COOLANT QUERY: MR. KNOW-IT-ALL

SHE HAS A BLEEDER
Dear Mr. Know-It-All,
I recently changed the coolant on my 2001 KDX200. After pouring in the fresh coolant, I was skimming through my shop manual and realized the bike has an air bleeder on the cylinder head for the cooling system. Did I screw things up? I already started the bike and had to top off the level again. I don’t want the system to be over-pressurized.
The Green Meanie
via [email protected]

Fear not, the bleeder is there for the intended purpose of removing the air from the system. Now that you have already started and run the machine and then topped it off again, your steed has basically belched the unwanted air from the system as if you fed it a giant antacid. In the future, crack the bleeder open while pouring the coolant in. As the coolant flows into the radiator, the air will be forced out through the bleed. It is quicker and more efficient. Once there is a steady stream of coolant coming from the bleeder, you can tighten it back up and top off the level as necessary.