When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I just got a Harley oil temp dip stick for my 2013 Bob. After half hour rides including highway and street on the same rides it reads 236F. I did get caught in traffic in town and believe it went up to 286. I do have a Harley Oil cooler. I know the 103 runs hot, even with my Power Vision tuner, but wonder what other members get. The bike runs well.
Roger
What was the ambient temperature? I do not have an oil cooler and 240 is the highest I have ever seen on a 95 degree day. Your temp seems too high for a bike with an oil cooler. First thing I would do is check the accuracy of the gauge and then I would make sure the ignition timing is not retarded in your power vision map.
On an 80 degree plus day, I'll routinely see 240 on my dial temp gauge after a half hour of back roads and around town. Usually 230-235 if mostly highway. I do my best to avoid traffic, and have seen as high as 260 while sitting briefly on a hot day.
Stage 1 with dealer download, Syn3, no oil cooler. My '08 is a 96 though, not a 103.
I have a buddy who doesn't run a temp dipstick and says "don't worry about it just ride. " but he's the first guy to shut down if we get stuck in stopped traffic.. 😀
The Moco suggested operating temp is 180-220.
They do not say much about temps when it exceeds the suggested operating temps,
They did somewhat acknowledge this issue though when in 2011 they started putting oil coolers on the touring bikes.
Don't know about the softails.
I have a "oil bud" oil cooler and Bud(the designer/inventor) pretty much guarantees a 35 degree drop in temp.
It does that, but it does not allow for the use of my wide band sensors with my Rinehart Slim-line duals due to the nub on the oil filter adapter.
I use a PC-V anyway so it is not that much of a big deal.
Never the less I still get up to 250 on a hot summer day and the right side of leg still gets hot.
Been thinking about getting Jason's Ward Werks Head fan set up.
The Moco suggested operating temp is 180-220.
They do not say much about temps when it exceeds the suggested operating temps
That is HD's spec for operating head temp. The oil could be close to that and usually gets hotter than that for us folks here in Texas. I regularly see 250-280 without an oil cooler. I am going to add one this summer and see what effect it has on the temps.
If she went up to 286-degrees with or without cooler...that's too hot. I'm guessing you read the #'s wrong as sometimes they look distorted while motor's running.
Did a 130 mile ride both highway with stop and go last week and my oil temp only got to 240. I have yet to see it over 250. Also I do not have an oil cooler, but I do have Wards cooling fans.
Slideshow: Jason Momoa's latest restoration project blends 1920s Harley-Davidsons with modern electric technology, creating some of the most unusual hybrid motorcycles ever built.
Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Becomes a Dark, Decepticon-Inspired Custom
Slideshow: Killer Custom's latest build relies on styling changes rather than performance upgrades, giving the cruiser an entirely different personality.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.