F Oil Cooler & Horn Relocation

[NYNJ8]

Hello - In the process of upgrading the stock horn and the location I'd like to put it would require me to run wires rather close to (and possibly touching) the oil cooler.  Does anyone know if this cooler gets hot while the bike is running?  Don't want to burn the wires.  If so, can they be effectively insulated from the heat?

P.S. I'm in the midst of a 12 round battle with the oil filter cover bolts and I've removed the exhaust so I can't run my bike to check it out on my own.  Thanks for your help

[Janx101]

Pretty sure oil cooler not hot enough to damage wires.. probably hotter conditions under tank and on frame near engine where most of wires are..

Too close to exhaust would be different. .

[prmas]

Under high ambient temperatures and stuck in traffic the oil cooler can easily exceed boiling point (ie 100 deg C). This is enough to "soften" the insulation on standard automotive wiring. If it was to chafe as well it could wear through quickly.

On a mild day with continuous air flow it will average around 65-70 deg C. 

I have tested these temperatures myself.

You can easily insulate the wires with "spiral" or "corrugated" tubing.

Macka

[Janx101]

Wow. . Wouldn't have thought that much! .. considering also carried in the lines for a couple  feet...

Depends on just how close the wires run too I guess??

[prmas]

Yes, I have seen over 90 dec C on my GS, measured at the cooler intake pipe. Air cooled engines do run hot is hot weather but they also cool down much more quickly than liquid cooled engines.
I run a small digital temp gauge on both of my bikes to keep an eye on oil temperature. The sensor is acutally mounted on the RHS lower edge of the crankcase and reads metal temperature but this is a close approximation of oil temperature. 
If I see the oil temp rise above 80 deg C I make a conscious effort to try to stop it going too much higher. To do that I will try to keep the revs low and the speed up for air flow, ride smoothly with minimum throttle and look for the "gaps".
If it gets into the 90s and I think that conditions (traffic etc) might cause it to stay there I may change my course or look for a shady spot for a short break. Even on a hot day the engine and oil temps will drop to a safer level fairly quickly after an initial rise.
Mineral oil, which I use, will slowly start to break down if the temperature is continually above 90 deg C. The breakdown is exponential as the temperature rises. Brief periods of high temperatures will not hurt.
Finally, ! year ago I put my GS through 26 laps of the Phillip Island MotoGP circuit on a Track Day. I was amazed to find that the oil temperature was MUCH  lower at 160kph at full throttle down the main straight than it is at 60kph in the suburbs. Commuting in the suburbs the temp will be in the 70s. Pushing as hard as I dared on the track on a 30 deg C day the temperature stayed around 55-60 deg C.
This shows without doubt the benefit of the oil cooler. The faster I went, the lower the oil temperature, up to 160kph which was the fastest I could go into a headwind, in fourth, fifth or sixth gear, no difference.
It was an interesting experience.   

Macka

[NYNJ8]

Good info thanks for the heads up. I will look to insulate the wiring.