I just installed a temp gage dipstick. It was raining all day so I'll have to wait and try it out tomorrow.

 

+1. My dealer said the same thing as he was going through the new bike check list.

 

When the bike goes into heat mode,you will know its hot.

How many of you with oil temp gauges have actually stopped(based on oil temp)your bike to let it cool and what was the temp?

 

It would make me nervous not knowing the oil temperature, and I consider it my most important gauge that I use as much as the tach and speedo. In fact, I'm considering a head-temp gauge but don't know where I'd install it and haven't found one economical enough yet. If you install the fairing-mounted gauge, install the sender in the pan as described in many previous threads. The dipstick version is notoriously fragile and will probably fail sooner rather than later. I had two on my old Evo RK, the first lasting a week and the second about three years. After a while the very thin o-ring shrinks and decreases in its effectiveness to keep water out. When water does get in the gauge is history, and there are no repair parts, so it is an expensive throw-away. Rather than replace the second, I did without.

The fairing mounted gauge is much better and you can read it while you're riding, a very unsafe practice with the dipstick model.

 

I love my Oil Temp Dipstick! Been running it for almost 40k in Phoenix out of my total 86K on my 97 EVO. Helps especially when stuck in freeway traffic in the dead of summer! Had to fix it with super gluea couple of times but it's still ticking...

 

Nervous isn't the right word. Try obsessed.

I had one on my old bike and looked at it constantly. It was analog soit was easy to see when stopped ( no button ). I looked at it all the time....for what? If your moving, the air flow is going to keep your bike cool. No need to worry. If your stuck in traffic on a hot summer day, it's going to get hot. You'll know by the way the bike is acting if it's too hot. Shifting will get difficult and your thighs burning are a good indication too. The best thing you can do in this situation is hit an open road and get it some air. It will cool off a lot faster that wayas opposed toshutting it off.

I purposely did not get an oil temp gauge so I wouldn't be obsessed with looking evey time I stopped at an intersection. That and the digital ones are pricey. ( why don't they have an analog for baggers? ) It was always fine and almost always within a few degrees of what I thought it was going to be. When it was hot, I knew it was hot before I even looked.

Get an oil cooler and change the oil regularly.

Then you can spend your time at intersections checking for hot babes in the cars next to you asopposed to looking at the oil temp that you can't do anything about.

 

Yes, what maineultraclassic said. If for any other reason, if you start idleing stange, look at the oil temp and if very high you're probably in one of the ECM cool down modes.

Other recommendation IMO - get an oil cooler. Best dollars I spent.

 

I agree.... If youre concerned about the oil temp, then spend the money on an oil cooler and not a Oil Temp Gauge.

But having said that, I have both a cooler & temp gauge. Im an old drag racer & sports car racer so I love gauges& would have a fuel psi gauge if I could find a place to put it. I like gadgets


Jim
www.FastAire.com

 

Edward - you are the man!