Just my 2¢ but I'd think that if your coolant runs out, for whatever reason, that you should not run the engine for at least a couple reasons......1) the void left by the lack of coolant could very well act as an insulator 2) the wethead runs at a higher compression ratio than do the dryheads, thus potentially creating even greater heat production......and we all know excessive heat is not good...

 

The same engineers that can't seem to figure out why the coolant is dumping out of the bikes? I'm not sure I'd trust them..

 

I'd agree with the consensus here... avoid running w/o coolant. At the least, the exhaust valve seat will run considerably hotter than designed w/o the cooling system.

Now, would that put me on the side of the road... no. I'd take it easy and get somewhere I could score a couple bottles of water to top things up. Not optimal, but reasonable in my mind.

 

I'd assert they have a fair handle on why this is happening, it's a matter of delivering a cost effective solution... (and bear in mind, their eyes/ears to the market are often the dealer techs/service managers, who as we all know seem to be "inconsistent")

 

I agree with the 'Do Not Run' crowd, also add this reason to the list;
There are shaft seals on a water pump that are likely not long for this world if run dry.

 

I agree.. we should see a 'That's normal, all the bikes do it' statement from them soon.

 

Hah, sad, but it's looking like in this case that wouldn't be a lie.