Oil Coolers

[Guest]

Are they really necessary?

In these northern climes, air/oil cooled bikes seem to thrive except in the real hot summer days in stop and go traffic.

The one on my GS1100E is leaking in a place where I can barely get a wrench on without pulling off the headers.

Anybody still swear by them?

[1948man]

I always thought they were kind of considered overkill on most GS models unless there is some kind of extreme use of the bike.

[tkent02]

They were not needed thirty years ago in tropical climates.
Stop and go, whatever.
Oil is much better now.
A cooler is an oil leak waiting to happen.
You decide.

[Nessism]

I had one but took it off. Running synthetic oil instead is a good hedge against high temps.

[KiwiGS]

It is horses for courses thing.
Depends on the bike and its usage.
If it is a fully "worked" engine you probably need a cooler.
If you only ride in traffic in the desert than you will need a cooler.
For a stock street bike mainly ridden on the open road, you probably don’t need one.....

[koolaid_kid]

I installed one on my GS this year. On a GS rally the oil temp would sit within a couple of needle widths of the 320 marker. With the cooler, it now sits on the horizontal line just above the 210 marker. I ride in a semi-spirited manner, slower than bwringer but faster than "smell the roses".
Prior to installing the cooler I asked Joe Nardy about the reading, and he told me it was normal for his 83 b/f he added a cooler.
BTW, the temp estimator is just that, so YMMV.

[doctorgonzo]

I have one I've never installed (got a deal on it). My understanding is the same as a lot of others. If the majority of your riding is in traffic, in Phoenix, probably a good idea. Otherwise, probably not worth it unless you like the looks of one.

[administrator]

I concur with the "if you get stuck in traffic, you may want to consider it" crowd. I almost melted the top end of the motor off one day when I was sitting stopped at in traffic at the beach, one hot summer, a long, long time ago.

-- Frank --

[rustybronco]

Hate 'em, when you tie a bike down on a trailer they damage perfectly good fenders.

(you getting all this chef?)

[Turtleface]

I installed one on my GS this year. On a GS rally the oil temp would sit within a couple of needle widths of the 320 marker. With the cooler, it now sits on the horizontal line just above the 210 marker. I ride in a semi-spirited manner, slower than bwringer but faster than "smell the roses".
Prior to installing the cooler I asked Joe Nardy about the reading, and he told me it was normal for his 83 b/f he added a cooler.
BTW, the temp estimator is just that, so YMMV.

Oh thank goodness. My 82 1100 E runs about the same as yours on the temp gauge. I was worried it was waaaaay to hot, and about to blow up, but I feel much better now.

[brveagle]

I run one on my gs550. It runs cooler.

End of discussion.

[Nessism]

I run one on my gs550. It runs cooler.

End of discussion.

Cooler oil is not necessarily better; unless the oil gets up to at least 212 F, condensation in the oil will not boil out. Using an oil cooler kit with a thermostat solves this problem but many of the common aftermarket cooler kits don’t use them.

[Mysuzyq]

If you do get stuck in traffic long enough (a gridlock situation), even running a cooler won't stop your bike from overheating, because there isn't enough airflow.....it would be better to look for a place to stop and let the bike cool a little, and hopefully let the traffic situation improve.

I do run a cooler, and find that it's pretty effective during summer to keep oil temps in check.....even with hard riding, the gauge rarely goes past the 1/2 position....usually it hovers just above 100C, which IMHO is the ideal operating temp. All of this is obviously dependent on ambient temp.....if you live in Texas, Arizona etc, YMMV. The downside of running a cooler without a thermostat up here, is that oil does not warm up to ideal operating temp during fall/winter.....yesterday I went on a 100km ride, and the gauge barely even registered any movement....I do plan on making a cover for the cooler, one of these years, to block it off when needed.

Bottom line.....cooler isn't absolutely necessary here in Ontario, but I wouldn't take mine off, due to the benefits in warm weather.....some research findings claim that oil life is effectively halved, for every 10 degrees (I don't remember if it was C or F, it's been a few years) above operating temperature. Also, your stator will probably be happier IMHO, running in the coolest oil possible.....heat here is a killer.
Tony.

[Roger P.]

My 83 1100E has no problem getting up into the 280F range without running hard. I put on the smallest of the "advance design" oil coolers from JC Whitney (on the advice from the OldKawMan website) and engine temperatures stay put at approximately 210F, which I consider ideal. Just for everyone's info, you don't need an 1150 oil filter cover. I machined down a brass slug to a sliding fit in the original oil port inside the motor and drilled a 3mm hole in it. It will slide out a bit under pressure, sure, but if it's long enough, there's plenty of support to keep it in place, and the oil cooler will do its job just fine. You can cut a deep "X" across the end to ensure that the 3mm hole is not plugged off when the slug slides forward to touch the oil filter cover on the backside. You can pull the slug out completely in the colder month to bypass the cooler altogether.

[sharpy]

They do the trick on warm engines. Warm as in phycially and as in modded engines. And there is always the WOW (wank) factor.