EOT meter for OEM oil cooler

You lost me a long time ago when I got to the make a long story short part, then I saw pages more of paragraphs. So I guess you were trying to say you put a fan on an air/oil cooled bike. Now it doesn't run as hot. That's kinda short and to the point. Lol.

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I would say Honda already did all the engineering, you should just ride and enjoy. With all the time spent on this you could have already been in your second oil change. Don't worry and just ride. Their are air cooled engines probably older than you are still out there running just fine.

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Think of it this way: the earlier inline four air-cooled engines did pretty well without even having an oil cooler. We just changed the oil more frequently to insure it was doing its job.

Adding the oil cooler to the engine has already accomplished the thing you are trying to do by adding a fan to the oil cooler. The oil cooler itself extends the life of the oil. You don't need a fan. It is gilding the lily.
 
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Since I started this thread, I've only heard from one other forum member (privately) who did the same Trail Tech meter mod to his CB1100. That sort of surprises me. This is a relatively inexpensive ($43) and inconspicuous temperature meter, that is easy to install and easy to use.

No matter how you slice it, this little device provides useful information on an important engine operating parameter (oil temp). For example, when riding on a really hot Summer day, and/or two up, thereby putting an extra heat burden on the oil cooler, wouldn't you want to know if your engine is on the verge of overheating? If nothing else, such information is "educational". LoL

I've been using my Trail Tech temperture meter for the last several hundred miles and it works flawlessly. It works so well, I have another Trail Tech meter on my 2015 Triumph Bonneville T100.

I also added fans to the oil coolers on both my air cooled bikes, which have been beneficial, even though many of you feel that is unnecessary. I'm not advocating doing that to a CB1100, due to a safely concern with the front suspension brought to my attention by one of the members here. However, I do feel EOT "monitoring" is still very worthwhile, and certainly one of the simplest possible mods that can be done to the CB1100.

Btw, I'd be interested in hearing from anyone else doing this mod. How did it work out? What is the highest EOC temperatue you've measured and under what circumstances?
 
There was quite the after market oil cooler thing going on in the late 70' early 80's as folks added oil coolers to their inline fours. No one that I was aware of added a fan though. But cars were just getting on demand fans for their radiators so I'm sure the thinking was not that far along.

For the folks that don't quite see the usefulness of this, ride in southern California or Arizona in the summer and the light will come on. Or you'll switch to your car until sane temps return. :D
 
Dsinned, don't keep us in suspense, what temps have you seen on it? I also agree that more info is always a good thing.

Rboe, are you saying you have seen the overtemp light come on? No one has reported that so I though you out West guys were good.
 
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Rboe, in the Summer heat of the Southwest, I can well imagine the usefulness of this mod. "If" its true that the CB1100's engine overheat warning light turns on at whooping 340F! That would be like Three Mile Island only having a Rx scram when there is a thermal runaway core temperature pegged in the red zone!

Popgun, based on my empirical test results, I realized nearly 30F reduction in peak EOC temperature with a suitable "pusher" type fan running vs. no fan (stock) under a slow paced, continuous uphill riding situation. However, as expected, at higher road speeds, like on the freeway, there is not that much of a significant difference.

The TT EOC temperature monitoring capability is still a very worthwhile accessory to have on ANY stock, air/oil cooled bike.
 
Dsinned, I forgot where the other thread is and didn't feel like looking for it :)

Anyway I rechecked the dimentions of my test strip and found that 10mm will not fit. So I had to go with 8mm and ordered the TrailTech with that size. If nothing else, it should be fun to play with and hopefully give some meaningful information. Maybe it will show up while the big heat wave is on.
 
The Trail Tech temp meter arrived today. I haven't installed it yet, but here are some comments. It is pretty small so should not be hard to mount by the big fork nut (I will have to move my power connector).

The 8mm sensor fits perfectly. I got the longest wire and it looks plenty long.

The instructions say that to set different modes or C or F reading, to press the (little blue) button on the back. That does not work. After calling tech support, I was told to use a ball point pen. I used a toothpick. You have to press the button a ways below the surface of the back of the unit.

The sensor is connected to the meter with a connector so if desired, you can use different length/size sensors. Or replace a messed up one.

No ride tests yet, I'll have to think about mounting. The meter will mount either with a sticky they provide along with some screw hole plugs, or you can screw it down. You have to provide your own screws.
 
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I forgot about the little button on the back. Sounds like you got it figured out. Please let us know how you like it on your bike.
 
Dsinned, I got it all mounted up. I ordered the silver color and stuck it in front of the big triple tree nub. Looks pretty good. Maybe I can see how it works tomorrow.
 
When I get home I'll look to be sure, but I think, inserted from the back, third row down close to the inside of the right frame down tube. I wanted it close to the inlet at the top and that was pretty close while allowing a good wire run. Hidden and all. The frame tube played a part in where I put it. As you know, it is easy to move it if needed/wanted.

Maybe I'll get another one an put it on the other side of the oil cooler and see what the temp drop is :P
 
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I put my sensor on top of the oil cooler, tie wrapped down to make good surface contact. It is located in the upper right hand side and wrapped in insulating material to keep it out of the direct wind stream. On my last ride the highest reading was 225F. It was a fairly warm day and I riding up a steep uphill grade. Of course, the actual temp of the oil (internally) is somewhat higher.
 
Due to rain here I have only ridden it once. I checked and the sensor is in the second row from the top. I was going to ride a few times to see what happens as it heat cycles, but... On the one ride I did, it was about 82F and low humidity. The most I saw was 190 or 195F while stopped at a light. I think while moving at 50mph in 5th gear (around 2800rpm) it was mostly 153 or so to 160-165. On a long stretch it went to ~173. Interestingly, the temp would drop while riding in the shade, then go up some while in the sun. I can't remember all the readings.

It go to 100F or slightly higher in a couple of minutes at initial startup from dead cold.

Like I said, I want to go through some heat cycles and try to remember better. While riding I was thinking I needed the Ferret cam :)
 
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Did you use some of the sealing compount (provided by TT) to help insulate the sensor inside the fins of the cooler? That might not have been necessary if your 8mm sensor is already a fairly tight fit, so that in that one spot, outside air cannot flow thru that particular slot. Apparently, this is important because a loose fit affects the accuracy of the readout.

While riding other than in stop and go, I typically see readings similar to yours after warm up. In slower moving traffic conditions, the reading will peak over 200F. It is interesting to see the fluctuations in temp depending on how much overall air flow is moving thru the cooler. It also allows you to tell when the engine (via the oil) has fully warmed up; not as easy to do without something like the TT device mounted on your handlebars.

The more expensive TT device (TTV type) I'm using has the same type of temperature sensor input as yours, but also has a battery voltage input, so it has two selectable readouts. The latter is very useful while my bike is parked in the garage to make sure the battery is being properly maintained by a Battery Tender hookup. (I have found that sometimes a BT's green "charged" status LED is NOT always a reliable indicator).

Can you provide a photo of where you mounted your device to the handlebars?
 
I can get you a pic this evening. The sensor fit in the slot snugly. I only put the paste (and it wasn't very pasty) in the very front of the oil cooler. Just to block any air through that slot. Maybe should do the slots on either side too?
 
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