EOT meter for OEM oil cooler

[Ulvetanna_imp]

It's not so much the oil itself, but EXPOSURE to high temps by all other components in and around the engine may eventually take its toll. This is particularly true of less conspicuous "components" like rubber and plastic hoses, seals, gaskets, electrical wiring and insulation, etc. They may not withstand such high temperatures - including heat soak - as well as internal engine components made of metal.

ALL engines, over time, tend to literally "wear out" due to continuous high heat exposure. Reliability of engines as a whole can be extended by better thermal management, thus preventing high temperature excursions. With air (oil) cooled motorcycle engines, such excursions are all but guaranteed in very slow paced, stop and go, riding conditions.

This is why ALL other cars and motorcycles with water cooled engines have radiator fans. I don't know why OEMs bother to equip air cooled bikes with oil coolers, but leave out auxiliary cooling fans for just such worse case thermal conditions.

Btw, I already tried a thinner fan, which fit in front of the oil cooler much better. It's cooling capacity was just about the same as a fan in a desktop computer, but not nearly powerful enough to be of much added value in this application.

To me, I see these questions as a result of your being involved in a highly specialized field.

Air-cooled engines have been around a long time, aircraft engines, motorcycles, power equipment. Pretty much all aircraft piston engines are air-cooled, for example, except maybe some experimental stuff. These manufacturers have been doing this so long they've learned to make their engines so they will last a very reasonable lifetime.

In the case of the oil coolers, a large example such as that on the CB1100 or the earlier GSX-Rs qualifies the bike to be called "oil-cooled" or "air-oil cooled". These bikes have a much larger volume of oil than comparable liquid-cooled examples.

It may seem self-evident, but Honda, et. al. have been making these kinds of engines for many decades and if cared for reasonably (not necessarily even to the recommendations) they last a very, very long time. It is not unusual to see examples with over 100,000 miles.

Simply put, your concerns about durability and reliability are unfounded. You should enjoy riding the bike as it was designed and have no concerns as to its longevity.

The idea that the metal front fender could in fact come into contact with this modification would be of grave concern to me. It could very easily cause a serious accident. And the mod that could cause it will really do nothing to extend the service life or value of your machine.

Engines wear out but they can be overhauled. People cannot so easily be repaired or replaced.