[toddl]

i would like to install oil cooler on my 03 low rider is this a simple project i know the tc runs hot i would justv like to help my motor out alittle or am i wasting my time

[bikerjim1]

Oil coolers are only truely effective when the bike is in motion having wind pass over it. In still traffic situations , it really doesn't have much of a way to dissipate heat. Are you generally a distance rider, or an "around towner"?
If your TC is operating within the tolerance range found acceptable from the factory, it's not a must, but then again, any extra measure can't hurt. This really gets down to a preference issue if your bike is running right.

[hotroadking]

Oil coolers work, stopped or moving, for the simple reason that the cooler itself is a larger area for the disbursment of heat,

Inside the motor the oil has little cooling options, it's job is to lubricate and take heat away from metal parts, the cooling on an air cooled motor is from the air passing over the fins, and the fins dissipating heat when stopped.

You feel heat coming off the motor when you're stopped, that's the fins getting the heat out, when you move the cooler air helps cool the fins and the motor.

TC's feel hotter because they shed heat better than EVos, Pans, Shovels etc. Larger fins = larger cooling area.

When you have a cooler, your oil temp is lower when you ride, when you come to a stop your oil temp is lower than it would be without a cooler.

So if you're running 240 without and if you get a 20 degree rise at a light, then you're up to 260, with a cooler it's 220 and 240 respectively, and as you pull away the cooler is going to lower that temp back down faster.

Synthetic work better, longer and holds its properties better than dyno so it' helps lower temps as well.

If you live in the Upper Michigan area I doubt a coolers worth the purchase, however if you live the south, south west, or anywhere the summer riding temps are in the 90's or higher, it's a good investment.

I can tell the difference when my cooler is not on the bike.

Remember too the diameter of the frontal area is just part of the cooling, the fins are over an inch deep so that increases the area cooling oil.

JMO>

[fatboyvtwin]

I have a 2004 Road King Classic with the stage 2 kit installed. I have the Harley super premium oil cooler I installed myself. A couple of years back I ran thru Death Valley and the outside temp. was 121 degrees. My oil tempeture never got above 230 degrees. Heat is what kills a Harley motor, I would suggest to everyone to have one installed. Or install one yourself they are very simple to install. Ride Safe David.

[AFNurse]

Ok, so here I go, throwing out my "ignorance".....I am now in the land of HEAT.....didn't have to worry about a think in Germany.....now I am riding to work in 80 and home in 95 plus......not a bad option by description.....how much do they run? Are there different models? What is better? WHERE do they go (how do they affect the "looks" on a stock bike)? This may be something that I need to look at closer!!!

[toddl]

thanks for all the in put i think i will install one it cant hurt

[Seahag]

I plan to put one on my glide this winter...using the engine guards as the oil cooler. I'm running high compression which raises the heat and I have forged aluminum pistons which transfers moe heat through the dome to the oil via the piston skirts. My 95" build is MUCH hotter than it was as an 88"...and I plan to give it some help.

I know up north we are not as frequently exposed to such high heat as people in the south, but it got over 100 degrees here in Minnesota a handful of times and over 90* a lot more than I care for. Thats hot enough to make my motor a lot more ping prone, so its hot enough for an oil cooler. I'll have a thermostat on it....so it won't overcool.