What would your motorcycle say if she could talk? Would she have nice things to say? Would she tell you how great a rider you were or complement you on your stamina for being able to stay in the saddle so long? We’d all like to think so, wouldn't we? After my post on hot weather riding, a friend asked about how to keep air-cooled motorcycles from overheating in hot weather. At that moment, I had a terrible thought. What if, after riding all day in 100+ degree temperatures my bike was screaming at me, “Hey, fat ass…it’s hot, get off me!”
The thought of my bike yelling hateful things was almost too much to bear. If you’re like me, you probably treat your bike better than some family members and you’d do just about anything to keep her happy. I queried the font of all knowledge, Google Search, to find the answer to my friend’s question and to find out if I’d been “mistreating” my girl by riding her hard in hot weather.
Having combed through countless websites and forums, I concluded as long as your bike is maintained properly, you should be able to ride it in any temperature your body can stand…hot or cold. Triple digit temperatures may make you feel like a dog but your bike barely notices them. Most air-cooled bikes have a normal operating temperature range of 160-240 degrees. This provides a huge temperature differential for convective cooling. As long as you’re moving at speeds of at least 15-20 mph, your bike should have no problem eating up miles all day long. Even on the hottest day.
Since most of us like to ride hard, travelling at 15-20 mph isn’t generally a problem. However, sometimes we encounter stop-n-go traffic or participate in a slow-moving parade that keeps our speed down. These types of situations can potentially lead to overheating. While many bikes can operate at temperatures at or above 300 degrees, it isn’t a good idea to run at these temperatures for a sustained period of time. Doing so can potentially damage the engine. Several late model Harley-Davidson touring bikes (2008+) have an Engine Idle Temperature Management System (EITMS) that can be turned on to help reduce engine heat by disabling the rear cylinder when the bike is stopped. Many Harley owners who frequently deal with heavy traffic appreciate this feature.
For those of us with bikes without EITMS, there are two things we can do to help our engines beat the heat. First, switch to synthetic oil. While there’s some debate about just how much synthetics can reduce engine temperature (some say 10-50 degrees), everyone agrees synthetic oils can withstand much higher temperatures before losing their ability to protect the engine’s moving parts. This is a good thing. Second, if you frequently find yourself in no-go, go-slow situations, consider installing an oil cooler. Oil coolers will reduce the oil temperature by as much as 40 degrees by circulating the oil outside the engine block to allow for additional convection cooling. If these things aren't enough to cool your engine to a safe level when riding in traffic, listen to your bike. Pull over to a safe spot, turn the bike off, and remove your ass from the saddle. Give her a break for a few minutes, she’ll cool down quickly and then beckon you back to complete your ride.
Bottom line. When your cruising down the road, you don’t have to worry about your baby getting too hot…that’s what she was made to do. However, if you encounter unusual riding conditions and are stuck in slow moving traffic, fill her with some good synthetic lube, give her some bling (oil cooler) and listen carefully to what she tells you.
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Sources:
All Things (Safety oriented) Mototrcycle Forum - http://www.msgroup.org/forums/mtt/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6099
V-TwinForum - http://www.v-twinforum.com/forums/engine-oils-lubrication/183189-critical-oil-temperature-2.html
HD Forum - http://www.hdforums.com/forum/general-harley-davidson-chat/133760-do-oil-coolers-work-4.html
The Ultimate Ducati Portal - http://www.ducati.ms/forums/42-monster/68298-air-temp-vs-engine-temp.html
Harley Parts - http://www.munising.com/harley_oil.htmlGoogle+ Cruiser Motorcycle Community - https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105307778936018386350
To find out how hot your bike gets, use a oil dipstick thermometer. My 2011 Roadglide was getting to 285+ on hot days. Plus my right leg was cooking. I had already taken out the catalytic converter and changed to syn oil. My bike came w an oil cooler.Over the winter, I had new headers installed with the rear cylinder going LEFT all the way. New cams for lo end torque , mufflers, and a tuner and dyno that added more fuel to cool the bike were done. Now, I'm running 230+ and my right leg is comfortable.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing at how much heat an engine can put out. Glad to hear your leg isn't frying anymore. Ride safe! ~Curt
DeleteI had an oil cooler on my Ultra, and it seemed to help. Also, making sure you have plenty of oil in the engine, helps keep it cooler (That Ultra of mine used to leak oil).
ReplyDeleteA friend just recently put an oil cooler on her bike and so far she's been happy with it. At this point in time I don't think I need one for my Sportster 1200. I try not to spend too much time in traffic. I haven't had any problems with oil leaks...hopefuly, I never will.
DeleteIf you don't know the temp, you have no idea how things are going
DeleteGood point, Anonymous. ~Curt
Deletegreat post
ReplyDeleteMotorcycle motor outline and development has since quite a while ago surpassed that of the car business, and industry eyewitnesses concur that the huge organizations like Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki can assemble significant R&D ability here, which can then be connected to their vehicles motors.
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