Oil Thermometer

[jmbo]

90C - that's about 195F to us southern boys.  That's well with in oils spec range which is 230F for dino oil and 300F for synthetic.  I'm comfortable with that.

[Gerhardberger]

It depends: Summer or Cold Winter....Long Journeys or short trips. Optimal range is between 70ºC and 90ºC....In our 800's you can have a look even driving the bike. Just a quick glance down, and, depending on the position of the gauge i know if the engine is at optimal temp or not...
have  alook at the picture:

[jmbo]

I have it on my Drifter, and from time to time I give it a look to see aprox at what temp, the engine is running.
I find it useful...

......and what temp does your engine typically run?

[Gerhardberger]

I have it on my Drifter, and from time to time I give it a look to see aprox at what temp, the engine is running.
I find it useful...

[David Poirier]

Na, thanks Ratman but at my age I don't need to be cool anymore.  Was just wondering because I'm headed to Germany in July to see the kids and would have picked up a couple.  But, common sense tells me its worthless for our bikes.  I'll put the money to a better use.....like German Beer!!

[kw-retrorider]

Agree with the group...the engineering in the Drifter makes needing to know the oil temp a non-starter. This kind accessory is a left over and more important for air cooled engines that run hot...think any british bike near the end of their run in the late seventies and early eighties. What it could tell you, if you had it....was if you needed an oil cooler. I rarely have the fan come on with the Drifter and run synthetic, so have not been worried about the oil temp. It is a cool, nice looking accessory though if you need the look. Would look appropriate and have thought about it for my W650.

[jmbo]

To me in seems more like a cool factor than a real practical gauge.  I admit I have checked my oil temp once after a hard run on a super hot summer day just to make sure things were OK.  I stuck a long probe themometer down through the oil cap. It went down far enough to get a reading.  I don't even remember what it read but it was well within spec so I was satisfied.  After that I figured I had all I could do to keep an eye on the speedometer and the gas gauge.

[CDNRatMan]

  but Dave if you want to have that cool factor why not...what is 29 Eur's anyway.....$40.00 ok on my fixed income I'll pass......lol.......

[David Poirier]

Here is the link, not sure if I'm allowed to post it or not.
But I think I'm going to pass on it, no sense really.  Like ya'll said, Pressure I can go with that, temp, hell, its always a hundred degrees here anyway.
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Olthermometer-Kawasaki-VN-800-Drifter-VN800C-VN800-NEU-/230427348518?pt=Motorrad_Kraftradteile&hash=item35a68a4e26#ht_1446wt_1161

[chief]

Sorry to hear snowmobiling has gotten so... regulated! Seems like the fools and politicians are squeezing the joy out of almost everything!

[CDNRatMan]

    Sorry Dave have to wander off the topic a bit here........no fun having a snow machine anymore, too many stupid people out on them and too many rules because of the stupid people out there. You need a $600.00 trail pass, you need to take more courses then to ride a bike, it is just too regulated. I remember growing up in the north and we could go were we wanted to and make our own trails, even up there now it is groomed trails, and then the stupid people come out and race on the trails,....ok that is enough it is not fun anymore........

[chief]

SEE now Chief is chasing rabitts........

I don't "chase" rabbits... I let the lead do my chasing!

[greenbarn]

This is the NORTHERN version of the Drifter...

CDRATMAN:  You really should get another one of these ---  then you could ride your "Drifter" ALL YEAR LONG...

[chief]

now what did I do to you to be treated like this......lol and yes I had one close to that in Goose Bay, they were a good amchine....

SEE now Chief is chasing rabitts........

Now, now... there are a BUNCH of northerners who know what that machine is... it wasn't directed ONLY at you!!

[CDNRatMan]

  now what did I do to you to be treated like this......lol and yes I had one close to that in Goose Bay, they were a good amchine....

SEE now Chief is chasing rabitts........

[chief]

This is the NORTHERN version of the Drifter...

[CDNRatMan]

 wow your oil thaws out.......that is so neat.....thawed out oil...what will they think of next......perhaps I need one of them whatchacallit thingys...

were is the link to that thing.....

[chief]

Up north it may be helpful in knowing when your oil has thawed out!

[CDNRatMan]

  yes Cheif the mini rad up front, and had that oil temp thing on the stick too...lol.....

so it is just another dodad thingy whatchamacllit thing to have on your ride....cool....if it is cheap why not......

[chief]

Back in the old days... my 77 FXS lowrider had an oil cooler. Up the the nether regions of IL and WI... it gets chilly on occasion and I needed to know what the oil temp was to determine whether or not to use the oil cooler. So I drilled out the oil cap and stuck a probe thermometer in there.  Turns out anywhere north of Kentucky the oil cooler never allowed the oil to warm up much... so I stuck a leather hat over it while I was living up there.

On harleys the oil is in a big empty can... sort of... nothing in there you could screw up by inserting a probe...it had a dip stick as I recall anyway. Our bikes aren't like that... so you have to use something like what was shown.

Honestly, for most folks the oil temp isn't something we need to know... you can't control the temp except by running or stopping the bike anyway. A good synthetic is very resistant to heat... so I think I'd spend my money on something else.

[John Hopkins]

It's a cool to have thing..the oil temperature is not something you monitor, oil pressure is different, but even if you did want to check the temperature you couldn't do it until you stopped and then it might be too late..

John.

[pcarrell]

I was wondering the same thing......

[Troll]

It screws in to the crankcase, replacing the normal oil filler cap...The big question I would have with this device is how accurate it might be. I had one on my hotrod SuperGlide, but it has a temp probe that goes into the engine oil. This one cannot do that because the clutch basket is in the way...How accurate is splash oil off the clutch?

[CDNRatMan]

 ok were does it go and and how much work to set it up?

do you really need it, or is it one of them cool to have things?

and how much does it cost?

[David Poirier]

While cruising thru the German xbay site, I found this and was wondering if it was worth investing in or should I just leave it alone?