How do you read this HD oil temp gauge???

[Porter]

But if you read the increment lines they don't add up to the proper temps on the gauge. 110* to 180* actually is 170* etc. 230* is actually correct from where I'm sitting.

Thats what I thought too Glider. Increments of 10 starting at 110 deg adds up to 230 at the dark center line, but after that ???? The reason I am asking is because when I went out for a ride this morning the outside temp was around 75 - 80 and the oil temp gauge was reading at the dot on the left of the 230 deg. I am hoping that the center line is actually 230 which means my oil temp was at 200 deg. 2009 SG with stage 1 air box, TFI and Rienhart muffs.

That temp sounds about right to me. I went through this a while back with a bad sending unit from McEwan. I made a false dipstick cap and drove around with an NIST traceable thermometer to measure the oil temp at that point. Compared to the dashboard reading the NIST thermometer was reading about 15 degrees lower. This could be placement compared to the sending unit, linearity issues or it could be real. I think it would be nice to know an accurate temperature and have a gauge work as intended for the money spent, but i don't think it is going to happen. Bottom line for me is that I know where the reading should be depending on the air temp amd I use it as a simple indicator. For my neck of the woods I think the McEwan is too low of a temp scale. On a 90 degree + day, after an hour of riding, the gauge is pegged at 300, but the oil in the tank is at 275 or so. If I had to do it over I would have left the air temp gauge in. So far none of the gauges I have looked at are either accurate or have the correct range.

For the most part, I just keep a good synthetic oil (Mobile 1) in the engine and change it every 3k in the summer and 5k in the winter. The gauge started to become something I would worry about, "cooking the engine" and all...Now I pretty much ignore it and just ride... Don't get me wrong: if you pay for something it should work as intended. But, I realize I have a problem with obsessing over stuff like this and it deracts from my having a good time!

 

[wildey]

It's not liniar and the "dot" is midway between the two digital references on the gauge.

Dot 1 -145
Dot 2 -205
Dot 3 -245
Dot 4 -305

I believe that this is correct and the full length gray lines are for the actual numbers of 110 180 230 etc since they are right under those lines. With each dot there is 2 short lines before and aft which would make the dots systems stated above.