Proper coolant bleed/burp procedure?

Hi guys,

I know there's plenty of info on the forum about the procedure but there are also many different opinions and most of the times the subject changes towards what to use (water wetter, engine ice, honda, agip, etc)

I would like to know, straight to the point, what's the proper procedure to get all the air out of the system.

What I've read so far is top of the radiator, rock the bike back and forth or sideways. Run the bike to about 180F then let it cool down and refill radiator if necessary (squeeze the hoses to burp air out) then top off the reservoir/tank.

Now, my question is... am I missing anything? Is the radiator cap supposed to be on or not while squeezing the hoses and letting the bike run to about 180F? (I know it should NOT be there if letting it run all the way until the fan kicks on because it will splash out and burn the hell out of you)

Reason I ask is because I recently flushed my coolant about 3 times with distilled water then added the AGIP coolant recommended/used by my Ducati dealership. I did this because I had to replace the thermostat housing (squirter unit).

After I went for a ride and the temperature while sitting at a red light went up too much at one point (230F). While riding it will stay around 217F (Vegas, kinda hot already)

I came back home, parked the bike and waited until temp reached about 180F, removed the radiator cap and squeezed the hoses a little bit and topped off the radiator with distilled water (ran out of AGIP coolant). It took quite some water, so my guess is I had a big air pocket.

Went for another ride and the temperature while riding was about 212-214F and 221-225F while fully stopped (it lowered from my previous ride). But I sill think it's a little bit high and maybe I need to refill rad again and squeeze the hoses????

One curious thing I noticed while I was parked with bike idling after highway riding and the fan kicked in at 217F as it should, but couldn't drop the temp to 212, it went to 225F after a couple minutes and sat there forever without going up or down. THEN, I am like ok I'm gonna get off the bike and inspect for leaks or whatever and as soon as I put the kick stand down the temp drop to 221F instantly. It's some sort of freak electrical situation! So weird, every time I did it, it happened! But as soon as I took off the temp would go down to about 214-212 in a matter of a minute or so (it wasn't extremly hot outside plus it was kinda cloudy)

I think temp shouldn't go past 217-219F and once the fan kicks on it should drop to about 212 (that's when the fan shuts off). So, any ideas? Do I still have some air in the system? Am I not doing it right? Is my bike is F**#@ up, lol? is 225F still way too high for red light /idling and 214-217F while riding above 60mph? Is the AGIP coolant that comes in a bag a piece of crap?

Bike: 2013 1199 base/ABS - 15k miles

Thanks in advance! Cheers!

the heat in Vegas will keep your temps higher than 210 if you're not getting enough air thru the radiator

bleeding off that bubble would probably best be handled with a vacuum pump, but burping it works too....burping it is more certain to happen with tie straps to the ceiling and slowly tilt it as far as you care to go (cap off, cold or hot) while squeezing the hoses...

the few times i had a bubble, one time it cleared itself, the other time it got suspended from the ceiling and tilted over (cap off, cold, squeezed the hoses) & hoped for the best.....it worked

the stock coolant is good stuff.....if you use straight water, you'll need some sort of lubricant (water wetter) to keep your water pump and seals happy - but i'd check on that at the shop, given i'm talking from the days of the 916 and desmosedici....i don't think things have changed that much, but doesn't hurt to ask

running the temps up to 219/220 is a-okay...as long as the fans kick on all is well with the world...you're probably stuck in traffic (even a red light can do it) or in the middle of NYC/LasVegas

RD16RR said:

the heat in Vegas will keep your temps higher than 210 if you're not getting enough air thru the radiator

bleeding off that bubble would probably best be handled with a vacuum pump, but burping it works too....burping it is more certain to happen with tie straps to the ceiling and slowly tilt it as far as you care to go (cap off, cold or hot) while squeezing the hoses...

the few times i had a bubble, one time it cleared itself, the other time it got suspended from the ceiling and tilted over (cap off, cold, squeezed the hoses) & hoped for the best.....it worked

the stock coolant is good stuff.....if you use straight water, you'll need some sort of lubricant (water wetter) to keep your water pump and seals happy - but i'd check on that at the shop, given i'm talking from the days of the 916 and desmosedici....i don't think things have changed that much, but doesn't hurt to ask

running the temps up to 219/220 is a-okay...as long as the fans kick on all is well with the world...you're probably stuck in traffic (even a red light can do it) or in the middle of NYC/LasVegas

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Thanks for the reply. Can you be a little bit more specific regarding the vacuum pump procedure?

rrgermanlv said:

Thanks for the reply. Can you be a little bit more specific regarding the vacuum pump procedure?

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- the procedure itself is straight forward...YouTube is your friend

the issue will be finding the kit with the correct sized fittings

MightyVac
SnapOn
MacTools

one of those would be a good start

heres one with a lot of sizes:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C4YSJ2...V6&pd_rd_r=DHC56A2KAFM8R0DC5FXS&pd_rd_w=EyaaQ

Cap off like any other cooling system

Halo2 said:

Cap off like any other cooling system

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+1^^ And remember to blip the throttle when the thermostat opens. That should purge any air or cavitation from the pump

Trackjunkie01 said:

+1^^ And remember to blip the throttle when the thermostat opens. That should purge any air or cavitation from the pump

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I did this but when I shut off the bike all the radiator fluid came out immediately so am I supposed to put the cap back on the bike while it’s running at 203F ???

I'm not too sure what procedure you're following, but don't take the radiator cap off when its under pressure, ie when hot or running.

Working from a drained system, fill the radiator. Let the coolant level settle a bit, then top it off. Also top off the overflow tank. You can bring it to slightly higher than the full mark since at this stage you'll have air you need to work out. Start the bike and run it until the fan comes on. Maybe give the throttle a slight blip, but I don't know how necessary that is.

When it cools off, check the overflow tank. You'll likely have to add coolant. Get a couple of cycles where you start it and let it run until the fans turn on. This is your indication that the thermostat is open and coolant is flowing. Go for a short ride, ensuring it gets to temp. Top off the reservoir. Once you fill the radiator initially, you are done with the radiator cap. Everything else is done at the overflow/reservoir tank.

Vicati said:

I did this but when I shut off the bike all the radiator fluid came out immediately so am I supposed to put the cap back on the bike while it’s running at 203F ???

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If you start the bike with the cap off, watch the coolant level in the rad. As soon as it drops, the thermostat is open, work quick. Fill the rad to the rad neck and slam the cap on real quick. Fill the overflow to the full mark and shut off.

USE A RAG to put the cap on while the bike is running.

The issue with a coolant drain is getting coolant to the rear (vertical) cylinder on the refill. Best way I have found is to get the front end higher than the rear at the initial refill. I have a shop/work stand so I put the rear tire in the chock and raise the front end on my Pitbull stand. Fill, cap, roll outside, start the bike, let it run up to temp, switch off, let cool. Open cap, top off. Usually do the start, stop, top off twice to be sure and all is good. Racing with an H2O radiator with no fans and bike is 190's. Would imagine your street setup will run hotter, but that's just the nature of the setup. My 0.02....

bp_SFV4 said:

I'm not too sure what procedure you're following, but don't take the radiator cap off when its under pressure, ie when hot or running.

Everything else is done at the overflow/reservoir tank.

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you take the cap off when it’s cold run it till the thermostat opens. Shutoff bike/car top off coolant in the rad and overflow.

no different to any other vehicle out there.

Ha simple. To burp it, you pick it up and throw it over your shoulder then pat it on the tank till it burps. BOOM, done. To bleed it, simple, .223 round to the oil pan. Works every time.