hey guys, bit of a crap end to the day...
Normal commute home, not going nuts staying below 8k all the way back, noticed as I got to within 5 miles of home that it sounded like the fan had kicked in, but couldn't be sure as my earplugs are pretty good, I should have stopped but couldn't be sure it was the bike. First mistake!
I continued home, checking at each set of lights but couldn't pin the noise down to the fan and didn't notice the coolant that had sprayed all down the side of the bike. Second mistake!
got to within 400 yards of home and the temperature warning light came on...oh F@"k... I stopped immediately, killed the engine and got off, realised it was the fan and spotted the coolant all over the engine. I waited for it to cool down and then road the last 400 yards home, coasting with the engine off for the last 100.
Looking at it, its mostly down the right hand side of the engine, there isn't any water left in it but the oil is at normal level and there isn't any water in the oil (as far as I can tell by checking under the oil cap for residue).
Whats the most common solution? Thermostat, pipe popped off / split? I know its a shot in the dark without you guys seeing it. How should I go about checking for the most common things? I've never worked on a bike, lots of cars but not a bike. I'm guessing that once the tank is off its all easy to see?
Is it likely that I'll have done any damage to the engine by running it until the temperature warning light came on?
As always, I'll appreciate any comments, thanks