Is an oil cooler a bonus, a premium adder?

[Constant Mesh]

I've noticed on many of the Yamaha liquid-cooled bikes that they've included an oil to coolant heat exchanger.

Don't know if that's a premium feature or if it allows for less oil and an oil pan with less surface area and reduced air cooling?

Many of the Kawasaki bikes don't have oil coolers. For two Kawasaki models with basically the same engine, one has an oil cooler and the other one doesn't. One has a cooler and the other has a blank cover with o-ring instead of a cooler.

Having or not having an oil cooler probably doesn't affect one's choice of bikes -- not a big feature for marketing.

Don't know if Yamaha or Kawasaki is seen as being the better engine designer?

I will say that Kawasaki has a simpler, more elegant design in its output to the drive shaft on the Concours 1400. The FJR has three parallel shafts in the transmission and middle drive. The Concours only has two. The Concours design is quite elegant. Maybe they studied the FJR design and developed an improvement.

 

[SLK50]

Too bad the same engineers weren't in charge of

valve train maintenance.

 

[Mr. BR]

For those two Kawasaki models with basically the same engine, the "sport" version likely has the oil cooler.... it's marketing IMO. I remember reading years ago in some MC magazine that the OEM oil coolers were mostly just there for appearance/marketing and didn't really do much. But those were mostly std air to oil type units. My '95 Honda ST1100 had and oil/coolant exchanger just like our FJRs...and the ST is not exactly the king of HP. Then next model year, Honda got rid of the cooler. The only other change for '96 was the improved air-cooled 40amper alternator that replaced the leak-prone oil-cooled alternator. When I upgraded my alt to the air-cooled unit, I removed the cooler too. Temp-wise, this changed nothing on the ST and I saw it more as simply getting rid of two coolant lines that I didn't need and it cleaned up the LHS of the engine. Since our FJRs have one... perhaps it does do something? Even if a little... ok, I"m done rambling!

Mr. BR

 

[Kelvininin]

For starters, nothing is added to a car or truck or a motorcycle that isn't deemed required. Oiler coolers represent hours of engineering effort, and cost. Manufacturers are are always on a quest to reduce cost. So the OEM installs and oil cooler, it's there for a reason.

Victory Motorcycles have an oil cooler and it's absolutely required for that engine. The Victory Mill has two oil circuits, a low pressure circuit for lubrication and a high pressure circuit for cooling, the cooling circuit send oil to the exhaust side of the heads removing heat then flowing through the cooler before returning to the sump.

 

[BkerChuck]

On air cooled engine designs an oil cooler can definitely help reduce operating temps and possibly increase engine life as a result. On a liquid cooled engine like the FJR I don't know how much additional cooling you really see. It's not like a truck you're using for hauling or towing.

 

[MrZappo]

"it's marketing IMO"

Ok, Ill bite, do you have anything to offer up as to why your opinion holds any merit? A degree in engineering or metallurgy maybe? Anything other that "opinion"?

Oil coolers remove heat. More from the engine bottom end where the normal coolant would be less effective.

Anything that removes heat prolongs life of the fluids and components. Period.

For you or anyone to say that it is not needed would require access to data that you likely don't have.

Now, it may be less of a benefit in Alaska than it is in Phoenix in July but rest assured. If the engineers put it there, it is not because some skirt in marketing said so.

 

[Millsaps2]

https://www.yamahasportsplaza.com/oemparts/a/yam/50732819f8700218e05b8864/oil-cooler

The FJR oil cooler does not have a large radiator typically seen on some bikes.

 

[Bounce]

Settle down. Technical discussion don't justify changing the DEFCON. The ideas can be discussed without resorting to personal "challenges".

 

[C&C]

An oil cooler creates a homeostasis of heat (throughout the engine); the coolant keeps the topside on an even keel, and the oil cooler, the same (down below); all this, a good thing for engine (heat) management. As the coolant is thermostatically controlled, and the oil is liquid cooled, so goes the oil.

 

[Spork]

I had an oil cooler on my BMW K1200GT (with and radiator, and everything), and that bike had water cooling as well. I think it aided in heat management and the BMW engineers thought it was worth the trouble, so I tend to go with that it is useful.

 

[Geezer]

An oil cooler creates a homeostasis of heat (throughout the engine); the coolant keeps the topside on an even keel, and the oil cooler, the same (down below); all this, a good thing for engine (heat) management. As the coolant is thermostatically controlled, and the oil is liquid cooled, so goes the oil.

If I understand you, you are talking about an oil cooler that is part of the radiator assembly such that the oil and coolant are kept at approximately the same temperature. And I agree that it is a good thing.

If an oil cooler is totally separate from the radiator then it still can't hurt as long as it is thermostatically controlled so that it does not allow the oil to cool below the optimum temperature range. Whether or not it is necessary depends on the engine design and how the motorcycle is used.

 

[Norumbega]

The FJR actually has an oil/water INTERCOOLER. Hot oil and thermostatically controlled engine coolant are routed through the INTERCOOLER where the coolant absorbs heat from the oil and carries it away to the radiator to be transferred out into the ambient air. This is way more efficient than an air radiator type oil COOLER, water having a much higher specific heat than air, even forced air.

Seems like a lot of trouble and expense to go through for "no benefit", doesn't it??

Remember, these are the same spendthrifts who omitted the obviously beneficial fender flap to save a few pennies.

If it's a marketing ploy, then why is it hidden away and never mentioned? Odd marketing strategy, that!!