You can overheat a Harley engine if you don't PULL OVER and let the engine cool. Which is what MOST people do. Reason #1 why you don't hear of many heat-related TC failures.

What if you don't have that luxury?

In your world maybe however in mine...
I know of 3 bikes in this area that needed top-ends after overheating engines.
Friend of mine just last week on a 2007 SG. Now you can report that you have heard of a story. Your welcome.

Couple of facts for you:

1) Internet forums are mostly full of new bike owners who have not had a chance to experience any long term problems resulting from anything...
2) Overheating an engine is Bad.
3) Harley engines can be overheated.

Page 139 of your owners manual says this:

Air-cooled engines REQUIRE air movement over the cylinders and heads to maintain PROPER temperature.
Extended periods of IDLING or parade duty can overheat the engine, resulting in SERIOUS engine damage.

So basically even Harley acknowledges the fact you CAN overheat these engines and in doing do, you can cause engine damage.

Really should stop giving people a ration of **** just for trying to protect their bike man. It's not very friendly.

lp

 

... .. . .. .I think some of you guys are missing what '05train is getting at... .. . there's NO major heat failure problem with Harley's engines. He agreed that the LeNale fan is a good product.. . . .. . .but it's made to manage heat.. . .Not solve some problem that does not exist. . ... . ...

............ . .. ..we all do mods to our rides. Some that ride in higher temp areas or a lot of stop and go traffic opt to add a cooler or fan to help dissipate heat.. . . ..Yes. Some of you probably have sat in a butt load of traffic (Laconia) and overheated. . . . .but it's not your everyday riding. . . .... If Harley had some major overheating problem going on I think we would have seen some recalls/changes.. . . . .. .

.... . . ...so if you don't like 220+ degree heat roasting your nuts in stop and go traffic. . . . .buy a fan. . . .install an oil cooler. . . . ..damnit it's your bike! Do what you want!. . . . .. but realize. . ...it's just a mod dangit!!

 

I never said that it wasn't possible to overheat a Harley engine. I said that it's hard to do because of the design of the engine. Getting stuck in traffic every now and then will not harm anything as long as you change your oil as specified.

With all due respect to you and your three friends, I'd bet that there was a lot more going on than regular riding if their top ends failed. Put bluntly, you're a fool if you let your bike idle for hours on end, traffic or not. Unless you're on a bridge or in a tunnel, you always have the option of pulling over and letting the bike cool if you think the engine is overheating. If it's a bike with EITMS, then you know when the temperatures are getting up there and it's time to either get moving or stop and let the bike cool.

And to be clear, I'm not giving anyone **** for wanting to protect their bike. Quite the contrary, I urge everyone to spend $22.50 on an oil analysis before they start dumping money into oil coolers, fans, and other gimmicks. As you said (and quite correctly), the majority of the people on these forums do very little (mileage-wise) riding and don't keep their bikes very long. I did 20k last year, and I'll be closer to 40k this year. I change my fluids religiously. I have oil coolers on both bikes (came with the FLHTK, I added a Jagg to the FXSTB/I). I added the cooler to the FX because it's a high-compression build, and I ride the **** out of it in all weather conditions. It probably wasn't necessary, but it helps me sleep better at night.

If adding a fan helps you sleep better at night, then more power to you. But until you've gotten an oil analysis, you (again, with all respect) can't say with any degree of accuracy what the heat is or isn't doing to your engine. If the heat is causing damage, it'll show up in the testing.

Heat with an air-cooled engine is a fact of life, and it's nearly become gospel that "somethin's gotta be done" about the heat that Harleys produce. A lot of companies have made a lot of money playing to that fear, and selling "solutions". A parade fan is a great idea for riding in parades. It will move air across the cooling fins of your motor if you're stuck in traffic. With that said, the occasional traffic jam isn't going to harm anything, and for $22.50, you can prove that (or possibly disprove it) to yourself.

 

So...

If these engines can be overheated. And I don't want or cannot pull over. An oil cooler with Fan that would eliminate me needing to pull over is still a gimmick?

I should get an oil analysis every time I overheat the engine? At 22.50 a pop thats going to be around 225.00 a week for this fella.

Man we took this thread over! Sorry OP.

lp

 

Look man, if you just want to argue, you can do it without me. Get your oil analyzed at your next change and see what it says. Then you can decide what, if anything you need to do. Gotta say though, it's odd that you have no problem dumping a few hundred dollars on a fan, but you're giving me grief about suggesting spending $22.50 so that you actually know what's going on with your motor.

 

Hook line and sinker... hee hee

You sound so convinced I could not help myself. Ain't the internet great? You can be a total expert or an total clown and no one would know the difference.
I wonder who is who here?

lp

 

I sound convinced because I am. Every day we get 2 or 3 new threads about how hot the bikes run. Duhhhh, they're air cooled. Until a month or so ago, I was part of the flock. I saw a Blackstone report on a 2009 Ultra. The guy lives in Arizona, and rides in 110-115 degree heat. He's running regular (not the V-Twin) Mobil 1. After 5,000 miles, with oil temperatures spiking well over 300 degrees, the oil tested like it was practically brand new.

That thread is stickied in the oil forum on another Harley forum. It's fascinating to look at. What's even more fascinating is how ignored it is. I wasn't kidding when I said that Harley heat is like religion. Denying that there's heat issues is like denying God (or whatever people believe in)....It's frickin' heresy.

I've done oil analysis on auto engines, and without fail I've found that synthetic oil can go much, much longer than what the vehicle manufacturer suggests. I screwed up and drained my transmission into the pan full of oil before I collected the sample last week when I changed my oil. I'll be due again in a week or so, and I won't forget this time. Should be interesting too, as this 5,000 miles will have a little of everything; sitting in traffic, 2000 + miles of highway riding at or above 95 degrees, a thousand miles or so of very aggressive backroad riding, and some laid back cruising.

When I get the report back I'll post it, no matter what the results. If the heat's killing my motor, I'll know it and I'll very publicly eat my words.

 

Just because the freak'n oil still shows to be in good shape does not mean the engine has not been under unnecessary stress. And it's completely illogical to say the engines aren't better off if we do what we can to keep the temps consistently lower.

 

Actually, the oil analysis will show you if there's wear going on, if something's breaking down, if fuel's getting past the rings, or if the oil's suffering from thermal breakdown.

And Lenale themselves doesn't recommend that you use the fan to "keep the temps consistently lower".

But it's your bike and your money.

 

Any idea as to if they are working to make a model for the 09-10 touring models. Cancel that, just saw they do make it for the 2010 models.