I guess our problem at Shanny was we over heated the motor. It was the last race for that 650 motor but really dont want to do the same to the 750 going into it. I am putting a larger oil cooler on and I know the 750 kits have larger fins but my question to you guys is do any of you run any sort of ducting to direct airflow onto the motor or has anyone had overheating problems and found a good solution.
any input would be greatly apreciated
cheers
Vic
Move slower…(please).
WHAT ENGINE TYPE ARE YOU RUNNING
it was an xs650 will be putting in a 750 kitted XS
Hi Vic, My CB500 (big lump of a motor) would run very hot and I found Amsoil Synthetic oil made it run a lot cooler, every little bit helps.
Ray.
Thanks Ray, I am running Bradd Penn straight 40. Apparantly its the best there is according to Mike my engine builder, but thanks for the input, are you going to grand bend, if so i will bring that starter with me
cheers
ps hows your build coming along?
several things may cause overheating
carb jetting
timing
or perhaps you need a big honking earls oil cooler like those used on the old air cooled superbikes - and they look real cool… what oil cooler r u going to run?
My engine runs very hot but it seems to be the nature of the beast. Oil pans do not help as they remove all cooling air flow past the sump. I have ducts in the fairing but no directional ducts to the engine. The oil pump is small and consequently flow is not very large so large coolers make little difference. I have thought about wrapping the pipes to reduce heat in front of the engine. Don’t listen to Miles…go faster to increase the cooling air!
As Mike says, these engines run hot, and the more HP you pull out of them the hotter they will get. Adding an oil cooler will definitely help. Just make sure its either in the direct air stream, or well ducted. Also as mentioned carb jetting (too lean), or timing can cause excessive heat.
Well, you could put one cylinder on each side of the crank case…
“These engines run hot.” But does anyone know how hot,like by measuring oil temp or cylinder head temp.I’d be interested to see if the aerodynamic penalty of an unfaired bike is offset by the greater airflow around the engine.Except for Mosport,I don’t think that improved aerodynamics makes much difference at the tracks we run.
I’ve thought about installing an oil temp gauge, just never got around to it. I did notice that after I put more venting below the screen the engine seemed cooler. However, it was definitely running hotter at the beginning of the last event. I put this down to a tight / fresh engine, as it seemed to improve as the weekend progressed. Does anyone have a thermal infrared gun? If so, maybe we could get the exit oil check guys to scan everyone’s motors after a race.
I’ve got one you guys can use. It’s always right in the top of my pit box.
Thanks for the offer Ashton. Should be easy to setup some kind of temp check to let everyone know where their at.
Grab it anytime you want, I really only use it for tire temp checks before races, and the occasional diag for misfires. Just remember to switch it to “C” if your into that one of thang… 
Gary, this link has a list of temperatures about half way down, not sure where hes getting his data from though, I have a proximity thermommeter and will be keeping a very close eye on the new motor. As a foot note I kinda like that dip stick thermometer idea but think the proximity one will work for our needs
forgot the link…duhh
xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14559
good idea about the pit out temp checks, not sure if the tech guys would want that on their plate but im sure we have pit crew/family etc that will help out, I know for sure Mary will do it. It will be good data to aquire for all of us.
Interesting link, and it gives some ‘street’ temp #'s for comparison. Two issues with the dipstick oil temp gauge is that it would have to be modified to allow for safety wire. Also given its position the only time you would be able to get a good look (from a sidecar) is when your stopped. On my bike it would be buried under my right knee.
Another issue that comes to mind is the length of the probe.“The probe is exactly the same length as the stock probe and has marks for measuring oil level.” and “Groove around stem shows minimum immersion point on each thermometer.”
Will the probe be immersed in oil when the engine is running,or in an oil fog,and thus inaccurate?On my solo bike with sight glass the oil level is way down out of sight when the engine is running,so I would bet that the dipstick,or thermometer, is not in the oil when the engine is running,and it’s really messy trying to get a dipstick reading with the engine running 
The probe would have to be long enough to almost touch the bottom of the sump to ensure enough immersion.
Points to ponder.