03-17-2016, 12:38 PM
(03-11-2016, 07:20 AM)LongRanger_imp Wrote: I'm not debating the merits of the oil cooler. I get it. I'm simply asking if anyone has removed theirs.
Bikes in the 60's and 70's didn't come with them, didn't need them, and worked just fine without them. I know the CB1100 operates under completely different conditions and runs a lot hotter and leaner due to emissions tuning, but my question remains. It appears the consensus will be a resounding "No!"
I don't chime in very often, especially about technical stuff... but some of the misconceptions about the need for the oil cooler concerns me and I don't want anyone to damage their engine for the sake of vanity. I grew up with Honda, buying my first new one in 1970. I may be going out on a limb here, but to my recollection all Honda DOHC air cooled 4's had an oil cooler in the proper location in the cool air stream ahead of the hot engine. This includes all 650, 750, 900, etc... even the CBX. So why didn't the large SOHC air cooled engines in the 60's and 70's come with them or need them? Because the 750 engine had a dry sump oil system with remote oil tank that cooled the oil even more efficiently than a cooler!! So in reality, all Honda air cooled 4's 650 and above have been oil cooled. The CB1100 oil cooler dicipates a lot more heat than you think for its small size, and the engineers determined its proper size with extensive calculations and testing. I've admired Honda's precision engineering since I was a kid, it's what inspired me to become a mechanical engineer!!
