm not insulting your intelligence, lol.
I wouldn't recommend using stop-leak stuff in radiators; it'll gunk up the whole cooling system (imo). Radiators can be repaired/replaced relatively inexpensively. As far as putting up a screen in front, I've been meaning to do the same thing. One could easily be fabricated from regular metal stainless steel window screen. I'm thinking of doing this before Summer (bugs).

I did that about 9 years ago, just went down to my local auto shop & got a sheet of the aluminum grill stuff, cut it to size & used tie on's. You can get custom guards for your bike, but they cost.
You do get steam coming off your bike in the wet, try riding an air cooled (no radiator) bike in the rain, they can look like their on fire from the steam. Using crap in your radiator to stop leaks will eventually stop coolant flow entirely & then your in trouble $$$.
If you suspect your loosing coolant (easily done by way of level in the reservoir), then get it looked at ASAP, cause it will only get worse & end up turning your motor into a big paper weight.

Im with incognito on this one. I would flush your system to get rid of that stuff asap. If your radiator is in fact leaking, I would replace it. the last thing you want is a plugged up cooling system. Motorcycle cooling systems are just the bare minumum as it is, even a little clog will have you overheating and then you will have very expensive issues.

But, rain should never cause a radiator to leak. I suppose the cold rain on a hot radiator may cause an exsisting leak to start leaking again, but its doubtful.

Has bars leak actually ever worked for anyone? Never met anyone who actually successfully stopped a leak with it. As for the radiator issue, water turns to steam at about 212 F (100 C). And since a f4i's fans dont kick on till about 216 F give or take, makes sense that any water that hits the radiator on a rainy day will produce steam.