Water tank on NSR 125

[craigie b]

Hi,
After a thread about maintenance on an nsr I got told that there is a water tank that needs filling for cooling something or the other.

THing is I opened my NSR up yesterday and could see only 3 tanks, one on the right was for 2 stroke oil, one in the center with a label on the cap saying 'do not remove when hot' and one directly left of this one with coolant written on the cap. Now I opened both and was not sure which one needed water since they both seemed to be filled with water type liquid (tinged blue I think). lol without actually tasting the stuff I wasn't sure which one needed water or what bot the tanks are for. Can anyone help?

Cheers
Craig

[fuzz]

If the level of the tank with the blue liquid in with the rubber cap is at or below the lower level mark, you need to top this up with a mixture of water and anti freeze. I think it's 50-50, but don't quote me on that!
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Bikes: '99 NSR125R, '00 SV650S, K1 GSX-R600, '97 CB500, K3 SV1000S, '16 VFR800

[craigie b]

So I was right not to taste it? Any idea to the middle tank and its use?

[fuzz]

The middle tank is the radiator. If your engine is running hot, remove the cap and fill with water/anti-freeze mix and make sure al the air is out. Then check the expansion tank (the one on the left)
____________________
https://www.bikepics.com/members/fuzzbcf/
Bikes: '99 NSR125R, '00 SV650S, K1 GSX-R600, '97 CB500, K3 SV1000S, '16 VFR800

[stinkwheel]

The radiator should be checked as part of routine servicing. The cap that says 'do not remove when hot' is the radiator filler cap. As the label suggests, do not remove this when the engine is hot or you will scald yourself on the high pressure steam that comes flying out of it. This should be brim-full of coolant (water and anti-freeze mixed according to the label on the bottle) always use anti-freeze in there as it stops your radiator corroding.

The other is the expansion bottle for if the pressure in the radiator gets too high. Coolant moves into the bottle at high pressures (so when you are thrashing the bike) and it flows back as it cools and contracts. This is to stop your radiator exploding, it should be filled to between the Max and Min marks on the bottle.

Tasting the coolant is a good way of telling if it has antifreeze in it. Ethylene Glycol (antifreeze) tastes sweet but is poisonous, dipping your finger in then licking it will do no harm though, you'd actually have to drink the stuff to be effected by it.

I have a bad habit of tasting random fluids that drip out of my bike to see what they are. I have stopped doing it now because the last time it turned out to be battery acid
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Fallen Angel]

[McJamweasel]

[stinkwheel]

In my defence, that is the quickest way to identify what is dripping out of your bike.

Coolant = sweet
oil = Tasteless and oily
petrol = well, kind of petrolly, and makes your lips sting slightly.
Battery acid = the strongest vinegar you ever tasted x100

Anything else I count as safe to ignore as it is not coming from the inside of the engine

I suppose the better way to do it would be to follow the pipe that said fluid is dripping from and see where it goes, but my supermoto has a cluster of about five drain hoses from various places sticking out the bottom, dipping your finger in the drip and tasting it is a lot quicker but a little like russian roulette.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[craigie b]

Cheers for the advice stinky. By the way when I first noticed the pipes dangling out of my NSR my initial thought was fuck, someone been syphoning my bike so I tried to pull them out. Didn't pull to hard mind so there still intact. felt like a right gimp