Alternative oil coolers

Didi

Didi

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Does anybody know the manufacturer of this oil cooler in the US? I am considering putting two of these (one with thermostat, one with pressure gauge) either below each cylinder (and a cool horn where the cooler is now) or instead of where the cooler is at the moment (size is 57mm diameter and 24cm length approximately).
I assume it must be a US-product because it is also advertized for HD.

I would also be very happy if others did changes to the coolers already and post their results and experiences.
 
Why are you thinking your bike is running hot? Because of the way the cylinders are mounted, opposing, they cool much better than say the twin design of a Harley where the cylinders are mounted inline.
I would also assume the bikes leave the factory running on the rich side, you loose a little power, but no problems with pinging or heat.
 
I could be wrong but I think the OP wants a cool 😎 gadget rather than perusing extra cooling for the oil. The cooler has a temperature gauge which is a nice touch as well. To be honest, I am not a fan of the oil cooler design BMW fitted to the R18, not in terms of functionality but in terms of aesthetics.
 
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Luis said:
Wow, that’s a completely new topic in this forum. Let us know how’s going
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Let me do a summary on this topic.

A good starting point would be reading this article about oil temperature on the BMW R18:
https://www.r1800wiki.org/en/2024/03/18/oeltemperatur/

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We all know how our oil cooler looks like. A piece of plastic on the cooler itself and the whole part visually not integrated but appearing like a mechanical pimple on an otherwise beautiful face.

Some of us do what girls do; we put cosmetics on and over it with third-party covers. I am taking here the Wunderlich example just for illustration; there are other options, too.
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I have also seen the plastic cover painted in colours of the engine (grey) or black paint from the tank.
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Others think big (still with the girls) and go for the plastic surgeon in the sense of Pamela Anderson.
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LMC provides an alternative. An excellent idea, better than the original, but plastic surgeons with USD1.400 are also costly and visually also not perfectly integrated. Too big, if you know what I mean. Nice to play with but after some time you prefer something more elegant.

Then this plastic surgeon comes along

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An under the muscle operation (again you know what I mean). Integrated into the cover themselves. Another excellent approach and I believe that you do not get tired after some time. The main disadvantage from my side is that the design is differing from the cylinder covers and therefore more difficult to combine if you pay attention to this.
In any case my tribute and respect for this solution. More than USD2.000 is also a serious issue.
And before you ask, this was a prototype series of about 20 pieces and all are sold and none a produced anymore. So somebody else would have to kickstart it again.

I use these following pictures mainly to show how the oil cooler tubes are connected to the engine. Modifications are actually not difficult mechanically. The tubes are easily accessible and flexible.
IMG_9352.jpgIMG-20220702-WA0025.jpg


So it is rather the question which of the many solutions fits best visually:
kisspng-oil-cooling-harley-davidson-sportster-motorcycle-v-thunder-bolt-5ad7a9fda212b4.2171985...jpg10905977zh.jpgolkuhler-coolpressure-mit-oldruckmesser-chrom-f-harley-davidson-905418.jpg

So my question to all of you is to post creative ideas. Perhaps we come up with nice custom ideas regarding the oil cooler itself as well as the place to mount (no, not talking about girls now).
 
For me, the cooler on pic 4 was the best looking aftermarket alternative until you flagged the one on pic 10 yesterday. That one looks very nice and minimalist. Definitely one I would seriously consider mounting if the feedback is positive from the current users (maybe mainly HD owners)
 
Didi said:
View attachment 14539
Does anybody know the manufacturer of this oil cooler in the US? I am considering putting two of these (one with thermostat, one with pressure gauge) either below each cylinder (and a cool horn where the cooler is now) or instead of where the cooler is at the moment (size is 57mm diameter and 24cm length approximately).
I assume it must be a US-product because it is also advertized for HD.

I would also be very happy if others did changes to the coolers already and post their results and experiences.
Click to expand...
Why mount an oil cooler that isn't perpendicularly mounted to airflow?
 
Anibal said:
For me, the cooler on pic 4 was the best looking aftermarket alternative until you flagged the one on pic 10 yesterday. That one looks very nice and minimalist. Definitely one I would seriously consider mounting if the feedback is positive from the current users (maybe mainly HD owners)
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Pic 4 (LMC) is my favorite also, not quite sure how I feel about the cylinder type coolers yet... standing on that wall
 
Excellent discussion, nice to see. Reminds me of a time... but I digress.

The oil cooler aesthetic on my TC hasn't bothered me too much but I do agree with Anibal: pic #4 is a great looking improvement and pic #10 looks very interesting. Regarding the 'full enclosure' of #4, I wonder if maintenance access to that area wojld be negatively affected.
Looking forward to more on this.
 
Great discussion ... I agree with the statement that the 'Plastic' cover for the oilcooler looks out of place and that BMW could have done a better job with making it look more as it would belong there. So I put some 'Lipstick' on my girl. (low cost solution, using the OEM cooler)
IMG_20240423_171120933_HDR.jpg
IMG_20240423_171115107_HDR.jpg

It was cheap and easy to install . it should not have changed anything in cooling capacity and IMO looks better than the BMW version.
 
Ulrich said:
Great discussion ... I agree with the statement that the 'Plastic' cover for the oilcooler looks out of place and that BMW could have done a better job with making it look more as it would belong there. So I put some 'Lipstick' on my girl. (low cost solution, using the OEM cooler)
View attachment 14552
View attachment 14553

It was cheap and easy to install . it should not have changed anything in cooling capacity and IMO looks better than the BMW version.
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Nice. Which 'lipstick' is that?
 
Ulrich said:
LOL ... sadly I have to admit it was an under $50 solution from Ali Express ... I am not a fan of that distributer, but for that money I was willing to take a chance and I am quite satisfied with what I received.
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I understand, and you have my sympathy 😔😁. Not a fan of many things on that site but sometimes they're the only ones that have what you need. Nothing wrong with some humble enhancements! I'll be looking into this.
 
You get what you pay for with my two cents. I like cool new ideas.

I have the LMC and could not be happier. Won’t take much for anyone who owns this bike to squirrel away enough money in 6 months to pay for it.

The challenge of the situation is in the pudding. Look how many custom bikes there are in the custom thread. With all the time and money put into these things, almost all of the ugly stock one.
 
Gr8adv said:
I have the LMC and could not be happier. Won’t take much for anyone who owns this bike to squirrel away enough money in 6 months to pay for it.

The challenge of the situation is in the pudding. Look how many custom bikes there are in the custom thread. With all the time and money put into these things, almost all of the ugly stock one.
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I agree with you there. Nothing you did wrong there. Excellent choice and anyone you can afford a R18 can afford LMC :)
The only reason I am writing this because I am searching for a real custom solution. Do not forget; I am in Germany. Whereas something is unique in the US, you might see similar solutions much more often in Germany.

Regarding the second sentence. Sorry, my colloquial English is not perfect. What do you mean with?
The challenge of the situation is in the pudding.
With all the time and money put into these things, almost all of the ugly stock one.

That many do nice customs but nobody dares to touch the cooler and stays with the original?
 
Anibal said:
I could be wrong but I think the OP wants a cool 😎 gadget rather than perusing extra cooling for the oil. The cooler has a temperature gauge which is a nice touch as well. To be honest, I am not a fan of the oil cooler design BMW fitted to the R18, not in terms of functionality but in terms of aesthetics.
Click to expand...
 
I have to say...the stock black plastic oil cooler front piece doesn't bother me all that much....and unless my bike runs hot, I don't think I'll screw around with it.
Also, I'm thinking it might be best to leave my anniversary model alone, leave it stock....

Any thoughts????
 
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