I have a friend at Baker Drivetrain he is telling me about a new oil pan that has an extra quart capacity according to him it makes the bike run 30 degrees cooler. is this possible or is he talking sh*t

 

That is a truck load of ****. The only thing a extra quart will do is get as hot as the other quarts.

 

Don't think I believe it makes it any cooler. You can get a longer filter that holds a 1/2 quart more, not sure that helps but sure is easier than changing the oil pan.

 

Depending on design, it MAY help the oil get cooler - if they add things such as cooling fins, additional exposed material to the outside air, etc. Since the heat transfer is a function of not only the engine, but the mechanical friction of the pump itself, that'll be a small factor as well. An important thing to keep in mind, however, is the DESIGNED operating temperature of the engine. Just as running a too-cool thermostat in an engine will degrade its' operational efficiencies, running the engine below design temps will degrade performance as well. So the FIRST question should be: "What temperature is my engine designed to operate at, and what temperature is it actually operating at?" That's why the MOCO added a thermal valve to the oil cooler....

 

he was saying something about the way the pan was baffled which I didn't quite get

 

I SMELL SOMTHIN'

 

Check out page 39 of the current (Feb 2008)American Rider, on Baker's full page ad. It is advertised as:

"New FL "Plus One" 5 Qt Oil Bag for cooler, cleaner oil to the motor and swingarm stability. (1999 and up FLT)

It's not yet listed on their web site that I could find.

 

Again....there's a ton of variables here. Simplest way to find out how serious they are is to ask to see test results - and if they guarantee similar results to YOU. First, though - find out if it's a problem on yer bike. Then do some testing to KNOW what temperature yer engine is runnin' at, an' what it does under similar situations with the new pan. Otherwise, it's meaningless...

 

my friend works on there tech line and usually is pretty accurate (even though over my head) but how would extra oil make 30 degrees difference????

 

Baffling....slows the movement of the oil that isreturningfromthe engine back to the oil pump. It channels the oil from the returnfeed back to the pump maximizing the time oil is allowed to cool before returning to the engine.
If this were not in there the hot oil returning could be pumped directly back into the engine with no time allowing it to cool.
More oil certainly extends the time for the oil to cool in the pan and there actually could be a reduction in OIL temps.....I dont know if 30 degrees is accurate.....Secondly I would have to agree that the engines are designed with a NORMAL operating temperature in mind....so consideration should be given to those targeted temps.....Probably a good concept in theory for those living in the southern U.S.