Everything they are saying here about the avg HD heat issues is 100% true esp when it comes to the avg HD dealers take on it. I have been a motor mechanic for over 50yrs & when I got my flhtcu & had my 1st ride in 85-90 deg f heat my HD responded in this way. Oil pressure at idle & cruise was down by 12-15psi due t overheated thinned out oil. Valve train got noisy due to overheated thinned out oil. Motor lost it’s snappy throttle response felling soggy less responsive loosing trq due to excessive heat. Motor detonated on premium 93 fuel when had rec 91 Oct fuel due to excessive heat. Hot restarts like post fueling up in hot weather was slow due to overheated heat soaked starter,battery & motor. The excessive heat was uncomfortable for the wife & myself riding the bike too. So after that 1st ride in summer heat I said if I can’t correct this heat issues the bikes going by by because I didn’t like it’s change of character when riding in summer heat cond. So I got on my pc to find the products I felt would remedy all the above issues by doing them all at the same time that fixed it once & for all! Keep in mind I have an oil temp gauge along with the std oil pressure HD gauges do I can easily monitor & compare pre post adding cooling mods. Installed adjustable XIED’s to correct the excessive lean cond from idle thru mid range throttle position which smoothed out the idle & mid range motor operation but didn’t affect oil temp. I installed a lrg oil cooler with 2 thermostatically controlled electric fans. Note,an oil cooler on an HD without Elec cooling fans is basically useless when it’s needed most in stop & go slow moving traffic due to lack of airflow,end of story there. The motor & oil will still get overheated sitting at stop lights or in slow moving traffic due to lack of airflow thru the oil cooler without the 2 high speed & high volume Elec cooling fans the oil cooler I used had to keep the oil & motor cooler in hot summer temp. Installed love jugs newer Gen smaller cooling fans that Mount to horn bracket on left side of the bike under the fuel tank. Removed the oem crankcase breather hose from the air filter & changed it to an external breather eliminating the motor injesting all the over heated oil soaked crankcase fumes from mucking up the complete intake & combustion chambers. Also Got away from HD syn3 & MOBIL1 20w-50 motorcycle specific oils to spectro’s syn blend or full syn oil specifically designed & formulated for lrg disp sir cooled v-twins. So after I did all of the above all at the same time I was shocked at just how well the bike/motor responded to it & how much nicer it was to ride the bike in summer temp XIED’s made the motor run soother at idle & at mid range throttle too. Oil pressure in summer heat only dropped 6-8psi @ idle & cruise rpm vs the 12-15psi it lost prior to the cooling mods. Valve train/lifters stayed completely quiet at all times in summer heat. Oil temp went from 236-240deg f on avg to 190-195 deg f in summer heat post cooling mods. The motor stopped detonating on 93 fuel so I tried HD’s rec 91 fuel in it & it didn’t detonate on 91anymore so stayed with the cheaper 91 fuel. Motor retained all its crisp performance /throttle response & trq that it used to loose when it ran hotter prior to cooling mods. Hot starts like post fueling up were quick with no hesitation at all when it used to struggle turning over a bit slow due to the heat soaked overheated starter,battery & motor prior to the cooling mods. There was also considerably less heat from the motor hitting me & the wife too. The motor running cooler will definitely extend the life of all the seals,gaskets & plastic parts in the motor like for example the valve seals, plastic blocks used on cam & primary chain, & more! I used to belong to the HD forum and used to see guys constantly posting/complaining about heat related issues & I tried to tell the Hd forum members what I did to my HD that cured all the heat related issue I got huge pushback basically saying I was full of crap and what I said was not true when it was the best money I spent on the bike that gave the best results in comfort & overall improved engine performance. Now issue with the hd’s poor design of the efi connector at the throttle body causing the TBW to all the sudden crap out loosing all throttle response going into limp mode with motor only idling when your in traffic being very dangerous that hd totally looked the other way on basically doing nothing for me. They tried installing new gold pins in the connector but that didn’t work either. Hd said the only fix was to replace the efi wiring harness with the same poor design EFI Harness/connector that was currently giving me trouble costing me $2,000! I thought about trying to eliminate the connector by soldering the wires directly to the spade terminals on the throttle body. But theres a lot of vibration in that area & thought if that fidnt work and wires/slide joints let loose then I’d have to replace the efi harness for $2k just to sell it! That’s when I learned my lesson & said goodby to my Hd & went back to a jap 1700cc air cooled cruiser that’s been rock solid reliable with more power without any of the heat issues to have to correct costing big bucks too. Happy motoring
The people who are in denial about heat increasing ware on the engine and robbing power from the engine are simply wrong. You guys are right and bottom line is I rather ride my bike with a cooler engine than wrench on it, repairing the damage, by riding at above 260 oil temperature.
One of my bikes is a 1949 El panhead. I run an external spin on oil filter and also an oil cooler it gets pretty hot here in the summertime in Florida. Everything helps to keep the engine alive. (Edit) Also, I have a 2012 FLHTCU. I run a set of Love Jugs on it, and it helps with the heat.
In 1979 I bought a brand new 1979 Superglide, rode it for 14 years. The BIGGEST problem I had with that bike, on longer rides the rear cylinder would get so hot the fuel would predetonate. BANG BANG BANG Fire poping out of the rear pipe. I would have to pull over and shut it down so it could cool off. That pissed me off so damn much I swore I would never buy another damn V-twin aircooled engine..... Until last week... I bought a 2004 Fat Boy.
My mechanic recommended the whole cam chest kit and oil cooler on my FXDLS, made a HUGE difference so I did the cam chest kit on my 12 flhx as well and both are seeing much lower head temps. All because I was looking at cams initially
Last year I purchased a low mile 2007 Ultra Classic which I could afford. I reported to the Service Manager it's running real hot. He did say they run hot. At one point I thought the engine felt ' tired ' but after watching this video I reakize what the situation really is, HOT HARLEY TWIN CAM in the sumner. I recently removed the tour pack to lighten her up only because I'm a disabled veteran with back issues. A Nam vet friend gave me a passenger back rest and beautiful large chrome luggage rack to install. I can attach travel bags to these. Now I'm thinking a lighter bike decreases the load on the engine as well? I'll consider removing the lower vents and follow your recommended cooling tips. Already installed is a free flow aftermarket full exhaust and a power comnand installed by the previous owner. We can't verify any other modifications from the service records available. Thank you, Grandfather John USMC Beruit Veteran Disabled
Yes, weight and wind resistance increases the load on the engine, which increases heat. Lighter and more aerodynamic, the more felt power and the less heat (everything else being equal). Thank you for your Service, because of You we Ride Free. Thank you for watching and sharing.
@@dawidos117 We primarily do fabrication...the furthest we delve into electronics is wiring, LED's and XiED's. If I felt the need to have that, which would be cool, I would start by looking at Dakota Digital.
Good video. I've got a 2014 Slim with the 110 big bore kit. They run hot! I run a Jaggs fan assist oil cooler so oil stays right at 210. Engine temp per the PowerVision can show 285-290 in summer. Might Mites are being installed soon for more protection and a tank lift. Thanks guys for the real data.
I run Love Jugs on my '11 Street Glide and they definitely work. The trick is to turn them on as soon as you realize you're in stop and go traffic, before the engine starts getting too hot.
Great video again guys. What about Cylinder head temperature. I recently upgraded to Dakota Digital gauges and I have ability to see what that temp is. What should I expect to see the temp at?
Thank you, glad you are liking the videos. In the video below we talk about optimum ET's as displayed on the Power Vision. This is a direct read of the heat sensor in the cylinder head. th-cam.com/video/rWOdQOtDv6A/w-d-xo.html
Hello gentlemen. I’m new to the Harley-Davidson family with a 2021 Tri-glide Ultra and live in the desert. I can’t find any engine temperature gauge in my trike controls, only outside air temperature. The only way I can imagine how to check my engine temperature would be to point an infrared thermometer at the engine, but where should I be pointing it for the best reading or is there a temperature gauge that I just haven’t found yet? You’re advice will be greatly appreciated.
Harley does not put any of those gauges on their bikes. Theory is that it would freak people out. You can get a dipstick that has a temp gauge on it to see your oil temps. For engine temps the Power Vision is the only real choice at this point. Using an infrared heat gun is very unreliable, and also not an indication of what the temp is Inside the engine at the Temp Sensor that the ECM uses. The most reliable, repeatable measurement using a gun is 1" away from the cylinder, 1/2" behind the spark plug hole. The gun must be held at the same angle each time to get an apples to apples comparison. You may find this video interesting- th-cam.com/video/rWOdQOtDv6A/w-d-xo.html
PS: Lycoming Aircraft engine operation specifically states that the oil temps should be between 165° and 220°. Not too cold, not too hot. Information is readily available on the www for reading. FYI Thanks Guys!
Yep. It is pretty common knowledge outside the Harley world. Unfortunately there is a huge push of misinformation to Harley owners. Harley is in a difficult spot...they want to keep the nostalgic look/sound, but they have to meet stricter and stricter requirements.
Morning Guys, another informative video - thank you! I ride a 2018 Tri Glide Ultra FHLT CUTG with a Stage 1 set up. As I am based in the UK, its always a little difficult equating what you are reporting and advising in regards to the UK ‘s generally cooler climate. I have currently fitted your cooling wings, a Jim’s Forceflow fan and removed the left side cooling shield. In addition, I have fitted a replacement oil dipstick that measures oil temperature. I suppose now I need to ride as normal and monitor what temperature the oil gets too. I do find the. Radiator fans kick in fairly early when the bike is idling on the drive or in traffic. A good thing I hope (?). Keep up the good work! Bob
Thank you, glad you are finding the videos useful. We appreciate your business and good to hear they are helping you out. Unfortunately, even in 50 & 60 degrees F the engines will get too hot...it just takes them a little longer to get there. Yes, the rad fans are programmed to kick on BEFORE it gets too hot, to help keep it in a good range. Kicking on after a short idle in traffic is not a bad indicator. What I do see a lot, (that is an indicator of running too hot) is a bike that has been traveling at 40-60 mph come to a stop and the fans are already on.
There's no denying my 2002 RKC (79k on the clock) runs better on a cool day than a hot day. Don't sweat the temp too much. I just ride the damn thing and enjoy. 20 years now and the bike still runs like the day I bought it. I've used synthetic oil since the breakin oil change. Why? There's a reason synthetic oil is used in jet engines. It can take the heat so there you go.
Glad you're enjoying your ride. Here's wishing you many more miles of smiles. Yes, the 1999-2002 Twin Cams were the best years, and did not have near the heat challenges that really got bad, starting in 2007.
2022 fatboy 114 M8, screamin eagle Bluetooth tuner. Engine temp on the se tuner app reads 270-280, around 290 eitms kicks in. Seen as high 300 but drops. BTW I'm in south florida. Is the engine temp listed on the tuner app the actual oil temp? Is it the correct measure that we should be gauging?
First thing, oil temps will lag behind engine temps. No, the engine temp on your SE Tuner is reading from the Engine temp sensor on the bike not the oil. The only way to get a correct reading on your oil temp would be to get an oil temperature gauge dip stick! 270 - 280 is better than some bikes but it is still hot. Here is a link to a video playlist on Why and How to Cool Down your Bike that you may find useful/interesting- th-cam.com/play/PLb3bvZgbH92_3s-2vv63QggFJ3nteFd_C.html Here is a link to a written repost that you may find useful - www.dkcustomproducts.com/why-how-to-cool-down-the-twin-cam-engine-part-i-dk-cl-tc-dn-1.htm Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions; Support@DKCustomProducts.com 662-252-8828 Thanks for commenting! 😎
You guys are absolutely correct! Even liquid cooled engines across the board run their coolant between 180 (old school) and 195/205 (currently). Temps at or above 220-230 degrees is an overheating situation! Air cooled is not much different. The oil itself starts to oxidize and break down at the higher temps. Can you get away with it? Sure. For a while... Like anything, there is a limit. I'm with you guys, keep it cool, keep it happy! Great work guys. Keep plugging away at it. The nay sayers will one day learn (maybe).
Thanks man, appreciate it. Yes, we would rather see temps closer to 200, but we have not found a way to make that happen on a heavily loaded bike/trike traveling at interstate speeds on a hot day.
Bottom line is don't run your bike at idle for more than 10 to 15 minutes at any given time because air cooled engines require AIR. And don't race the piss out it. Air cooled engines hate it when you act like you got a muscle car between your legs. Harleys are NOT race bikes they are cruisers.
Very good info. All one has to do is remember how much more power the felt on a cool summer evening late night ride. Nuff said, this should be a no brainer on engine heat
@@DKCustomProducts I guess we are not going to convince all of the nay sayers, they will see when they have engine related heat problems and no warranty left. I have not yet owned a Harley that did not run too hot for its own good. I know from wrenching all my life what heat does, it is the great destroyer, thank you D K customs for all you do for the Bike/ Trike community
A chemistry professor holds up a bar of iron and asks the class “What is the length of this bar of iron?” One student raises his hand and replies, “At what temperature, professor?”
Outstanding video guys, and yes the heat issue on my Twin Cams has always been a concern for me, so much so, that on my last build I only went with a 95". I don't really believe that bigger is better with an "Air Cooled" engine, although there are some Yahoos out would say otherwise...oh well!!!
Nostalgia preference for old school air cooled designes aside, I admit that the most efficient remedy for over heated engine is full water cooling with adequate volume capacity.
My Pan runs around 230 on a warm day down the highway. Really all that's needed is a bit over 212 to boil the water (condensation) out of the oil. I traded off my oil cooler when I moved from SW Arizona to the PNW. Heh. Down there, during the summer (115), I've gone to roll on to make a pass and have the engine just start pinging. No get up and go. Not good. Nope, not good a'tall.
That's a tad on the cool side for the oil. Not sure where you're grabbing that temp from, and if you are running an oil cooler. Ideally you want to see the oil temps between 180-210. You don't want to see them over 230. These temps are at the engine or the tank.
@@DKCustomProducts I've got a thermometer dipstick on my oil tank. And yeah... I'm running an oil cooler. I don't get as much motor noise in the south Mississippi heat as a result.
Enjoy your informative videos.... Ultra M8 107 stage 2 I have carried out mods ..tank lift, oil breather external system, removed left hand leg heat shield and run fully synthetic oil. Question... how do I monitor the engine oil temp the best ? Currently I have the thermo heat gun and aim it at the top finn of barrels at a set distance. Question, how does this temp compare to oil temp. Thanks ... Jim in Australia 🇦🇺
Thank you, glad you are finding the videos useful...and we appreciate your business, and glad you are liking the parts. There is no direct correlation that can be drawn between the outside of the engine temps measured with a gun and the oil. Oil heats up and cools down very slowly compared to how fast the outer surface of cylinder heads heat up and cool down. Generally it takes 45-60 minutes of continuous riding for oil to reach it's max temp. On your Ultra, you have no oil cooler, so the oil is going to be hotter than most. Here is a link on a test we did on an M8- th-cam.com/video/6AhPqVlvE-w/w-d-xo.html Best way to monitor engine oil temp is with a HD or JES Custom oil temp dipstick. Best way to measure the internal (not surface) engine temp is a Power Vision. Here is a video series you may find useful- th-cam.com/play/PLb3bvZgbH92_3s-2vv63QggFJ3nteFd_C.html
The truth behind an air-cooled, high compression, high performance motor comes out with daily real world riding. Sitting in bumper to bumper traffic, on a 90+ degree ~ 90% humidity day, behind a 3rd red light change while drivers in air-conditioned cages have their attention focused on their phones! Throw in gasoline so bad it detonates when ya wash parts with it. I've rode for over 30 years on Panheads and Shovelheads that ran 250 ~ 270 on a hot day. That's with non-variable points timing and 60 or even 70wt oil.
Yep, Street Developed, Street Tested is what's important...the Dyno Proven is to illustrate. Sounds like you have had a fun ride! These new EFI bikes are a very different animal than what we rode in the 70's thru early 2000's.
We have a report that we've done with a list at this link- www.dkcustomproducts.com/why-how-to-cool-down-the-twin-cam-engine-part-i-dk-cl-tc-dn-1.htm I would read the info there, and then start at the top of the list (on page 2) and work my way down until the bike is at a temperature you are comfortable with.. Also here is a link to a video with low to no cost ways to cool down a TC/M8 - th-cam.com/video/o3T3yA9BKwE/w-d-xo.html Always feel Free to email or call with any questions: Support@DKCustomProducts.com 662-252-8828 Thanks for commenting! MB
If Harley's engineers knew what they were doing, their bikes wouldn't break down the way they do...(I've owned several, the newest was an 08 CVO Electra Glide & all of them required numerous repairs, while my Hondas & Kawasakis only required gas, oil & tire changes) Harley has the worst engineers in motorcycle design...that being said, I still love the way their bikes look, sound & ride, when they'll actually run...HD should've gone full water cooled decades ago...only cooling the heads is a step in the right direction, but they need to cool the whole thing...
And unfortunately they are not even cooling the heads on the Twin Cooled. There is one water jacket and it only goes around the exhaust valves. Part of the look that so many like is that they are not 100% water cooled. HD has gone 100% water cooled on the VROD, Streets, and now the RevMax.
This is part of the reason younger riders tend to stay away from HD...they will eventually cause their own downfall when their ever aging loyal fan base dies off...they're overpriced, unreliable money pits...when you can get a fully liquid cooled Kawasaki Vaquero that out performs a touring HD at literally half the price off the showroom floor, why would you buy one of these lumbering dinosaurs? I love my Road King, but if I ever need another motorcycle, I'm getting a Vaquero...
@@Road_Rash Maybe the 3rd time is a charm with the RevMax for the younger riders (and some older ones) Regarding why a new HD instead of a metric...Looks, sound, feel.
@@DKCustomProducts not good enough for me to stay with these money pits...I can get all of those same things for half the price with the Vaquero...alter the exhaust, it sounds very similar, & the looks & handling are fantastic...not to mention, I'd rather have Kawasaki dependability over any of that superficial stuff...
I'm currently trying to get a mystery leak stopped...one more thing to add to the laundry list of problems these things develop...it's just not worth the hassle of owning these things...it's always something with them...if this bike wasn't already paid for, it would be on the market already & I'd be buying that Kawasaki as soon as it sold...
Thanks for Your business, we appreciate it! The Cooling Deflector Wings are good for 8-10* drop in engine temp. You may find the report linked below to be useful...it lists out many of our parts that cool Harley's and how much each part typically cools them down. www.dkcustomproducts.com/why-how-to-cool-down-your-twin-cam-engine-part-ii-dk-cl-tc-dn-2.htm Always feel free to email or call with any questions. Support@DKCustomProducts.com 662-252-8828 KP
Hot intake air robs power. It does this by reducing the density of the air and it risks premature detonation of the fuel air mixture in the cylinders. I've worked on several VW bugs and the high temperatures destroy the number3 cylinder.
This makes total sense because most cars truck or suvs run about 220 as far as operating Temps on coolent so with it a harley majority of the time running air cooled bikes makes total sense and yes with the oil temp you keep the oil tem cool it doesn't brake down as fast the hotter it gets the more of a chance of cavitation of the oil
Great information,I have fitted a set of love jugs and a 10 row Jagg non fan assisted oil cooler,in combination they seem to keep the twin cam engine running at the levels you recommend, although I can get to 245 degrees on a hot day,I live in Perth Western Australia where we have a hot climate,I was wondering do the fans become ineffective at speed or do I leave them running all the time or just use them in city traffic where they are very effective.
The fans are very effective at speed. Here are a couple of report links that show that- www.dkcustomproducts.com/force-flow-fan-test-report.htm www.dkcustomproducts.com/sleeper-performance-mods.htm
@@DKCustomProducts Thanks for your response, I am amazed at what a difference the fans make and glad they work at speed,they may not look that pretty but I'm sure I will have a lot happier bank account running the engine at the temperature you recommend.
After I purchased my 2021 Trike, I put the stage 1 air flow with new headers omitting the cat and using American Custom exhaust. I do have a 4 inch baffle in the mufflers but now my trike is running much cooler. †his spring I will change the oil and Amsoil will go in.
My oil runs 210°-220° on a 104° day. M8/ stage 2, i luv my hi flo oil filter, it Makes a big difference. I still run conventional oil. It works fine. Changed at 2000-2500 miles.
Do you guys have any idea of how long a 2020 114 M8 RKS would last running at 250F vs 310F? 120,000 miles vs. 70,000 miles maybe? And what parts go bad when you run hot and never add fans/coolers?
There are far too many other variables, besides heat, that would affect the outcome. Just a few...how one rides, what oil, how often oil is changed, how long or short are the rides, and hundreds of other variables. BUT, an engine with 10,000 miles on it, ridden at 310F consistently, will fail a leak down test. (See this video - th-cam.com/video/2YrM7f321JE/w-d-xo.html ) most of the time. Usually the parts that need replacing are the cylinders, pistons and heads. I was just talking to someone the other day who's bike was in for work at 17800 miles. They were replacing the entire engine. The connecting rods had gotten too hot and he had a knock. This can happen, but it is more likely the damage will be confined to the top end.
@@DKCustomProducts Wow, got it, so then if all the other variables were equal, the heat damage could make the 120k be 20k. That's substantial. For my bike, with fans and an oil cooler, some days I see 270 and other days it's 310 to 340 honestly. So, it seems like my engine might only last 25k. I'm at 5k now in 2 yrs, so I might have another 8yrs left in it, if I don't do more to cool it now. Might try the single horn fan and an upgraded oil cooler. Thanks for the info 🤘
@@YoursInYeshua Glad you found it useful. There is a whole list of things you can do at this link- www.dkcustomproducts.com/shoptalk/DKUM/ It is not just the engine wearing out, it is the heat for comfort to rider and passenger, there is the reduction in power, and there is less MPG, and there is LESS SMILES PER MILE because of the sluggish throttle response.
Yes Harleys run too hot. Well, some Harleys. I have a 1989 FXRS Low Rider, a 1995 Dyna Superglide, and a 2006 Sportster 1200L, and none of them run too hot. And I am in AZ. All three of these bikes have 3 things in common. One, they all have EVO engines, two, they are all carbureted, and three, they are all jetted properly. I can't believe the things people are doing to cool down their Harleys, like actually putting fans on the cylinders. All they really need to do is richen up the air/fuel mixture (a lot) and if they have a TC engine, get an S&S oil pump.
Thanks for watching and for your comment. Yeah, it was not until 2007 that the heat problem started getting really bad. Unfortunately, even with a great tune, (or with a tune that is super rich) along with oil pump upgrades, many TC's and M8's are still Much too hot.
A motorcycle needs to run and be reliable for its customer every time. No exceptions. Period. Anything else is just poor engineering. Something that does not run consistently for the customer; has these kinds of issues, is not worthy of a return customer. And therein lies therein lies the issue. There are such loyal Harley Davidson customers that The Motor Company thinks "Well we can turn out as much mediocre crap as we want and people will keep buying it." I would suggest Harley management go back and look at history. Look at how Triumph, BSA, etc were resting on their laurels in the late 60's. And then the CB750 came.
Yes, we mostly agree. See video we made, touching on this subject back a year or so ago. Link below....check out the comments in that video also. Anything mechanical has the potential for failure, no matter the brand. While I don't believe HD is resting on their laurels, they definitely run years behind at addressing some issues that should be resolved prior to release. th-cam.com/video/vlFbpY-tr6U/w-d-xo.html
There is only one heat sensor in your Milwaukee 8. It is located in the front of the rear cylinder. This is the sensor that HD uses in the ECM to help adjust the tune for temp conditions. The best way to display the reading from that gauge is via a Power Vision or an FP4. You can see those here- www.dkcustomproducts.com/efi-tuners-c74-317.htm Here are a couple of videos that you may find interesting/useful- th-cam.com/video/0vbTkRvFa80/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/rWOdQOtDv6A/w-d-xo.html Some folks use the Dakota Digital Set up...it is pretty expensive, and we have seen a lot of folks have problems with it.
I have a 2011, Electra Gluide with 70,000 miles on it. I changed out the worthless ambient temp guage to an oil temp guage and I have never been over 250 deg. It normally runs at 170 deg. It got to 250 deg on a real hot day in stop and go traffic. I have run the bike in 95 deg weather in South Alabama and oil temp never got higher than 220 deg.
Those are really good temps! Good to hear you have your bike running at optimum oil temps! btw, something we did not mention in any videos, it is always good to double check with a second thermometer to make sure the one you are using is correct.
In the video we talk about oil temps and heat sensor temps. Two different temperature readings. Oil, as shown in the video should not exceed 230 F. Heat sensor temps (as read by the OEM heat sensor) and displayed on the Power Vision as ET should not exceed 230 F on a Twin Cam, and 260 F on an M8. More details on ET temps, where they come from, and what they should be, are discussed in this video- th-cam.com/video/rWOdQOtDv6A/w-d-xo.html
Run Amsoil in all 3 holes tested up to 500 degrees on the Amsoil video on this here interweb . When the steaming oil cooled they tested it's viscosity and it had lost practically no motor protection and they put it back in the bike!!2 0/50 wt motor , dedicated Transmission and Primary fluid all Amsoil and love jugs or the new mini mites . YOUR HARLEY WILL. NEVER OVERHEAT. My Deuce ran from 230 to one day in traffic 260. Since fitting the fans on same temperature day the oil / temp dipstick was running just under 200 all day.I also run the same set up on my 2014 Firefighter Shrine Street glide . I like the mini mites ( looks wise) my brother in law runs the original Love Jugs on his 2003 Ultra Classic with you guessed it AMSOIL.
@@DKCustomProducts I did watch your video and really enjoyed it 👍 Everything you said was correct . Dino oil is probably ok for the short haul BUT who wants to change their oil every 3,000 🤔I know I'd rather be riding 😂Also as mentioned there is a difference between car and M/C oil . From what I understand car oil is not good for alloy motors that's why the M/C oil has the special additives. My thoughts on Syn /3 is what do HD know about motorcycle oil? They are motorcycle manufacturers and probably get their oil as cheap as possible and stick their name on it ? And I'm glad it works for you noise wise because that's the very reason I know people won't use it because it's noisey ( so I'm told). Like you say everyone's got an opinion 😂👍🇬🇧🇺🇸😎
Love Jug fans keep my oil temp at about 190 around town and about 230 in stop and go summer time traffic. S&S high volume oil pump and cam plate makes a big difference too, keeping that oil circulating at that sustained idling
yes, high operational temps drop efficiency, but I would have liked seeing that external fan blowing from the front of the engine, hitting the oil and watercoolers, and how much difference that would make, simulating movement of the bike
Sorry we did not highlight that, they are there, in front and to the sides. The fans on all dynos replicate the wind the engine experiences going about 60 mph down the road.
My XR 1200 has an oil cooling system separate of the engine oil lines and passageways.... There are spray nozzles mounted in the bottom of the cases that spray oil on the bottom of the Pistons ... There are oil lines extra coming out the center of the cases between the jugs that go up and do nothing but cool the cylinder heads and then back to the oil tank... There's a huge oil cooler on the left side of the frame that goes to a mechanical thermostat inside the cases that governs the amount of cooling oil going through the oil cooling system... So one day I found a oil cap combination thermostat and dipstick that fit my oil tank... And in cold weather the oil temperature is about 195° and it's remains that hot all the time and gets up maybe 205 210 if I run the piss out of it... And this summer I was watching it closely and deliberately got into some slow traffic at 5:00 and finally a traffic jam where I was sitting stalls in traffic and just let it run to see how hot it would get and it never gets over 210° f when it was 95 outside install traffic.... Someone knew what they were doing when they designed the XR 1200 engine that no major parts will interchange with a Sportster. Hell yeah I have had about eight Harley-Davidsons and I put oil coolers on every one of them that's why I was checking the temperature on this XR to see how crazy it was getting because just a few years ago I had one of those fxdrs with the oil cooling system similar to my Sportster XR 1200 and the fxdr 114 Milwaukee 8 gets extremely hot and I added an extra oil cooler to it...And years ago in around 1981 I bought a 1980 iron head Sportster that was Cherry all dressed out in about $3,000 worth of drag specialties everything but no oil cooler... It did have one of those oil temperature dipsticks for the oil tank and on a hot summer's day that son of a gun would hit 280° on the oil temperature and if you got stalled in traffic you had to shut it off it was just fry your legs like the skin was going to come off.... And being such a sleek little bike I didn't want to one of those huge oil coolers that sticks out on both sides so I went looking and I asked my buddy's wife who had worked at Western Auto if they had any kind of small oil coolers for cars... And marry my buddy's wife got on a step ladder and went up in the attic of his old Western Auto store and brought down this big package still sealed up with about a half inch of dust on it that was an oil cooler for a Chevy corvair automatic transmission as you know the Chevy corvairs were air-cooled engines and so they had to have an air cooled automatic transmission cooler that was about 6 in by 6 in and made two passes loop per loop built like a little air conditioner condenser and just fit perfect on the top part of the frame in the front where there's a bolt hole for crash bars I made a little holder that went through the loops with some rubber damits and it fit perfect and you wouldn't believe the difference that little cooler made would you believe it went from 280 to 180 and about 200 on a hot summer day perfect freaking perfect and I never lost any power at all after that as it would get pretty sluggish when it was getting hot... You guys know what I'm talking about
Thanks for sharing! Yes, we know what you're talking about. The XR's are a different animal, and it sounds like you are very happy with it. 👍 Good to hear how you kept all your bikes, thru the years, running optimally!
@@DKCustomProducts thanks for the reply. What I can't understand is why people don't understand that they need to put an oil cooler on every Harley there is. They even sell them in the Harley accessories and some of them are quite expensive.. but if you look in that Harley accessories they have some that are really nice that fit down in front of the frame on the big twins and some of them from like the company called fueling have the ones that mount on the left side of the frame just like the XR1200... You should follow up with a video showing all the Harley accessories oil coolers that a lot of people could put on themselves they're not that hard to do especially the ones that use the pancake between the spin-on filter mount... After you install it then you just spit on your oil filter and you're done... And they make dipsticks oil caps with as monitor in so you can see how your oil temperature is running and show some of those in in a video maybe even some shots of riding the bike and then pull over and stop and take a look at the temperature if the temperature stays the third or fourth time you know about where it's going to run off always. So you really don't have to go to the expense of mounting one up on the dash of your dresser just if you got an oil temperature gauge on the oil dipstick is fine anyway good luck to you guys see if you can convince some more people of what I already know over the years see you in the wind
PS they even have them with fans and thermostats on them so when the gets too hot the fans automatically kick in those are the ones that are a little bit more expensive but trouble free and you run the s*** out of your Harley after that and it won't get hot
@@donniebaker5984 Yes, oil coolers are important, no doubt. Back in the oughts HD changed their oil coolers...not nearly as effective as they used to be. We recommend oil coolers seen at this link...both the coolers and the coolers with thermostatically controlled fans www.dkcustomproducts.com/oil-coolers-c134.htm
I think people get confused with the three temps. Heads, Engine, oil. On my M8, my heads run about 25° hotter than my engine temp on my power vision. I don’t know what my oil is running out
Yes, you are absolutely correct. There are several different number, AND the optimum engine temp is different on Sportsters, Twin Cams and M8's. The two that we pay Most attention to are: 1. The ET as displayed by the Powervision as "ET". The reason we use this signal is because this is what the Harley ECM uses to make changes to the fuel and timing. This is the important number (produced by the cylinder head heat sensor), since this is the one HD uses. 2. Oil temp, measured in the oil tank. Generally, if you see that temp between 190 and 230, after riding for 45-60 minutes, that will indicate the the temperature of the engine is ideal.
Love what you guys are doing. I have purchased external breather with catch can and a few other items. That said, you need to do better quality control and raise your standards a bit. Not one of the gear clamps you sent me worked, all Chinese junk! The air cleaner cover, while powder coated, had nicks in the finish! Common boys, great ideas etc. But, let’s do better work! Thank you for hard work…
This is not the level of quality we strive for, as we inspect every piece before wrapping and packaging. While mistakes can occasionally happen, we are committed to addressing any issues. Please email us photos of the hose clamps and backplate at Support@DKCustomProducts.com so we can resolve this promptly. I apologize for the poor quality control and am dedicated to making it right. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, for your business and for commenting! MB
@@DKCustomProducts Thanks but I already fixed the plate and used cable ties instead of the clamps. I tossed those. I also chucked the catch can in the lathe and cleaned up the bottom so it was smooth. All installed and working fine.
I wouldn’t purchase a water cooled model unless it had a stock oil cooler as well. To my knowledge, all of the water cool models do not come with oil coolers.
That is correct, the Twin Cooled do not come with oil coolers We have a better than factory oil cooler with a patented design that fits the Twin Cooled bikes and trikes that generally see a drop of 20-25 degree F in oil temperatures. Link - www.dkcustomproducts.com/twin-cooled-oil-cooler-c612.htm We also did a video which backs up what you said about the challenge with Twin Cooled Harley's. It is here - th-cam.com/video/6AhPqVlvE-w/w-d-xo.html
Running your breather delete and catch can on my streetglide and Dyna LRS. Put a S&S 124 in my streetglide build and a larger TB. You guys planning on building a set up for us guys with larger TBs? I had to pull your system off my SG and go with a different intake with larger TB..
Very cool, appreciate your business and glad you are enjoying the parts. We do not have a plan to do that. All the testing we have done shows that the smaller OEM throat on the throttle bodies (or when there is a larger TB, then the smaller opening on the intake backplate) produces better power. I know this is counterintuitive, but it is what we have seen time and again in testing. The largest we've tested is the 131, so this might not hold true for larger displacements.
@@DKCustomProducts Thanks, also have the remote filter setup on both. I understand, problem is the bolt pattern is a wider pattern as a result of the larger diameter TB. Thanks for the reply. 👍 If I could bolt it back up, Id of reused the intake and breather delete.
@@highwayman1218 Yes, that is something we have considered doing....making a different flange with different bolt patterns. We have also modified (drilled more holes) the existing flange to bolt up to some different larger TB's.
Depends on what bike you have. If it is a Twin Cooled, I would get an oil cooler. We did a test on a Twin Cooled, which has no oil cooler. You can see it here- th-cam.com/video/6AhPqVlvE-w/w-d-xo.html If you do a lot of stop and go, or if it already has an oil cooler, I would get the JIMS Fan.
We have. You can see the video series here - th-cam.com/play/PLb3bvZgbH92_3s-2vv63QggFJ3nteFd_C.html And you can see a breakdown by model at this link- www.dkcustomproducts.com/shoptalk/DKUM/
hey wait a minute, you said you turned the fans off. If you did a dyno run with the fans off, it will defiitely get the engine hotter. If I heard you correctly, this does not represent a real on road test. I believe you when you say they Can run hot, this is where we have to be aware and respond to the different conditions accordingly. This said, I have been looking at a secondary cooling option I can install as an on demand system. You cant predict a traffic jam, so something I can turn on instead of stopping on the side of the road will be nice. Ride on brothers
Yes, the fans are typically on when doing dyno runs. We adjust the load and fans to get the bike up to a proper operating temperature (210) then we do a pull (which is 3-6 seconds). During that 3-6 seconds it may warm up a bit, so before the next pull we make sure we are back at 210 F. For this test we wanted to replicate how hot the bike gets on the road....which is easily in the 270-340 range. So we turned the fans off to let the temp build to mirror what is seen in typical riding. Then the fans went back on while doing the pulls. You may find one or both of the following links interesting. th-cam.com/video/o3T3yA9BKwE/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/play/PLb3bvZgbH92_3s-2vv63QggFJ3nteFd_C.html
Performance is one thing……my main concern is longevity. So, question here… if my FP3 tuner says 250-270 (20 degree spread) degrees on my M8, I’m at normal operating temp of 230? Am I understanding you correctly?
The full answer is in this video- th-cam.com/video/rWOdQOtDv6A/w-d-xo.html The short is that 270 engine temp is right at the ragged edge....as you saw in the video.
@@DKCustomProducts You said the temperatures are going to register higher simply because where the temperature sensor is on the M8. So 270° on my FP3 is not on the ragged edge it is normal operating temperature. Correct?
@@marvelharris9540 Good question, I’m not sure really but I’m thinking engine temperature is what it’s getting from that sensor in any case it’s the temperature on that sensor that’s indicating the temperature of the oil? Maybe somebody else will chime in.
@@jeffreyengle2762 That is correct, in the video I referenced I said 250-270 for ET on an M8 is the highest optimum temps you want to see. BUT, as you noticed from this video, the ECM pulled power on the M8 right at 270 degrees. So, I should have said 25-265....because, and you saw in this video, you don't want to hit 270.
Full synthetic oil will keep the viscosity modifiers "healthy" for more miles/heat than dino oil. We touch on that in this tongue-n-cheek video- th-cam.com/video/bNHgNThrqQo/w-d-xo.html
I'm surprised that there are people who are in denial about the adverse effects of excessive heat because it's by no means unique to motorcycle engines. Every internal combustion whether air cooled or water cooled performs better when it's cooler (within reason, of course). Why would a motorcycle engine be different? Of course there's a point of diminishing returns but in general anything you can do to make your Harley engine run cooler will make it perform better and last longer.
Yes it is surprising, but there are a few reasons why: #1 is that Dealerships are almost uniformly telling HD Owners that 300-350 is normal and they are designed for that. The popular story that HD's are tested in Arizona and run for 24 hours straight in 110 degree heat and do just fine. Next is that folks have just spent a ton on a new bike and do not want to believe that it needs some help. Another is that HD engineers know what they are doing. There are other motivations, but those are the top ones, I think. We will probably do a video on this subject. Thanks for your comment.
@@DKCustomProducts I think one of the points you make is that there's an important difference between "normal" and "optimal." An engine may "do just fine" as-is but it can do just fine for more miles/years if it's better cooled. I totally understand not wanting to put more money into a brand-new bike, though.
@@itsapittie Yeah, the crazy thing is that folks buy a Harley, then they want more power, so maybe they do a mediocre Stage I, and then maybe they add a cam. The power increase they get is is about what they would get if they just cooled it down to optimum operating temperature...which HD says, right in the manual, is 230 F.
We have done many tests like that. Will put links below to a video or two of those. This test was NOT to see how well the fans work (They do work really well), but to show those that think that running around 300F is no problem, that in fact it is a problem. th-cam.com/video/zmJmpdgBM3A/w-d-xo.html Test data chart- click on the technical info button to see charts - www.dkcustomproducts.com/jims-force-flow-fan-cools-twin-cam-engine.htm Another video - th-cam.com/video/qMVwT0nunfU/w-d-xo.html
Just what I want to do spend 23000 and have to spend more to make it run right. Absolutely ridiculous…keep your bike Harley, I’m done trying to negotiate on a new one where they won’t budge and then I see this video. I guess it’s back to a Suzuki M109 where I save lots of money. Man I so much want to buy USA product but they build crap! Very frustrating. My 2 cents.
Or you could find a super low mileage Harley that is pre-2007 before EPA really started cracking down on their mandates. Those bikes ran quite a bit cooler.
@@DKCustomProducts thanks I may look into that. I never heard of problems with VRod engine designed with Porsche. I’m surprised they didn’t use that in another way or upgrade the vrod design.
I thought 🧐 that Harley Davidson was running an oil cooler 😎 on the 107 and up CI Milwaukee 8 motors . Is this not enough ??? I mean , HELL , we are shelling out 20 K ‘s plus . You can spend up to 50 K’s on a new Harley Davidson . Most of us are blue collar workers, we are not like Sons of Anarchy , we don’t all have porn studios and machine gun sales to support an expensive motorcycle to god damn begin with !!! I’m not arguing with you , I’m a mechanical dumb ass , I don’t know any better . So where do we blue collar workers go from here ???
On the 107 and up M8's, the bikes that do NOT have lowers have an oil cooler. The bikes with lowers are Twin-Cooled and they do Not have an oil cooler. Counterintuitively the Twin Cooled bikes run hotter than the air cooled only bikes. Unfortunately both of them run too hot for their own good. There are many things that can be done to cool them down. Here is a link to a video of low cost and not cost things that can be done to cool them down. th-cam.com/video/o3T3yA9BKwE/w-d-xo.html and here is a video series that you may find interesting- th-cam.com/play/PLb3bvZgbH92_3s-2vv63QggFJ3nteFd_C.html
I'm 69 yrs old and bought what I believe to be my last HD when I was 66, a 2018 Deluxe. I have always been concerned about HD's high heat especially when they ended leaded gas. For most cases, I liked to ride in secondary, slower roads. But I have ridden with heavily loaded, two up and sometimes pulled a loaded up trailer. A heavily loaded bike and an added trailer also create a lot of excess heat. I always ran two oil coolers and that wasn't enough. I have made my bike into a touring bike similar to a Heritage but also added the tour pack. One of the excessive heat sources I have discovered is the Catalytic Converters built in the stock mufflers. I have bought a set of true duel fishtails (baffled) and also intend to install an S&S oil pump and cam case as well a low torque cam, TTS 100. I plan to travel some and tent, but not overload and drive close to the speed limit most of the time. I wish they had an oil temp. gage you could mount on the handlebars.
Sounds like you have some fun riding lined up! The cats radiate a lot of heat. They don't really make the engine any hotter, but they sure make the heat coming off the pipes MUCH hotter. Yes, that would be a nice gauge to have...would also require the installation of a sending unit and the wiring up to the gauge. In the meantime you could use a dipstick that displays the engine oil temp.
@@DKCustomProducts Thank you for your advice. I wasn't sure if the Catalytics heated the engine as well. But they sure do heat up the exhaust system and make it dangerous to get near them. Until they get a handlebar gauge, I'll get a dipstick display. I live in BC Canada, so buying things right now is very expensive. Just like Communist Biden, we have to get rid of Communist Trudeau, our Dictator Prime Minister.
@@smilingbiter What a beautiful place BC is. We have ridden around up there a few times (during the summer) and loved it. Yeah, gotta be careful of those pipes with the Cat....I've seen them glow red at night more than a few times!
No, that was not the case. Both engines were fully heat soaked prior to runs, so the oil was not thick or cold. The M8 had the factory 20-50 in it. The Twin Cam had Redline 20-50 in it. While some oils may lower temps by 10 F, and we have even seen claims of 20 F, the majority of engines will run 50-100 F hotter than what HD says is correct, and will start pulling timing in the 270-280 range. For the guy seeing 320 f, even if he changes to an oil that lowers temps by 10 F, he is still going to have a problem.
Heat is a direct result of friction. Fuel and air is another but you have secondary’s with those. HD oil is total crap with no API standards. Oil not making it to all parts of the motor is another or poorly pumped. Try Mobil 4T racing oil or Amsoil.
@@semperfipar1299 We've done heat tests with Amsoil compared to Redline and Royal Purple and Mobil 1, but we have not tried Mobil 4T. We may do that. Thanks. But I am pretty dadgum sure that the heat generated by the combustions cycles is where the majority of the heat comes from.
@@DKCustomProducts One other thing is oil is suppose to shed the heat of the motor. Combustion is a big factor but that does not necessarily mean it is destroying the engine. Harley Davidson now has to have emission control. Catalytic converters back up heat into the engine through metal to metal transfer at the exhaust manifold connection to the cylinder head. The cooling fins also shed heat and the aluminum sheds heat very quickly compared to Iron. Having worked on helicopter drive trains the turbine is the ultimate air-cooled engine and believe it or not the system had a valve at the oil cooler that remained closed to allow oil to heat up then it would open up to the oil cooler . From there to the engine inlets and return to the oil reservoir. For piston pounders the multi-viscosity is what you have. The lower the first number the better for friction at cold temperatures. I run car oil in my old sportster and it takes about ten miles just to get it warmed up. Twenty one years old and still runs like new with over fifty thousand miles. Try 10W40 oil and see how it does with heat. It will circulate better than 20W50.
Spot on! Torque is where it's at! Yes, the balancing act of having exhaust as hot as possible, keeping cylinder walls around 190F, and having intake as cool as possible. www.dkcustomproducts.com/sleeper-performance-mods.htm
@@DKCustomProducts it's a 2010 wide glide, it has a heavy breather, 583 S&S cams, and phython shotgun exhaust, all tuned with SE tune. It does get hot yes but only if I ride in traffic and or get rev happy, but it runs hard and strong when it's not fully warm, so like not so hot temps, but on a hot day in the 90s it's very throaty, in cold climate it's good to but I'm thinking it might just be all the rage on my face that makes me hold back, but overall it's pretty on par with my expectations
@@DKCustomProducts did ride a buddy twin cam road king once on a 140 mile ride with a passenger, the bike was a joy to ride as far as long trips but it was a hot day and the bike felt hot, I personally thought at the time that the two deflectors behind the engine makes the heat stay and doesnt do s good job keeping you less hot
Any fuel and the engine in a TC or M8 can get very hot. I have read reports on both sides of the fence... lower octane (87) burns slower, so heat is retained longer higher octane (93) has a higher ignition point, burning faster, retaining less heat.
@@DKCustomProducts oh no, the higher octane explodes much faster in the pistons causing alot of heat around my legs, when I shut the bike off the pipes keep popping for 15 minutes, THATS HOT. But when I put the shit stuff in" 87 octane", theres no popping in the pipes when im done riding, but the bike runs like shit because im putting the cheap fuel in. So now i just put the premium in her, she runs like a dream, but she runs very hot.
@@philiporourke7896 Below are links to a video series and a written report on how to cool that engine down. It will be more comfortable. It will have more power. It will last longer. th-cam.com/play/PLb3bvZgbH92_3s-2vv63QggFJ3nteFd_C.html www.dkcustomproducts.com/why-how-to-cool-down-the-twin-cam-engine-part-i-dk-cl-tc-dn-1.htm
We have a whole series on Why & How to cool them down. The 8th video in the series starts with the different steps you can take to cool them down. The link to that series is at the bottom of this comment. We also have a written Report/List at this link- www.dkcustomproducts.com/why-how-to-cool-down-the-twin-cam-engine-part-i-dk-cl-tc-dn-1.htm Video series link- th-cam.com/play/PLb3bvZgbH92_3s-2vv63QggFJ3nteFd_C.html
Yes, we are waiting to see how that works out. We did not do any work or development for the VROD, and we almost did for the Streets, but decided not to. We will see how the RevMax does before starting (or not) to develop parts for it.
That is the temperature of the air that is in the intake tract. The cooler it is the better. Here is a video that talks about this, and other things the ECM uses to constantly adjust the tune. th-cam.com/video/0vbTkRvFa80/w-d-xo.html
They tried it with the VROD, never caught on, they tried it with the Streets, never caught on, and now they are trying it with the RevMax, we will see how that goes.
The two most popular option are the HD or the JES Custom Accents. These are easy and about $100 More complicated is mounting a gauge somewhere, and then installing a temp sending unit and running the wires.
But that is temp in metric kpa. Isn't that the temp on lust the pressure side and not in the oil pan? †********** Kilopascal or kPa Definition The kilopascal is a unit of pressure. 1 kPa is approximately the pressure exerted by a 10-g mass resting on a 1-cm2 area. 101.3 kPa = 1 atm. There are 1,000 pascals in 1 kilopascal. 4:24
at 4:24 the temperature is taken from the Power Vision tuner, on the bike. We were reading engine temperature (ET) in degrees Fahrenheit. Et is read directly from the temp sensor in the head and is what is referenced in most of the tuning tables in the ecm. MB
Nah heat doesn't effect how the engine performs. Evidently they never had a vehicle over heat on them. 50 degrees over recommended operating temp is over heating. Why vehicles spit and sputter and loose power. Heat is friction. So less heat the smoother the engine runs
That can certainly help, but there are a lot of things you can do to cool down your bike. Here is a link to a full list of why and how to cool down your bike- th-cam.com/play/PLb3bvZgbH92_3s-2vv63QggFJ3nteFd_C.html Here is a written report on Why and How to cool down your bike part 1- www.dkcustomproducts.com/why-how-to-cool-down-the-twin-cam-engine-part-i-dk-cl-tc-dn-1.htm part 2- www.dkcustomproducts.com/why-how-to-cool-down-your-twin-cam-engine-part-ii-dk-cl-tc-dn-2.htm Thanks for commenting! 😎
Yep. We've been working on understand and fixing the heat issue for over 10 years now. But, we never got so much feedback saying that HD's run fine in 300+ temp range until we did our Why & How Video series ( see it here - th-cam.com/play/PLb3bvZgbH92_3s-2vv63QggFJ3nteFd_C.html ) After so many just could not accept that the TC's and M8's run too hot, we decided to shoot a video illustrating the problem.
The cutting of the rear cylinder at stops was aggravating at first but on those hot days it really makes a huge difference
A huge difference in heat that you feel, or a huge difference in actually temperature, or both? What does "huge" mean, objectively?
Everything they are saying here about the avg HD heat issues is 100% true esp when it comes to the avg HD dealers take on it.
I have been a motor mechanic for over 50yrs & when I got my flhtcu & had my 1st ride in 85-90 deg f heat my HD responded in this way.
Oil pressure at idle & cruise was down by 12-15psi due t overheated thinned out oil.
Valve train got noisy due to overheated thinned out oil.
Motor lost it’s snappy throttle response felling soggy less responsive loosing trq due to excessive heat.
Motor detonated on premium 93 fuel when had rec 91 Oct fuel due to excessive heat.
Hot restarts like post fueling up in hot weather was slow due to overheated heat soaked starter,battery & motor.
The excessive heat was uncomfortable for the wife & myself riding the bike too.
So after that 1st ride in summer heat I said if I can’t correct this heat issues the bikes going by by because I didn’t like it’s change of character when riding in summer heat cond.
So I got on my pc to find the products I felt would remedy all the above issues by doing them all at the same time that fixed it once & for all!
Keep in mind I have an oil temp gauge along with the std oil pressure HD gauges do I can easily monitor & compare pre post adding cooling mods.
Installed adjustable XIED’s to correct the excessive lean cond from idle thru mid range throttle position which smoothed out the idle & mid range motor operation but didn’t affect oil temp.
I installed a lrg oil cooler with 2 thermostatically controlled electric fans.
Note,an oil cooler on an HD without Elec cooling fans is basically useless when it’s needed most in stop & go slow moving traffic due to lack of airflow,end of story there.
The motor & oil will still get overheated sitting at stop lights or in slow moving traffic due to lack of airflow thru the oil cooler without the 2 high speed & high volume Elec cooling fans the oil cooler I used had to keep the oil & motor cooler in hot summer temp.
Installed love jugs newer Gen smaller cooling fans that Mount to horn bracket on left side of the bike under the fuel tank.
Removed the oem crankcase breather hose from the air filter & changed it to an external breather eliminating the motor injesting all the over heated oil soaked crankcase fumes from mucking up the complete intake & combustion chambers.
Also Got away from HD syn3 & MOBIL1 20w-50 motorcycle specific oils to spectro’s syn blend or full syn oil specifically designed & formulated for lrg disp sir cooled v-twins.
So after I did all of the above all at the same time I was shocked at just how well the bike/motor responded to it & how much nicer it was to ride the bike in summer temp
XIED’s made the motor run soother at idle & at mid range throttle too.
Oil pressure in summer heat only dropped 6-8psi @ idle & cruise rpm vs the 12-15psi it lost prior to the cooling mods.
Valve train/lifters stayed completely quiet at all times in summer heat.
Oil temp went from 236-240deg f on avg to 190-195 deg f in summer heat post cooling mods.
The motor stopped detonating on 93 fuel so I tried HD’s rec 91 fuel in it & it didn’t detonate on 91anymore so stayed with the cheaper 91 fuel.
Motor retained all its crisp performance /throttle response & trq that it used to loose when it ran hotter prior to cooling mods.
Hot starts like post fueling up were quick with no hesitation at all when it used to struggle turning over a bit slow due to the heat soaked overheated starter,battery & motor prior to the cooling mods.
There was also considerably less heat from the motor hitting me & the wife too.
The motor running cooler will definitely extend the life of all the seals,gaskets & plastic parts in the motor like for example the valve seals, plastic blocks used on cam & primary chain, & more!
I used to belong to the HD forum and used to see guys constantly posting/complaining about heat related issues & I tried to tell the Hd forum members what I did to my HD that cured all the heat related issue I got huge pushback basically saying I was full of crap and what I said was not true when it was the best money I spent on the bike that gave the best results in comfort & overall improved engine performance.
Now issue with the hd’s poor design of the efi connector at the throttle body causing the TBW to all the sudden crap out loosing all throttle response going into limp mode with motor only idling when your in traffic being very dangerous that hd totally looked the other way on basically doing nothing for me.
They tried installing new gold pins in the connector but that didn’t work either.
Hd said the only fix was to replace the efi wiring harness with the same poor design
EFI Harness/connector that was currently giving me trouble costing me $2,000!
I thought about trying to eliminate the connector by soldering the wires directly to the spade terminals on the throttle body.
But theres a lot of vibration in that area & thought if that fidnt work and wires/slide joints let loose then I’d have to replace the efi harness for $2k just to sell it!
That’s when I learned my lesson & said goodby to my Hd & went back to a jap 1700cc air cooled cruiser that’s been rock solid reliable with more power without any of the heat issues to have to correct costing big bucks too.
Happy motoring
Great to hear you were able to get the heat down, and saw the benefits of that.
Sorry to hear of the connector challenges.
The people who are in denial about heat increasing ware on the engine and robbing power from the engine are simply wrong. You guys are right and bottom line is I rather ride my bike with a cooler engine than wrench on it, repairing the damage, by riding at above 260 oil temperature.
Nail on the head! Rather be riding than wrenching (or waiting for the dealership to rebuild and have it all happen all over again).
One of my bikes is a 1949 El panhead. I run an external spin on oil filter and also an oil cooler it gets pretty hot here in the summertime in Florida. Everything helps to keep the engine alive. (Edit) Also, I have a 2012 FLHTCU. I run a set of Love Jugs on it, and it helps with the heat.
Nice, glad you have your rides set up for keeping them operating in the optimum temp range.
In 1979 I bought a brand new 1979 Superglide, rode it for 14 years. The BIGGEST problem I had with that bike, on longer rides the rear cylinder would get so hot the fuel would predetonate. BANG BANG BANG Fire poping out of the rear pipe. I would have to pull over and shut it down so it could cool off. That pissed me off so damn much I swore I would never buy another damn V-twin aircooled engine..... Until last week... I bought a 2004 Fat Boy.
I hear ya. Lots of guys back then ran scoops to get more air to the rear cylinder.
My mechanic recommended the whole cam chest kit and oil cooler on my FXDLS, made a HUGE difference so I did the cam chest kit on my 12 flhx as well and both are seeing much lower head temps. All because I was looking at cams initially
Nice.
Hope you got it running cooler now so that it will last you a good long time.
Wishing you many miles of smiles. 👍😎👍
great info DK, do you know how much of a difference ( in ET ) it makes at idle when the EITMS kicks in ?
Thanks.
Great question. We did a video on this very subject, you can see it at this link-
th-cam.com/video/5OTSwYFPABE/w-d-xo.html
Last year I purchased a low mile 2007 Ultra Classic which I could afford. I reported to the Service Manager it's running real hot. He did say they run hot.
At one point I thought the engine felt ' tired ' but after watching this video I reakize what the situation really is, HOT HARLEY TWIN CAM in the sumner.
I recently removed the tour pack to lighten her up only because I'm a disabled veteran with back issues. A Nam vet friend gave me a passenger back rest and beautiful large chrome luggage rack to install. I can attach travel bags to these.
Now I'm thinking a lighter bike decreases the load on the engine as well?
I'll consider removing the lower vents and follow your recommended cooling tips.
Already installed is a free flow aftermarket full exhaust and a power comnand installed by the previous owner. We can't verify any other modifications from the service records available.
Thank you,
Grandfather John
USMC Beruit Veteran Disabled
Yes, weight and wind resistance increases the load on the engine, which increases heat.
Lighter and more aerodynamic, the more felt power and the less heat (everything else being equal).
Thank you for your Service, because of You we Ride Free.
Thank you for watching and sharing.
@@DKCustomProducts you're welcome
Can’t believe I’m just finding your videos. Backing up the talk with charts and real numbers is key.
Here is a a playlist of videos on this subject, you may find it interesting.
th-cam.com/play/PLb3bvZgbH92_3s-2vv63QggFJ3nteFd_C.html
You guys should come out with a oil pressure and temp gauge all in one👍
That would be a great gauge to have! Thank you! 👍
@@DKCustomProducts I’ll get in line! Just let me know when!
@Just J absolutely analog!
@@dawidos117 We primarily do fabrication...the furthest we delve into electronics is wiring, LED's and XiED's.
If I felt the need to have that, which would be cool, I would start by looking at Dakota Digital.
@@DKCustomProducts thank you!
Good video. I've got a 2014 Slim with the 110 big bore kit. They run hot! I run a Jaggs fan assist oil cooler so oil stays right at 210. Engine temp per the PowerVision can show 285-290 in summer. Might Mites are being installed soon for more protection and a tank lift. Thanks guys for the real data.
Sounds like you are on the right path to getting it cooled down to optimum operating temps. 👍
I run Love Jugs on my '11 Street Glide and they definitely work. The trick is to turn them on as soon as you realize you're in stop and go traffic, before the engine starts getting too hot.
Great video again guys. What about Cylinder head temperature. I recently upgraded to Dakota Digital gauges and I have ability to see what that temp is. What should I expect to see the temp at?
Thank you, glad you are liking the videos.
In the video below we talk about optimum ET's as displayed on the Power Vision. This is a direct read of the heat sensor in the cylinder head.
th-cam.com/video/rWOdQOtDv6A/w-d-xo.html
Hello gentlemen. I’m new to the Harley-Davidson family with a 2021 Tri-glide Ultra and live in the desert. I can’t find any engine temperature gauge in my trike controls, only outside air temperature. The only way I can imagine how to check my engine temperature would be to point an infrared thermometer at the engine, but where should I be pointing it for the best reading or is there a temperature gauge that I just haven’t found yet? You’re advice will be greatly appreciated.
Harley does not put any of those gauges on their bikes. Theory is that it would freak people out.
You can get a dipstick that has a temp gauge on it to see your oil temps.
For engine temps the Power Vision is the only real choice at this point.
Using an infrared heat gun is very unreliable, and also not an indication of what the temp is Inside the engine at the Temp Sensor that the ECM uses.
The most reliable, repeatable measurement using a gun is 1" away from the cylinder, 1/2" behind the spark plug hole. The gun must be held at the same angle each time to get an apples to apples comparison.
You may find this video interesting- th-cam.com/video/rWOdQOtDv6A/w-d-xo.html
@@DKCustomProducts Thank you.👍🏼😎
PS: Lycoming Aircraft engine operation specifically states that the oil temps should be between 165° and 220°. Not too cold, not too hot. Information is readily available on the www for reading. FYI
Thanks Guys!
Yep. It is pretty common knowledge outside the Harley world. Unfortunately there is a huge push of misinformation to Harley owners.
Harley is in a difficult spot...they want to keep the nostalgic look/sound, but they have to meet stricter and stricter requirements.
Morning Guys, another informative video - thank you! I ride a 2018 Tri Glide Ultra FHLT CUTG with a Stage 1 set up. As I am based in the UK, its always a little difficult equating what you are reporting and advising in regards to the UK ‘s generally cooler climate. I have currently fitted your cooling wings, a Jim’s Forceflow fan and removed the left side cooling shield. In addition, I have fitted a replacement oil dipstick that measures oil temperature. I suppose now I need to ride as normal and monitor what temperature the oil gets too. I do find the. Radiator fans kick in fairly early when the bike is idling on the drive or in traffic. A good thing I hope (?). Keep up the good work!
Bob
Thank you, glad you are finding the videos useful.
We appreciate your business and good to hear they are helping you out.
Unfortunately, even in 50 & 60 degrees F the engines will get too hot...it just takes them a little longer to get there.
Yes, the rad fans are programmed to kick on BEFORE it gets too hot, to help keep it in a good range. Kicking on after a short idle in traffic is not a bad indicator.
What I do see a lot, (that is an indicator of running too hot) is a bike that has been traveling at 40-60 mph come to a stop and the fans are already on.
There's no denying my 2002 RKC (79k on the clock) runs better on a cool day than a hot day. Don't sweat the temp too much. I just ride the damn thing and enjoy. 20 years now and the bike still runs like the day I bought it. I've used synthetic oil since the breakin oil change. Why? There's a reason synthetic oil is used in jet engines. It can take the heat so there you go.
Glad you're enjoying your ride. Here's wishing you many more miles of smiles.
Yes, the 1999-2002 Twin Cams were the best years, and did not have near the heat challenges that really got bad, starting in 2007.
@@DKCustomProducts They did make a huge change to the crank bearings in '03, which seriously shortened engine life.
@@geraldscott4302 That they did!
My 2003 Road King Police blew up 6 months after I sold it....46,000 miles
@@sgtwrench69 That's a bummer. Do you know why it "blew up"?
2022 fatboy 114 M8, screamin eagle Bluetooth tuner. Engine temp on the se tuner app reads 270-280, around 290 eitms kicks in. Seen as high 300 but drops. BTW I'm in south florida. Is the engine temp listed on the tuner app the actual oil temp? Is it the correct measure that we should be gauging?
First thing, oil temps will lag behind engine temps. No, the engine temp on your SE Tuner is reading from the Engine temp sensor on the bike not the oil.
The only way to get a correct reading on your oil temp would be to get an oil temperature gauge dip stick!
270 - 280 is better than some bikes but it is still hot.
Here is a link to a video playlist on Why and How to Cool Down your Bike that you may find useful/interesting- th-cam.com/play/PLb3bvZgbH92_3s-2vv63QggFJ3nteFd_C.html
Here is a link to a written repost that you may find useful - www.dkcustomproducts.com/why-how-to-cool-down-the-twin-cam-engine-part-i-dk-cl-tc-dn-1.htm
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions;
Support@DKCustomProducts.com
662-252-8828
Thanks for commenting! 😎
You guys are absolutely correct! Even liquid cooled engines across the board run their coolant between 180 (old school) and 195/205 (currently). Temps at or above 220-230 degrees is an overheating situation! Air cooled is not much different. The oil itself starts to oxidize and break down at the higher temps. Can you get away with it? Sure. For a while... Like anything, there is a limit. I'm with you guys, keep it cool, keep it happy! Great work guys. Keep plugging away at it. The nay sayers will one day learn (maybe).
Thanks man, appreciate it.
Yes, we would rather see temps closer to 200, but we have not found a way to make that happen on a heavily loaded bike/trike traveling at interstate speeds on a hot day.
Bottom line is don't run your bike at idle for more than 10 to 15 minutes at any given time because air cooled engines require AIR. And don't race the piss out it. Air cooled engines hate it when you act like you got a muscle car between your legs. Harleys are NOT race bikes they are cruisers.
Very good info. All one has to do is remember how much more power the felt on a cool summer evening late night ride. Nuff said, this should be a no brainer on engine heat
Hi Jack. Thanks. 👍
Good point on remembering.
Hey Jack, agreed, it should be a no brainer. But take a look at Just J comment and Ray Delfa comment on this video. 😬
@@DKCustomProducts I guess we are not going to convince all of the nay sayers, they will see when they have engine related heat problems and no warranty left. I have not yet owned a Harley that did not run too hot for its own good. I know from wrenching all my life what heat does, it is the great destroyer, thank you D K customs for all you do for the Bike/ Trike community
@@jackklarich7045 Hey Jack!
Nope, some folks will stay married to the myth.
Thanks for sharing your decades of experience.
A chemistry professor holds up a bar of iron and asks the class “What is the length of this bar of iron?”
One student raises his hand and replies, “At what temperature, professor?”
Classic!!!! 😀👍
Outstanding video guys, and yes the heat issue on my Twin Cams has always been a concern for me, so much so, that on my last build I only went with a 95". I don't really believe that bigger is better with an "Air Cooled" engine, although there are some Yahoos out would say otherwise...oh well!!!
Cool, glad you liked the video.
Thanks for the comment and enjoy Your Ride! 👍
Nostalgia preference for old school air cooled designes aside, I admit that the most efficient remedy for over heated engine is full water cooling with adequate volume capacity.
Yes, you are correct.
My Pan runs around 230 on a warm day down the highway. Really all that's needed is a bit over 212 to
boil the water (condensation) out of the oil.
I traded off my oil cooler when I moved from SW Arizona to the PNW. Heh.
Down there, during the summer (115), I've gone to roll on to make a pass and have the engine just
start pinging. No get up and go. Not good. Nope, not good a'tall.
Yep, the heat is a killer.
Good to hear you are enjoying your Pan. 👍
Any idea as to what the operating tempurature is for an evo? My oil gets up to between 160 and 170 in the summer time on my softail.
That's a tad on the cool side for the oil. Not sure where you're grabbing that temp from, and if you are running an oil cooler.
Ideally you want to see the oil temps between 180-210. You don't want to see them over 230. These temps are at the engine or the tank.
@@DKCustomProducts I've got a thermometer dipstick on my oil tank. And yeah... I'm running an oil cooler. I don't get as much motor noise in the south Mississippi heat as a result.
@@SaddleTrampTV Very Nice. 👍
Enjoy your informative videos....
Ultra M8 107 stage 2
I have carried out mods ..tank lift, oil breather external system, removed left hand leg heat shield and run fully synthetic oil.
Question... how do I monitor the engine oil temp the best ? Currently I have the thermo heat gun and aim it at the top finn of barrels at a set distance.
Question, how does this temp compare to oil temp.
Thanks ... Jim in Australia 🇦🇺
Thank you, glad you are finding the videos useful...and we appreciate your business, and glad you are liking the parts.
There is no direct correlation that can be drawn between the outside of the engine temps measured with a gun and the oil.
Oil heats up and cools down very slowly compared to how fast the outer surface of cylinder heads heat up and cool down.
Generally it takes 45-60 minutes of continuous riding for oil to reach it's max temp.
On your Ultra, you have no oil cooler, so the oil is going to be hotter than most. Here is a link on a test we did on an M8-
th-cam.com/video/6AhPqVlvE-w/w-d-xo.html
Best way to monitor engine oil temp is with a HD or JES Custom oil temp dipstick.
Best way to measure the internal (not surface) engine temp is a Power Vision.
Here is a video series you may find useful- th-cam.com/play/PLb3bvZgbH92_3s-2vv63QggFJ3nteFd_C.html
The truth behind an air-cooled, high compression, high performance motor comes out with daily real world riding. Sitting in bumper to bumper traffic, on a 90+ degree ~ 90% humidity day, behind a 3rd red light change while drivers in air-conditioned cages have their attention focused on their phones! Throw in gasoline so bad it detonates when ya wash parts with it.
I've rode for over 30 years on Panheads and Shovelheads that ran 250 ~ 270 on a hot day. That's with non-variable points timing and 60 or even 70wt oil.
Yep, Street Developed, Street Tested is what's important...the Dyno Proven is to illustrate.
Sounds like you have had a fun ride!
These new EFI bikes are a very different animal than what we rode in the 70's thru early 2000's.
What can I do to keep my 2023 low rider ST in optimal operating temperature range?
We have a report that we've done with a list at this link- www.dkcustomproducts.com/why-how-to-cool-down-the-twin-cam-engine-part-i-dk-cl-tc-dn-1.htm
I would read the info there, and then start at the top of the list (on page 2) and work my way down until the bike is at a temperature you are comfortable with..
Also here is a link to a video with low to no cost ways to cool down a TC/M8 - th-cam.com/video/o3T3yA9BKwE/w-d-xo.html
Always feel Free to email or call with any questions:
Support@DKCustomProducts.com
662-252-8828
Thanks for commenting! MB
If Harley's engineers knew what they were doing, their bikes wouldn't break down the way they do...(I've owned several, the newest was an 08 CVO Electra Glide & all of them required numerous repairs, while my Hondas & Kawasakis only required gas, oil & tire changes) Harley has the worst engineers in motorcycle design...that being said, I still love the way their bikes look, sound & ride, when they'll actually run...HD should've gone full water cooled decades ago...only cooling the heads is a step in the right direction, but they need to cool the whole thing...
And unfortunately they are not even cooling the heads on the Twin Cooled. There is one water jacket and it only goes around the exhaust valves.
Part of the look that so many like is that they are not 100% water cooled. HD has gone 100% water cooled on the VROD, Streets, and now the RevMax.
This is part of the reason younger riders tend to stay away from HD...they will eventually cause their own downfall when their ever aging loyal fan base dies off...they're overpriced, unreliable money pits...when you can get a fully liquid cooled Kawasaki Vaquero that out performs a touring HD at literally half the price off the showroom floor, why would you buy one of these lumbering dinosaurs? I love my Road King, but if I ever need another motorcycle, I'm getting a Vaquero...
@@Road_Rash Maybe the 3rd time is a charm with the RevMax for the younger riders (and some older ones)
Regarding why a new HD instead of a metric...Looks, sound, feel.
@@DKCustomProducts not good enough for me to stay with these money pits...I can get all of those same things for half the price with the Vaquero...alter the exhaust, it sounds very similar, & the looks & handling are fantastic...not to mention, I'd rather have Kawasaki dependability over any of that superficial stuff...
I'm currently trying to get a mystery leak stopped...one more thing to add to the laundry list of problems these things develop...it's just not worth the hassle of owning these things...it's always something with them...if this bike wasn't already paid for, it would be on the market already & I'd be buying that Kawasaki as soon as it sold...
I got the air deflectors with out the tank lift.how much will they help cool down my engine it a 2023 harley free wheeler
Thanks for Your business, we appreciate it!
The Cooling Deflector Wings are good for 8-10* drop in engine temp.
You may find the report linked below to be useful...it lists out many of our parts that cool Harley's and how much each part typically cools them down.
www.dkcustomproducts.com/why-how-to-cool-down-your-twin-cam-engine-part-ii-dk-cl-tc-dn-2.htm
Always feel free to email or call with any questions.
Support@DKCustomProducts.com
662-252-8828
KP
@@DKCustomProductsthanks 8 to 10 better than nothing. I am going to watch the link you sent.thanks love your videos!!
Awesome! Feel free to contact us any time;
Support@DKCustomProducts.com
662-252-8828
Thank you for your support and for commenting! MB
Hot intake air robs power. It does this by reducing the density of the air and it risks premature detonation of the fuel air mixture in the cylinders. I've worked on several VW bugs and the high temperatures destroy the number3 cylinder.
Thanks for watching and adding your experience to the discussion. 👍
This makes total sense because most cars truck or suvs run about 220 as far as operating Temps on coolent so with it a harley majority of the time running air cooled bikes makes total sense and yes with the oil temp you keep the oil tem cool it doesn't brake down as fast the hotter it gets the more of a chance of cavitation of the oil
Great point, thank you for the comment! 👍
Great information,I have fitted a set of love jugs and a 10 row Jagg non fan assisted oil cooler,in combination they seem to keep the twin cam engine running at the levels you recommend, although I can get to 245 degrees on a hot day,I live in Perth Western Australia where we have a hot climate,I was wondering do the fans become ineffective at speed or do I leave them running all the time or just use them in city traffic where they are very effective.
The fans are very effective at speed. Here are a couple of report links that show that-
www.dkcustomproducts.com/force-flow-fan-test-report.htm
www.dkcustomproducts.com/sleeper-performance-mods.htm
@@DKCustomProducts Thanks for your response, I am amazed at what a difference the fans make and glad they work at speed,they may not look that pretty but I'm sure I will have a lot happier bank account running the engine at the temperature you recommend.
After I purchased my 2021 Trike, I put the stage 1 air flow with new headers omitting the cat and using American Custom exhaust. I do have a 4 inch baffle in the mufflers but now my trike is running much cooler. †his spring I will change the oil and Amsoil will go in.
Good to hear you are enjoying your ride! 👍
My oil runs 210°-220° on a 104° day.
M8/ stage 2, i luv my hi flo oil filter, it
Makes a big difference. I still run conventional oil. It works fine. Changed at 2000-2500 miles.
Very nice, good to hear you have it running optimally.
Thank you for the comment.
Enjoy your ride!
Do you guys have any idea of how long a 2020 114 M8 RKS would last running at 250F vs 310F? 120,000 miles vs. 70,000 miles maybe? And what parts go bad when you run hot and never add fans/coolers?
There are far too many other variables, besides heat, that would affect the outcome. Just a few...how one rides, what oil, how often oil is changed, how long or short are the rides, and hundreds of other variables.
BUT, an engine with 10,000 miles on it, ridden at 310F consistently, will fail a leak down test. (See this video - th-cam.com/video/2YrM7f321JE/w-d-xo.html ) most of the time.
Usually the parts that need replacing are the cylinders, pistons and heads.
I was just talking to someone the other day who's bike was in for work at 17800 miles. They were replacing the entire engine. The connecting rods had gotten too hot and he had a knock. This can happen, but it is more likely the damage will be confined to the top end.
@@DKCustomProducts Wow, got it, so then if all the other variables were equal, the heat damage could make the 120k be 20k. That's substantial. For my bike, with fans and an oil cooler, some days I see 270 and other days it's 310 to 340 honestly. So, it seems like my engine might only last 25k. I'm at 5k now in 2 yrs, so I might have another 8yrs left in it, if I don't do more to cool it now. Might try the single horn fan and an upgraded oil cooler. Thanks for the info 🤘
@@YoursInYeshua Glad you found it useful.
There is a whole list of things you can do at this link- www.dkcustomproducts.com/shoptalk/DKUM/
It is not just the engine wearing out, it is the heat for comfort to rider and passenger, there is the reduction in power, and there is less MPG, and there is LESS SMILES PER MILE because of the sluggish throttle response.
@@DKCustomProducts Yes sir. Thank you and have a blessed day brother 🙏 🤘
@@YoursInYeshua You too.
Yes Harleys run too hot. Well, some Harleys. I have a 1989 FXRS Low Rider, a 1995 Dyna Superglide, and a 2006 Sportster 1200L, and none of them run too hot. And I am in AZ. All three of these bikes have 3 things in common. One, they all have EVO engines, two, they are all carbureted, and three, they are all jetted properly. I can't believe the things people are doing to cool down their Harleys, like actually putting fans on the cylinders. All they really need to do is richen up the air/fuel mixture (a lot) and if they have a TC engine, get an S&S oil pump.
Thanks for watching and for your comment. Yeah, it was not until 2007 that the heat problem started getting really bad.
Unfortunately, even with a great tune, (or with a tune that is super rich) along with oil pump upgrades, many TC's and M8's are still Much too hot.
A motorcycle needs to run and be reliable for its customer every time. No exceptions. Period.
Anything else is just poor engineering.
Something that does not run consistently for the customer; has these kinds of issues, is not worthy of a return customer.
And therein lies therein lies the issue. There are such loyal Harley Davidson customers that The Motor Company thinks "Well we can turn out as much mediocre crap as we want and people will keep buying it."
I would suggest Harley management go back and look at history. Look at how Triumph, BSA, etc were resting on their laurels in the late 60's.
And then the CB750 came.
Yes, we mostly agree. See video we made, touching on this subject back a year or so ago. Link below....check out the comments in that video also.
Anything mechanical has the potential for failure, no matter the brand. While I don't believe HD is resting on their laurels, they definitely run years behind at addressing some issues that should be resolved prior to release.
th-cam.com/video/vlFbpY-tr6U/w-d-xo.html
Is there a temp gauge set up for my 19 tri glide both cylinders
There is only one heat sensor in your Milwaukee 8. It is located in the front of the rear cylinder. This is the sensor that HD uses in the ECM to help adjust the tune for temp conditions. The best way to display the reading from that gauge is via a Power Vision or an FP4. You can see those here- www.dkcustomproducts.com/efi-tuners-c74-317.htm
Here are a couple of videos that you may find interesting/useful-
th-cam.com/video/0vbTkRvFa80/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/rWOdQOtDv6A/w-d-xo.html
Some folks use the Dakota Digital Set up...it is pretty expensive, and we have seen a lot of folks have problems with it.
I have a 2011, Electra Gluide with 70,000 miles on it. I changed out the worthless ambient temp guage to an oil temp guage and I have never been over 250 deg. It normally runs at 170 deg. It got to 250 deg on a real hot day in stop and go traffic. I have run the bike in 95 deg weather in South Alabama and oil temp never got higher than 220 deg.
Those are really good temps! Good to hear you have your bike running at optimum oil temps!
btw, something we did not mention in any videos, it is always good to double check with a second thermometer to make sure the one you are using is correct.
Those temperature numbers are oil temperature or CHT? Thanks
In the video we talk about oil temps and heat sensor temps. Two different temperature readings.
Oil, as shown in the video should not exceed 230 F.
Heat sensor temps (as read by the OEM heat sensor) and displayed on the Power Vision as ET should not exceed 230 F on a Twin Cam, and 260 F on an M8.
More details on ET temps, where they come from, and what they should be, are discussed in this video- th-cam.com/video/rWOdQOtDv6A/w-d-xo.html
Run Amsoil in all 3 holes tested up to 500 degrees on the Amsoil video on this here interweb . When the steaming oil cooled they tested it's viscosity and it had lost practically no motor protection and they put it back in the bike!!2 0/50 wt motor , dedicated Transmission and Primary fluid all Amsoil and love jugs or the new mini mites . YOUR HARLEY WILL. NEVER OVERHEAT. My Deuce ran from 230 to one day in traffic 260. Since fitting the fans on same temperature day the oil / temp dipstick was running just under 200 all day.I also run the same set up on my 2014 Firefighter Shrine Street glide . I like the mini mites ( looks wise) my brother in law runs the original Love Jugs on his 2003 Ultra Classic with you guessed it AMSOIL.
Thanks for watching and sharing.
@@DKCustomProducts hope his helps someone. You can at least check it out 👍😎🇺🇸🏴
@@williamjohnson6517 You might enjoy this video- th-cam.com/video/bNHgNThrqQo/w-d-xo.html
@@DKCustomProducts I did watch your video and really enjoyed it 👍 Everything you said was correct . Dino oil is probably ok for the short haul BUT who wants to change their oil every 3,000 🤔I know I'd rather be riding 😂Also as mentioned there is a difference between car and M/C oil . From what I understand car oil is not good for alloy motors that's why the M/C oil has the special additives. My thoughts on Syn /3 is what do HD know about motorcycle oil? They are motorcycle manufacturers and probably get their oil as cheap as possible and stick their name on it ? And I'm glad it works for you noise wise because that's the very reason I know people won't use it because it's noisey ( so I'm told). Like you say everyone's got an opinion 😂👍🇬🇧🇺🇸😎
Love Jug fans keep my oil temp at about 190 around town and about 230 in stop and go summer time traffic. S&S high volume oil pump and cam plate makes a big difference too, keeping that oil circulating at that sustained idling
Yes sounds like you have got your temp where they need to be!
Thanks for commenting! 😎👍
yes, high operational temps drop efficiency, but I would have liked seeing that external fan blowing from the front of the engine, hitting the oil and watercoolers, and how much difference that would make, simulating movement of the bike
Sorry we did not highlight that, they are there, in front and to the sides.
The fans on all dynos replicate the wind the engine experiences going about 60 mph down the road.
I have 1990 FLHS with 50000 miles still runs good. I never see oil temps on the oil tank cap thermometer go over 200
That is great! 👍
Thank you for sharing.
@@DKCustomProducts your welcome
I like conventional Bel-ray 20w50 with 5-6 ozs of rislone zddp. Runs amazing 😊
Nice.
My XR 1200 has an oil cooling system separate of the engine oil lines and passageways.... There are spray nozzles mounted in the bottom of the cases that spray oil on the bottom of the Pistons ... There are oil lines extra coming out the center of the cases between the jugs that go up and do nothing but cool the cylinder heads and then back to the oil tank... There's a huge oil cooler on the left side of the frame that goes to a mechanical thermostat inside the cases that governs the amount of cooling oil going through the oil cooling system... So one day I found a oil cap combination thermostat and dipstick that fit my oil tank... And in cold weather the oil temperature is about 195° and it's remains that hot all the time and gets up maybe 205 210 if I run the piss out of it... And this summer I was watching it closely and deliberately got into some slow traffic at 5:00 and finally a traffic jam where I was sitting stalls in traffic and just let it run to see how hot it would get and it never gets over 210° f when it was 95 outside install traffic.... Someone knew what they were doing when they designed the XR 1200 engine that no major parts will interchange with a Sportster. Hell yeah I have had about eight Harley-Davidsons and I put oil coolers on every one of them that's why I was checking the temperature on this XR to see how crazy it was getting because just a few years ago I had one of those fxdrs with the oil cooling system similar to my Sportster XR 1200 and the fxdr 114 Milwaukee 8 gets extremely hot and I added an extra oil cooler to it...And years ago in around 1981 I bought a 1980 iron head Sportster that was Cherry all dressed out in about $3,000 worth of drag specialties everything but no oil cooler... It did have one of those oil temperature dipsticks for the oil tank and on a hot summer's day that son of a gun would hit 280° on the oil temperature and if you got stalled in traffic you had to shut it off it was just fry your legs like the skin was going to come off.... And being such a sleek little bike I didn't want to one of those huge oil coolers that sticks out on both sides so I went looking and I asked my buddy's wife who had worked at Western Auto if they had any kind of small oil coolers for cars... And marry my buddy's wife got on a step ladder and went up in the attic of his old Western Auto store and brought down this big package still sealed up with about a half inch of dust on it that was an oil cooler for a Chevy corvair automatic transmission as you know the Chevy corvairs were air-cooled engines and so they had to have an air cooled automatic transmission cooler that was about 6 in by 6 in and made two passes loop per loop built like a little air conditioner condenser and just fit perfect on the top part of the frame in the front where there's a bolt hole for crash bars I made a little holder that went through the loops with some rubber damits and it fit perfect and you wouldn't believe the difference that little cooler made would you believe it went from 280 to 180 and about 200 on a hot summer day perfect freaking perfect and I never lost any power at all after that as it would get pretty sluggish when it was getting hot... You guys know what I'm talking about
Thanks for sharing! Yes, we know what you're talking about.
The XR's are a different animal, and it sounds like you are very happy with it. 👍
Good to hear how you kept all your bikes, thru the years, running optimally!
@@DKCustomProducts thanks for the reply. What I can't understand is why people don't understand that they need to put an oil cooler on every Harley there is. They even sell them in the Harley accessories and some of them are quite expensive.. but if you look in that Harley accessories they have some that are really nice that fit down in front of the frame on the big twins and some of them from like the company called fueling have the ones that mount on the left side of the frame just like the XR1200...
You should follow up with a video showing all the Harley accessories oil coolers that a lot of people could put on themselves they're not that hard to do especially the ones that use the pancake between the spin-on filter mount... After you install it then you just spit on your oil filter and you're done...
And they make dipsticks oil caps with as monitor in so you can see how your oil temperature is running and show some of those in in a video maybe even some shots of riding the bike and then pull over and stop and take a look at the temperature if the temperature stays the third or fourth time you know about where it's going to run off always. So you really don't have to go to the expense of mounting one up on the dash of your dresser just if you got an oil temperature gauge on the oil dipstick is fine anyway good luck to you guys see if you can convince some more people of what I already know over the years see you in the wind
PS they even have them with fans and thermostats on them so when the gets too hot the fans automatically kick in those are the ones that are a little bit more expensive but trouble free and you run the s*** out of your Harley after that and it won't get hot
@@donniebaker5984 Yes, oil coolers are important, no doubt. Back in the oughts HD changed their oil coolers...not nearly as effective as they used to be.
We recommend oil coolers seen at this link...both the coolers and the coolers with thermostatically controlled fans
www.dkcustomproducts.com/oil-coolers-c134.htm
Keep your cool! The heat is on.
Hard to picture it today...we have had freezing rain most of the day. 😬
I think people get confused with the three temps. Heads, Engine, oil. On my M8, my heads run about 25° hotter than my engine temp on my power vision. I don’t know what my oil is running out
Yes, you are absolutely correct. There are several different number, AND the optimum engine temp is different on Sportsters, Twin Cams and M8's.
The two that we pay Most attention to are:
1. The ET as displayed by the Powervision as "ET". The reason we use this signal is because this is what the Harley ECM uses to make changes to the fuel and timing. This is the important number (produced by the cylinder head heat sensor), since this is the one HD uses.
2. Oil temp, measured in the oil tank. Generally, if you see that temp between 190 and 230, after riding for 45-60 minutes, that will indicate the the temperature of the engine is ideal.
Love what you guys are doing. I have purchased external breather with catch can and a few other items. That said, you need to do better quality control and raise your standards a bit. Not one of the gear clamps you sent me worked, all Chinese junk! The air cleaner cover, while powder coated, had nicks in the finish! Common boys, great ideas etc. But, let’s do better work!
Thank you for hard work…
This is not the level of quality we strive for, as we inspect every piece before wrapping and packaging. While mistakes can occasionally happen, we are committed to addressing any issues.
Please email us photos of the hose clamps and backplate at Support@DKCustomProducts.com so we can resolve this promptly.
I apologize for the poor quality control and am dedicated to making it right. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, for your business and for commenting! MB
@@DKCustomProducts Thanks but I already fixed the plate and used cable ties instead of the clamps. I tossed those. I also chucked the catch can in the lathe and cleaned up the bottom so it was smooth.
All installed and working fine.
I wouldn’t purchase a water cooled model unless it had a stock oil cooler as well. To my knowledge, all of the water cool models do not come with oil coolers.
That is correct, the Twin Cooled do not come with oil coolers We have a better than factory oil cooler with a patented design that fits the Twin Cooled bikes and trikes that generally see a drop of 20-25 degree F in oil temperatures.
Link - www.dkcustomproducts.com/twin-cooled-oil-cooler-c612.htm
We also did a video which backs up what you said about the challenge with Twin Cooled Harley's. It is here - th-cam.com/video/6AhPqVlvE-w/w-d-xo.html
That's why I own a liquid cooled Indian. It gets pretty hot down here Florida.
Glad you are enjoying your ride.
Different Strokes for Different Folks.
Running your breather delete and catch can on my streetglide and Dyna LRS. Put a S&S 124 in my streetglide build and a larger TB. You guys planning on building a set up for us guys with larger TBs? I had to pull your system off my SG and go with a different intake with larger TB..
Very cool, appreciate your business and glad you are enjoying the parts.
We do not have a plan to do that. All the testing we have done shows that the smaller OEM throat on the throttle bodies (or when there is a larger TB, then the smaller opening on the intake backplate) produces better power. I know this is counterintuitive, but it is what we have seen time and again in testing. The largest we've tested is the 131, so this might not hold true for larger displacements.
@@DKCustomProducts Thanks, also have the remote filter setup on both. I understand, problem is the bolt pattern is a wider pattern as a result of the larger diameter TB. Thanks for the reply. 👍 If I could bolt it back up, Id of reused the intake and breather delete.
@@highwayman1218 Yes, that is something we have considered doing....making a different flange with different bolt patterns.
We have also modified (drilled more holes) the existing flange to bolt up to some different larger TB's.
@@DKCustomProducts Thought about that and may do the drilling at some point.
@@highwayman1218 Enjoy your ride!
Which would you recommend a oil cooler fan or a jims fan ?
Depends on what bike you have. If it is a Twin Cooled, I would get an oil cooler. We did a test on a Twin Cooled, which has no oil cooler. You can see it here- th-cam.com/video/6AhPqVlvE-w/w-d-xo.html
If you do a lot of stop and go, or if it already has an oil cooler, I would get the JIMS Fan.
2020flhxs
@@jesselegz4312 You already have an oil cooler, I would use the Fan on my bike.
Thanks
You should do a video or 3 on how to maintain safe temps. on different models.
We have. You can see the video series here - th-cam.com/play/PLb3bvZgbH92_3s-2vv63QggFJ3nteFd_C.html
And you can see a breakdown by model at this link- www.dkcustomproducts.com/shoptalk/DKUM/
hey wait a minute, you said you turned the fans off. If you did a dyno run with the fans off, it will defiitely get the engine hotter. If I heard you correctly, this does not represent a real on road test. I believe you when you say they Can run hot, this is where we have to be aware and respond to the different conditions accordingly. This said, I have been looking at a secondary cooling option I can install as an on demand system. You cant predict a traffic jam, so something I can turn on instead of stopping on the side of the road will be nice. Ride on brothers
Yes, the fans are typically on when doing dyno runs. We adjust the load and fans to get the bike up to a proper operating temperature (210) then we do a pull (which is 3-6 seconds). During that 3-6 seconds it may warm up a bit, so before the next pull we make sure we are back at 210 F.
For this test we wanted to replicate how hot the bike gets on the road....which is easily in the 270-340 range. So we turned the fans off to let the temp build to mirror what is seen in typical riding. Then the fans went back on while doing the pulls.
You may find one or both of the following links interesting.
th-cam.com/video/o3T3yA9BKwE/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/play/PLb3bvZgbH92_3s-2vv63QggFJ3nteFd_C.html
Performance is one thing……my main concern is longevity. So, question here… if my FP3 tuner says 250-270 (20 degree spread) degrees on my M8, I’m at normal operating temp of 230? Am I understanding you correctly?
The full answer is in this video- th-cam.com/video/rWOdQOtDv6A/w-d-xo.html
The short is that 270 engine temp is right at the ragged edge....as you saw in the video.
@@DKCustomProducts You said the temperatures are going to register higher simply because where the temperature sensor is on the M8. So 270° on my FP3 is not on the ragged edge it is normal operating temperature. Correct?
@@jeffreyengle2762 I didnt think the FP3 gave the temp of the the oil? are we talking oil temp here or engine temp?
@@marvelharris9540 Good question, I’m not sure really but I’m thinking engine temperature is what it’s getting from that sensor in any case it’s the temperature on that sensor that’s indicating the temperature of the oil? Maybe somebody else will chime in.
@@jeffreyengle2762 That is correct, in the video I referenced I said 250-270 for ET on an M8 is the highest optimum temps you want to see.
BUT, as you noticed from this video, the ECM pulled power on the M8 right at 270 degrees.
So, I should have said 25-265....because, and you saw in this video, you don't want to hit 270.
Is it wise to run full synthetic oil seems temperature does not affect viscosity of the oil?
Full synthetic oil will keep the viscosity modifiers "healthy" for more miles/heat than dino oil. We touch on that in this tongue-n-cheek video-
th-cam.com/video/bNHgNThrqQo/w-d-xo.html
I've found the best way to keep my oil temperature down in my harley when it's hot out is to ride my Yamaha.)
That would appear to be the solution...however, even in cooler temps (50-70 F) the Twin Cams and M8's still get too hot for their own good.
I'm surprised that there are people who are in denial about the adverse effects of excessive heat because it's by no means unique to motorcycle engines. Every internal combustion whether air cooled or water cooled performs better when it's cooler (within reason, of course). Why would a motorcycle engine be different? Of course there's a point of diminishing returns but in general anything you can do to make your Harley engine run cooler will make it perform better and last longer.
Yes it is surprising, but there are a few reasons why:
#1 is that Dealerships are almost uniformly telling HD Owners that 300-350 is normal and they are designed for that. The popular story that HD's are tested in Arizona and run for 24 hours straight in 110 degree heat and do just fine.
Next is that folks have just spent a ton on a new bike and do not want to believe that it needs some help.
Another is that HD engineers know what they are doing.
There are other motivations, but those are the top ones, I think.
We will probably do a video on this subject.
Thanks for your comment.
@@DKCustomProducts I think one of the points you make is that there's an important difference between "normal" and "optimal." An engine may "do just fine" as-is but it can do just fine for more miles/years if it's better cooled. I totally understand not wanting to put more money into a brand-new bike, though.
@@itsapittie Yeah, the crazy thing is that folks buy a Harley, then they want more power, so maybe they do a mediocre Stage I, and then maybe they add a cam. The power increase they get is is about what they would get if they just cooled it down to optimum operating temperature...which HD says, right in the manual, is 230 F.
Y’all should do the same test with a set of love jugs on it
We have done many tests like that. Will put links below to a video or two of those.
This test was NOT to see how well the fans work (They do work really well), but to show those that think that running around 300F is no problem, that in fact it is a problem.
th-cam.com/video/zmJmpdgBM3A/w-d-xo.html
Test data chart- click on the technical info button to see charts - www.dkcustomproducts.com/jims-force-flow-fan-cools-twin-cam-engine.htm
Another video - th-cam.com/video/qMVwT0nunfU/w-d-xo.html
Just what I want to do spend 23000 and have to spend more to make it run right. Absolutely ridiculous…keep your bike Harley, I’m done trying to negotiate on a new one where they won’t budge and then I see this video. I guess it’s back to a Suzuki M109 where I save lots of money. Man I so much want to buy USA product but they build crap! Very frustrating. My 2 cents.
Or you could find a super low mileage Harley that is pre-2007 before EPA really started cracking down on their mandates. Those bikes ran quite a bit cooler.
@@DKCustomProducts thanks I may look into that. I never heard of problems with VRod engine designed with Porsche. I’m surprised they didn’t use that in another way or upgrade the vrod design.
@@HeCoversMe It just did not sell well enough. Did not look, sound or feel like the nostalgic Harley.
I thought 🧐 that Harley Davidson
was running an oil cooler 😎
on the 107 and up CI Milwaukee 8
motors .
Is this not enough ???
I mean , HELL , we are shelling out
20 K ‘s plus .
You can spend up to 50 K’s on
a new Harley Davidson .
Most of us are blue collar workers,
we are not like
Sons of Anarchy , we don’t all have
porn studios and machine gun sales
to support an expensive motorcycle
to god damn begin with !!!
I’m not arguing with you ,
I’m a mechanical dumb ass ,
I don’t know any better .
So where do we blue collar
workers go from here ???
Exactly, totally with you
On the 107 and up M8's, the bikes that do NOT have lowers have an oil cooler. The bikes with lowers are Twin-Cooled and they do Not have an oil cooler.
Counterintuitively the Twin Cooled bikes run hotter than the air cooled only bikes.
Unfortunately both of them run too hot for their own good.
There are many things that can be done to cool them down. Here is a link to a video of low cost and not cost things that can be done to cool them down.
th-cam.com/video/o3T3yA9BKwE/w-d-xo.html
and here is a video series that you may find interesting-
th-cam.com/play/PLb3bvZgbH92_3s-2vv63QggFJ3nteFd_C.html
I agree I got oil cooler with fans
I'm 69 yrs old and bought what I believe to be my last HD when I was 66, a 2018 Deluxe. I have always been concerned about HD's high heat especially when they ended leaded gas. For most cases, I liked to ride in secondary, slower roads. But I have ridden with heavily loaded, two up and sometimes pulled a loaded up trailer. A heavily loaded bike and an added trailer also create a lot of excess heat. I always ran two oil coolers and that wasn't enough. I have made my bike into a touring bike similar to a Heritage but also added the tour pack. One of the excessive heat sources I have discovered is the Catalytic Converters built in the stock mufflers. I have bought a set of true duel fishtails (baffled) and also intend to install an S&S oil pump and cam case as well a low torque cam, TTS 100. I plan to travel some and tent, but not overload and drive close to the speed limit most of the time. I wish they had an oil temp. gage you could mount on the handlebars.
Sounds like you have some fun riding lined up!
The cats radiate a lot of heat. They don't really make the engine any hotter, but they sure make the heat coming off the pipes MUCH hotter.
Yes, that would be a nice gauge to have...would also require the installation of a sending unit and the wiring up to the gauge.
In the meantime you could use a dipstick that displays the engine oil temp.
@@DKCustomProducts Thank you for your advice. I wasn't sure if the Catalytics heated the engine as well. But they sure do heat up the exhaust system and make it dangerous to get near them.
Until they get a handlebar gauge, I'll get a dipstick display. I live in BC Canada, so buying things right now is very expensive. Just like Communist Biden, we have to get rid of Communist Trudeau, our Dictator Prime Minister.
@@smilingbiter What a beautiful place BC is. We have ridden around up there a few times (during the summer) and loved it.
Yeah, gotta be careful of those pipes with the Cat....I've seen them glow red at night more than a few times!
@@DKCustomProducts Thank you, I love your programs and have you on the bell so I don't miss you. Take care.
Don't stop until you see aluminum dripping out of your exhaust. Then, you know to back off and try again.
I do not think that is how it works, but certainly when that is happening you know your bike is running hot!!!! lol
Thanks for commenting! MB
Best Harley videos on TH-cam
Wow! Thank you! Glad you are finding them useful. 👍
This is an eye opener, good one guys ☝️
😎👍🇨🇦
Thanks, glad you liked it! ☝
More than likely heat issues are a product of the oil you are running. Everyone thinks thicker is better when it is not.
No, that was not the case.
Both engines were fully heat soaked prior to runs, so the oil was not thick or cold.
The M8 had the factory 20-50 in it.
The Twin Cam had Redline 20-50 in it.
While some oils may lower temps by 10 F, and we have even seen claims of 20 F, the majority of engines will run 50-100 F hotter than what HD says is correct, and will start pulling timing in the 270-280 range.
For the guy seeing 320 f, even if he changes to an oil that lowers temps by 10 F, he is still going to have a problem.
Heat is a direct result of friction. Fuel and air is another but you have secondary’s with those. HD oil is total crap with no API standards. Oil not making it to all parts of the motor is another or poorly pumped. Try Mobil 4T racing oil or Amsoil.
@@semperfipar1299 We've done heat tests with Amsoil compared to Redline and Royal Purple and Mobil 1, but we have not tried Mobil 4T. We may do that. Thanks.
But I am pretty dadgum sure that the heat generated by the combustions cycles is where the majority of the heat comes from.
@@DKCustomProducts One other thing is oil is suppose to shed the heat of the motor. Combustion is a big factor but that does not necessarily mean it is destroying the engine. Harley Davidson now has to have emission control. Catalytic converters back up heat into the engine through metal to metal transfer at the exhaust manifold connection to the cylinder head. The cooling fins also shed heat and the aluminum sheds heat very quickly compared to Iron. Having worked on helicopter drive trains the turbine is the ultimate air-cooled engine and believe it or not the system had a valve at the oil cooler that remained closed to allow oil to heat up then it would open up to the oil cooler . From there to the engine inlets and return to the oil reservoir. For piston pounders the multi-viscosity is what you have. The lower the first number the better for friction at cold temperatures. I run car oil in my old sportster and it takes about ten miles just to get it warmed up. Twenty one years old and still runs like new with over fifty thousand miles. Try 10W40 oil and see how it does with heat. It will circulate better than 20W50.
Got one of them thar koolflo fans on my Street Glide and it is fantesticle.
I loved being a Harley tech that rode a Yamaha every day. I had all the benefits of a Harley with none of the drawbacks.
I ride a liquid cooled Honda NC750XD and it is perfect for Africa where I live.
Enjoy your ride!
Power =Heat, don’t chase HP in and air cooled motor TQ is where it’s at!
Spot on!
Torque is where it's at!
Yes, the balancing act of having exhaust as hot as possible, keeping cylinder walls around 190F, and having intake as cool as possible.
www.dkcustomproducts.com/sleeper-performance-mods.htm
Owner of a Fatboy s, this will sound stupid but I've stoped revving my bike at traffic stops now engine stays a lot cooler lol.
Yes, that will help for sure! 👍
That is so weird, my twin cam loves 90° weather, for some reason the bike runs optimal and even sounds throatier
That is great!
What year is your Twin Cam, and what, if anything, have you done to it?
@@DKCustomProducts it's a 2010 wide glide, it has a heavy breather, 583 S&S cams, and phython shotgun exhaust, all tuned with SE tune. It does get hot yes but only if I ride in traffic and or get rev happy, but it runs hard and strong when it's not fully warm, so like not so hot temps, but on a hot day in the 90s it's very throaty, in cold climate it's good to but I'm thinking it might just be all the rage on my face that makes me hold back, but overall it's pretty on par with my expectations
@@miguelsalgado4673 Good to hear you are happy with your ride! 👍
@@DKCustomProducts did ride a buddy twin cam road king once on a 140 mile ride with a passenger, the bike was a joy to ride as far as long trips but it was a hot day and the bike felt hot, I personally thought at the time that the two deflectors behind the engine makes the heat stay and doesnt do s good job keeping you less hot
@@miguelsalgado4673 Yeah, they can get pretty warm!
Very interesting, thanks for the info.
Glad you found it useful. Thank you for the comment. 👍
Tank lift baby!! @DK CUSTOMS go get your tank lift now!! 2021 roadking standard 107 and she gets hot boys!!
Thank you for the comment. Yep, a Tank Lift has many benefits, including a nice cooling one.
Optimum oil temperature is 180° f to 230 degrees Fahrenheit and the oil temperature in the engine is 10% hotter than the oil in the oil tank
Yes. Good info. Now, if the Harley "techs" could just learn these basics. 😬
When you use premium fuel the engine can get very hot.
Any fuel and the engine in a TC or M8 can get very hot.
I have read reports on both sides of the fence...
lower octane (87) burns slower, so heat is retained longer
higher octane (93) has a higher ignition point, burning faster, retaining less heat.
@@DKCustomProducts oh no, the higher octane explodes much faster in the pistons causing alot of heat around my legs, when I shut the bike off the pipes keep popping for 15 minutes, THATS HOT. But when I put the shit stuff in" 87 octane", theres no popping in the pipes when im done riding, but the bike runs like shit because im putting the cheap fuel in. So now i just put the premium in her, she runs like a dream, but she runs very hot.
@@philiporourke7896 Below are links to a video series and a written report on how to cool that engine down.
It will be more comfortable.
It will have more power.
It will last longer.
th-cam.com/play/PLb3bvZgbH92_3s-2vv63QggFJ3nteFd_C.html
www.dkcustomproducts.com/why-how-to-cool-down-the-twin-cam-engine-part-i-dk-cl-tc-dn-1.htm
My bike 🏍 runs very hot 🔥 what should I do
We have a whole series on Why & How to cool them down. The 8th video in the series starts with the different steps you can take to cool them down. The link to that series is at the bottom of this comment.
We also have a written Report/List at this link- www.dkcustomproducts.com/why-how-to-cool-down-the-twin-cam-engine-part-i-dk-cl-tc-dn-1.htm
Video series link- th-cam.com/play/PLb3bvZgbH92_3s-2vv63QggFJ3nteFd_C.html
I agree 100 percent! Thanks for the info ! 👍✌
Thanks for watching and commenting. 👍
Harleys latest a greatest tech isn't the Milwaukee 8 it's the Revolution Max.
Yes, we are waiting to see how that works out.
We did not do any work or development for the VROD, and we almost did for the Streets, but decided not to.
We will see how the RevMax does before starting (or not) to develop parts for it.
Great video. You can't argue against the data.
Thank you, glad you liked the video.
Run. At. 180. Then. At. 210. See if big defronts
Great information thanks again I installed the love jokes to help
Awesome thank you! 👍
Great information I installed the love jokes to help good video
Thank you for the comment, we appreciate it and are glad you found the video useful. Good to know you are getting your ride cooled down. 👍
Hi , RGS model 2016 I have, what the meaning of inlet air temperature shows on display?
That is the temperature of the air that is in the intake tract. The cooler it is the better.
Here is a video that talks about this, and other things the ECM uses to constantly adjust the tune.
th-cam.com/video/0vbTkRvFa80/w-d-xo.html
This why I bought a goldwing
Different Strokes for Different Folks. :)
Harley definitely needs to go to full water cooled engines
They tried it with the VROD, never caught on, they tried it with the Streets, never caught on, and now they are trying it with the RevMax, we will see how that goes.
Another great video ! Thanks !
Thank you for the comment. Good to hear you liked the vid. 👍
Good work guys
Thank you. 👍
That what my bike get up to that. 230.
Oil temp gauge …. WHAT ARE OUR OPTIONS FOR ROAD KING
The two most popular option are the HD or the JES Custom Accents. These are easy and about $100
More complicated is mounting a gauge somewhere, and then installing a temp sending unit and running the wires.
Got a Jes on my Triglide . Nice piece
@@whodafokcares That is what I am running also. First one replaced under warranty...the one now works well and is around the 2 year mark.
@@whodafokcares I agree… reviews look pretty good too
That if. Ride hard.
But that is temp in metric kpa. Isn't that the temp on lust the pressure side and not in the oil pan?
†**********
Kilopascal or kPa Definition
The kilopascal is a unit of pressure. 1 kPa is approximately the pressure exerted by a 10-g mass resting on a 1-cm2 area. 101.3 kPa = 1 atm. There are 1,000 pascals in 1 kilopascal. 4:24
at 4:24 the temperature is taken from the Power Vision tuner, on the bike. We were reading engine temperature (ET) in degrees Fahrenheit. Et is read directly from the temp sensor in the head and is what is referenced in most of the tuning tables in the ecm. MB
Nah heat doesn't effect how the engine performs. Evidently they never had a vehicle over heat on them. 50 degrees over recommended operating temp is over heating. Why vehicles spit and sputter and loose power. Heat is friction. So less heat the smoother the engine runs
Yeah, it is amazing how strong the misinformation is.
If. Pulling. Power. Then hurt. Motor.
great info
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching. 👍
Just buy their products, you'll be fine.
If life were that simple. 😂
put a fan on it
That can certainly help, but there are a lot of things you can do to cool down your bike.
Here is a link to a full list of why and how to cool down your bike- th-cam.com/play/PLb3bvZgbH92_3s-2vv63QggFJ3nteFd_C.html
Here is a written report on Why and How to cool down your bike part 1- www.dkcustomproducts.com/why-how-to-cool-down-the-twin-cam-engine-part-i-dk-cl-tc-dn-1.htm
part 2- www.dkcustomproducts.com/why-how-to-cool-down-your-twin-cam-engine-part-ii-dk-cl-tc-dn-2.htm
Thanks for commenting! 😎
The proof is in the pudding! 🥵
Yep. We've been working on understand and fixing the heat issue for over 10 years now. But, we never got so much feedback saying that HD's run fine in 300+ temp range until we did our Why & How Video series ( see it here - th-cam.com/play/PLb3bvZgbH92_3s-2vv63QggFJ3nteFd_C.html )
After so many just could not accept that the TC's and M8's run too hot, we decided to shoot a video illustrating the problem.