B&M Supercooler

[3Phase]

IMO, that larger size cooler should'nt create any issues, cept a double-take for looks.

It seems to be working fine so far.

I just got back from a run up the hills, through the canyons, then back via the freeway and it seems to like the oil cooler. It still gets hot but not screaming hot.

Now just get those spindle legs up front braced and it'll handle like it's newer look!

Well, the frame on this bike has cracked and been repaired twice now. I keep getting told that it's no big deal because the cracks and repairs were in the non-critical areas of the frame just behind the shock absorbers where the luggage rack mounts and, "They all do that, sir!" Hmph, not on my bike is it ever okay if the frame cracks anywhere at all for any reason.

Those spindly legs let me know up front when it's time to ease up on the shenanigans with this old bike and its brittle frame.

Looks great!

It would not be hard to wire in one or more pancake fans, and a thermoswitch would also be fairly simple, as would a toggle switch for if you ever never wanted the fans running.

Might - MIGHT want a restrictor in the oil line to slow/limit flow - sometimes they actually cool better. I have no idea on placement or size

Well, if the cooler loses a little efficiency it's not a big deal. The Supercooler is designed so that there will be enough surface area for good cooling without restricting the flow of oil in a 8,000 RPM small-block Chevy 350.

Fans and a couple of other things are on the agenda now that I know it is physically possible to fit a Supercooler and I have finished the base installation but I want to try to keep it simple to avoid adding multiple points of failure.

I still have to hook up my gauges to monitor and verify the oil temperature and pressure but at some point the cylinder head and the bottom of the piston crowns will get so hot that even cooled oil will start to burn on contact as it's sprayed up into the cylinders. Cooling burned oil doesn't really help....

Great thread, great pictures, this is the stuff I come here for!

Thanks, Steve!


Regards,

Scott

[XJOK2PLAY]

Hey, Scott...
Looks like you've put a lot of thought & hard work into this project.

One suggestion....
Don't ever let Tod ride it, or do what he's done with his...
(ya know.... he has a hard time keeping the front wheel down...)

His front fender has a huge dent in the top part from striking his cooler as he brought the front wheel down...

Didn't know if you've allowed for the total fork travel... fully compressed that is...

JAT...
Looks good, Scott. Bet that will really help w/ the heat that's coming soon.
Take care.
Bob

[3Phase]

One suggestion....
Don't ever let Tod ride it, or do what he's done with his...
(ya know.... he has a hard time keeping the front wheel down...)

Hey, I owe him a set of transmission gears anyway.

His front fender has a huge dent in the top part from striking his cooler as he brought the front wheel down...

Didn't know if you've allowed for the total fork travel... fully compressed that is...

I have not checked the clearance at full compression with a guardrail... but I did use a ratchet strap to hold the forks down and there is no problem!

The brake lines do touch the cooler when the steering is turned full lock at full compression but the brake lines don't touch at all if they're held together over the fender centerline instead of hanging off to the outside of the forks; picture later, it's all locked up for the night.

JAT...

That's actually a very good thought, Bob. It would get really ugly if I hit a whoop-de-do in the middle of the desert at about XS11 nominal and the wheel hit the cooler or if the brake lines were cut or rubbed through!

Looks good, Scott. Bet that will really help w/ the heat that's coming soon.
Take care.
Bob

Thank you, Bob, you too. I think it'll work if I pay attention and don't get too confident. It's only an oil cooler, not a water cooler!


Regards,

Scott

[3Phase]

I didn't take any more pictures of the saddlebags yet but I bought twenty new 8-32 stainless steel panhead screws, nuts and flat washers for the new saddlebag latches. Of course the saddlebags and lids have an odd shape and it took four different lengths of screws to mount the latches: 1/2", 5/8", 3/4" and 1". The stainless steel screws are tougher and look better than the galvanized screws with the new chrome latches and I don't have to worry about rust.



More good news: the oil cooler is now 100% secured. I bought a couple of small 1/4-20 u-bolts to hold the lower mount brackets to the frame of the bike, then took some pictures:-


The lower right oil cooler mounting bracket with a u-bolt holding it to the frame. The left side is identical.



The right-hand side view of the brake line retainer.
The lower oil cooler mount u-bolt can be seen at the bottom left corner of the picture.



The front brake line positioner is made from a soft piece of MotionPro vacuum line. It holds the brake lines so they do not touch the oil cooler when the front forks are at full compression.



The cooler is done now so I'll put the finishing touches on the saddlebag latches tomorrow morning then go for a long ride just for grins!


Regards,

Scott

[MacMcMacmac]

FYI, I installed the smallest oil cooler JC Whitney has for sale, about 1/3 the height of yours, and it dropped my oil temps from 280ish down to 210F, no thermostat, 1983 GS1100. I think you have way more cooler than you need.

[3Phase]

I think you have way more cooler than you need.

Thanks, Mac! Erm, you live in Canada? I think you could use a B&M SuperHeater, not a SuperCooler!

Have you ever ridden a motorcycle in 130F/55C temperatures? It got up to 140F/60C back in 2005 but I didn't ride in it. When it gets that hot nothing moves. Fire ants stay two meters down in their nests, fanning each other and saying, "It's too hot to go outside!"

Restricting the oil flow with a small heat exchanger is a very bad idea in the desert and I just hope the SuperCooler is big enough to handle the Mojave this year!


Regards,

Scott

[XJOK2PLAY]

Hey, Scott...
Just to clearify...

It wasn't a guardrail that caused the dent in Tod's fender... it happened way back before that incident, and was due to some serious (on purpose) wheelie action... HeHeHe... lol

Funny thing about it... if ya didn't look too close, it looked like a factory bent depression, and not a bash from contact w/ the oil cooler...

[3Phase]

Just to clearify... was due to some serious (on purpose) wheelie action....

Aha! So, if anything breaks I can blame Tod!

I haven't seen too many XJs up close except for Jerry's and even that wasn't really up close enough to tell if doing a wheelie would dent the fender with the oil cooler if you see what I'm saying but now that I know it's possible to do something on an XJ I have to try it on my XS. It's only oil!


Regards,

Scott

[XJOK2PLAY]

Well, all ya need to do is let him ride it around the block... if there are any weaknesses, flaws, or engineering snafues.... he's your man to find 'em for ya. LOL





In all seriousnous, I kid Tod a lot cause.... cause he provides great opportunities! And he's Tod...

But, the truth is- I owe a LOT to the guy... my transmission would still be a wreck if it hadn't been for him...

So I know what ya mean about owing gears and the sort... I owe a lot to him.

Tod's the primary reason my bike even runs... so I give much credit to him, and I won't ever forget how he went outta his way to help out a new guy that he'd never even met before. (Travelled from Ada to Stillwater, and gave up his entire weekend to help me tear it down and fix it.)

Tod, if ya read this... you know I'm just bustin' your chops a little... just because usually you start it first....

Scott, looking at your pics, it looks to me that up at the top of the cooler, should those forks ever fully compress, might be the only clearance issue you might have. If you've checked that out, (and don't plan on slamming it down hard after a wheelie or two....ahem... you'll be ok...

And yes, it is just oil... BUT: oil's not so cheap anymore, ya know? Especially if you happen to be out in Nevada somewhere or thereabouts when it happens! I've heard how far those stops between stations can be out there...

But I have put an 11 to the ultimate test. It will go 3-4 miles w/o an oil pump even working at 30 mph... wouldn't want to try it again... but mine seems to have suffered no ill effects and is a real testament to how tough these engines really are. I've put on 12,000 more miles since it was merely bolted back up, and it runs great. Unbelievable.

Next 2 mods mine's headed for will be an 850 FD swap...(already have the FD located...) and a possible 3 gallon rear mounted reserve fuel tank and pump setup for extra touring range.

Take it easy, Scott. Lookin' good. Like the mod.
Bob

[3Phase]

The saddlebag latches are finished. They look okay; could be better but they work fine!


The gap between the new front latch and the body of the saddlebag.



A block of leftover packing foam makes nice gaskets for the new saddlebag latches.



I used a stack of washers as spacers for the lower screws on both of the front saddlebag latches.



The new right-hand saddlebag latch installed with the spacer washers and a gasket.



Next up on the to-do list is hooking up the oil pressure and temperature gauges. This will take some time and thought because everything is working fine right now and I don't want to mess it up!


Regards,

Scott

[3Phase]

... the truth is- I owe a LOT to the guy... my transmission would still be a wreck if it hadn't been for him...

So I know what ya mean about owing gears and the sort... I owe a lot to him.

Yes, Tod's a good man (don't tell him I said that!). I owe him and Ivan, IIRC, a set of gears because I lost a bet about a certain transmission bolt but I used the gears to fix another member's transmission so it'll be a while before I have any more gears to spare. I'd rather owe it to 'em than cheat 'em out of it!

Scott, looking at your pics, it looks to me that up at the top of the cooler, should those forks ever fully compress, might be the only clearance issue you might have. If you've checked that out, (and don't plan on slamming it down hard after a wheelie or two....ahem... you'll be ok...

I used a ratchet strap attached to the handlebar and the brake disk to compress the forks all the way to the bottom. The only thing close was the brake lines with the wheel turned to full lock. It's possible the forks could compress a little more on a hard impact from a wheelie or a pothole so I will recheck the clearance... got me worried now! LMAO!

And yes, it is just oil... BUT: oil's not so cheap anymore, ya know? Especially if you happen to be out in Nevada somewhere or thereabouts when it happens! I've heard how far those stops between stations can be out there...

It's not just the distance between stations, it's also the frequency of oil changes. A single run through the desert on the wrong day at the wrong time will destroy the oil so I don't always go by mileage to tell me when to change the oil, I also go by the sound of the engine and the way the transmission shifts. If the engine starts to get noisy and rattle and the transmission starts to get harder than normal to shift I change the oil and I don't care how many miles are on it since the last change. You're dead on with the cost of oil. It's is no longer cheap and without including the filter it's roughly $12 to $25 bucks a pop to change four quarts of oil. That gets really expensive really fast if you put 20,000 miles on the bike with 500 or 1,000 mile oil changes instead of 2,000 or 3,000 mile oil changes.

Hopefully the oil cooler will save the cost of at least a few of those toasted oil changes!

But I have put an 11 to the ultimate test.

I remember reading about that! Yikes!

Next 2 mods mine's headed for will be an 850 FD swap...(already have the FD located...) and a possible 3 gallon rear mounted reserve fuel tank and pump setup for extra touring range.

I'm also considering a reserve tank and pump (or a Venture tank) for some more range but I really do not want to turn my bike into a flaming missile if I run over a rusty beer can either so it's not gone much beyond the 'thinking about it' stage!

The FD swap is great for covering distance and relatively flat ground but it's not so good for steep, twisty, roads and canyons ... like all of the ones around where I live. The mod does work okay but it flips the usual XS problem around so that instead of wanting another gear above 5th you want another gear below 1st and I keep clicking down on the shifter trying for 0th gear.

I still haven't taken it off my bike. I think I'll just leave it on and fix up a second bike with a stock XS final drive for the local canyons and such.

Take it easy, Scott. Lookin' good. Like the mod.
Bob

Thanks, Bob, keep the shiny side up!


Regards,

Scott

[MacMcMacmac]

Thanks, Mac! Erm, you live in Canada? I think you could use a B&M SuperHeater, not a SuperCooler!

Have you ever ridden a motorcycle in 130F/55C temperatures? It got up to 140F/60C back in 2005 but I didn't ride in it. When it gets that hot nothing moves. Fire ants stay two meters down in their nests, fanning each other and saying, "It's too hot to go outside!"

Restricting the oil flow with a small heat exchanger is a very bad idea in the desert and I just hope the SuperCooler is big enough to handle the Mojave this year!


Regards,

Scott

I've ridden up to 40C. I can't imagine doing anything at all at 60C!

[draketrumpet]

The new right-hand saddlebag latch installed with the spacer washers and a gasket.

Yikes, I was just measuring my latches and they are roughly 22x55mm, these are almost twice thatno wonder they didn't quite fit right. Curious, does the same key fit in all of the latches? or do you know have to carry 4 keys around? I've been thinking about these, but don't really feel like drilling my saddlebags. They're in pretty good shape except for the one missing part on one lid

[XJOK2PLAY]

Hey, Scott...

Cody's turned me on to the setup he had installed on 'Zilla... don't know if you ever got to see that bike before he let it go, but it was an awesome tourer.

He bought a 3 gal. plastic dragster fuel cell from Summit Racing...
SUM-290120. He mounted it low on the back of the bike, behind the rear tire, and it was mounted & protected by an 'L' shaped full width sheet metal mounting bracket he made. He added an electric fuel pump, gas guage sending unit & dash guage, quick release fuel and electrical lines so it could easily be removed when he didn't need it, shut off valve in line, and plumbed it up to the petcocks. When the main tank was down to the last gallon, just before reserve, he'd switch the valve, hit a switch he'd wired, and transfer into the main tank from the reserve. He could watch the reserve guage to make sure he didn't run it totally dry and starve the electric pump... and keep on rolling down the road. Adds another 100 miles or so to the range.

He needed it on the long trips he'd take from Ok. to California, going across the desert, when the stations were about 200 miles apart.

2 of the 3 bikes he has now, (along w/ Bohn's as well,) will go around 250-300 miles or more between stops on trips. I'm the problem, even w/ 5.1 gls... 150-160 miles or so, and I'm beginning to worry. The extra 3 gls. would equal things out for everybody, and help us make better time.

The tank is trapezoidal in shape, and looks like a cool mudflap when installed.

I think the post he'd made is still on here about it, but the pics are gone now.
Just something I'm considering soon.

[trbig]

Thanks for the kind words, Bob.

And Scott, I must have slept since we made a bet, because I don't remember you owing me gears.

As far as this...

The FD swap is great for covering distance and relatively flat ground but it's not so good for steep, twisty, roads and canyons ... like all of the ones around where I live. The mod does work okay but it flips the usual XS problem around so that instead of wanting another gear above 5th you want another gear below 1st and I keep clicking down on the shifter trying for 0th gear.

....It's amazing the opinions people have of something they've never tried. The only problem I would forsee with the 750/850 final drive would be if you were running a lot of weight like a sidecar and starting out facing uphill on a steep grade. In that case you'd have to slip the clutch more than normal. 1st gear on the stock final drive is like a granny gear. Just about the time you let off the clutch and launch.. it's time to shift again. With the 850 F/D, I can burn off a tire or wheelie off the start, and still run it up to @ 70mph at redline. And let's not forget.... the 750/850 F/D was what the bike was DESIGNED to be run with originally before they went for bragging rights in the 1/4 mile.

So, this isn't some huge major change that lugs the engine off the start like you're starting in third. It just feels right on the bike.. and feels even better on the highway. I'm sure SOMEONE has, but everybody I know that's tried it for a bit won't ever go back to stock. If you still doubt.. maybe we can race in the twisties sometime!

Tod