I asked this when I had my '07 Ultra in the touring section and it opened a can of worms!
People giving there pro and cons about a cooler!
On THAT engine, (96 CI) and all the stuff under all that fairlings, in stock form it ran HOT, (at least I tought so, one day the oil dip stick thermo read 265, during a traffic stop in heat spell).
So, I got for my baby then....,
1. the after market fan kit, (looked good, Leylan engineering. off E bay, plug right into my acc switch). (as well as the louvers that go between the tank and the seat to keep the heat off my.......!
2.A nice Harley oil cooler set up.
3. A dyno tune box to richen up the entire fuel system. (that make the bike run awesome, great roll on power, could run a gear higher) as well as a Arlen Ness high flow air filter.
Down side------ 32 MPG! from 40 stock! eek! with the stock 5 gal tank I was always stopping for gas! Felt like I was running a Sporty with a peanut tank-again!
That expensive set up dropped my temp by 25 degrees! sO i WAS HAPPY!
So, that being said.
this bike is nice, carb, a different set of brass, poof nice mixture setting, So no need for an expensive computer box-less to worry about!
It all stock, (well except for the slip ons, they are stock mufflers off my '07 ultra, nice sound-rumble AND quiet to boot, the P.O. had fish tailufflers on it that hurt my ears, but looked cool)!
I had it out last week and looked at the oil tank temp, (a J&P set up-Christ the same thermo I use in my HVAC work stuffed in a rubber plug, it was cheap, and now I know why)!
It read a surprisiong 212 degrees in 70ish temps.
What the oil temp like in a regular summer running down the highway??
Do you guys have a oil cooler set up??
If no, why???
If yes, what kind?? what was your before and after temps??
**** curiuos minds need to know!
Joe
There is it again, can't leave well enough alone, I feel like Dusten Hoffman in "Rain Man" about preventive sheet on my bikes!

 

I have run an Oil cooler w/ thermostate valve since the bike was brand new. I don't trust the dash gauge and ran a thermo dip stick for years, then it broke. The hottest I ever rember seeing my oil temp was 220-230ish on a hot summer day in traffic. It usually would run 160-190 in the summer. Average is 180 I would say. I just bought a new cheap V-twin thermo dipstick. I checked it against a digital thermometer. Its accurate. I have only been running it a week or so and its been in 50s and 60s here. Last time out it was at 180ish. My oil cooler is HD with three rows of fins with a HD thermo valve.

 

I don't have an oil cooler... don't need one. Evos just don't have the high heat problems that have always plagued twinkies. Maybe if you're running really high compression and/or have a big bore kit installed, you might need one - but stock Evos really don't seem to need oil coolers. I've never heard much talk of oil coolers here in the Evo forum. I've never measured my oil temp, either.

 

Been running a HD oil cooler since the bike was new in 93. I don't know if it helps or not, I've been in some pretty hot climates, and some really cold climates. The thing that will fawk you up on the EVO, is that it doesn't carry oil pressure when it gets hot. A reading of '0' is not uncommon for an EVO that is sitting in traffic on a 90 degree day.

It's all good. Run it.

 

I never gave oil temps on either of my evos tha '93 or the '96 a thought. It never seemed to get hot enough to worry about. BUT, my '03 ultra you could cook burgers on it if you got stuck in traffic.,,

 

My Ulitma engine manual states normal operating temperature for the oil should be between 165 and 205 degrees. It recommends to keep the oil temperature below 200 degrees and to shut the engine down if it exceeds 250 degrees. I use an oil cooler and at times it has exceeded 220 but none of my used oil analysis report ever mentioned any signs of heat damage. Like you, I also have my carb set up a little on the rich side and only get about 36 mpg.

 

An oil cooler will sometimes do more harm than good, such as on a cold day without a thermostat or with the cooler not covered.

From my experience with the coolers is....

The oil cooler only cools the engine down faster than compared to a bike without a cooler once they hit the highway speeds. Sitting in traffic with no air flow....the oil cooler doesn't do any good.

I've never had a mechanical failure on an EVO due to excessive heat.

 

I've run the dipstick temperature gauge in my Softail since new. Oil temperature at the tank will stabilize at 100-110 degrees over ambient on the highway (175-185 on a 7f degree day, for example). That's just barely warming the oil enough to drive off condensation. In traffic, the most I've ever seen is 215. I don't think I need an oil cooler.

 

Here we go again, let me get on my soapbox. Having built a lot of engines we reccomend them on all the engines we build. There are zero cases of engine damage attributed to the oil being too cold from an oil cooler. The only thing cooler oildoes is give you a little more oil pressure. There are cars running on the street every day, all over the world with oil coolers without thermostats and they are out there in temperatures that no sane person would ever ride in. A little more pressure should equal lifters that make less noise and less engine wear. However I must state in all fairness more oil pressure does equate to fractionally less HP due to oil pump drag.
Stock EVO's unlike their earlier iron brothers usually don't need coolers, but as explained above it is cheap insurance!!! Hope this help.

 

Nice to hear from one of the pros, John!