Trike heat

[wwcar1953]

I would like to know what is some of your guys oil temp on the Tri Gilde it was about 80 he today and the temp got up to 230 some time but some of the time it was around 220 thanks

 

[delta]

I'd say that your oil temps are very good. Nothing to worry about in my opinion.

 

[trikermutha]

around normal and does vary depending on your riding..

 

[Peter A.]

I agree, sounds normal. I rode yesterday and was reading 218 on arrival back home
(approx 55 miles).

 

[Sloufoot]

I would like to know what is some of your guys oil temp on the Tri Gilde it was about 80 he today and the temp got up to 230 some time but some of the time it was around 220 thanks

Harley told me that 300+ was common !! I don't let it get into those temps. You want the oil temp to get to around 230* to be able to evaporate the moisture out of the oil.
I don't get excited until around 280*-290*. Then you need to find some free air, or find a place to shut down for a cool off.
This is the reason for synthetic oil to withstand high temps.:Trike1:

 

[screwball]

Your car's coolant runs 230 degrees.

There are a zillion threads on this and the other trike site with suggestions like don't do anything to spend thousands for fans, oil coolers, oil coolers with fans. One of the worst things I did to my trike was add that damned oil temp gage. I spend most of my riding with one eye on the road, the other on that gage, like there was anything I could do. Harleys are air cooled engines, have been for over 100 years. Get stuck in traffic, long uphills in the hot weather it is going to get warm. This is my 6th Harley. Most went over 100,000 miles, none had oil temp gages until this one. The only one that a problem was a Softail Springer that I went too radical on the engine build. Melted the electronic pickup for the ignition. Put standard points back in and never had a problem after that. Ride that trike, quit worrying.

 

[thunder struck]

Screwball, I did the same thing with the oil temp gage ,,sorry I spent the money

 

[engprosinc]

Forget the temperature. What is the oil pressure? I've seen it as low as 5 PSI and the low pressure light blinking when idling, and to me, that is in dangerous territory. HD says it is "normal". As a mechanical engineer, I say it is flirting with ruining bearings.
Anyone else seeing this?

 

[screwball]

This your first Harley??? My first was a '71 Iron Head. Oil pressure gage read "0" almost always at idle. So has the next 6 Harleys. Synthetic oil helps, but you still get very low oil pressure at idle. You can change the oil pump, will put your mind at ease, but won't change a thing. It is a Harley thing. They are also hot, noisy, vibrate, and the breaks usually suck.... but that makes them Harleys. I bought the extended warranty, in 7 years when it runs out I'll have well over 100k miles if I haven't bought a new one by then. As I've told most new Trikers on the boards, ride it, enjoy it, you probably don't need all the bolt-on's you have purchased with less than 1000 miles on the scoot. If your leg gets hot, move your leg. If it steers hard, IT'S A TRIKE, not a bike. No matter what you do to the engine it will never be faster than a bike. No matter what you do to the front camber, rear height, or handle bar placement it will never steer like a 2 wheeler. Wife and I have 35,000 miles on one, 15,000 on the other. We sure love them.

 

[FRR]

Forget the temperature. What is the oil pressure? I've seen it as low as 5 PSI and the low pressure light blinking when idling, and to me, that is in dangerous territory. HD says it is "normal". As a mechanical engineer, I say it is flirting with ruining bearings.
Anyone else seeing this?

I've owned 7 different Ultras in 21 yrs and when I bought my first one I looked at the oil gauge when it idled and worried to death. DON"T No need. It gets down to near nothing sometimes but no one I know ever had a problem because of it.

 

[rhino 2]

Forget the temperature. What is the oil pressure? I've seen it as low as 5 PSI and the low pressure light blinking when idling, and to me, that is in dangerous territory. HD says it is "normal". As a mechanical engineer, I say it is flirting with ruining bearings.
Anyone else seeing this?

5 PSI at idle is normal, If as you say the low pressure light is blinking that is ''not'' normal.. But out side of that ignore the gauge, It's as usefull as the air gauge is...

 

[trikermutha]

How low is your idle when it is at 5 PSI?? What bike are your driving??

 

[Jenady]

Mine levels off at 290 unless it is well below 80. Pressure runs 10-25 idle to Interstate. I am going to put the Air Temp gauge back in.

 

[eagle1]

some where in the manuals it says 220 to 240 * is the normal operateing oil temp.
for the 103 tc.