Coolant, or not

So, I've just drained off my coolant, changed the leaking o ring for the water pump (fiddly!) and topped it all back up. All good, but
over the winter is seems I've been running the bike with about half its recommended coolant or less, with no adverse effects. The temperature gauge has remained pretty dormant and I don't do any filtering or queueing on my routes.

Anyone else tried no-coolant running? Iirc suzukis gs500 is an air cooled twin, same era and similar power.

muttley1

rethink that reasoning. This motorcycle, if there is no coolant, leaves cylinders and cylinder head isolated from the outside by an area with only air in which there should be coolant that 'transports' the temperature to the radiator where it is evacuated to the outside air.
Without refrigerant you will get the flu. Nothing to do with an air-cooled motorcycle like the Suzuki GS500.

Agreed, its not an air cooled bike! Half the recommended coolant and sub 5 degree temperatures, no filtering/slow riding and the cb has proved ok. Now all fixed, fresh coolant, new pump gasket.

Since it is very possible that inside there have been localized areas of very hot, not detected by the water temperature sensor......you are 100% sure of not having caused any scratches on pistons, camshaft bearings and crankshaft etc?

Of course I can't be 100% sure but not going to take the bike apart just in case. It had about 1200ml of coolant at the least and of course had more in it before the leak. The bike has run over winter, not been hot from filtering or fast riding so I'm going with it being ok.

muttley1

good reasons to be optimistic. ok