Radiator let loose today! Questions

[brpo]

My radiator blew out on the way to work today. Just before arriving at work I started to smell that kinda sweet smelling antifreeze smoke at the light right in front of work. I pull into the garage and quickly shut down the bike (stock B-King 6k miles). The radiator proceeds to leave a rather large pool of coolant on the floor. After serveying the bike the leak appears in the radiator. Not one drop or smoke before this morning. Had a flatbed carry me home this afternoon. The radiator doesn't have one ding and all the fins look perfect. So, It doesn't appear to be a road debris strike. I won't be able to do any wrenching until next week to confirm problem but it will probably be an easy fix.

Questions:

The radiator is wafer thin and appears to be more fragile than an egg. I searched the board for radiator problems but wasn't able to get a good idea of whether or not the radiators are problematic. I never had a problem with my busa but is there any concensus that the radiators are prone to sudden failure?

Anybody know - Are the two fan busa radiators the same as the two fan b king radiators? They look exactly the same in the schematics. The part numbers are different. If they are the same it may help me track down an aftermarket part.

WTF!!! $599.00 for a radiator?!?!? Besides used and repair - any other options for a decent/cheaper after market? I feel like I should get a radiator guard or something thrown in free for $600 bucks.

Still have a month on the warranty. Do you think the dealer will replace a radiator under warranty if it's a failed weld? Got the feeling they will claim road debris damage.

Happy Thanksgiving!
B

 

[Mr Bogus]

Call your dealer first... if that fails..

PM GoldenChild (Daniel) probably has a used one sitting around.. His number is on the board sponsor list

 

[turbobusa2000]

Why wouldnt your warranty cover it. Unless you did something I would think they would. Good luck

 

[brpo]

Call your dealer first... if that fails..

PM GoldenChild (Daniel) probably has a used one sitting around.. His number is on the board sponsor list

Thanks...

I'll give him a ring if I can't work out something with dealer...

 

[brpo]

Why wouldnt your warranty cover it. Unless you did something I would think they would. Good luck

Because I already called one dealer and posed the hypothetical question -what if it's a cracked weld no other damage? And they already were hemming and hawing, and saying " I don't think we've ever seen one that was defective" and I say hypothetically blah blah blah would it be covered. Wouldn't answer the question. Obfuscation! I couldn't even get the guy to answer in theory. Asked for the service manager to call me. We will see if he gets back to me after he gets back from his vacation.

 

[turbobusa2000]

Don't ask them, tell them. Thats just my opinion. If I bought a bike and it busted during the warranty period I would be demanding that it be fixed. Maybe not the appoach you want to use but thats just me. I would be hot if I got the run around.

 

[brpo]

Don't ask them, tell them. Thats just my opinion. If I bought a bike and it busted during the warranty period I would be demanding that it be fixed. Maybe not the appoach you want to use but thats just me. I would be hot if I got the run around.

Agreed, I'd just like to at least start off in a civil manner. I completely understand that if a rock nailed the radiator it would not be covered and I wasn't asking for a commitment that they would fix it under warranty on the phone. I know they need to inspect it before they can make any assessment but it just seems like I know how this is gonna go. I always do all my own wrenching partly because my confidence in dealerships is not high and they charge exorbitant prices. Truth is I prefer to do the work - I just want them to pay for the part if it is defective.

I hate doing business with pretty much all dealers and repair shops - includes boats, motorcycles, cars etc.

 

[cipher5791]

The radiator should be covered under warranty. Start there.

 

[Bird Hunter]

You've got 1 month of warranty and 1 week until you wrench on it. Just don't even worry about the dealer/warranty until you rule out a hose/hose clamp, etc.. I would tear that sucker down and if it's not obvious where the problem is, fill it up with water and run it until it starts spitting again. Once you know what your dealing with there is no more wondering if it's covered, etc..

Good Luck !!

 

[BusaWhipped]

Simple things first. Is the cap on tight? If it is damaged from road debris, check with a local radiator shop, they may be able to fix it.