Which coolant

[Itsratman]

Hi All
I apologise if this topic has been covered already, was wondering what was the best coolant for my 2008 varadero xl1000 been looking at Castrol Motorcycle Coolant but it says do not use in magnesium alloy engines, does this apply to my bike, where do I find this information my book just says make sure its ethylene glycol based, last time I used hondas own coolant but getting a bit expensive now so thought I'd explore other options.

[S Barker]

The Honda manuals don't specify coolant in the same way they do for Brake fluid, Oil etc. (DOT, SAE).

If you are draining the cooling system make very sure that you have re-filled it correctly and removed all the air.  It's possible to have a pocket of air trapped in one of the cylinders which will lead to overheating.

[Itsratman]

Hi. Yes was planning on draining the system, flushing out and adding new coolant along with new filters, oil & plugs, a full service. Done the coolant a couple of times now but always used hondas coolant & was looking for an alternative this time, Castrol seems to have quite good reviews & is a lot cheaper but then read the warning about magnesium alloy engines.