Hey guys,

Is an oil cooler worthwhile? Would it actually make much of a difference?
Has anyone installed a oil temp guage, and then done a comparison with and without a oil cooler? Any thoughts appreciated.

Also, for a Nightster, can anyone recommend a good tool-kit, I see HD has one, but wondered if anyone is using a diff/better one.
Also where would/could it be carried, do I need to get a fork bag? and if so, what type/brand would you recommend.

As far as saddle bags go, none I have seen on any forums really look good on a Nightster, has anyone worn a backpack before? I have a Nice CamelBack backpak that would hold minimal gear, but would it put too much fatigue on me? I really don't want to add a sissy bar, or luggage rack type thing on the bike.

Thanks guys, love my bike!! thanks to all that talked me in to the 1200

 

http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_101...rd=screwdirver

I've had one of these in my tool box since I first saw it at sears. When I bought my bike I bought another along with the propper torx, Allen type bits, 1/4" socket bit and standard flat and phillips bits and will carry that along with me. I also bought a couple small adjustable wrenches and a few 1/4" sockets that might be needed. All fit nicely in my tree bag.

 

an oil cooler depends upon how you ride and where you ride. if hd thought they were mandatory, they would come from the factory with them. if you ride really hard or you live in a high ambient enviroment, then consider getting one. this is just an insurance policy. hd sump temperature runs cooler than a water cooler engine. the reason is that the coolest the oil can get on a water cooler engine is the water temperature itself usually around the thermostat setting. on an hd, the oil is only briefly subjected to combustion heat before it is scavenge from the c/c. the majority of the heat is transferred to the cooling fins. this not to say the oil can not get hot! if i really trash out my bike, i can see oil temps around 230 degrees but if riden repectfully, it normally runs 150 degrees. i used to never run an oil cooler but i do now only for the insurance policy or so called peace of mind. by the way, you can make your own way cheaper than buying one. i made mine out of a power steering cooler from an old chevy. ford has a better looking one and you can pick them up cheap from any salvage yard.

 

Bike oil works best above 170 deg. F. Below 160 deg you're still running base oil, so if you're running 20w/50, it is still basically 20wt. Above 170 it transitions to behave like 50wt.

The engine will run its best and the oil will perform best between the temperatures of 180-200 deg F.

At temperatures between 220-240 the engine is too hot.

Petroleum oil begins to cook and form deposits around 250 deg F.

Synthetic oil is okay up to 300 deg, but that is way too hot unless you're racing and the engine is expendable.

I bought a little dial type lab thermometer and watched the oil temps on our bikes after a variety of rides. I'm no longer concerned about oil temperature.

 

the temps i quoted were at the oil bag and not the engine temp. if dino oil broke down at 250 f then there would be millions of locked up engines. i work on industrial engines, some which you can stand in the cylinders or crawl in the c/c and i have seen the beasts run 240-260 f on hot windless days. the mfg's usually provide points in which to measure the crank temps and i have seen temps at 300 f. this would be pushing dino oil to its max limits. the issue about the oil switching at 170 f is unfounded. go to your favorite store and buy a quart of your favorite oil and buy a throw away viscosity tube like they use to measure paint and test your oil and you will find the even at ambient temps, the oil is not a 20wt. or what ever the winter rating is. an engine is just as happy to run along with 120-140 f, the idea of running 180-200 f is so that it can boil off any water or volitiles most prevelant on and engine not run much or long enough. we are talking about oil temps and not water. so which is better to cool oil going in or out??? water temps has risen over the years for one reason and that is emissions. a water cooled engine can run closer tolerances and produce less emissions with the temps held at a fair constant. not so with an air cooled engine. remember the old days when the engine ran 160-180 f, todays run 190-210 f. heck i remember many not even running thermostats and the temp guage never got off peg. the vehicles were wrecked or rusted out before engine failure. do i need my oil cooler?? probably not as i ran 20+ years without one. like i said, its just an insurance policy or feel good policy, whatever. can't hurt and besides, when you need it the most is when it is most in-affective, on a hot windless day in stop & go traffic. a fan assisted cooler would work best here, although i have seen the old police glides (cast iron) run and idle all day and the never had oil coolers either.

 

Aircraft piston engines have safe operating oil temperatures between 185 and 240 deg. F. That's the green zone of the oil temp gauge. They can exceed those temps only for short periods of time during climbouts. Some heavy trucks have automatic systems that begin power cut backs when the oil reaches 240 deg. F.

Oil with a 10W or 20W rating are tested for flow at below zero temperatures. Mulitgrade oil, such as a 10W-40, has to exhibit the flow characteristics of a 10 "weight" oil at cold temperatures and the operating viscosity of a 40 "weight" oil at 212 deg. F. The long polymer chains that are contained in viscosity improvers remain tightly coiled at low temperatures. At higher temperatures, these polymer chains begin to unwind and stretch out and so increase (improve) the operating viscosity of the oil. The specs for winter viscosity oil testing are contained in the SAE J300 specification.

Cast pistons aren't round when they're cold. Cast pistons don't become round until they reach normal operating temperature. Continuously running an engine at below normal operating temperatures causes undue wear in the mid-point of the piston skirts because that's the only point of contact until the piston is fully warmed up.

Charles F. Kettering once said that a part left off of a car could not cause it to fail. This was in response to the suggestion that thermostats not be installed in engines. Kettering was a brilliant man. He invented the high torque DC electric motor that was used in the first electric start vehicle, the 1912 Cadillac. He also invented the Frigidaire. He also invented the high torque AC electric motor and mechanism for electric cash registers for NCR. Kettering was no fool, he went on to become the CEO of General Motors. He insisted that engines be equipped with thermostats so the engines wouldn't run too cold.

I rebuilt a 1947 Chevrolet 216 truck engine that had run without a thermostat. It was originally equipped with a 160 deg. thermostat. The rings actually had to be chipped off the pistons they were so gummed up. The interior of the engine looked like blobs of coal. Cups full of crud had to be chipped out of it, and then it took 3 hot tankings to get it clean enough to rebuild. Engines run best above 180 degrees F.

I've worked on and operated a few stationary engines, and some even had ebullient cooling systems. They ran so hot that they used steam for the cooling system. The oil came out of the crankcase at about 245 and hit the supply side of the pump at about 190 or 195 after coming out of the heat exchangers.

While it might be considered "safe" to operate Harley engines at higher oil temperatures, I'll continue to follow the recommendations for aircraft engine oil. Lycoming says for maximum engine life, maintain oil temperatures between 165 and 220 deg. F.

I can live with that.

 

Harley jugs and heads can and do run at temps over 300 - 350 degrees. A good way to lower temps is by using a good synthetic oil. Synthetic oil will drop temps by 20 degrees.

 

Save your money, oil coolers are needed more for a heavily modified engine with a lot of hp. I have the oil tank temp gauge and normally run between 180 - 220 degrees. I rarely go over 220 unless it is over 90 degrees, and I am stuck in traffic and forced to idle for long periods of time, and it is summer. If your running stock or stage 1 an oil cooler is not for you. IMO they are not the best looking things either ... sticking out with extra hoses to break.

If your worried about engine wear for those few hot summer months just change your oil, as oil breaks down quicker in hot temps.

Cruz tools makes some nice tool kits.

 

I know everyone else has been talking about the oil temps, etc. I just wanted to give you my take on the bag. I actually have a mesenger bag (single strap that slings around your shoulder). I can adjust the bag so that it rests on the back of my seat and I got a pretty big one from North Face. I carry my tools and just about everything I need for a whole day. Just a different take. This bag doesnt fatigue my back too much because most the weight is still on the seat.

 

As said above you don't really need an oil cooler unless it gets real hot where you live. I live where it gets above 110, I know my cooler does wonders for my bike as my brothers overheats constantly while we're out on the town in summer.