Touring Models Road King, Road King Custom, Road King Classic, Road Glide, Street Glide, Electra Glide, Electra Glide Classic, and Electra Glide Ultra Classic bikes.
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

oil cooler or fan?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
  #1  
Old 06-20-2010, 05:15 AM
jbmss's Avatar
jbmss
jbmss is offline
Advanced
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 65
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default oil cooler or fan?

Just got stuck in traffic yesterday and thought my left thigh was on fire,In stop and go traffic on a hot day wouldnt a cooling fan be better than a oil cooler?Also anybody running a LeNale cooling fan on there bike ? Is it better than the Harley one?
 
  #2  
Old 06-20-2010, 06:48 AM
Tx_Rider's Avatar
Tx_Rider
Tx_Rider is offline
Tourer
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Killeen, Tx
Posts: 413
Received 14 Likes on 7 Posts
Default

You cant go wrong with the combination of Syn oil, a good tune and an oil cooler. Some add fans to the oil cooler and some add fans to cool the cylinder heads. I have heard that the Lenale is a better fan than the HD but have no personal experience.
 
  #3  
Old 06-20-2010, 06:50 AM
shortride's Avatar
shortride
shortride is offline
Ultimate HDF Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: 46th State, USA
Posts: 6,932
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
Default

Some have installed fans just to find out that the fan blows hot air onto their right leg between the cylinders.
 
  #4  
Old 06-20-2010, 06:53 AM
Notgrownup's Avatar
Notgrownup
Notgrownup is offline
Seasoned HDF Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Snow Hill, NC
Posts: 23,477
Received 7,128 Likes on 3,660 Posts
Default

Syn oil and tune...I try to stay away from situations that put me in trafiic...if it happens i grin and bare it...oil cooler or fan ain't gonna do much for you there.
 
  #5  
Old 06-20-2010, 07:14 AM
frenchbiker's Avatar
frenchbiker
frenchbiker is offline
Elite HDF Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: The Burgh
Posts: 3,948
Received 53 Likes on 48 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by jbmss
Just got stuck in traffic yesterday and thought my left thigh was on fire,In stop and go traffic on a hot day wouldnt a cooling fan be better than a oil cooler?Also anybody running a LeNale cooling fan on there bike ? Is it better than the Harley one?
Stay away from stop and go traffic when it's hot and if you can't, be prepared for roasting. Nothing will dramatically cool down an air cooled bike when it's idling, assuming your bike is already properly tuned and doesn't run too lean.
 
  #6  
Old 06-20-2010, 07:19 AM
djkolp's Avatar
djkolp
djkolp is offline
Road Captain
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: South Florida
Posts: 658
Received 23 Likes on 16 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Notgrownup
Syn oil and tune...I try to stay away from situations that put me in trafiic...if it happens i grin and bare it...oil cooler or fan ain't gonna do much for you there.
If you have the time and money, the oil cooler and Lenale fan are well worth it. I installed both on my stock 2010 Ultra and I can vouch for their effectiveness. They work very well. The fan cools the cylinders when I'm stuck in traffic, and the oil cooler speeds up the process of cooling the oil when you finally do get moving.
 
  #7  
Old 06-20-2010, 07:34 AM
oscarg's Avatar
oscarg
oscarg is offline
Road Captain
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 561
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

I have both HD fan and cooler and use mobile one syn and
had it tuned with pcv but the best thing I did for the heat
was jackpot 2/1/2 headers now even with the fan on my
right leg is no hotter than the left
 
  #8  
Old 06-20-2010, 08:15 AM
oldbiker771's Avatar
oldbiker771
oldbiker771 is offline
Tourer
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: L.A. (Lower Alabama)
Posts: 404
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

A good tune will drop the engine temp. An oil cooler will do very little in traffic 'cause theres no air moving over it. A fan will cool the bike, but it does so by blowing air over the fins, and you can guess where that goes. There are a couple of manufacturers of heat shield that fit under the seat, you can search the forum and get the names. I use HD's, and they help keep the heat off that left leg. But in traffic, still gonna get hot. And HD is not unique here, the Kawasaki Concours owners have the same complaint.
 
  #9  
Old 06-20-2010, 08:33 AM
GARY DYER's Avatar
GARY DYER
GARY DYER is offline
Elite HDF Member

Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: WESTERN CHICAGO AREA
Posts: 4,259
Received 689 Likes on 412 Posts
Default

I thought about the fan, but a Harley tech told me to stay away from it. It makes your right leg feel like it's in a blast oven....no way around that.
\I have the oil cooler, side deflectors and the rear cylinder cut off system. I also just installed the 1' floofboard extenders. That really made a difference while riding.
 
  #10  
Old 06-20-2010, 09:16 AM
dog155's Avatar
dog155
dog155 is offline
Extreme HDF Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Windham,Maine
Posts: 13,389
Likes: 0
Received 24 Likes on 24 Posts
Default

Once worried as well about being stuck in traffic with a new Stroker motor,for a long time ran an oil cooler.Now, no coolers just avoid traffic jambs,no matter how far out of the way it takes me.Been some great rides that way.
 


Quick Reply: oil cooler or fan?



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:31 PM.