The factory cooling system works well, but we decided to increase the durability and capability of the cooling system by adding the Samco silicone hose kit and high volume water pump. Silicone hoses eliminate the thermostat (less parts = reliability), are more durable, and last up to 10 years.
It significantly helps the installation if you remove the seat and fuel tank from the bike.
Start by draining all the coolant via the small drain plug on the side of the water pump. Then remove all the black hoses and thermostat housing.
Replacing the water pump is optional and is not necessary when using the hose kit. Skip through this section if you are only installing the hose kit.
We opted to install the high volume water pump kit from Beta. In this picture you can see the (red) new metal impeller vs. the OEM plastic one. Not only does it increase the volume of coolant pushed through the system, but the impeller is also made of metal and is more durable than the OEM plastic version.
Remove the 4 screws and outer water pump cover.
Remove the plastic OEM impeller. Sometimes the impeller wants to spin while trying to remove the screw that holds it in place. Using an electric impact driver on the lightest setting removes it quite easily. If you don’t have a tool like that, try to holding the impeller in place with a flathead screw driver against one of the blades.
Don’t forget the washer that goes behind the impeller, sometimes it sticks to the back of the OEM plastic version during removal.
Now add the spacer along with the supplied o-ring which fits in the groove of the spacer.
Install the OEM cover with the extra long screws that came with the kit.
As seen from this side of the bike, the one hose connection is not used and is simply plugged with the blue cap from the hose kit. The thermostat housing is eliminated by the upper hose section
Wow, I don’t know what you think, but the new hose kit looks amazing in blue! It also comes in red.
New Radiator guards will finish up the look quite nicely and add some side and frontal impact protection as well.
Continued…