Originally Posted By: xr650boy
My '14 KTM Super Duke 1290 doesn't have a digital water temp readout like many bikes, but it does have an oil temp readout. I think I'd rather know the water temp, but it is interesting to watch the oil temp at times.
At highway speeds, no matter the ambient temp, the bike typically reads somewhere between 185-190 deg F. Slow city traffic will bump it up to 200-210 deg. A recent track day in 90+ ambient temps saw the oil temp climb as high as 215 or so, but no higher. And as soon as I backed off the throttle on the cool down ride into the pits, the oil temp started dropping right away. With good 10w50 Motorex synthetic, I'm not too worried at all.
The engine is a dry sump design with a very large external oil tank mounted in front of the engine, right in the airflow. It has no external oil cooler, but the radiator is quite sizable.
This is in contrast to my old Aprilia Tuono's 1000cc Rotax v-twin. Also, a dry sump design, that bike had a smaller oil tank, tucked alongside the engine and not very well exposed to airflow at all. The bike had a smaller radiator (smaller engine, makes sense), but 2 oil coolers.
Both approaches seem to work well, but I think I'd like an oil cooler on the KTM all the same.
Well, at those oil temperatures I dont think I would even bother thinking about a cooler. i suspect most liquid cooled bikes are the same. You have coolant cooling the engine. You really dont want the oil any cooler.
HD uses its engine oil to help cool things down being most are air cooled.
Ive been running a steady 200 to 240, not concerned at all. I may/most likely will install a fan on the cooler, at some point, this year or next, for any rare occasion I may get caught up in a large traffic jam, if so, I could simply flip the OEM accessory switch on and have the fan click on.
This will be a fun simple, make me feel good project. Its also possible, since I only have installed the temp gauge 2 weeks ago, as time goes on, I forget about it for a while. But the bike needs so little from me project wise, I am most likely going to do it for fun.
My '14 KTM Super Duke 1290 doesn't have a digital water temp readout like many bikes, but it does have an oil temp readout. I think I'd rather know the water temp, but it is interesting to watch the oil temp at times.
At highway speeds, no matter the ambient temp, the bike typically reads somewhere between 185-190 deg F. Slow city traffic will bump it up to 200-210 deg. A recent track day in 90+ ambient temps saw the oil temp climb as high as 215 or so, but no higher. And as soon as I backed off the throttle on the cool down ride into the pits, the oil temp started dropping right away. With good 10w50 Motorex synthetic, I'm not too worried at all.
The engine is a dry sump design with a very large external oil tank mounted in front of the engine, right in the airflow. It has no external oil cooler, but the radiator is quite sizable.
This is in contrast to my old Aprilia Tuono's 1000cc Rotax v-twin. Also, a dry sump design, that bike had a smaller oil tank, tucked alongside the engine and not very well exposed to airflow at all. The bike had a smaller radiator (smaller engine, makes sense), but 2 oil coolers.
Both approaches seem to work well, but I think I'd like an oil cooler on the KTM all the same.
Well, at those oil temperatures I dont think I would even bother thinking about a cooler. i suspect most liquid cooled bikes are the same. You have coolant cooling the engine. You really dont want the oil any cooler.
HD uses its engine oil to help cool things down being most are air cooled.
Ive been running a steady 200 to 240, not concerned at all. I may/most likely will install a fan on the cooler, at some point, this year or next, for any rare occasion I may get caught up in a large traffic jam, if so, I could simply flip the OEM accessory switch on and have the fan click on.
This will be a fun simple, make me feel good project. Its also possible, since I only have installed the temp gauge 2 weeks ago, as time goes on, I forget about it for a while. But the bike needs so little from me project wise, I am most likely going to do it for fun.
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