Aftermarket oil cooler question

[Howie]

There are many factors that enter into oil temperature.  Cylinder wall thickness and fins, compression ratio and fuel ratio are just a few.  695s run much hotter than 620s because they run leaner.  Put a DP ECU or equivalent and temperatures come down significantly.

Unless your oil temperature gets hot enough to overheat the oil, which, with modern synthetics, is well over 300^oF too cold is more of a problem since moisture is not boiled out of the oil.   

[d3vi@nt]

So when I went to give the bike it's first bath today, what I thought was just road grime turned out to be the brownish stikcy goo on the heads that other 695 owners have complained about. I wasn't able to wash it off with soap or degreaser, so will have to start exploring cleaning options. At the same time, I notice a few bubbles in the tank, which I hope isn't an indication of swelling   .  My first Duc and I'm starting to feel like I got a lemon. 

Funny thing is, when I bought it, it was immaculate. The previous owner must've had it steam cleaned or something. I swear you could eat off it. His garage and his other bike was the same, so it seemed normal to me.

Unless your oil temperature gets hot enough to overheat the oil, which, with modern synthetics, is well over 300^oF too cold is more of a problem since moisture is not boiled out of the oil.   

Part of the problem is the reading. If it hits 340 (IIRC), the bike will shut off, whether the oil can take it, or not.  I hope to ride in cold temps, so you raise a good point there.  I think I'm going to take your advice on the DP ECU and go from there. Hopefully that will drop temps enough that an oil cooler won't be necessary.

Thanks again for all the comments -it turned into an interesting discussion. 

[meme]

would it be better to use -6  or  -8 lines?

  i'm going to be using a Setrab core. should i get the 10 or 13 row. 10row is 3in high. the 13 row is 4in high

[elgallo73]

AN-6 will be your fitting size, as for which size of cooler to use, that is dependent on several factors...  What environment will you be operating in?  Do you take the bike to the track?  In my very humble opinion, if an oil cooler is warranted at all, I would go with the 10 row.  I am basing this on the fact that the bike will likely be operated in a variety of temperatures and you must consider over cooling the oil  (oil that is too hot is bad, oil that is too cool could be even worse).

Granted, you could cover the cooler in the winter, but the idea is to minimize user intervention...

Setrab makes some nice coolers, just remember that even the standard Earl cooler would be fine.  I know that in this day and age we are sold on titanium fittings, super duper $15.00 a quart motorcycle oil, and oil filters which will last 100,000 miles, but the Earl cooler is somewhat less expensive than the Setrab and will likely work fine.  For the fittings, don't be afraid of your local hydraulic shop or http://www.anplumbing.com.

If you are removing the shrouds (air channels), then fitting the cooler is simple in a horizontal fashion.  If not, then the 4 inch version may take some "adjustment" (I know the 3 inch will fit vertically, the 4 inch should as well but you may be cramped for room).  Don't take this as fact, just from my research it may well be the case.

If you do this modification, please let us know how it works out.  My 696 survived fine in the heat wave we had in Northern Texas this year.  Head temps rarely exceeded 4 bars unless in heavy traffic.  My gut feeling tells me that an oil cooler would not have made much of a difference, but your mileage may vary and we would love the benefit of your experience.

An infrared thermometer gun would also help in determining how much of a benefit the install is in addition to giving you an indication if a problem currently exists...