I've always thought my TriGlide ran hot. This is based upon my seat of the pants, as well as what my POS digital dipstick was telling me that temperatures ran as high as 290 and as much as 300 in hot weather traffic, as read on the digital dipstick. So, to reduce the temperatures I added the Wards fans and the Jagg 10 row oil cooler with fan. These additions, with both fans kept the temperature around 260.

Then two weeks ago, the digital dipstick crapped out. So, rather than spending another $150 on a new digital dipstick, a bought the fairing mounted oil temperature gauge that replaces the ambient air temperature guage.

My first few short rides led me to believe the new guage was reading low. Then today a did a ride, with the fans off, that typically resulted in temperature on the digital dipstick of 260 or there a about.. But, on today's ride the fairing mounted guage never read above 230. So, I thought...crap...what a POS...the new guage is reading low.

But...alas...I decided to check out how far off the new guage was reading. So, I sneaked my wife's candy thermometer ( that I had previously validated the accuracy) out to the garage, and stuck it in the dipstick hole. Voila!!! After several readings, the new fairing mounted guage was reading nearly dead on with the candy thermometer.

Conclusions:
- the new fairing mounted oil temperature guage is dead on accurate
- my TriGlide is running 30 degrees F cooler than I had thought
- the digital dipstick is a POS, as it is unreliable and inaccurate.

 

Inexpensive temp gauges have a bad reputation for reliable and accurate readings, so do pressure gauges. You can buy identical gauges and get a way differnt reading on each. I can't tell you how many cooking probes I've been through trying to find one that is reasonable accurate. I hate overcooked fish and chicken. But rare chicken is kinda risky too!

However, using the boiling water test will tell you if your gauge is close. I have a digital hand held pyrometer in my tool chest, that uses a variety of probes for different purposes. I know that is accurate to within a half degree up to 1500° because it was calibrated. So, rather than a bike mounted gauge, I'll take my engines temp right after a ride. The engine is heat soaked, and unless I coast in, it's not gonna lose more than 10° once I turn into my neighborhood.

My Deluxe runs close to what you gauged yours at on a summer day, between 220 and 230°. My Triumph Bonnevile......damn that thing runs hot. 260-280°. Triumph says that's normal.

 

When I bought my 07 Street Glide there was one of those digital dipstick already on it. After a few months the batteries apparently went dead on it and when I tried to change them the cap broke off. It was never accurate so I didn't bother to replace it with another digital one.

 

So...what are you going to do with your POS dipstick now?

 

Maybe use it to bbq some chikin?

 

Note to self, don't eat any candy at Trigeezer's house.,,,,

 

Yeah, it's got an oil taste to it.

 

I have one I took out when I got my Powervision. The battery died & I didn't see the point in replacing it. Don't know if it's accurate or not.

I tried to give it away for the price of shipping on the forums here.... no one would take it.

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I had one on my Slim and I had a hard time telling if it was running high or not. To make a long story short I checked it at 50 deg increments across the whole range with traceable standards at it was reading high along a curve - pretty close (within 5 - 10 deg) at the upper and lower ends of the scale and up to a maximum of 57 deg high at a true temp of 290.

Ended up checking one off a friend's bike and it read high with similar results.

 

That's just wrong.