New radiator needed

Upon inspection all the fins are blocked and when I've tried to push a thin piece of brass through to clear them they are literally crumbling away. New 1s are to expensive and it's impossible to find a good uesd 1. Thinking about taking it off and getting rid of the fins. I know they help disapate heat but as there blocked and crumbling away they aren't use much at the moment. Any thoughts.

Have you checked with a radiator shop if it can be rebuilt? May cost less than a new radiator from the dealership.

I agree with easyrider or alternatively try

who has spoken often about the demise of radiators so may well be like the proverbial rocking horse poo hence high price.

Phone around a few Honda dealers see if they have an old stock left on the shelf

Siataukreg may be able to hook you up with a good used one.

When you do repace the radiator be sure to add a mudflap to the front fender as has been advised here in the past.

Tim

Bingo

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F352541660549

A friend has put me on to a company that can recore it for about 250 pounds. Can't believe there isn't an aftermarket rad anywhere in the world. Hope this bike doesn't turn into a money pit. 13k miles and the rad is knackered. Honda build quality not so good me thinks

Mrmoz wrote:

A friend has put me on to a company that can recore it for about 250 pounds. Can't believe there isn't an aftermarket rad anywhere in the world. Hope this bike doesn't turn into a money pit. 13k miles and the rad is knackered. Honda build quality not so good me thinks

TBH dont think the rad' is a build quality issue more a neglect by owners knowingly or otherwise. However it is a bummer when your new bike has expensive issues

First....how old is the bike? How many miles?. Some times only way to keep older/high mileage stuff on the road (and reliable) is correct new part. On the road breakdowns can get real expensive!

Mud flap great idea---probably should be OEM fitament. I have added front mud flap on all my previous Honda scooters, Burgman 400's and now Kymco Xtown 300i.


Never had radiator/cooling system problems---over 400,000 scooter miles.

I have nearly 25K on mine and radiator still looks new. But then it is stored out of the weather and it seldom rides in rain etc. The mudflap idea sounds good but the fender doesn't look like it was designed for one...

GHM-PM wrote:

The mudflap idea sounds good but the fender doesn't look like it was designed for one...

We had a discussion about adding a mudflap awhile back.

Following Meldrew's suggestion I cut a mudflap from a discarded, cheap, black plastic, ~12" flower container. After thoroughly scrubbing the inside of the fender (yes, I removed it first), I attached the mudflap to the inside of the fender with heavy duty, double-faced, 30 lb, Gorilla tape.

I used the Gorilla tape to affix a piece of rubber roofing material, the dark gray blends in well enough no one has mentioned seeing it.

Well tonight was spent swearing a lot and wondering what iam taking on with this job. I've got the rad off and what a pig of a job on my back poor access and getting wet with coolant. The rad will benifit from being blown out with an air gun and my trying to straighten as many fins as I can but I'd love to fit a new 1 but 400 quid is ridiculous for this tiny rad. Spoke to some recore people today who also want 400 to recore it WT?? 
There must be a more robust way to cool an engine than use this extremely fragile method of painfully thin aluminum fins. And why are they soooo expensive to replace. There's 1 for sale in the UK on ebay and it looks worse than mine. Decent 1 in the US but I don't want to risk it

Why don't you find out if any other Honda models the same radiator. If for example a Deauville uses the same one, look for a used one of those.

Mrmoz wrote:

Well tonight was spent swearing a lot and wondering what iam taking on with this job. I've got the rad off and what a pig of a job on my back poor access and getting wet with coolant. The rad will benifit from being blown out with an air gun and my trying to straighten as many fins as I can but I'd love to fit a new 1 but 400 quid is ridiculous for this tiny rad. Spoke to some recore people today who also want 400 to recore it WT?? 
There must be a more robust way to cool an engine than use this extremely fragile method of painfully thin aluminum fins. And why are they soooo expensive to replace. There's 1 for sale in the UK on ebay and it looks worse than mine. Decent 1 in the US but I don't want to risk it

The thinner metal transfers heat better / quicker. I would follow your idea, clean it inside and out and carefully straighten fins, I believe they made a tool for this that looked a bit like a comb, in any case unless it was holed time spent should go a long way a 400 quid price tag.

One problem with scooters such as
SilverWing is: some replacement parts can be so expensive---junking it almost required.

My 2013 SilverWing, on trip to FL, ABS lite came on----replacement ABS unit, dealer cost was about $1100----was or would it be worth it on a bike worth about $3000 at the time?---old time mechanic at local Honda dealer got lite to go out for one hour shop labor----bike was then traded.

I think replacement plastic also very expensive, too. Just something to think about

Get the part number off any of the parts websites. Google the number and if there are other models of Honda using the same part it will show up.
When I got my SWing, one of the first mods I did was to install a piece of window screen material in front of the radiator. The plastic grille in front of the radiator helps to keep the screen in place. It helps to keep projectiles from hitting the radiator directly. I also added the mud flap ( as per Meldrew's idea ) to keep the worst of the front tire fling off the radiator. One area I ride in has a lot of farms and they are generous with the manure spreader and you can't dodge every plop on the road.

Jay.

I just now googled the radiator part number: it seems it is not fitted on other models. Bummer.

Jay.

Partzilla ( US) : $274 or so, way better than Honda. But shipping to UK may be prohibitive.

Jay.

I would be concerned that after spending all the time and only doing a bandaid job, would you trust the radiator on a trip/tour? Such a critical part will cost you more in the long run. Think towing, a room, and finally repaired correctly. The subject of this post is "NEW radiator needed". Not "Damaged radiator needed". Sorry, but I hate walking!

The problem is the radiator is a low-volume model. Not many Silver Wings sold and not many radiators needed so therefore the price is astronomical. I can buy a radiator for my Frontier for a bit over $100 USD. But there are gobs of 2005-2019 Frontiers around that need radiators... But all in all I agree with Easyrider, if I intend to take trips and use the scoot a bunch, just bite the bullet and get a NEW one. My two cents.

I'd say the moral of this sad story is don't neglect cleaning the accumulated mud and road crap that's flung up onto your radiator from the front wheel.

It's even more important in winter when there's road salt and grit on the roads, and well worth cleaning it off when you get home however much you don't feel like doing it.

You can't help but notice that rooster tail of road crap that's been thrown up, and it's just going to dry on and accumulate if you leave it and cause over heating and corrosion. Those visual signs should prompt you to clean it off, and then fashion and fit a front mud flap from junk you already have at home.

I agree about what was said earlier, it's nothing to do with the quality of  Honda radiators, it's simply laziness and neglect by the owner.

I've read similar forum posts from Burgman owners complaining about alloy wheel corrosion and expecting Suzuki to replace them. Again because they let them corrode as they were simply too idle to get into regular a winter cleaning regime and clean them after riding on salt treated roads.

Finally before my coffee gets cold, a quick online search reveals radiator cleaning tools, a handy piece of kit that pokesthrough built up road crap between the fins, and a sort of comb in different sizes that straightens the fins bent by road debris. As for £400 for a new radiator, it's about the same price as a new full face helmet or a decent textile jacket.

cotetoi wrote:

I just now googled the radiator part number: it seems it is not fitted on other models. Bummer.

Jay.

Do a cross match if you haven't, the same part may have different numbers.

All good comments about maintenance and cleaning but I only got the bike last year so not really my fault on that score. I just think a much more robust unit could be made that will get rid of heat at will last at least 10 years. The fins are ridiculously thin I've got thicker tin foil in the kitchen cupboard. they bend if you even breath on them. But if the current design is the best then mass produce the thing and make it affordable if they get damaged really easily... A hand made bespoke stainless rad would cost less than these flimsy tin foil original rads.. Sorry for ranting on but I just think it's a poor design and very expensive for what it is.

Lots of used radiators on ebay... some pretty inexpensive but still very nice.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/H82-Honda-Silver-Wing-FSC600A-2007-OEM-Engine-Radiator/382668153248?fits=Make%3AHonda&hash=item5918cca1a0:g:01wAAOSw44BYM6NOUSPSFirstClass!48307!US!-1:rk:1040

Not sure what it may cost to ship to UK, but you still might end up better than the cost of new.
Noticed there was one for sale in Italy.. not the best looking one, but still less money than new.

The original is back on now guys it's had a clean blow out and tried to straighten as many fins as possible. Getting the back hose on was the hardest job I've ever done on any bike truly horrendous. I just hope I've no leaks when I fill it tomorrow and run her upto temperature. Ain't working on scooters very difficult :-(

Mrmoz wrote:

The original is back on now guys it's had a clean blow out and tried to straighten as many fins as possible. Getting the back hose on was the hardest job I've ever done on any bike truly horrendous. I just hope I've no leaks when I fill it tomorrow and run her upto temperature. Ain't working on scooters very difficult :-(

Sadly the tupperware makes most jobs time comsuming (hence dealer charges -so be proud you've managed it yourself) but the advantages of scoots outweigh this IMO

Mrmoz somewhere on this site is a spray material used by airplane mechanics and others, you just spray it on objects subject to corrosion and it keeps it under control, that might be useful on your radiator.

I've filled the bike up with coolant today and run it up to temperature and all seams OK. The rad just looks a mess with the fins all bent and crumbling away but the tanks and tubes are fine. I've saved a lot of money doing all the work myself and it will be a fully sorted swing when finished that will last me a good few years yet. Working on bikes is quite hard work but scooters are even worse because of all the plastics but hey hoe it's all a learning curve. The rad works fine and air flow is not bad considering virtually every fin is bent lol. Il keep an eye on ebay for a decent used 1.

oldwingguy wrote:

Mrmoz somewhere on this site is a spray material used by airplane mechanics and others, you just spray it on objects subject to corrosion and it keeps it under control, that might be useful on your radiator.

ACF-50 but when things are nice and hot it produces the most gorgeous smelling haze (matter of opinion)

I noticed on my 2019 Kymco XTown 300 i...after ride in wet, that Kymco included a course screen in front of radiator as rock guard. Good thinking on their part. This along with front fender mud flap I fitted should keep junk out of radiator.

Used bike. Road hard and put away dirty. Salt is the worst eats things.
I always wash the RAD. out with a hose nothing high pressure though. SW from both sides vents from the back also. Cars A/C condenser into RAD. W\wash it out after winter .

The repsol honda swing on this home page looks mint and the rad looks like new. My only concern is that parts for these bikes are going to get harder to find because these scooters aren't what you'd call rare but there ain't loads about either and Nobody makes aftermarket rads for it. I get at least 10k miles out of mine probably more and in that time il hopefully find a good rad because although honda list them as a part they are on back order with no eta !

While I've got the front cover and the skirts off, (to attend to another job), I decided to brush the front of the radiator with a soft brush....wow! Some of the foil fins came away like dist and left some the cores bare, but not all the way through.

Reading from the start of this thread it seems like decent second-hand radiators are like rocking horse s**t. New ones cost more than my SW is worth.

However, the radiator itself looks OK and all the welds and seams look fine. The cores look OK too. I'm going to coat the essential parts with corrosion abatement stuff and leave it alone for now.

It's going be weird holding on to the handgrips with my fingers crossed every time I go out riding!

For those across the Pond wondering about Loosemarbles new avatar. It's pic of Lord Snooty. He was a comic character from the DC Thompson comic 'The Beano', a very popular weekly comic in the Fifties.

A rich aristocratic Eton schoolboy with a posh name who used to bunk off school still wearing his distinctive school uniform, to hang out with and have adventures with a gang of working class scruffs who nicknamed him Snooty.

In reality over here that's more fiction, fantasy, and less likely to happen than an American high school kid getting bitten by a radioactive spider and gaining superpowers.

PS get in touch with forum member Siataukreg who occasionally  breaks up and sells  Silver Wing parts.

Last night I found a decent second-hand radiator on eBay for $444.00 and the link took me to a sub-site named Southern Californian Motorcycle Dismantlers and it had a fancy logo.

However, when I went 'direct' to the website, i.e. not via eBay, this came up:

https://www.socalmotorcycledismantlers.com/

This looks nothing like the site I found through eBay and there is no sign of that fancy logo. Neither is there any sign of that radiator which came up via eBay. Weird!

Since you are now venturing into an international search you might try Bores Cycle Salvage, 2007 Boos Rd, Huron Ohio 44839. Phone 419-239-9469. They have a very good reputation and also sell on eBay under the name Mike’s Motorcycle Parts. There’s a very good possibility that “Bores…” may also have a presence on FaceBook. You’ll have to search for an email address if you want to deal direct with them rather than going thru eBay.

Certainly worth noting, they've got one. If these radiators are becoming more scarce then I'd like to have one in the garage if mine finally gives up.

I'm going to stick with mine for the time being but it's good to know that there are still some out there, if you know where to look

Kinda stumbled onto this, not sure if is availble "new" in the US, but at Partzilla and Ron Ayers have it listed just over $300 ??  with normal delay 2-7 days to ship, both ship international. I've a lot of experience with Ron Ayers, just contact tem, ask for availability before placing order, provide p/n, particulars of your location, etc. BTW it looks like all years use same p/n 19010-MGF-305.

Ron Ayers contact,  customerservice@ronayers.com or use the web form on their site.
 
https://www.ronayers.com/oemparts/p/honda/19010-mgf-305/radiator-coo

https://www.partzilla.com/product/honda/19010-MGF-305

BTW, I did a "Google search" for p/n 19010-MGF-305, a chinese vendor on Ebay, popped up. Make a low offer 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234089863680?hash=item3680d7da00:g:6DAAAOSw9fhg76WP

Why not have it rebuilt with a new core at a radiator shop?

Just my 2¢.

Easyrider wrote:

Why not have it rebuilt with a new core at a radiator shop?

Further to that there are a few YouTube videos of dirt-floor Pakistani shops rebuilding radiators with some pretty rudimentary tools. So maybe pack (no pun intended) yours off and send it away. What could go wrong?  

It's expensive enough as it is purchasing items online from the US. When it gets to our side of the Pond there's all sorts of import duty and taxes have to be paid. A radiator is a heavy item and postage alone to be sent here will bump up the price considerably.

It makes more sense search for and buy from from a UK motorcycle breaker or spares seller. Then at least you have our legal consumer rights to a refund if the seller sends you a piece of junk that isn't fit for purpose.

EU sources should be considered too, as there were a lot more Silver Wings sold in Europe than in North America, including 400cc versions that probably used the same radiator.

It's also worth finding out if the radiator Honda put on the Silver Wing was used on other 600cc to 700cc models from that era like the Deauville and the Transalp.

I agree with the shipping, Taxes, etc could be a showstopper, as is comming from a mayor vendor, I wonder if there's a way around it, someone buying here, shipping over as used parts, etc. just thinking out loud.

   My reversed experience, I purchased a Full Akrapovic System for my ZRX1100 from the UK at  https://www.bikehps.com/ back in the early 2000's, absolutely trouble free and no import taxes into US, Paid $75 for 4 days shipping, still saved over a $100 of US retail price, actually made about 10 more orders of other items with same results