free website stats program Engine Cooling | Harley Davidson Forums

Engine Cooling

Boxerlover1265

Boxerlover1265

New Member
HI, Just bought a 2016 Soft tail Deluxe .I love this bike but.....it gets very hot. I am 5' so I had it lowered a bit. Riding on a 75 degree day had to end early due to being so hot could really feel the heat through heavy jeans. We are looking at Love Jugs to help with this. Has anyone ever used these or do you have a better way of cooling. We are planning a 10 day trip this summer and need to figure something out asap. My previous bike was 883 and didn't have these issues and didn't think about the heat when I purchased this.
 
There's a few things you can do, add a fuel management system to add more fuel, Harley's run lean and a little more fuel will help cool it down.

The second thing you can do is add a set of heat deflectors to deflect the heat from the rider.
I put a set on and it made a huge difference, no more fried thighs.

Adding a oil cooler should also help, anytime you cool something going into the engine will also help keep the engine and rider a little cooler.
 
Last edited:
Love Jugs or Wards fans will help cool the motor and oil temps; a nice option for the motor but will not provide much relief for rider and passenger. A couple of things for you to consider:

1. Your new softail is powered by a 1690cc motor which generates much more heat than your 883cc motor. So the issue is heat management.
2. The motor is delivered from the factory with a very lean AFR to meet EPA requirements and, therefore, generates more heat than it would if the motor was properly tuned and AFR reduced from 14.7 to say about 13.5; more fuel will cool the motor. A proper tune is the best way to achieve that goal and will require the purchase of a fuel management system and a proper dyno tune.
3. If the bike is still in stock trim (no Stage I upgrade) the "shotgun" exhaust is generating a lot of the heat you and passenger are feeling. The catalytic conveter(s) are located in the mufflers on softails. So by replacing the OEM exhaust with a 2:1 system you eliminate the high rear exhaust pipe and cats and move the heat away from you and your passenger.
4. There are heat shields that can be installed to deflect heat away from rider and passenger but I don't have any personal experience on how effective they are.

So, the manage the heat thrown off the bigger motor a Stage I upgrade, i.e., hi-flow intake and exhaust, preferably a 2:1 pipe, fuel management system like the DJ Power Vision and a proper dyno tune is the ticket. That ticket could cost up to $1500 depending on which systems are purchased and who does the work. There is a performance benefit as well and a measureable one at that; you will feel the added torque and horsepower.

If the focus is on reducing (you won't eliminate) the heat transfer to rider and passenger, the upgrade listed above should come before Love Jugs. Actually, if you make the aforementioned upgrade, the addition of an oil cooler is probably all that is necessary to keep cylinder head and oil temps in an acceptable range.
 
Take a look here for the heat deflectors, RJ was a sponsor here at one time and may give you a discount for being a member of HDT.
http://www.rjsoriginals.bizland.com/newSelect0010.htm

Another option for a fuel management system is from Dobeck Performance, they also offer a discount to members of HDT.

Dobeck Performance 877-764-3337 or 406-388-2377, their tech dept is very helpful in dialing in their tuner to any mods you have.
 
Last edited:
BTW, reference to my previous. 75* day is cool compared to summer riding in south Texas, so I know something about heat management. When ambient temps hit 100*, I pretty much hang up riding gear like the guys up north do when it becomes too cold or too dangerous (snow) to ride.;)
 
dolt said:
BTW, reference to my previous. 75* day is cool compared to summer riding in south Texas, so I know something about heat management. When ambient temps hit 100*, I pretty much hang up riding gear like the guys up north do when it becomes too cold or too dangerous (snow) to ride.;)
Click to expand...

100, that's a cool day here in AZ. last friday we tipped the scale at 106.
75 degrees i'd most likely be wearing my snowmobile suit.:eek:
 
My '03 UC did not have an oil cooler and was a hot ride when I got it. I added a bunch of stuff to it including an oil cooler from Jagg (low 10-row), Stage 1 upgrade from Screamin' Eagle (high-flow A/C and cans) and fueler from Dobeck (Techlusion Fuel Injection (TFI) controller). That made the bike cooler to ride.

My '12 UC came with an oil cooler and heat shields for the rider. I did Stage 1 (A/C and cans from SE) including new header pipe that had been gutted for the cat. Added an EJK from Dobeck to get rid of the decel popping and help with cooling. Still noticeably hotter than the 96ci, but OK.

All the stuff above is DIY. I do plan to add a tuner at some point, but only after swapping out the cams for some 255s. Jury is still out on the Dyno work though. One day!!

Cheers,

TQ
 
I had my header pipe replaced{Rinehart} a V&H tuner installed and my 012 roadking runs a lot cooler. Like you I could feel the heat coming through my jeans, I also use 50w engine oil, because I live in Fla.
 
All good suggestions here, I added a fuel management V&H fuelpak and was amazed how much cooler the bike runs. I have a softail as well and hot is just the nature of the beast because of the oil tank location.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top