There has been a time or two this discussion comes up - most folks don't see the need for a cooler.

There have only been 3 times that my bike got hotter than normal.  One time was a 1st gear crawl up a gravel road on the side of a mountain in North Carolina when the temperatures were about 95 degrees (Oldfeller leading the way)....another time Oldfellor took me to the Dixie Knife Works on a 100 degree day.....and MMRanch took me down Main Street in Pigeon Forge on a 95 degree day.  The cylinder heat got up over 300 degrees as the travel speeds were so slow the engine didn't get much cooling air.  The engine didn't overheat - but it was hotter than the normal 240 - 260 degrees that I get when the bike is moving.

The engine is air cooled - and if you keep moving the engine isn't going to overheat.  If you are in town on a hot day......I am not sure an oil cooler will help much as there will be little or no flow through the cooler without a fan (and we don't have enough electricity to run a fan).

And DragBikeMike will be the once to comment on this - but even adding cubic inches and more HP doesn't seem to raise the engine temperature up too much.  In fact the new flat top Wiseco lowered the engine temperature if I remember correctly.

I chose cylinder head temperature, as I felt it would always be higher than the oil temperature.  The heat in the engine comes from the combustion process....the entire crankcase and oil dissipates the heat made in the cylinder and head.

I chose the left rear head stud for the sender - as that was easy to get to and not located inside the cam housing.  DragBikeMike chose the right front cylinder head stud nearest the exhaust - so his readings are higher than mine.

On my normal country rides the temperature is around 240.  If I get on the interstate and cruise in 90 degree temps at 70mph the head temp would climb close to 280 with the stock gearing.  Once I did the double Kawasaki pulley conversion and got the engine rpm down at highways speeds the temperature dropped 20 degrees and stays around 260.

The only oil/heat related failures I know of occurred when some members got their bikes out on the interstate and rode for long distances at 75-80-85 mph.......and in the process ran the engine low on oil.  When you run the Savage engine at 5,000 rpm for long periods it tends to use oil.......not sure if it goes past the rings or out the breather - but it goes away.  If you ride fast for extended periods you need to pack some spare oil and keep track of the amount of oil in the engine.  

ckahleer wrote on 01/27/22 at 16:02:16:



I PREdict , he says ,as he
Looks
Into the Future
No, boys and girls, This Prediction is Not about the past!
THIS Prediction is about the FUTURE!
Amazing, No!?

I PREDICT that one day there will be nifty gizmos that control fluid flow. I PREdict they will be called
Valves.

Ask DBM

Very true Dave. In most cases if the bike didn’t come with it , then it doesn’t need it. Now a nice chrome oil filled oil pressure gauge would be a nice want not a need. Now if you subject our humble little thumper to pulling around one of those trikes(3 wheeler) . A contraption like that would be a constant extra load , then it might be beneficial.

The bike is proven, barring that rare mechanical failure. Gauges and coolers won't keep that failure from happening. Well, MAYbe,, but not necessarily. Generally, they just keep running. Ride it, enjoy it. If you are going to ride in a parade and get it hotternHell, then you might want to rethink that.

Here is my take:

Don't try and make this bike into something it is not.  Why waste your time and money trying to make this POS into a performance motorcycle when you can buy so many other bikes that will perform much better for much less money????

If you want to hang an oil cooler on it because you think it's cool, then do it.  I totally get that and I'm 1000% on board with that.  I get it that is fun.  But if you need to ask, then you are missing the point of doing cool things because you want to.  Do it because you think it would be cool to do.  Don't do it because you have some fantasy that this POS bike (said with affection) is anything more than it is.  Sure you can add a few HP to it and get to...35 hp??   You aren't chasing 35 hp. You are chasing the process of getting to 35 hp.  

I'm pretty sure DragBikeMike does what he does because it's fun for him and not because this bike has some sort of "holy grail" potential.  

I think the LS650 is a stunning motor to look at and I enjoy riding it.  I think it's as cool as anything, but...it's a turd.  It's a fun motor to fart around on.  If you give me 40 hp, it will still be just a fun motor to fart around on and that's OK.  

I never thought about hanging an oil cooler on it, but I think it would LOOK really cool.  

Just do it!  

Full disclosure: I had a 71 Triumph TR6.  It was a rescued, basket case, flat tracker that someone put together and made (close to) street legal.  It had a cheap chrome oil cooler hanging under the seat where the side covers and airbox would have been (oil in the frame on the 71 and newer trumpets).  The oil cooler would have done nothing over the course of a local flat track race, especially hanging under the seat directly behind the air-cooled motor.  But you know what...that was hands down the coolest bike I ever owned.