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Oil temp on a 107 degree day

2K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  96349 
#1 ·
This subject has been beaten to death sometimes but I promise to only list relevant information.
Came in off the highway today at about 4 pm. Ambient air temp was 107.1. Ya, I live in hell. I was riding one up on my 2009-96" twin cam with fuel injection and Dobeck TFI fuel management device. Stage one with Rush muffs. No oil cooler. Rotella 15w-40 dino diesel oil. 52,000 miles on speedometer. Nothing special, but the bike runs good, getting 39 miles per gallon on the highway. I pulled in off the highway after doing 70 mph for the last 2 hours and pulled the oil fill cap and stuck in a known good digital thermometer to check oil temp.
225.1 degrees. I am happy. Stop and go city driving would have been hotter, no doubt. But for you road warriors out there, that is probably pretty representative of what you could expect. Bye the way, I shot the center of the front tire with an infrared thermometer and it was 143 degrees. Did I say I lived in hell?
 
#2 ·
I've got a digital oil cap gauge and while on one of the rides in Iowa, 100*+, I was running 296*; I normally read 234* on an 80* day. I took off my leather lowers to allow more air on the motor but then didn't check the results. Bike ran fine all week - I've got the Xied O2 sensors, FuelPak, and Stage 1 also.
 
#3 ·
Gauge Speedometer Motor vehicle Auto part Measuring instrument
All

All sounds good just FYI JESC custom accents make a great dial reading oil temp gauge for FLs, I hate those battery ones, again just FYI,
 
#4 ·
Rode my bike home from work couple of weeks back. it was 106 with 113 heat index. felt like 140 to me, like I was in an oven. Bike ran 220 degrees. I have Jagg Fan Assisted Oil Cooler, but most probably it is my tune. It was dyno after cam install. runs much richer which I am told will run cooler.
 
#5 ·
Rode into Las Vegas, NV today from the south, 106 degrees, and my in fairing oil temp gauge read 248*, until I pulled off the road in town, then climbed to 265*. I'm running stock 96 inch, stage I big sucker kit, Freedom Performance exhaust, Syn3 oil, and an oil cooler. Would've hoped for cooler oil temp, but bike didn't flinch all day.

Any advice to get lower oil temps? I know get out of Vegas.
 
#6 ·
Well, in that environment there is not much more to do. It is hot and you have an air cooled internal combustion engine. It is what it is. You are not to the danger zone yet as far as oil temps go, but you are starting to get closer. You want to keep the bike moving so there is some air going across the fins to remove heat. If and when the fins start to smoke, that would be the time to pull over and shut it off. Other than that the secret is to keep it moving at a brisk pace, at least 40 mph. If modern day Harleys could not take the heat, then the side of the road would be littered with their carcasses. You might see one broke down occassionally but it is seldom from the heat. Engineers know they get hot and plan accordingly.
 
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