Need help with oil temp..

[TREXSTER]

Hi all..its been awhile sense the last time I was here and I'm glad to see it is still an excellent source of great info(only drove bike once last year). With the snow melting I am starting to get biking fever,I already got a few good mod done this year,(new foot pegs,stainess steel brake lines,rim stripes etc..) when I read other peoples tips for mods reciently(Thanks to all who listed them). I saw something I thought would be nice to have on my GS,its a oil temp. screw in guage that replaces the original oil screw in dip stick on the GS. The guage reads from 20 deg. C to 140 deg C with the red line from 120-140 deg. Cel. is this a good range for our GS's and what is normal operating temp ? Does anyone have one now and is it working ok? Its on EBAY and is listed in Germany. Does anyone know if these guages are available anywhere in North America, I've seen ones for Harleys but perty sure they won't work on GS. Thanks for any help.....

[gsJack]

I've never had one of those temp guages but have seen them mostly in air cooled big twins that need them.  Don't think you need one in a GS but it might be nice to have.

It's desireable for engine oil to heat up to just above the boiling point of water so it boils out the water in the oil that is a natural product of internal combustion.  That would be above 100C or 212F and then somewhere above 250-260F or so the heat begins to break down the oil faster.  That red warning range of 120-140C would be approx 248-284F and should be avoided.  If you do get that hot for any length of time you'll "cook" the oil and it's a good idea to change the oil as soon as possible after that.

Doubt you will ever see the red range on a GS unless something is wrong with it or if you're running too heavy a weight of oil.

[TREXSTER]

Thanks for the reply gsjack, yah I might not need it but it sure would be nice to keep an eye on things. Like any other gauge or light it would warn you before any major damage. good point about the burnt oil, a red line indication would be a good sign to look things over and at least replace the oil.