Coolant Advice Please

[Antiquebiker]

Can anyone tell me what is the best coolant to use in my 2009 F650GS please.
Owners manual doesn't say and Haynes manual has type as corrosion inhibited ethylene glycol, nitrite free.
With so many products/brands out there, any recommendations?
Many thanks

 

[PaulinBont]

Any brand will do, just don't mix blue with pink as it will turn to gel in the rad, just get whatever colour is in the system now and mix at 50/50 with water.

 

[Antiquebiker]

Thanks for the info.
I will go for the Castrol motorcycle coolant. It says suitable for all watercooled motorcycles except for magnesium alloy engines which I don't think the 800 has.
Many thanks

 

[Roy Barnes]

Make sure it is silica free. Water pumps don't like sand.

 

[Bem]

I use a permanent coolant - I think its made by Rock - improves cooling performance too.

 

[Rogerborg]

Deliberately bumping this thread as it's the most recent relevant one, and the question was never actually answered.

The owner's manual doesn't have a word to say about coolant. Haynes just says "nitrite free". Other forums assert - without citing a source - that G48 silicate based coolant matches the BMW spec. Comma G48 from Halfrauds does claim to match GS94000... but I can't find any indication that GS94000 is actually the correct spec. The other vehicles that G48 is recommended for are 20 or 30 years old.

This isn't something that I like to guess at, given the potential for chemical warfare inside the block.

 

[een705]

I went with Castrol Antifreeze from opie oils on my f800gs

 

[Smug]

I imagine that a BMW main agent will sell you the correct stuff.

 

[Greenman14]

Does it really make that much difference? Aren’t all engines made of pretty much the same materials- aluminium alloys, steel, rubber, viton etc?

 

[thomo57]

I’ve been using the BMW branded coolant, part number 83192211191, for the last 108,000 miles in my F800 GS

Deliberately bumping this thread as it's the most recent relevant one, and the question was never actually answered.

The owner's manual doesn't have a word to say about coolant. Haynes just says "nitrite free". Other forums assert - without citing a source - that G48 silicate based coolant matches the BMW spec. Comma G48 from Halfrauds does claim to match GS94000... but I can't find any indication that GS94000 is actually the correct spec. The other vehicles that G48 is recommended for are 20 or 30 years old.

This isn't something that I like to guess at, given the potential for chemical warfare inside the block.

 

[MotoRevive]

Its almost impossible to buy something which isn't compatible with your engine.

It's not advised to mix different types of coolant as they can react. Although I've NEVER seen this happen in over twenty years of being a bike tech.

I don't think you can trust not mixing colours. Manufacturers use any colour dye they feel like. Just do a full change (which you should anyway to flush out your old contaminants)

But better safe than sorry.

 

[MotoRevive]

I’ve been using the BMW branded coolant, part number 83192211191, for the last 108,000 miles in my F800 GS ��

Not a great idea. Your coolant picks up lots of junk whilst it's flowing around your cylinder head and radiator. Even though it has inhibitors, the water does slowly corrode. And some oil will make it's way into your coolant over all of those miles. That same water is flowing around your water pump and thermostat seals and bushes.

 

[thomo57]

Not a great idea to make assumptions

my bike may have done 108,000 miles, however, the coolant is renewed every 24,000 miles, same with the brake fluid, the fork oil, all work on the bike done by yours truly since it came out of warranty. It’s getting some more TLC soon, another set of steering head bearings and fork seals going on to keep it sweet

Not a great idea. Your coolant picks up lots of junk whilst it's flowing around your cylinder head and radiator. Even though it has inhibitors, the water does slowly corrode. And some oil will make its way into your coolant over all of those miles. That same water is flowing around your water pump and thermostat seals and bushes.