Motorcycle.com

I received this excellent reminder from Joe at Peak Antifreeze. The problem is that it contains a bit of Ad propaganda and is aimed squarely at cage drivers and SUV driving Soccer Moms. Therefore, I've modified it, replacing the "car", "driving", "Audi" and "Explorer" references with motorcycle terms. Most Harley-Davidson, Ducati 2-Valve, older GSX-R and all Pre-Water Buffalo riders might want to skip to the next thread. MO's added comments will be in (parenthesis) -Sean.

*PRESS RELEASE* TIS THE SEASON...TO TOP-OFF YOUR VEHICLES' ANTIFREEZE

Just as humans need plenty of healthy liquids to protect against dehydration and illness during the winter, water-cooled motorcycles need an adequate amount of fresh antifreeze to protect their vital systems from exposure to extreme temperatures and the stress of winter riding. (Especially Racers and Track-Day riders who replace their antifreeze with Water Wetter. Water/Water Wetter will NOT protect your radiator and pump from freezing. There is nothing worse than shearing all the blades off your water pump impeller and having your bike melt-down on a cold race morning, because you tried to start it with frozen water in the cooling system.)

The good news is that maintaining the freshness and level of the antifreeze in every one of your family's vehicles is as easy as 1-2-3. The next time you have a few minutes, and your bike's engine is cool:

1) Open the hood (He must be thinking about a Goldwing on this one.)

2) Find the coolant reservoir, this is usually a white, semi-clear plastic receptacle with a black cap, and look to see if the coolant level is at or near the FULL COOL indicator line. (If your bike doesn't have a reservoir, remove the radiator cap and fill to the bottom of the filler neck.)

3) If the vehicle's coolant system level is low, remove the coolant reservoir cap
and add a 50-50 mixture of antifreeze and clean water up to the FULL COOL line. (Distilled water is best, do not use "tap" water, you don't want to add any extra minerals or impurities to boost the scaling, sludge and corrosion in your cooling system.)


That's it! This simple procedure should be repeated with each vehicle in your family's "vehicle fleet." It can save you hundreds and even thousands of dollars in engine repairs, along with helping to ensure that you and your passengers are not stranded in cold, unsafe conditions.

To make it even easier to maintain your bike's cooling system, leading manufacturers have introduced advanced global formula products that can be used in any motorcycle, automobile or light duty truck, regardless of make, model, year or original antifreeze color. This means that a single gallon of 50/50 pre-diluted global antifreeze can help you top-off the cooling system in all of your family's vehicles, including your Concours, your spouse's VFR and your teenager's SV-650. (Pre-Diluted antifreeze is generally a bad-deal. Distilled water is cheap.)

"If you can't remember the last time you checked the antifreeze in each of your family vehicles, you should definitely take a few minutes to make sure they have a sufficient fill of antifreeze before winter weather arrives," recommends Josh Russell, brand manager for PEAK Performance Products, makers of PEAK Global LifeTimeTM Antifreeze & Coolant - the only universal antifreeze that guarantees protection for as long as you own your vehicle, when used in a complete flush and fill.

Available as a 50/50 pre-diluted formula that's ideal for topping-of or fully formulated for complete flush-and-fill applications, PEAK Global LifeTime is backed by an exclusive lifetime protection guarantee when used in a properly maintained cooling system.

"Instead of hesitating or spending time trying to sort out the confusing color codes that manufacturers have come up with, consumers can now use a single antifreeze/coolant with total confidence that it will perform for as long as they own their vehicle," said PEAK's Russell.

For details about these steps and the importance of maintaining your vehicle's cooling system, or to learn more about the advanced technology that goes into universal antifreeze/coolants such as PEAK Global LifeTime, visit www.peakantifreeze.com or call (800) 323-5440.