I recently received an early gift from a friend for my Birthday/Christmas gift. They picked me up a Digital Temp Gauge for my IRON w/1200cc Conversion.

Since I've got it when I ride it tends to range from 166-187 degrees and displaying "HI OIL" Are these numbers common? I dont want to over heat the oil but even when I dont "Ride it like I stole it" it tells me the same thing sometimes. Is this bad???

Whats the average temp for oil on our bikes?!?!

Please advise. Thanks

 

Not trying to shutdown your B-day/Christmas gift, but those digital gauges don't work as well as intended. Unless they've re-engineered the gauge, but I dunno if they have or not.

 

On average your oil temp in the bag should be around 200 or so. Give or take, depending on ambient temps, riding habits, and traffic, ( stop and go ). Bear in mind oil and water temps are 2 different things. It takes temps in excess of 250 for long periods of time before it will start to have adverse effects on your oil. Sounds to me like your dipstick is reading low on the temp.

 

Air cooled engines run hotter than water cooled, but even so 200 is not too hot for oil. My car water temp is suppose to be 190, so I know the oil is hotter than that. Mobil 1 V-twin is designed to handle up to 300 degrees. I have read that optimum oil temp is 215, below where conventional oil breaks down, but above the boiling point of water so any water from condensation is boiled out. Not sure if this is true, and it also depends on where you measure it. On any vehicle the oil that is right under the piston when it fires will be over 250.

If it is measured in the tank, it should be considerably cooler than if measures from the crankcase.

 

one other thought, is it a Dakotadigital? I believe they are adjustable as to what temp the high temp alert comes on at.

 

Thats cold for a Harley..HA They are also pretty much cold blooded. Pretty much they will run a 185 or so crusing at 60 on a 80 degree day. Change it to a 100 degree day and it will be 205. Make it 40 day and it will be 145. That just ball park rough for the non oil cooler ones with no thermostat. Seen mine at 235 a few times this summer. Ran mine little over 6k and 15 months and oil still looked like new. 40K on it now. Runs just like brand new.

 

oil temp on my '08 1200 is typically 185 even on the hottest days; with DD speedo, my head temp is about 375.

 

On a 90 degree day, my analog temp.gauge/dipstick showed 215 after a 1 hour run with HD20w50 in the crankcase. I asked the dealership if there was a max outside temp I should not ride in and they told me as long as I could stand the heat I shouldn't be worried about the bike being able to handle it. I did not like that answer, so I asked another dealer about max oil temp, they said it was not a good idea to run the oil temp past 280 for prolonged periods as temps like that indicate a problem. I was told and have expriances that show average oil temps around 200to260 on long hot runs, on extreemly hot days. I would like to add that I change my oil every month in the summer.

 

I have the HD analog dipstick gauge and my bike runs around 180-190 most of the time. A few times when hot out and riding 2-up I have see it around 200-205. I'm not a fan of the digital gauges.