This is a question for anyone that has an oil temp thermometer “in” your oil bag.
I glance down frequently while riding to see where my oil temp is at.
Regardless of whether I’m hopping around or running down the interstate at 70 MPH, I never see it registering above about 140 degrees which seems low to me.
I’m using an aftermarket dipstick thermometer.

What does yours normally show?
Thanks.

 

your bike stock? Any add ons.. oil cooler? 185-225*..... You sure it's in the oil? If so get a new one.. Minimum temp when engine hot should be 185*..

 

Yup. I’m thinking faulty thermometer.
I think I’ll boil some water later and dip in that to see if it gets above where I Normally see it.

 

When I was running an oil temp gauge 200- 230 was pretty common.
Things can get heated up easily out here west Texas

WP

 

I just put it in a pan of water at a rolling boil and it barely got above 150.
Time to replace it.

 

**Disclaimer** This is a serious question.

Why does anyone care what temp an air-cooled engine is running at? I've owned many (VW, Harley, Triumph, etc.) and have never had one overheat, nor know of anyone that has had one overheat, nor seen engine damage caused by overheating.

No sarcasm at all here. I'm just curious. P.S.: the reason HD doesn't show you engine temp on the display is because they know riders would freak if they knew how hot they run (by design).

 

Engine temp is a good indicator of your engines health and there is an optimum range it should be within.
I monitor my engine temps along with doing a compression check every few thousand miles. Both can alert me to any potential problems that may be developing.
It is not only important to avoid excessively high oil temps but also oil temps that are not high enough to burn off any moisture that may be in the engine and oil itself.
If I am on a short ride which most of my rides are nowadays, I want to make sure the oil is at least at the bottom of that optimum range.

 

When the engine is totally up to running temp and depending on the bike model (shape of tank and location), these generally run 100-125 above ambient at highway speeds. Oil coolers will reduce that. They will read cooler at lower speeds, even stuck in traffic on a hot day because the oil doesn't circulate as quickly. Cold oil is an issue in cold weather riding since it doesn't do any cleaning or moisture removal until it's up to 165 or higher.

Oil only somewhat controls the temps of the piston skirts and valve springs, air does the rest. You can damage one without the oil ever reading hot. Overheating will usually first cause a cracked head between the spark plug and exhaust valve and/or the cylinder separating from the liner near the top. So far as a seized or cracked piston, scored cylinder, those are also results of heat but mostly from timing, mixture or clearance issues.

Tour models came factory equipped with an oil temp gauge in '86-'87.

Most of us don't "need" an indicator to know whether the transmission is in neutral or the headlamp is on high beam. To ask why anyone "wants" to know the oil temperature, well those answers can go on forever

 

I agree with you IronAss.

It might be quite usefull to know the oil temp in certain circumstances.

Especially if you have an aircooled Euro 4 compliant bike that by its nature runs lean therefore tends to run really hot!

(Ask any BMW owner with a 2017 or later R Nine T...).

 

delete