I ordered the replacement hose the next day but due to the dealer stuffing up the order I didn't get the hose until Saturday. This meant that I rode the V-Strom to work and around (and got hosed on on Thursday) for the rest of the week which was fun but there were a couple of times that I could have used the car...
So, on Saturday afternoon I fitted the new hose. This was the hardest bit as it takes a bit to get them on over the pipe inlet/outlets. To do it I had to clean the gunk of the fitting and then lube up the inside of the hose with a bit of detergent. It was still a mission and I ended up with a good few nicks and scrapes on my fingers and knuckles.
Then I topped up the radiator with fresh coolant and let it sit for a bit. An hour or so later I came back and checked to see if the level had dropped. It hadn't so I fired the car up and let it run for a few minutes. While it was running I checked that the thermostat was working by checking that the return hoses got warm. All good there so I shut her down and let things settle down again.
After another half an hour or so I checked the coolant level again and as it hadn't moved I went for a short drive to the supermarket and back. The temperature got up to about normal and the car seemed to behave itself so I guess she's all good now. I still think I'll keep an eye on the coolant for the next week or so.
