Well... I had a free day, so Thermostat, o-ring, washers replaced.
I ordered t-stat from Honda Ringwood $72.00 (!) I could have saved $25 if ordered from USA but didnt want to wait...
My bike has 49k on the clock and the coolant should have been flushed and filled at 38,400 km as per service manual, but has never been preformed by Honda dealers!
This, despite the previous owner maintaining all service schedules, using same Honda dealer since new, with records and dates meticulously….!
This is why Honda dealers should not be trusted with servicing, they often cut corners.
at least if you pay for servicing you should verify procedures have been completed in writing.
A few of the worm hose clamps were a bit loose, but no leaks detected pre and post installation.
The T-stat was not corroded and reacted on testing with boiling water but I replaced with a new one as the bike is now 8 years old.
The infamous, black paint overspray was aparant on the upper radiator hose connection and I scoured it off.
The coolant reservoir had some dirt and film in the very bottom and that came clean with a few good shakes and water flush.
It was easy to remove the 2, 10mm cylinder block drain screws with a ring spanner to flush and drain the block.
Getting them back in was not so easy...the exhaust headers interfere with the alignment and some carefull aiming was required to get the thread square and started, damn architect design engineers..
3 bars and steady, fans cycle on and off as they should.
All up, it took about 3.5 hours, start to finnish without rushing. Will go for a ride when next available, to see if fuel consumption improves any...
I would recomend this procedure to anyone with a bike over 3-4 years just for peace of mine, regardless of kms, and then maintain coolant flush and fill once a year or earlier if you do 38k
