A Heat Question
Road Captain
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 501
Likes: 8
From: Central Florida
Was just talking to HD dealership about this yesterday. I live in Hot central Fla and the conversation got around to the heat management system-make sure its on. Then they said I should run 60 weight oil for summer. Not 20W-60...straight 60 weight. Does that sound right??? it does get hot here- setting another record in central FL today about 96..around 68 at night already- Going to be a long hot summer.
Postman
2011 FLHTK
Leesburg, FL
Postman
2011 FLHTK
Leesburg, FL
Tourer
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 335
Likes: 0
From: Leesburg, FL
Heat issues
Yep- Gator Harley- They told me I think- straight 60 weight? Not sure I like that- good for summer on 60 but not good at start up. Probably 20-60 something more to look at. Is that synthetic or dino?? what brand-harley? Just had the 1000 mile service done in April-so not really ready for oil change-They said to change at 3000???Next service I thought was at 5000. Bike has 2500 miles on now.
???????
Postman
Leesburg, FL
2011 FLHTK
???????
Postman
Leesburg, FL
2011 FLHTK
Road Captain
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 501
Likes: 8
From: Central Florida
Yep- Gator Harley- They told me I think- straight 60 weight? Not sure I like that- good for summer on 60 but not good at start up. Probably 20-60 something more to look at. Is that synthetic or dino?? what brand-harley? Just had the 1000 mile service done in April-so not really ready for oil change-They said to change at 3000???Next service I thought was at 5000. Bike has 2500 miles on now.
???????
Postman
Leesburg, FL
2011 FLHTK
???????
Postman
Leesburg, FL
2011 FLHTK
Banned
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 6,259
Likes: 5
From: NW NC
same thing happened to me, after about an hour of interstate riding came upon a construction zone and traffic crawled along for almost an hour, bike's heat management system worked fine but the bike still almost died a couple of times due to the heat, I know HD lovers really like the air-cooled aspect of the bikes but I think liquid cooling on these big tourers is long overdue.
Road Captain
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 702
Likes: 2
From: Florida
I will guarantee you are running too lean, pull an O2 sensor and it will be pure white. The only thing that worked for me was a Thunder Max to get a richer mixture (yes I tried a PC III) and V&H Big Shot True Duals. I went to a 2:1 exhaust and the heat issue is creeping back so I’m sure the true dual affects heat.
First you might want to try a crotch cooler from Cpt. Itch. http://www.capt-itch.com/crotch_cooler2.htm But keep in mind that running too lean is not good for your engine.
First you might want to try a crotch cooler from Cpt. Itch. http://www.capt-itch.com/crotch_cooler2.htm But keep in mind that running too lean is not good for your engine.
Road Master
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,189
Likes: 9
From: la grange, il (near chicago)
had an 07, now got an 09 ultra.
rode the 07 to sturgis in 105 degrees with no problems, but i was moving most the time.
couple things i have read, and people, correct me if you think i am wrong.
- if in traffic and you pull over and shut off the bike to 'cool' the bike off, that is a bad thing. without the oil moving around the cyls, the oil that is there is going to get really hot. best thing is to get air going over the cyls.
- oil cooler (depending on model) needs air moving over it to help cool the oil. gotta be moving
- where do they test these bikes. arizona? new mexico? whatever. its south west. don't you think they at least kinda check out the heat thing.
- had one tech guy tell me that the design of the lowers on the ultras actually help to move more air over the cyls. not need to take them off.
rode the 07 to sturgis in 105 degrees with no problems, but i was moving most the time.
couple things i have read, and people, correct me if you think i am wrong.
- if in traffic and you pull over and shut off the bike to 'cool' the bike off, that is a bad thing. without the oil moving around the cyls, the oil that is there is going to get really hot. best thing is to get air going over the cyls.
- oil cooler (depending on model) needs air moving over it to help cool the oil. gotta be moving
- where do they test these bikes. arizona? new mexico? whatever. its south west. don't you think they at least kinda check out the heat thing.
- had one tech guy tell me that the design of the lowers on the ultras actually help to move more air over the cyls. not need to take them off.
Tourer
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 265
Likes: 0
From: Riverview, FL
I agree with the fan assisted oil coolers. I have a small one on my bike that mounts just inside the HD oil cooler. It is tied into my accessory switch. When it is really hot outside or if I find myself stuck in Atlanta traffic, I flip the switch and the fan kicks in. Though nothing can beat getting airflow over and around the engine, a cooling fan is the next best option. I have seen temp drops of 10 -15 degrees with the fan. The humidity is the biggest factor I have seen. I normally see temps of 220 -230 with the fan. Without the fan and oil cooler, I have seen temps in the 270 -280 range. I use the SYN3 as an extra precaution, as well as an oil filter with a built in heat sync. To each his own, but this has been my experience.
Good riding !!!
Dwayne
Good riding !!!
Dwayne
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 11,615
Likes: 50
From: Baton Rouge, LA
Got stuck in traffic on the way home from work yesterday. Temp was about 86F and humidity was high. I was afraid my Ultra was going to overheat so I crossed the median and took a longer way home. My question is, how much idling and stop and go can one of these engines take (96 ci) without getting too hot. My last touring bike was liquid cooled so that was something I never thought about. I don't get stuck in traffic often but when I do, I don't want to risk burning my engine up. Thanks,
I would suggest an oil cooler, which IMO all TC engines should be equipped with, and an oil-temp gauge to replace the air-temp gauge in the fairing. I live in S. LA, which isn't known for moderate temperatures in the summertime, and I've never seen much higher than 230° oil temps in four summers of monitoring. I also watch front head temps, and that attracts my attention more than the oil since it fluctuates much more quickly and can skyrocket before you know it. That is the most intimate reflection of engine temperature at any given point in time, IMO, as the oil takes much longer to heat-up and cool-down.
I would suggest that you get an oil cooler, preferably with a thermostat, and an OTG so you can monitor what's going on. If you see things getting too hot you can always pull over and stop for a cool-down. IMO, synthetic oil is a must even in moderate climates for a number of good reasons, including its superior resistance to oxidation.
As for using single-viscosity oil like an SAE-60, I can't imagine an environment in which this would be a good idea, except perhaps on a racetrack where you will be doing few cold starts. Modern multi-viscosity oils work like heavy oil when hot and have the benefit of flowing better when cold. Most wear on an engine occurs the first few seconds after a cold start, and a multi-viscosity oil will flow quicker than single-viscosity oil. Synthetic also sticks to metal surfaces much longer than fossil oil and will make cold starts less stressful to the engine.
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