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Newbie with a question re my 03 K1200RS


Scott L

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Getting set up for some winter service projects with my new to me k bike, and I want to replace coolant hoses, but about had a heart attack when I saw BMW's prices😬.

 

Has anyone ever used automotive hoses from auto parts store? I know a couple of the hoses are molded in pretty specific angles, but gimme a break BMW. Sheesh!

 

Thanks

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Budget BMWs are rare, but BMWs work best when they have a budget.

 

Dennis - What kind of an answer is that! Scott is a "newbie" and needs to know from an "expert" like you if he can use automotive hoses on his "K" bike.

 

Edited by Endobobdds
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Probably won't find any automotive hoses to fit. The rad's on m/c's are smaller than on cages & the specific bends will avoid any possible kinking/misaligning. One could try, yet just bite the proverbial bullet & get the OEM's.

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Hey Scott...welcome to the board. I don't know for sure but we have some incredible folks on the board who will weigh in soon...stay tuned for comments from DR, John, and a few others. Their first question is likely to be which hoses do you want to replace and what type of auto hose do you want to use ( radiator, heater, vacuum, fuel, etc) so if you can post that you will be ahead.

Edited by Skywagon
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Unless you have fire damage or rat damage, the hoses last a very long time. I don't even think there is service life for them. There are thousands of 80's era K bikes running around with the origonal hoses.

Most important on those is to flush the cooling system by the service sheet or of you don't know when it was last done and replace the radiator cap.

The caps are the only item that can fail and should be replaced at every flush.

Note that if the system has been neglected for a long time and you flush, there is a good chance you will dislodge some of the crud ring and developed a coolant leak from the oil/water pump, then you need to replace it. Not a hard job but the pump can be expensive .

Better it happen in your driveway than on a trip tho.

The only saving grace is as as long as the bike has had decent maintenance it will last 250-300,000 miles without any engine problems.

A brake flush is important on regular basis using a vacuum pump or compressed air type bleeder for the same reason ( not to disturb the crud ring by pumping)

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I have a nick in the lower right radiator hose that goes between the RH radiator and the water pump. That will need to be replaced for sure. Thanks guys for the tips. Especially TF1200RT😜. That's definitely the case with my BMW..

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