Hi Everyone,

my name is Mick. I'm a german living in Perth, Western Australia and own a SD990 '08 for a few years now. I was reading here as a guest from time to time and got a few helpful tips but because I ran into a technical problem recently (more about that later)I decided to create an account.

I'm riding motorcycles for almost 20 years now and I came around a bit in Europe and a little bit in Oz (damn, it's just too big). Previous bikes include Suzuki GS500, Yamaha R1, Kawasaki Z440LTD and at the moment I'm riding my girlfriends Kawasaki Z1000. If I have to maintain it I guess I am entitled to ride it too.


As I mentioned I ran into a problem with my Superduke. She has 65Mm on the ODO meter and had the big service at 60Mm. I noticed that she drips a little bit and first I thought it is oil. However the coolant level is below minimum and I think the drips are actually coolant. It is not alot and I can't find the leak. The electric cables around the battery seem to catch it.
The coolant in the radiator looks greyish and based on some information I found here on the forum and on other websites it could be the coolant pump. However the oil behind the clutch cover is brown, not grey. From what I read so far everyone with the worn out coolant pump seems to have the oil contaminated with coolant.
Now the question is could that still be the coolant pump or could that indicate another fault? Temperatur was always normal. Engine runs without any issues. Very strange that I cannot find the coolant leak. Any advice is appreciated.

Cheers,
Mick

G'Day Mick and welcome. Spent most of my life in Perth and quite possibly not the best place to ride due to cops and lack of decent roads.

Anyway your coolant doesn't look like it should, possibly oil? Anyway I can't point you in the right direction as to its cause but if you post something up in technical section guys will see it better and you will get more feedback.

Good luck.

That coolant definitely looks contaminated. Looks like a mix of oil and coolant.
So you can be pretty sure your water pump seal is toast.
But that doesn't explain your dripping.
To find the leak, clean everything properly first.
Let the bike run and see if you can spot the source of the leak.
Usual suspects are the hose clamps on the coolant hoses.
They tend to work loose over time, causing leaky connections.

I heard an old mechanic trick is to use baby powder in the areas where you suspect the leak and start the engine.

Yes, the water pump is definitely faulty. I replaced it on the last weekend. Just have to change oil and coolant and then put her back together.
Once that is complete I'll check the dripping. Might try the baby powder thing.

Thanks for the advices. I managed to repair the water pump and since then there were no more leaks.
Lifting the front wheel and filling in the coolant went well with some help.



Unfortunately I discovered some wires around the battery were grinded through probably because of all the dirt from the road down there.
Also when changing the oil I found some metal particles at the drain plug screw. The last oil change was just 5Mm ago.

Mate my 990 had 4500 km when I sold it, always had a bit of shit on the oil plug at every change. Wouldn't worry too much about it.