Just got back from the great state of FL. and put roughly 500 miles onan 06street glide.
Question: is there some reason why HD does'nt mount an oil cooler from the factory the temps were only in the middle to upper 70s and this thing was generating some major heat.
the little gage in the fairing was always between 80-100.

 

I have read elsewhere that Harley recognize the fact the TC runs hot and could benefit from a cooler, but would not do it because people would percieve this improvement as a cover up to a problem.

You know how people can get -we never needed a cooler before, why now.

I am seriously considering a cooler, as I want my bike to last as long as possible.

 

I ride a fatboy and live in Florida. Since it was my 1st big twin Ithought
about installing an oil cooler, but first I looked at other bikes to see how many
had them. I haven't seen one yet. I am sure they are oout there,
but since so few had them installed, I figured there wasn't much of a need.
You mentioned "the little gage in the fairing was always between 80-
100". Is this gage for ambient air temperature or engine temperature?
Either way....if the temperature of the air was upper 70's.....
that is like perfect riding! I wouldn't expect a Harley to overheat in that.
I have ridden my fatboy for a over a year in Floridas heat and humidity.
It has come nowhere close to overheating....even stop and go-slow traffic
of Bike Week.
So to answer your question: why Harley doesn't install an oil cooler?
I guess they figure one is not 'required', but they allow you to install one
if you feel the need to.
(but to look at the Harley oil cooler and its proximity to the engine, in stop
and go traffic.....unless there is air passing over/through the cooler, the oil is
not going to cool much? And the heat generated by the oil in the cooler
is going to hit the front of the engine again?)
I don't feel the need at this time. Maybe if I bumped my 88CI engine to
95 inches...
I would consider it (since my engine would be 'modified'), butthe 96inch engines
were designed to be just that.
I use good quality synthetic oil in the proper weight for the temps I am riding in.
That is good enough for me.

Chuck

 

I am in Miami and ride Miami traffic most days, just installed an HD oil cooler, last night, I feel its required for the 07/08 bikes if you commute in heavy traffic in the heat. Tricky install if you dont have a 7/16 th " hex head socket, other than that pretty easy install. Have not fully tested it yet but will let you know whan I do. Thinking about installing an in line oil temp gauge by the cooler.

 

After proper tuning of my 08 i don't think i need a oil cooler. The heat has been reduced with the Sert and even more so with Synthetic oil. I just do not want another possible leak spot. I have also heard a few complaints about them leaking. I am not ruling it out but i will wait to see how others pan out.

 

I had the HD oil cooler installed on my 08 UC before I took delivery. The HD and many after-market models have a thermostat to control whether oil goes through the cooler or not, so even in a cooler climate like here in Wyoming it can't hurt to have one. I go to Sturgis frequently and often that time of year we are riding in 90 degree temps for hours on end. Those I've talked to indicate the cooler drops the oil temp 20-30 degrees, so anything that will help extend the life of my engine is worth the price to me. As far as heat on the riders, I think a good stage-1 upgrade will do more, but why not both? I did, and so far am very happy with the way it runs.

 

I fitted the Jagg 6 row vertical oil cooler it was running 200 to 230 now running 170 to 200 I went with the manual thermostat and very happy with this set up. I had the chinese harley premium cooler on my 2006 dyna and never trusted the thermostat but I must say it worked OK I had a few stone hits but was mounted right behind the tyre. The jagg unit floes the oil faster through the system and fits the tourer better

 

Yes, there is a reason that it is not installed at the factory. If they installed it at the factory, they couldn't make the extra money selling it to you at the parts counter.

 

I have a friend that bought a2007SE Ultra Classic and his bike came with the oil cooler on it.

 

Just what I was thinking!

I'm going to put one on my Road Glide this spring. Hopefully that plus a PCIII will cool the beast down a little in the summer. I ride with a bunch of BMW and Triumph guys and those bikes have massive oil coolers--at least twice as big as the HD unit. Course they have higher compression and twice the horses so I guess they get hotter.