Are Engine Temp and Oil Temp significantly different?

According to my tuner, my engine temps run around 280, and oil temp (via a dipstick thermometer) is about 225.

Is that normal?

 

The heater will always be hotter than what it's heating up.

 

Yes.

Oil temps won't be the same as engine temps measured at the heads.

Both temperatures mentioned appear to be as expected - depending on model.

 

Excellent! Thank you!

 

Yes a lot different. Engine temp is measured at the head. Not enough oil can ever flow to the heads to remove that much heat.
Oil temp is something so many worry about for no reason.
Just drive yourself nuts worrying about. Ride and enjoy.

 

Oil is a trigger word on this forum. Nothing to see, move on...

 

I've been riding H-D's dating back to the mid-70's Shovelheads and up to (including EVO's T/C's) a M-8.
What I've found is that any engine can take more heat than I (or you) can and the only time I've experienced any real concern about overheating was on a hot summer day in CA when while riding two-up and pulling a trailer with an air cooled Heritage EVO we got caught up in a long, "stop-and-go" traffic jam.
At one time, I had one of those dipsticks with a thermometer on my '13 CVO Ultra, with the Ward's Cooling Fans and on a hot freeway ride I stopped for fuel and checked for an oil temp reading and it was 240 degrees and he bike showed no visible signs of being overheated.

Even with the newer M-8 engines (and synthetic oils) I would still do my best to avoid situations where movement (air cooling) is limited and even though the synthetic oils are (supposedly) capable of surviving temps of 300 degrees, which would make sitting on top of an engine that hot would be unbearable would surely "melt" me!

 

every time you heat oil, to some degree, you break it down....those are just facts....the condition of your oil before you change it is directly related to how hot it got and how many times it got that hot

oil that is broken down, does not lubricate as effectively, and the specific heat (it's ability to absorb heat) is significantly lower

now HD says optimal operating oil temp is c. 225 degrees....oil can start breaking down as low as 275 degrees...air cool engines, including dual cooled, can reach temps in excess of 300 degrees....some of the oil gets so hot it vaporizes

oil temps do matter, cooler oil will lubricate better, and absorb more heat

 

In piston powered oil/air cooled aircraft engines, CHTs (Cylinder Head Temperatures) can get into the high 300s or more while oil temps can stay below 200.

Granted, the air is moving a lot faster and there's generally a good sized oil cooler placed into that fast moving air; but the engines are very expensive and they generally hold up very well. Piston aircraft engines burn higher octane fuel that contains some lead (100LL) and also have the ability to go higher where the air is cooler - although thinner. From a temperature management standpoint, air/oil cooled motorcycle engines arguably have a tougher life.