I'm not sure if I should post this here or somewhere else on the site. First of all, let there be no doubt that I love my bike. I love all the mods that I have had done and the increase in torque and power. So here is the story and some of the solutions.

I own a 2006 Ultra Classic that I purchased in May of 06. In March of 07 my friend did a big bore using Axtel Jugs, downloaded the stage 1, added a hd oil cooler, oil temp gauge and installed Peacemaker exhausts. I also started using synthetic oil.

We ended up with a 97 ci engine with some "Giddy up". I started to notice that the bike would run hot during certain situations - normal operating oil temp on the open road would be 230 degrees, typical city driving would cause the temp to rise to 250 degrees. Stop & go traffic would make the temp soar to 270 to 290 degrees with a few times hitting 300 before I pulled over for a cool down.

Last August I was beginning the 2nd day of a week long trip with my wife and close friends along the Oregon Coast. Went to start the bike and it sounded like a Russian tank. A valve had stuck open in the rear cylinder and the took out the upper half of the engine. We could never prove that overheating eventually caused the failure but we have been on a mission to find ways to cool the engine down.

My friend had the heads rebuilt and he installed new pistons, etc. He also installed a Thundermax EFI. The Thundermax increased the power another 10 to 15%. We had hoped that it would also cool the engine (my friend play with the timing and fuel consumption). We didn't have much luck with the cooling (I still have been running similar temps) but the bike can really scoot.

Last November we installed a Lenale Fan and the jury is still out on how effective it is. As my friend says, the fan does put out some high volume air and could be cooling the heads without much noticeable oil temp drop. Also, I have not had that many opportunities to truly test its capabilities.

Now the latest attempt. My friend was doing some research on the internet a few weeks ago and found this oil cooler at http://www.budsbikerparts.net/ . This is an oil cooler to beat all oil coolers. We decided to purchase them not only for my bike but his screamin eagle ultra and his wifes softtail. He installed it on my bike over the weekend and the now the tests begin. This oil cooler installs under the bike and includes 3 cooling chambers and claims to drop oil temps by 35 degrees or more.

So I am going to try and keep a log so I can post the results on the forum. Look here for future reports. Please add your comments and feel free to contact me via private message. I know that oil /engine temps have been discussed many times on the forum yet I think the jury is out as far as how hot is too hot. Also, I have read where owners have installed multiple Jagg coolers with some success. That was going to be my next step until this Oil cooler came along. So heres to trying to keep cool!

 

I'll be interested in reading the results of your testing. Does that oil cooler interfere with putting the bike on a jack?

 

No, it fits between the frame.

 

How about when it comes time to change the oil...is it in the way of the drain plugs?

 

Here is a link to the install instructions http://www.budsbikerparts.net/oilbud...structions.pdf . You will see that there is no problem accessing the oil drain plug.

 

Kudos to the guys at Bud's for the clear instructions. Maybe I'm wrong, but it looks to me like the oil cooler is going to have to be removed or shifted to access the crank oil drain plug. I couldn't really tell by the pictures. It looks really tight there.

 

It is tight, but it can be done.

 

saw this set up advertised in Bagger mag...not cheap but looks promising. looking forward to feedback/observations from you.

 

Definately keep us informed about the results. I have a hard time believing that there will be enough air flow under the bike to do much good. And the air won't even be hitting the cooler at a 90 degree angle, which would be optimum for flow thru the cooler.

 

Are the fins situated vertically or horizontally? If they are horizontally positioned than the air will flow over and between the cooling fins. There is no way that a vertically mounted fin will work without a turning vain(s). This is basic home air conditioning principles. I have never seen this unit and no reason to not believe it will not work without close examination. A quick look at high performance automotive design for radiators and the quest for reduced frontal signature for air resistance found on super cars is a good place to start. If this product adheres to the basic principles than it should work well because of all of the rows. A close-up of the fin layout would be helpful.