Factory Oil Cooler - Powdercoat/paint or leave alone ?

[ProTeal55]

QUESTION:
In the quest to get the bike looking as black as I can, I need to do something with the factory oil cooler.

Common sense says that powdercoating it might (stress the word might) make the cooler not perform as well as if it weren't coated (with anything). But, if I do have it coated it would nicely blend in with the rest of the bike and not stick out as much as it does currently...

Anyone powdercoat/paint their oil coolers on their scoots ?
And if so, anyone notice an increase in temp because of it ?

As usual, ALL help is greatly appreciated 

[Slide Panda]

Look up radiator paint.,, but that stuff pretty much only comes in black or silver

Stuff like powder coatings will act as an insulator as you've noted.  If you were careful and masked off the cooling fins, only painting/coating the outer body of the cooler, you could probably get away with it, with minimal detriment.  But I wouldn't coat the radiator fins

[ProTeal55]

Thats kinda what I was thinking.
If I do end up coating it, I will just do the body and leave the fins alone.
Atleast that will help the side profile of the cooler blend in with the rest of the bike better than it does now..

[TAftonomos]

somewhere in my project thread there are pics of what and how I did it.   

[He Man]

radiator paint is the way to go. clean scuff spray dry wait!

[Oldfisti]

radiator paint is the way to go. clean scuff spray dry wait!

+1 

It's formulated not to affect thermal transfer.

[ProTeal55]

10-4
Ordered some up from Eastwood- thanks guys 

[DucatiBastard]

Kinda off topic but in my meandering thoughts about when I tear down my bike and wildly customize it, i think it'd be cool to rotate the oil cooler so that its vertical, maybe move it back between the frame tubes, a la the new Honda Fury chopper.  I think this, combined with the paint would make the cooler almost disappear.  IDK, just thinkin' 

[ProTeal55]

I def. thought about mounting the cooler vertical rather than in it's stock position.
I would def. "flow" better with the rest of the motor/frame/etc..
Once I get into that part of the project I will see what's all involved, and if it isnt like re-inventing the wheel I will
prob. do it..

[Duck-Stew]

I used VHT hi-temp engine paint in the past on the SS2R project and it worked just fine.  As long as you're not giving it many coats (I did two thin coats BTW), it won't really affect heat transfer.  P'coating it would be like wrapping it in a blanket though (IMO).

Post up some pics when it's done!  I'd like to see how it comes out.

BTW, there are a few Duc's out there with the oil coolers relocated to different positions...  Could be good!

[ducpainter]

All the radiator paint I've used has been nasty stuff that always stays kinda sticky.

Anyone have a link to the eastwood stuff?

[TAftonomos]

oh comeon now, ever GW Bush can use the google 

http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=125&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=390&iSubCat=391&iProductID=125



Also, and probably not needed...  I cleaned the cooler with brake cleaner, then sanded the tanks down with scotchbrite (red stuff).  Recleaned again and wiped it with a tack rag.

I then masked off the fins and painted the end tanks with a spray bomb epoxy paint designed for engine blocks.  After 3-4 coats, I painted the fins with the eastwood stuff.  There was a slight difference in the finish, so I applied one more coat to the entire thing.

So far, after about 3K worth of riding, no chips on either the cooler or radiator. 

Probably don't need to do the epoxy paint on the tanks, but it hasn't seemed to hurt anything either.

Both the epoxy and the eastwood rad paint dried fairly quickly.....iirc it was around 80 deg when I painted.

[ducpainter]

oh comeon now, ever GW Bush can use the google 

I would have if I really cared.

[ProTeal55]

I will def. post up some pics of the final project.
I am pretty much tearing my whole bike apart to do little things here and their I have been wanting too since I brought it home from the dealer.

I have a build thread going on over at the Half Fast Chicago forum (see below if you want/care):

http://www.halffastchicago.com/forum/index.php?topic=450.0

I will update it as much as I can as progress begins to be made on the project...

[Goat_Herder]

I will def. post up some pics of the final project.
I am pretty much tearing my whole bike apart to do little things here and their I have been wanting too since I brought it home from the dealer.

I have a build thread going on over at the Half Fast Chicago forum (see below if you want/care):

http://www.halffastchicago.com/forum/index.php?topic=450.0

I will update it as much as I can as progress begins to be made on the project...

Any update on the painted oil cooler?  Some have suggested turning the cooler vertical, too.