Engine Cooling Test Data
Road Captain
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 554
Likes: 23
From: Crawford Co, AR
Welcome aboard; bought my Lenale a couple weeks ago. Hopefully it and my Catless headpipe and SE pipes will go on next weekend.
The OP was what sold me. Good Job!!
Road Captain
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 683
Likes: 3
From: Florida
Lenale suggests relocating the old horn to the left side down tube, Lenale supplies a rubber mount for this. But it got in the way of my forward control shifter and also thought it would get in the way of changing the oil filter.
So I took the cow bell off (was too big) and just mounted the black plastic horn on the RIGHT down tube. You can see it in this video (down by the rear brake pedal). It blends in well, since I didn't really want to see the horn anyhow. Keep in mind whatever horn you use it (or at least with the HD horn) you HAVE to mount it with the rubber bracket and grommet or it won't blow very loud. Somethun bout harmonics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ue26qZV5Lo
So I took the cow bell off (was too big) and just mounted the black plastic horn on the RIGHT down tube. You can see it in this video (down by the rear brake pedal). It blends in well, since I didn't really want to see the horn anyhow. Keep in mind whatever horn you use it (or at least with the HD horn) you HAVE to mount it with the rubber bracket and grommet or it won't blow very loud. Somethun bout harmonics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ue26qZV5Lo
Advanced
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 90
Likes: 2
From: VA
I drilled a hole in the left side heat guard (or whatever its called) and put it there. I must have dicked with potential locations for a couple of hours before calling it good on the heat guard. Wouldn't fit nicely on the downtubes due to the lowers. Someone on here made his own bracket and mounted it back below the left side cover. Looks really good.
Supporter
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 6,723
Likes: 233
From: Altoona, Pa.
Recently bought a Nautlius air horn and using the Lenale downtube bracket, it did fit on the left downtube behind the lt lower. just and to fab a small metal bracket for between the bracket and air horn. Horn then swings on the grommet to the side for pulling off the oil filter
Two 60mm x 60mm x 15mm, 15.6 CFM, 12 V computer fans were selected for installation to the factory oil cooler. These are the largest standard sized fans that can be mounted to the factory oil cooler in its stock location while still providing adequate clearance for the front fender during suspension travel and steering inputs.
What I am using is a Buell Ulysses oil cooler. It is the best cooler I have tryed and I have used UltraCool and a Jagg 10 row. The new Jagg system that incorporates a fan may work well, I don't know. Anyone close to Gilbert, Az. that is riding a stock or close to stock tourer that is willing to pay for the hardware, I will do the installation, but you have to be willing to share how it is working for you.
Thread Starter
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 3,846
Likes: 171
From: Simi Valley, CA
Well I was going to say that you haven't put into your data the CFM of the fans you are using. What I can tell you from experience is your fans on the oil cooler aren't doing squat. I am running two 80mm fans that move 65 cfm each connected by a plenum on my oiler cooler and in 110 + ambient temps I have not seen oil temps above 140. I am considering changing out one fan for a unit that move 130cfm by itself. If ambient temps are 70 degrees I don't worry about oil temps. They aren't going to get that high, but my bike isn't stock and doesn't create the heat that stock units do. I would like to find someone in my area willing to put a cooler like mine on a stock unit to see if it works as well in that scenario.
On the other hand, the engine cooling fan is definitely worth the effort. My testing has shown the fan to significantly lower the engine temperature (cylinder head temp) under the described conditions and that in turn will result in lower oil temperature. The engine cooling fan test results are documented earlier in this thread and sharing those reults were my primary purpose for starting this thread.
The engine cooling fan is a "must have" in my book.
The oil cooler fans, not so much.
One final note - I think you meant 240 deg, not 140 deg for your own oil temperature.
Last edited by 2black1s; Sep 18, 2011 at 09:08 PM.
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One final note - I think you meant 240 deg, not 140 deg for your own oil temperature. Today 06:06 PMOne final note - I think you meant 240 deg, not 140 deg for your own oil temperature. Today 06:06 PM
Yes you are correct, 240 degrees. I agree with you that the parade fan does indeed lower the head temps. I haven't tried one, but if engine temps were a problem for me I definately would.
My oil cooler w/o the fans at 55 mph speeds can lower the oil temps from 210 to 195 within 1 mile on a 100+ day. That is measured at the oil reservoire with a dash mounted gauge. The fans do help to keep the oil temps from going into the stratosphere on my set up. I have them set up to come on when the oil temps hit between 205 and 210 deg. In a traffic setting where I am getting caught at traffic lights it will keep the oil temps below 220 deg. Like I said, I would really like to see what this set up would do on a stock or close to stock bike. I don't feel that mine is a good test bed because it doesn't tend to heat up quickly. Harley could have solved much of their heat problem if they had adopted a system that used the oil to cool the heads and then cooled the oil with an oil cooler, but they probably thought the size of the cooler needed would be a turn-off to the loyal fans.
One final note - I think you meant 240 deg, not 140 deg for your own oil temperature.
My oil cooler w/o the fans at 55 mph speeds can lower the oil temps from 210 to 195 within 1 mile on a 100+ day. That is measured at the oil reservoire with a dash mounted gauge. The fans do help to keep the oil temps from going into the stratosphere on my set up. I have them set up to come on when the oil temps hit between 205 and 210 deg. In a traffic setting where I am getting caught at traffic lights it will keep the oil temps below 220 deg. Like I said, I would really like to see what this set up would do on a stock or close to stock bike. I don't feel that mine is a good test bed because it doesn't tend to heat up quickly. Harley could have solved much of their heat problem if they had adopted a system that used the oil to cool the heads and then cooled the oil with an oil cooler, but they probably thought the size of the cooler needed would be a turn-off to the loyal fans.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,943
Likes: 3
From: NYC
interesting test.
I'm a big believer of forced air cooling.....had a fan put on my bike the first few weeks of ownership.
does your fans blow left to right or right to left?
There's probally a ratio of lost cooling ability as the temps go up. 50 degrees of cooling at 70 degrees, might translate into 25 degrees of cooling at 90 degrees.
air humidity is a factor too. higher humidity air can hold more BTU's than dry air.
I'm a big believer of forced air cooling.....had a fan put on my bike the first few weeks of ownership.
does your fans blow left to right or right to left?
There's probally a ratio of lost cooling ability as the temps go up. 50 degrees of cooling at 70 degrees, might translate into 25 degrees of cooling at 90 degrees.
air humidity is a factor too. higher humidity air can hold more BTU's than dry air.