It would trim the old girl down another 8 oz or so. Do you think there would be any harm to using a wide zip tie to secure the water hoses? I did an online search and the opinion is that sunlight and heat make them brittle and they should be changed every three years. There is no real NEED for water hose clamps though, is there? I mean, thehoses stay on all by themselves. There's no great amount of pressure in thehoses that's going to blow one off, right? ...or am I being stupid about a few ounces of weight?

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There's no great amount of pressure in the hoses that's going to blow one off, right?

Big time pressure. They'll pop right off. Stay stock or look for trouble.

...or am I being stupid about a few ounces of weight?

No. Keep going and keep thinking how do I lose weight off the bike?

http://www.lowes.com/pd_118033-1781-45-312SS_0__?productId=3413920

1. I want the cable tie over the radi inlets/outlets ring-hump don't forget.
2. Do I buy the special tool or do I take needlenoses, coil the band to tighten.
3. I'm going to make it look clean so I hide the band's tongue inward.
4. For a backup, that needlenose wind I made is now going to be bent so if it slips, it stops at the bend I made to stop it from slipping farther: did I snip it short for weight.
5. I am at the raggedge of cutting into the hoses so I am tonguing the inside hose with some spit as well as the radi in/outlets. I want the hose to slide up and down to see how much more I need to slip the band: short of having no control like the stock clamp with a twist of a screw, remember. So the spitug is wet I am after is do I pop over the ring-hump yes or no? I'll leak and show you that way too: so don't cut my coiled band yet.
6. I read 100 pounds of pressure on that spec product. I'm holding back about 14.7 pounds I pop to 212°F of pressure cooker kind of pressure on that cable tie. I'm on a road test building pressure or I have no coil for the needlenose to shoot back up, twist again, and bit down on more band to slip tight, remember.
7. I'll hide a magic marker line or a dab of whiteout, so I can watch them breakaway and slip down the out/inlet tubes, the band is too loose, or just right [no movement].
8. I now cut my bands after so many miles or WOT ever comes first.

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Oh yeah, I forgot about what happens when that coolant gets hot...pressure cooker! Not so much pressure from the water pump but a LOT from heat expansion.

I like those stainless cable ties. I'll have a peak next time I'm at Lowe's. Those would look slick with a spray of VHT engine enamel metalic gold. That's the best metalic gold paint color I've seen by far. Looks as good as some anodized golds I've seen and better than some others.

Thanks for setting me straight on this, Hub.

BTW, I'm Plasti Dipping my coolant hoses Koi Orange. I think it will hold up to the heat. I've heard some people have dipped their exhaust and it doesn't melt the dip but it becomes very hard to remove.

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Hub, I'm really stuck on this zip tie idea. Steel cable ties are going to be hard to remove and not be a whole lot lighter than regular clamps.

I find isolated comments on various forums about using zip ties for hose clamps (not always for automotive cooling systems but some). The only hazards suggested are that the get brittle from heat and UV exposure and that they may leak where the band ratchets into the catch. The leak problem can be negated by using two zip ties with the catches positioned opposite one another.

I guess springing a leak in a water hose would not be the end of the world. That would be a mess but I don't get injured. If a hose blows off, I have superheated coolant gush out all at once while i'm riding. That would suck.

I'll be flushing the cooling system with distilled water. Can I put the rad cap on and run the pure water up to operating temp with the bike on the stand? That would be my first test of zip tie hose retainers.

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yo hoo. Anyone? The weekend is drawing to a close. Sure would like to get these hoses on.

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Distilled water only. Never on the zipties bro. Unless you like getting hosed with boiling hot water.

* Last updated by: nasty on 11/2/2014 @ 9:31 AM *

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+1 on the distilled. no, i'm not getting any affirmative comments on the zip tie idea. It's back to hose clamps. i'd be too worried about zip ties breaking or biting into the hose until it split open.

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The radiator pressure cap is rated 13-18 psi, so the system pressure is going to be less than that. I'm skeptical that a nylon zip tie will do the job mainly because you don't get even pressure all the way around and so I think you would get a leak in that little corner on the inside where the free end goes into the locking part.

But how about this type of hose clamp:

Your text to link here...

I know that many auto OEMs are using these things and the tool to crimp them is inexpensive and easy to use. They are one-time use though, you basically have to cut them off. I'll bet these don't weigh as much as a nylon zip tie.

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Thanks, jwh20. That would do nicely. Next time I'll look into those. I already have the stock clamps on. I don't know exactly how those things work but there must be something that fills that squared out part or else those would leak for sure.

I've read that using two zip ties with the locks positioned opposite of one another will even out the pressure. It's still an issue if one breaks or worse, both.

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I've read that using two zip ties with the locks positioned opposite of one another will even out the pressure. It's still an issue if one breaks or worse, both.

Nah, forget it. You might get away with zip ties on the smaller hoses but the two large pipes on the left have a lot of pressure. They both leaked after I sugged the hose clamps up gently. You really need pretty close to the 18 inch pound torque spec on those hose clamps to keep them from dripping. I think it'd be tough to get a zip tie that tight. It would be a nightmare of chasing leaks not to mention a total blowoff hazard. You were right Hub. Zip ties are out of the question.

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You can use the stainless steel metal zip ties. You will need to purchase a crimping tool. They will be a pain to remove though.

They can be found at most auto supply or home supply stores etc

Something similar to these

http://www.amazon.com/Snap-Strip-Stainless-Steel-Pack/dp/B004C3C22K

* Last updated by: Blkcasper on 12/5/2014 @ 10:28 AM *

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Hub mentioned that. i may go with those someday. The reason I didn't do it this time was because they do seem more or less permanently tightened. I guess you would need to cut them off.

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'That would be a mess but I don't get injured.'...what about that coolant nailing the pavement,right about where your rear tire runs?If she lets go catastrophically,you COULD have the rear totally slip out from under ya.Is it likely?,very possibly.Personally,I would never go with a ziptie,except in an emergency.And then replace immediately.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 4/11/2017 @ 9:19 AM *

You're bored with the current topics, Grn? Doing some reminiscing, are we? LOL this thread is 3 years old!

It was an interesting idea and the hose clamps do weigh a fair amount but they're the only safe way to go. It's not worth the risk to try zip ties but you gotta admire my ambition.

Loose the oil cooler and you'll drop a couple pounds. Plan to try that after I get my oil temp gauge installed so I can compare the dif with and without. Doubt there will be any unless the bike is operated in stop and go traffic.

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http://www.gates.com/products/automotive/passenger-car-and-light-truck/cooling-system/hose-clamps/powergrip-sb-clamps

How about these Rook?

Those look awesome, Jetfixer! Great find, but I see no way to order and no price mentioned. I have them recorded in my future mods list though. I'll definitely use them when I remove hoses again if I can figure out how to buy them.

* Last updated by: Rook on 4/18/2017 @ 4:56 PM *

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Here ya go Rook

http://www.jegs.com/p/Gates/Gates-Power-Grip-Clamps/943359/10002/-1

Summit racing may have them also.

I may have to give these a try.

* Last updated by: Jetfixr320 on 4/23/2017 @ 10:24 PM *

Thanks. have that noted. On the one hand, those are about the same price as what you'd pay for steel hose clamps and on the other, you would need to replace some or all every time you flushed the cooling system. ..but how often do you need to do that? I don't think I will buy the removal tool. I'd probably just slice away with a razor knife until I could tear it off.

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