This has been my question since the first announcement of the water cooled heads and nobody, and I mean nobody, has been able to provide an answer. Naturally I have a greater interest than most in this topic, but I don’t think it is unreasonable to want to know an actual value for the head temperatures produced by the greatest leap in Harley engine technology in over 100 years. Anyway, I hooked one up to my data logging system and it does work pretty well, and I made some interesting observations. Please understand there is no easy answer like the bike runs at XXXF, these temps are all dynamic and constantly changing during operation, and change with conditions. I you want that easy answer just go ask your local dealership, I had one dealer rep tell me it keeps the head temps at 180F.

Idle test for 1 hr: very slow climb, but it normalized at about 265F front and rear CHT, within a couple degrees of my ‘06 with the head fans on, for the exact same test. I realize the comparison is not entirely equitable but I don’t have the resources or time to play with a fleet of new motorcycles. I also realize 1 hr. idling is not a realistic test, but I had to start somewhere. The interesting thing was the oil temp at the end of the test; the 2014 was 261F degrees, the 06 was 227F.

Short loop test: About a 15 minute ride in town 45-50 MPH with a couple stop lights. The head temps stabilized at about 220F/230F (Front/Rear).

70 MPH Highway loop test: the head temps stabilized about 230F average (Front 225F, Rear 235F), dropped a little at the turn around, and stabilized the same on the way back. Coming off the highway for the 2.5 mile back home the average speed is about 45 MPH, CHTs started to climb up to 245F/250F. At shut down the oil temp was 250F. I did another highway run in 5th gear to make the comparison a little more equal with the ‘06, but the results were within a few degrees. The first bike had a cooling system failure and the rear head temp hit 355Fon the highway loop, so yes they will continue to run if the water cooling fails.

The only solid conclusion is more evaluation is necessary. The water cooling does seem to work pretty well for controlling head temps. However, I’m inclined to believe the Twin Cooled bike could still benefit from an oil cooler, or run Synthetic, it really depends on how the bike is ridden, I would definitely put an oil gauge on it to determine if a cooler is desirable.

Other general observations; suspension is still lacking, front end is sprung way too soft for a 220lb rider, front brakes are very touchy, and the front is a little squirrelly on the highway, I don’t feel the big tube forks really made an improvement. Even with the water cooled heads the bike still “feels” hot to the rider. I don’t care for the big touchscreen entertainment unit, it doesn’t work with gloves on. I almost never actually push a button on the face of my HK radio; I always use the hand control buttons. The 2014 controls are too “busy”, just way too many buttons for me. Of course many of the control buttons are in different locations from previous years. The amount of bugs collected in the radiators after 500 miles was a bit concerning, I think this will be a constant maintenance cleaning item. The air cleaner on this thing is overwhelming, it looks like it’s about 130% oversized, just out of place. I don’t know the weight values, but it feels very heavy compared to other Ultras I have ridden. I honestly don’t believe I will ever own one of these bikes.

These are just my observations and opinions on the 2014 water cooled bike. I’m not trying to sway anybody else’s views, and not looking to debate any of it. I simply wanted to provide an actual temperature value associated with this new machine, which nobody else has done up to this point, including the MOCO. These bikes are all individuals; they all have quirks and issues that need to be tweaked to suit the individual riding it.

 

Interesting. My bike always runs at 230 degrees oil temp after I've ridden for a few or more hours. If I'm stopped at a light or in traffic for a long time....several minutes, then it starts to climb and then the heat management system kicks in and I'm thumpity thumping on one cylinder and then temp drops back down. Do the cooled bikes still have this heat management system?

I'm wondering, now, what the advantage is in the cooling system on the new Electra Glides.

I was amazed how a recent fork oil change at 30K miles(stayed with recommended type E)firmed up my front suspension. Feels great now.

VR

PS How do the head temps of 230 degrees that you recorded equate to the oil temperature of 230 that I get on my oil temp gauge? Are they the same?

 

take into account that the more stable head temperatures allow higher compression and more cam than past models and a 10% or better power increase.

mike

 

From what I've read the twin cooling is more for passenger comfort, the fans vent the excess heat away from the rider. Some owners have stated that the rear cylinder shutdown still comes on regularly...I don't have enough miles in hot conditions to attest to either.

 

If someone has a "XXXX" model year bike, many are going to be inclined to find faults in the "YYYY" model.

While I have never worried if my 2014 Limited head temp is this or that, all I cared about was the comfort. My twin cooled bike is very comfortable. Especially once it had a couple thousand miles. It performs, brakes and handles extremely well. It did take some time to adjust to the breaking and handling, once I did, I could not ask for more.

Not putting any bike down, just relating my experience.

 

No way of saying, there is still a big difference in the rate of heating and cooling of the heads and oil, and now add water to the mix. After long term sustained operation at a given set of conditions it seems the head temp and oil temp are very close, but I don't believe there is a reasonably accurate relationship to say if the oil is 230F the heads are 230F. The only way to know the head temp, under any conditions, is to measure the head temp.

 

Your post is confusing. What bike did you do this testing on? A 2014 Limited?

 

I believe the Limited is the only twin cooled bike for 2014.

Good thread Fabrik8r - interesting topic.

 

Yes, a 2014 Limited. Which part is confusing, I'll fix it.

 

Good report Jason. For the record, the 2014 EITMS activates at 80ºF ambient, not at a specific engine temperature, so sitting in ambient temps below 80, regardless of how hot the engine gets, the EITMS won't activate, but above 80 it'll come on at every stop, regardless of engine temps. Seems like the changes were made to address rider comfort issues, not engine longevity.

I have 3,800+ miles on my '14 Limited, but mostly at ambients below 80. Will find out this riding season if engine temps are an issue, but for now, my impressions are the cooling system is effective. Would still prefer having an oil cooler too, but will see how it performs w/o one for now.