Yet again I put new antifreeze into the PC800. This time I put in Prestone Dex-Cool Extended Life. It is orange. Good thing there isn’t anything but Aluminum in my bike’s engine. The IPCRC was pretty set against the generic NAPA brand antifreeze that I had filled the bike with 500 miles or so ago. It seems that there is a high probability of that brand having silicates or borates in it. With the PC800, any silicates or borates in the coolant will slowly eat away at the water pump until it doesn’t pump anymore and you end up stranded at the side of the road with an overheated bike on a hot day.
Many of the crowd on IPCRC only use the Honda brand pre-mixed motorcycle coolant. I chose to get this Prestone stuff on the advice of a couple of the members. It explicitly states that it doesn’t have any borates or silicates in it, it was much closer and easier to buy the Prestone brand, and it was cheaper. I suppose I’ll find out if it was the right choice if my water pump goes out someday. Hope it doesn’t!
This servicing was done at a few hundred miles shy of 45k.
In unrelated news, my clutch is starting to slip when I really hammer on the throttle at high speeds and sometimes when trying to accelerate quickly through the gears. Hopefully I won’t have to pull the clutch plates and service it until I get 3k to 5k miles out of the oil that is currently in the engine. Probably around May I will do that job.
If you are planning to change your antifreeze it is only neccessary to remove the bolt from the water pump and the clip holding the hose attached at the reserve tank in the opening at the radiator cap and push the hose down to drain the coolant from the reserve tank and insert the new coolant after sealing everything back up. It was very easy when I changed my antifreeze with ENGINE ICE and have been very pleased with the lower engine temperatures becaus of that change. Jerry
Thanks for the note, Jerry! That’s the easiest way to change the coolant for our bikes 🙂
-Douglas
Douglas,
So how did it work? Are you still happy with the Prestone?
David
Hi David,
I am still using the antifreeze without problems. I’ve ridden through below freezing conditions and 100F+ conditions without problem.
Cheers!
Douglas
Howdy fellas my name is Joe I’m just bought my pc800 yesterday. In Riverside California I was able to get it for $2,300 1989 pc800 with 16000 miles this form with the information on overheating is really really been a real blessing today is that April 10th 2018 and I just wanted to say thanks again
Hello Joe!
Welcome to the PC800 club! I am living along the central California coast these days so perhaps I’ll see you on the PCH in the future 🙂
Did you get the overheating issue sorted out?
Cheers!
Douglas