Need a new left side radiator, is it a simple swap?

Hey guys -

My left radiator is leaking right square in the middle of it, so Im going to replace it. Is it as simple as it looks to swap it?
1. Fairings off, a few bolts and screws and pop in the new one?
2. Refill coolant.
3. Start engine, let fan turn on, burb and refill until full?

It looks like they go for about $350, anyone have a good recommendation to buy one? Or is my best bet the Honda dealer in town?

Thanks and happy riding...

 

http://www.servicehonda.com/parts/l...ATOR/VFR800A-02-JPN-AC/2Y14MCW2E1AMCW4F3600AA

$268.00 + shipping. I have used these guys more times than I can count. They always deliver on time, perfect order, every time. If you decide to call to place your order, ask for Pooh (seriously)

 

Might be worth a punt ??, $137

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOR-HONDA...621670?hash=item43e61f5426:g:eMYAAOSwys5WU9Ft

 

I would make sure that the Chinese radiator has the same specifications as the Honda VFR.

 

How they make this stuff is beyond me, they all say it is our labor costs that make anything we make cost prohibitive. Even if we removed our total labor cost from these products we still couldn't obtain the materials for these prices, let alone put it together and then they usually give free postage. Got me buggered. And apart from SOW I usually find the quality isn't too bad, not top quality but usually fit for purpose

 

With the VFR already stuggling in the cooling department, I wouldn't even think twice about buying new OEM. I would immediately discard any idea of buying used or trying to get something cheap...it's just too important of a component. Most of the Mechanical Laws of Unintended Consequences start out with the word cheaper.....

 

Do you really believe that Mr Honda is sat somewhere in a state of the art factory making his own radiators ?

Having been in manufacturing for 40 years I know only too well that lots of things for many different companies are all made under 1 roof and re-badged to suit. Don't fool yourself that price is an indication of quality, many parts are available from the actual manufacturer at a lower price rather than letting Mr Honda et al getting their hands on them to re-bag them and add their markup to the price.

I worked for a company called Chubb Fire Ltd, we made fire extinguishers. We imported the neck rings ( a threaded boss welded onto the top of the can for the head to screw into) from China for less money than the raw materials would have cost us before machining. This also included delivery, customs charges and import duty.

The example of the radiator I put the link to reckons to give 30% increase in cooling, this may well be the case depending on construction, surface area exposed to cooling properties etc. Don't just assume that because it is less than half Mr Hondas price that it will cause unimaginable damage to our beloved vfr's

D.E.D.

 

China junk- the fix a hammer:bluesbros:

 

Dumb ass........

 

quite from communist duccman

 

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This post only pertains to radiators. SOW is exempt and hopelessly FUBAR.

 

Puss n boots..this is what he means..you to a T

not*working;*completely*messedup;*bungled;*
confused.

 

So, lemme get this straight..you worked at a place that made fire extinguishers and that makes you some kind of expert with the manufacturing of radiators? There are two components I won't buy aftermarket, clutches and radiators. If you wanna cut corners and be a cheap bastard, go ahead, it's your money and your engine.

 

BB is the only Fubar, oh add duccman

 

Dude, this thread has nothing to do with your cheap ass light.....
Attention whore, go hump your cats in mom's basement. You putz.
Get a clue, no one wants your stupid input on anything here, ya know why?????
BECAUSE YOU DONT KNOW SHIT....hey start another thread and be the only one that replies that's how worthless your knowledge is...flush it down the shitter.
Oh have a nice day Forrest Gump...da Der I fall ova againt...

 

Are you trying to say something Duccky.

 

Any other aftermarket stuff you don't buy we should know aboot? I know that I will never ever buy one of those foreign made regulator rectifiers made in God knows where. OEM is good enough for me and Don.

 

clutches, and oil filters I go OEM. radiator, I would go for an Ebay or OEM, thats my two cents, F soW

 

Still using those tampons on your bike? Ten years with these and no PMS... (the bike not Norcalboy)



Stainless Steel Oil Filters Questions

Most common Stainless Steel Oil Filter questions.
A word from Scotts Performance about world’s finest motorcycle oil filters:
“Thanks for your interest in our filters. We think it's great that people are calling attention to the importance of oil and it's filtration The more information we can get to people like you the more our product will stand above the competition. Remember, oil is the lifeblood of your machine.... keep it clean!”

Q&A (20 Questions?)

1) Has this technology been proven yet? This technology has been in use for many years and has proven itself in NASCAR, Formula One and the Aerospace industry. These filters have been in use in the off road motorcycle world for over 5 years. Manufacturers like Yamaha have supplied their own version of it. The KTM factory guys have even been buying them for their own bikes (even though they can’t legally endorse the product). In other words this is not a new idea, just a new application of proven technology. And of course, we run these filters on our personal bikes, street and dirt.

2) What kind of materials are used in this filter? The filter housing and filter element end caps are carved out of a solid chunk of 6061T6 billet aluminum, which not only looks trick but aids in dissipating heat. The filter element is made from laser cut, medical grade, type 304 stainless steel micronic filter cloth to provide unmatched protection against oil contamination and resultant engine damage. A super strength nickel-plated neodymium rare earth magnet is installed in the top of the element for magnetic pre-filtering of the oil. The adhesive used in the filter assembly process is good to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, far above the normal operating temperature of 180 to 230 degrees. The quad-ring gasket doubles the seal between the filter housing and the engine.

3) How does the actual filtering process work? Our spin on units feature Magnetic Pre-filtering as the oil passes by the magnet prior to flowing into the filter. The stainless steel filter cloth then filters the oil to an “absolute” 35 microns.

4) How does this type of filtration compare to paper filters? We sent three common brands of paper filter material off to have them tested for the smallest and largest sized particles that would pass through the material. We sent the material off with no names, just numbers for identification so the lab wouldn’t have any idea who’s filter they were testing. The results we got back showed that the smallest particle the three would catch ranged between 9 and 20 microns. The LARGEST particle the three would allow to pass through the material ranged from 56 to 300+ microns. Paper filters are rated on an average of what they will let pass, so each of these three would each be rated at numbers that are somewhere between their individual extremes. The medical grade stainless steel cloth that we use is rated at an absolute 35 microns, meaning nothing larger than 35 microns should pass through the material. This “absolute” rating is important because this type of filter material is also used in medical applications like blood filtration. Bottom line is paper is rated differently than the stainless cloth (average vs. absolute), and either one works to filter stuff out of your oil. Personally I like the idea of keeping the big stuff out of the engine.

5) What Are Microns? A micron is one thousandth of a millimeter. That’s approx. .00003937 inches. 35 microns is about .00138“, (just over one-thousandth of an inch). The lower limit of visibity to the human eye is about 40 microns. Pollens range from about 30 to 50 microns. A white blood cell is about 25 microns.

6) How much oil will this filter flow? A very important dimension of oil filters to keep in mind is the flow rate. A one inch square of our filter material flows 1.9 gallons of oil per minute at only 1 PSI pump pressure (70 degrees F). This means our S1 filter is rated at 57 gals/minute!

7) How does the flow rate compare to paper filters? We have run static pressure tests between our filters and paper filters (for an identical application). The stainless steel micronic filter flowed a consistent 7.8 times more oil for the same time period than did the paper filter (tests were run at 68 degree ambient temperature). Think about your bike during cold startup… nice thick cold oil, trying to get through that oil filter. We have read tests that reported multiple instances of oil going through the bypass valve during cold startup because of the resistance of the paper oil filter to passing the cold oil. Now think about all the crud that has had a chance to settle to the bottom of the oil pan right where the oil pickup is…. just waiting to go through the bypass valve directly to the engine components! If the oil doesn’t get to go through the filter material it doesn’t matter what the micron rating is. Another thing that could affect the paper filter is moisture. When paper gets wet it swells and may pass even less oil. Not everyone is aware that engines get condensation in them.

8) Why the “take apart” design? Racers and motorheads have been taking their oil filters apart for ages. Our filter makes it much easier than cutting apart messy paper filters. It is a great way to get early signs of what is happening in the engine. By checking the particles that get caught in the filter you can identify abnormal wear and prevent catastrophic engine failure. It’s a lot less aggravating to replace a rod bearing that’s starting to go, than to be standing next to your machine staring at that same rod sticking out the side of the engine!

9) I have a high pressure oil pump. How much pressure will the aluminum filter take? An S1 filter was pressure tested to 1500 psi with only slight deforming of the spirol lock and housing. Let us know if you need more than that.

10) Is this filter environmentally friendly? With the cleanable reusable design you no longer will be sending oily paper filters to the landfills (some states don’t even allow oil filters to go to the landfills… they must be go to through special, expensive disposal processes). What does come out of the reusable filter can be sent to the recycling center with the rest of your old oil.

11) What are Bypass Valves? We have disassembled/dissected several of each of the more popular steel cased paper filters (Honda, HiFlo, Harley, Ducati, Fram). Each oil filter we have dissected has had a bypass valve, as does ours. The bypass valve allows oil to bypass the filter material if the engine needs more oil than the filter can pass (in case the filter material gets plugged or can't flow the oil fast enough). See “Flow Rates” above for related discussion.

12) Why don’t you have an Anti Drainback Valve? Many filters have a rubber flap over the intake holes that is an attempt to keep oil in the filter and minimize the time it takes to fill the filter when you start the engine (they call it an anti-drainback valve). A test you can perform to see how well this "valve" works is to fill a filter with oil, plug the large center spin on hole with a bolt, lay it on it's side and then see how long it takes for the oil to drain past the rubber flap. We have found (and have read other published tests) that the filter eventually ends up with the same amount of oil in it as if it didn't have the flap, it just takes longer to drain out. If the flap worked as planned it would be beneficial to have the extra oil in the filter at startup. On the other hand, that flap covering the intake holes is one more obstacle the oil has to get by to get through the filter and back to the motor.... something to think about.

13) How much oil does this filter hold? Slightly more or less than the stock filter depending on the specific application. It doesn’t really make any difference. Continue to use your manufacturer’s perscribed method of checking to make sure there is the proper amount of oil in the engine (usually via a dipstick).

14) Where is the filter made? Proudly made in the USA.

15) My old filter wrench won’t fit the aluminum filter. How do I remove the filter? We’ve included a trick Strap Wrench with each spin on filter. The wrench is also great for a variety of other uses. For example, try using it to hold a fork leg when removing it from the triple clamp.

16) What if I accidentally ruin the filter element (I stepped on mine…)? Not to worry… individual replacement parts are available.

17) How do I clean the filter? Wash the stainless steel filter element in clean solvent, kerosene, aerosol carburetor cleaner or any other degreasing agent; even common dish soap and water. Clean any remaining metal particles from the magnet on the top of the filter element. If inspection of trapped debris is desired, flush the particles into a clean container. Once clean, lightly blow air through the filter from the inside out to remove any small particles or cleaning agent from the screen. Clean the inside of the filter housing using the same type of cleaner as used on the filter element.

18) How often should I clean the filter? We recommend the filter be cleaned frequently when first purchased or when engine work has been performed. This will give you a feel for how much debris is being filtered out of your machines oil and help you decide how often you want to clean the filter for your application. At minimum, clean the filter with every oil change due the additional debris this superior filter will be keeping out of your motor. Remember, oil is the lifeblood of your motor, keep it clean!

19) Will this filter affect my warranty? No. Under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, 15 U.S.C. SS 2301-2312 (1982), and the general principles of the Federal Trade Commission Act, a manufacturer may not require the use of any brand of filter unless the manufacturer provides that item free of charge under terms of the warranty. So, if you are told by a dealer that anything other than a specific brand of filter will void your warranty, ask for the statement in writing (you won’t get one), and request that filter be supplied free of charge. If you are charged for the filter, the dealer will be violating the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and other applicable law. This is a federal law and the Federal Trade Commission has authority to enforce it, including obtaining injunctions and orders containing affirmative relief. For more info do an internet search on “Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act”.

20) What bikes do these filters fit? We currently have applications for Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Ducati, Triumph and Harley. Contact your dealer for the most current application list and to check on your specific bike. Some dealers have the applications on their web sites.
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If you actually read what I wrote you will see that I didn't say I was an expert on radiators, I used my 40 years "Manufacturing" experience to illustrate the fact that many items are produced by one company and badged to suit different companies. I obviously do not know what your credentials are with regard to cooling systems or clutch systems but I would be interested to know what you base your assertion that these are the 2 aftermarket items you would never buy whilst every other component is fair game from the aftermarket arena.

I would like to point out that my parents were married at the time of my conception so your "Bastard" tag also does not fit with my lineage.

You mentioned in an earlier post that the "VFR struggles in the cooling department" which I agree with. I am sure that at some point you will have fitted components to your motorcycle to improve the performance in certain areas so why not fit a more efficient component into the cooling system (information from the linked radiators manufacturers site.....30% better cooling) if that improves things there ?

As far as it being my money and my engine you are right, I look after my engine, service regularly, and keep an eye on my gauges and warning lights as I ride. This gives me the confidence that before things go drastically wrong I will have seen/heard evidence to allow me to stop before the whole thing goes bang. This has been the way I have ridden/maintained my motorcycles over the last 45 years and it hasn't let me down yet