yea yea... i am sure this is an old topic, but i am a noob... plus this is my first harley

so heat... i live in florida, and the '08 is hot hot hot. i suppose this is "normal", but seems "not so normal"... am i going to fry my bike or should i just "deal with it... thats a harley"?

 

Living in warmer climes, I'd suggest deciding your way of enrichening the fuel ratio and deal with it. There, like here in Southern California, it gets far too hot in my opinion to just live with it. Do your research, install a solution (PC III, Thundermax, SERT, Fuel Pak, etc.), make sure it is tuned properly (have it dyno'd if necessary), change over to synthetic lubricants so that they don't break down as easily, and ride as much as you can.
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Roger

 

You should already have synthetics in it since its an 08 but i agree that a good tuning might be in order. Those 96's do run hot. Get a thermometer oil cap and keep an eye on it.

 

put a oil cooler on it, that will help allso

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XIED will fix the heat problem for $100
Install it yourself in a few minutes.

http://www.nightrider.com/parts/

 

stage 1 and dyno tune. no more heat even in texas

 

You need to switch to synthetic oils for the engine, tranny, and primary.&nbsp\\; Then you need to bypass the EPA strangle-hold on new model Harleys.&nbsp\\; Figure out how to use this forum's search function and start researching Stage 1.
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Letting your engine breathe better and allowing your fuel mixture to get more rich with a fuel computer (part of Stage 1) will make a world of difference.
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My oil tank thermometer reads 250 degrees F (sometimes hotter) on my treks in Central Florida.&nbsp\\; This means that your heads, exhaust ports (etc) are much hotter than that.&nbsp\\; If you aren't on open roads (moving along) that heat is going to rise and cook the rider.&nbsp\\; But guess what, it isn't going to cook the bike.

 

Synthetic oils and the mentioned above will do you just fine. I don't run the XIED myself but I read the lengthy thread on it in the tuning section and if I didn't already have a PCIII and was looking to spend only 100 dollars the XIED would be on my bike.

 

I wrote the owner of Nightrider and told him he should advertise here. I see posts here all the time asking how to cool the 07-08 bikes. Most of these guys just want to cut down the heat from the 96" motor that is roasting their nads. They are not asking how to increase power. For these guys, XIED is all that they need.

 

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Did the MoCo switch over to their syn for the '08 models??? Haven't been to the stealer since they hit the floor, and hadn't really been paying attention much if they have. Hope that's the case, though, as it does make a difference. I had read reports when I got my Fat Boy&nbsp\\;and started doing research, and many were claiming how much cooler their bikes ran with synthetics in all three holes. I converted over to M1 when I did my 1000-mile service, and found that it didn't really drop the running temps much, if at all. However, I know that the synthetics can handle the heat much better, and begin to break down at much higher temperatures, and that is where the actual benefit is.
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In spite of M1 in all three holes, SEAC, V&amp\\;H BSS, and a PC III, mine still runs really hot on those hot days here in SC, and I just checked the plugs again and see that it is still running lean. I realize that the PC III map needs to be tweaked, and figure that a good dyno is the only way to really get the map dialed in properly, but decided rather to get a Thundermax with autotune. The key is to get the A/F ratio properly richened so that it isn't running as lean as the EPA mandates.
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Regarding the XIED - I've read through the posts and it certainly seems to have helped out many. I did see a comment from someone living in one of the warmer areas, and it didn't seem to have as dramatic effect as others, but did still drop his running temps quite a bit. I believe this probably solves the A/F issues for many not living in the&nbsp\\;hottest areas, and provides some relief for those who do.
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Roger