Coolant smell, no leaks

[medigrunt]

Finished doing some repair on coolant fan, had everything apart so I replaced thermostat, checked it before installation. Did everything by the book. Replaced with honda coolant, bike runs great, never hot, fan goes on when needed. But I can smell coolant constantly when riding. No leaks when parked, level never changes. kinda ticks me off. Never did it before.

[Gregory Scott 16248]

Check water pipes on top of engine for posible o-ring leak.

[Jims99]

I would also try cleaning the engine and area good. Could just be residue you’re smelling as it heats up. Just keep an eye on the level.

[Chrisj CMA]

Finished doing some repair on coolant fan, had everything aparte so I replaced thermostat, checked it before installation. Did everything by the book. Replaced with honda coolant, bike runs great, never hot, fan goes on when needed. But I can smell coolant constantly when riding. No leaks when parked, level never changes. kinda ticks me off. Never did it before.

I smelled Coolant when first starting out. Not after it warmed up to operating temp. Went away when I changed to peak or Prestone 50/50. Both are silicate free and smell is gone. Saves money because it’s a quarter the price of Honda motorcycle coolant.

[Foozle]

Closely examine the radiator cap.  Bill Ferguson (Big BF) noted a coolant smell when syncing my carbs (I, too, had no leaks) and suggested I replace the radiator cap - which immediately remedied the problem.  You can fiddle with adjusting the metal tabs on the existing cap, but a new one is fairly inexpensive. 

Terry

[RWhitehouse]

I was just going to mention the rad cap also. After 21 years mine had become slightly incontinent. Sometimes there'd be dried coolant dribbles on the side of the tank, sometimes not, but I'd also often notice a coolant smell while stopped or in slow traffic. New OEM cap, $20, problem vanished.

Also, the hose clamp on top of the thermostat housing is known as a leak point, the clamp tends to loosen up over time. Mine had evidence of a slight dribble there when I had the carbs off, the clamp screw was not tight at all. Couple twists and bone dry since.

[medigrunt]

Thanks for all the great advice! Gonna use it all!