DRC silicone hose problem.
 

I was washing my bike the other day & noticed a problem with my 5 month old drc silicone hoses.

This can only be seen if the hose is bent a little backwards on the crack.
Is this just cosmetic or am I looking at a rad hose blow in the very near future?

https://www.kawasakiforums.com/forum...oblem-3007.jpg

I've taken a lot of flack from mates about my bright red hoses & my argument has always finished with they are stronger & flow better than stock hoses!!!! This is very annoying indeed!!

Any thoughts or experience with aftermarket silicone hoses would be gratefully received...Thx

Looks like those are toast

I put some on my Mustang last fall and they had the same thing. They looked like that when they were brand new. I could only see it when I bent the hose back like you are doing in the pic. I think they are fine.

Looking at the pics again, I see the crack is on the straight part of the hose. Mine were on the inside of tight bends. I would keep a keen eye on them.

I certainly would replace them.

I got some in BKK Joel and I don't believe they are original items although I paid original prices. They also split.

For the cost of replacing I wouldn't take the chance as you know if they do split it will be when your in the middle of nowhere ;)

I've had mine for over a year now. No cracks, but they're faded to almost PINK now.



I hate pink. they'll have to go one of these days.

two things:
1. it looks like a out side in scratch, not a age/drying crack, so if it hasnt blown let your probably fine.
2. how far you ride from home :)~

It looks like it has been cut. Silicon hose is generally very durable and if it's rubbing it will start to wear away metal before the hose starts to degrade. How thick is the hose versus depth of the cut?

Just a thought, I wonder if you put a little super glue in the crack, if that would keep it from getting worse?? Might give you a few more miles out of your hose. If the crack was deeper then I would replace it.

not good.

Plan ahead an get your old oem hoses ready to install in emergencies.

Think ahead.... Tools to install on the trail, water etc...

Thx for the input guys.

If I really bend the hose to inspect it, it looks like a superficial crack on the thin shiny silicone part of the hose. Underneath the shiny layer is a thicker matt colored tube with sort of criss cross reinforcement mesh running thru it.

It doesn't look like a blow out is about to happen but who am I to guess that!

When they arrived 5 months ago I was kinda surprised :eek: at just how bright the red was on the hoses!! Now they are getting pinker & pinker with time or (gayer & gayer) as my mates would say. :( So I think i'm gonna put back on the 2 original black hoses that are the big very visible ones & leave the 2 smaller red ones (without cracks) in place! The 2 smaller hoses look kinds cool on the side & top on the engine in red.

Silicone hose
 

I installed new silicone hose to my Kawasaki and it started giving out new problems. The hoses were o bad conditioned. SO i dd some web search and found this website. Silicone hose This has all sorst of silicone hoses that suits eery Kawasaki modals. They are great and withstand heat. Problem solved. So all you Kawasaki lovers should love this news. Hope this will help your silicone hose problems.