Oil Cooler?

[lisk]

Hi Guys, need some input from you "Gurus of XS"! I've read different posts on adding an oil cooler to the XS1100 but does it really help or is it really necessary? I live in Canada where, as you all know, we ride here with studded tires on our bikes in case of a sudden snowfall even in July, (kidding of course) but just looking for some feedback on this before I spend the time and money on one. Thanks for your help.....

[79XS11F]

I have one on my bike because as you know ... It can be VERY hot in traffic in July and Aug. If your cooler has a thermostatic switch like the Lochart units you don't have to worry about over cooling in spring and fall.
Hey where in Canada do you live? I'm in Ottawa
Rob

[lisk]

Oil Cooler

Thanks for the reply, you're up early on a Sunday morning! I'm in Oshawa actually! You're right it does get hot in traffic in July and August but these things don't work unless you are moving isn't that right? I was thinking about the traffic thing too but wasn't sure if they work while idling? Thanks, nice to hear from somebody in Ontario!

[79XS11F]

I'm a early bird so I can twist wrenchs while the Girlfriend sleeps LOL LOL. Your right about the cooler not doing a whole lot while the bike is not moving but it is helpful because the engine will cool off sooner once you get movign again. Some have been thinking about adding a small electric fan and I may try this myself if the right size/type of fan can be found but it's not a priority.
Rob

[lisk]

oil cooler

The fan idea may help for sure. Let me know if you try it. I'm actually from Pembroke with most of my family originally from Killaloe! I love the area up through there. I try to get up that way as much as possible. We do an Algonquin run each year but sometimes the weather doesn't co-operate. Thanks again and all the best.

[Pat Kelly]

(Just thinking here, I know, dangerous).....

If you get a fan and only want it to come on when you're stopped, use a switch that is linked to the clutch. Have the fan come on only when the clutch is pulled in (like when sitting in traffic). Yes, it will come on when you shift gear but only for a split second. If you had a thermoststic switch that had an electrical switch as a part of it then you could hook it to there.
I personally don't think you need a cooler if it seldome gets over 100 F. Here it's over 100 for a month or two and gets over 110 regularly. I moved my cooler from my E (stock) to my LG because of the big-bore kit. Thinner cylinder walls and higher compression. Plus the LG is my summer bike. The E has the nice big Pacifico fairing with lowers, nice in the winter.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Lisk,

I'm with Pat in that unless you get stuck in traffic alot, you probably don't need the cooler. IF you're stuck that long, just turn the engine off. As for a switch linked to the clutch, I don't think that would be very good because if you're sitting there for a while, you would probably put it in neutral and release the clutch, not sit there holding it engaged in gear for several minutes!?

I live in southern Va. and have the 'little' big bore kit, and it's just fine while riding. I did get caught in stop-n-go traffic once, got rather warm, smoke started coming off the head due to oil cook! But that was rare, I turned the engine off, and just pushed it along until traffic got going at a decent speed to restart.
T.C.

[planedick]

I want one...

I'm interested in adding an oil cooler to mine. If anyone has an adaptor they can part with I would be interested in buying it.

[Erik the Red]

Hmm... what about this?

Put the oil cooler on if you think it needs it. Mount a couple of fans (like you'd find cooling the innards of your computer) to blow on the cooler. But rather than hooking them up to a piece of your bike (clutch or something), why not just have an actual, physical switch hooked up to the fans?

The only time that you'd want them running is when you're stuck in traffic, and since you're already stopped, it'd be easy to just flip the switch. You could run the wires for the switch up into your instrument cluster, so you wouldn't have to be reaching up underneath or anything. I don't know how much current draw there'd be, but that info would be easy enough to find.

Just an idea.

[skids]

Hey, wait a minute...if the fan turns faster than it would with the bike stopped, like the bike moving at plus 50mph, it could function as a generator and you could run those heated vests, HID headlights, big stereos and the like! I am kidding of course.

Originally posted by TopCatGr58
Hey Lisk,

I'm with Pat in that unless you get stuck in traffic alot, you probably don't need the cooler. T.C.

[mason79]

how about if it's stop and go like a slinky? in the heat, in your leathers? and laws against splittin lanes?

would that qualify you to be hot and bothered? is that xs backwards?

[red bandit]

If you need an oil cooler for stopped traffic because the oil is getting too hot...isn't the engine also getting too hot?? Personally, I don't think an oil cooler is necessary in the north country. But...it's your bike!

[HobbyMan]

The oil cooler helps keep the engine cool. Yes, why you are sitting there not moving the oil cooler isn't doing anything. When you move, it just helps cool the engine a little. I guess all you up north don't really have a need for it as much. Here in Texas on our concrete jungles, it is almost absolutely essential. Typically in the summer it is 110deg on the pavement and you may only get going 10mph before you have to stop again. That means there is not enough air flow to do cool the engine to its normal temperature. Typically, you don't have enough time sitting still to justify shutting the engine down. Even then the engine won't cool as much. The oil cooler just helps. I am possibly going to mount a fan on mine and temperature gauge if they are cheap. Every bike that I use in traffic has a cooler. THe only bikes that don't are either not done restoring or I don't use them where there is traffic.

[mason79]

i think if you want to split hairs, the cooler will work a little even when standing still , as the additional contact surface area to the ambient air is increased over a stock configuration.

that is why running without one is not so bad as i think the engine-neers had this fingered out long time ago, increase surface area of the fins and they will still cool the motor with or without the air flowing past it.

did you ever see the back of a high end audio amplifier? will they call those fins ;heat sinks and i don't see those things going down the street, the heatsinks draw the heat away from the heat producer,

when 486 computer were around there were no fans and then came 2 gig cpu's hence the fans.

so i surmise a stock motor without high compression, more cubic centimeters, or whatever, was enginereed to do duty in congested traffic,

look at the vdub and 911's they went for years like that and stayed 2gether!

[HobbyMan]

Yeah, it will cool it to some degree. The heating of the ambient air creates its own air flow. Hot air rises. Did the engineers design the XS to run in extremely hot weather? They also have to be designed to run well on the other end of the spectrum. I look at it where if it is cold, you put a fairing on and when its hot, you put an oil cooler on. Of course the cold temperatures wont affect it nearly as much.