Coolant

[SpencerPJ]

Any issues with using Peak, Asian Blue coolant?

[F6Dave]

I'm pretty sure it's the same stuff Honda sells. I think nearly all the Asian coolants are phosprated OAT formulas.

For 20 years I've run the orange Dex Cool in my Valkyries. When they were new that was about the only silicate free coolant around and popular with Valkyrie owners. Never had a problem. Silicate free is critical because the old silicated coolants would quickly cause GL water pumps to leak. For my F6B I use an Asian style Ford sells that happened to be sitting in my garage.

[SpencerPJ]

Thanks F6Dave. I did order a better fluid sucker from Amazon to drain the overflow, and fill my rear end oil. I didn't really see the need to buy the Honda coolant at the prices I'm seeing when a gallon is so much cheaper at the autostore.

[F6Dave]

Just use distilled water if you buy the concentrated stuff. Years ago I used tap water and it was so hard that the radiator passages clogged up. Most coolant these days is premixed.

[willtill]

I opted for the Honda HP coolant. Changed it out a couple of months ago.

[F6Dave]

As I mentioned coolant choice was a big deal when I bought my first Valkyrie in 1998. Most coolants back then contained silicates as corrosion inhibitors, but Honda water pumps didn't like that. There were many stories of owners replacing their coolant with whatever they found on the shelf at Wal Mart, only to see a puddle of coolant under their water pump a few days later.

Today nearly all coolants are silicate free, even the basic Prestone that's sold everywhere. I've read that stuff is now a 'Dex-Clone' formula. Apparently Asian vehicles use a phosphated formula because of the water found in that region of the world. So it's probably best to stay with what was in it originally, since a drain leave quite a bit in the engine.