I'm new to Harley's having just bought an ' 08 Ultra Classic. I knew going into the buy that these bikes can run hot. But having rented them in Texas and Las Vegas at 100 degrees plus, my wife and I still really enjoyed the rides. Anyway, is an oil cooler a good investment? How much will the temperature drop with one of them installed versus leaving the bike stock? Last, what's a reasonable expense for parts and labor for the dealer to install?

Thanks,

 

Yes.

Next.

 

I believe oil coolers should be included on ALL touring bikes. I installed mine in an hour or so. Bought it from Chicago HD for less than $300. A shop would probably charge 1.5 to 2 hours in labor for the job.

BTW, one reason that our bikes run so hot is that oil is sprayed on the underside of the pistons to help cool them. Thus the heat is transfered to the oil.

A cooler should drop you oil temps by 10 to 15 degrees easily. Keep in mind, you have to be moving for the cooler to work. Slow speed riding or stop and go traffic is the worst thing and will drive your oil temps up no matter what you do.

i also believe we should all be running a good synthetic oil such as Amsoil or Mobil 1.

These are just my thoughts on a highly controversial subject. Many will agree and of course many won't. Get ready to hear from the latter . . .

 

Double post . . . sorry

 

I had one put on my 08 Ultra before I picked it up, I believe they are well worth the cost, but then so is doing a stage-1 upgrade with a fuel management system. Between the 2 you've got a good handle on the heat put out by an EPA regulated and choked engine.

 

Yes. Good investment.

Any reduction in oil temp is good.

 

$245 delivered from M&M Cycles

Great investment to keep the oil temps down to a better level. For me, it's reduced my oil temps 20-30 degrees.

Took me about 1 hour to install..............you can do it yourself and save your bike from dealership hell.

Steve

 

I don't agree that they are needed. I run synthetic oil and at that the temperature the bikes run at I think they are a waste of money. I put the money into the dash mounted oil temp gauge instead.

 

As previously stated the oil is sprayed on the bottom of the piston to cool the combustion chamber. This causes the oil to run hotter, which causes all the internal parts to run hotter. Heat is the enemy of your engine, so yes an oil cooler will certainly help. H-D oil coolers are no longer made by Jagg so the catalog showing "turbulators giving better cooling is out. We only use Jagg, they are a quality oil cooler that flat out works. They are not billet, or flashy looking, I would reccomend the ten row vertical model. This model mounts on the front frame downtube and flows lots of air. You can buy the complete kit from them, check out their web site.

 

Yes, I don't leave home with out it.