Anyone ever felt the need to do so? I'd think it could be a good idea under 10°C/50°F for quicker warm-ups and to let the engine actually reach operating temp. Problem is, I don't have a temperature gauge I could rely on... Opinions?
maybe covering only half of it could be the safest way!
I put an aftermarket oil cooler on my 82 CB750K which was the hottest running of the 6 bikes I've had. I covered it in the winter and think it might be a good idea on the GS-F models if you ride in the winter when it's very cold. Oil should get hot enough to burn off the water which is always present even more so in the winter.
The GSs are the coolest running air cooled bikes I've had. My 4 Hondas always ran stronger in the cool of the evening than during the heat of hot summer afternoons. The GSs are the other way around but that is partially due to them being jetted leaner I think.
im in for more answers to this, For us whom have made our 500F into an E and have the oil cooler just hanging out there
After riding the wedge can 97 in a funeral escort, i would have LOVED to have had an oil cooler. She was NOT happy
Thanks for the input. So it seems like we agree on the need, question is when?
When would you guys cover it? And remove the cover? Temperature-wise?
I would cover it in winter. The bike is designed for all the year temperatures and needed a bit of help due to the fairings , so they installed the cooler, obviously for hot temperatures and slow riding lice commuting in the city in summer
I think that in winter we can block it totally.
Does it work always or it has some kind of temperature valve?
So do we have any definitive ideas on this subject?
I think we certainly do have definitive answers, not just ideas.
The answers are from the most experienced Suzuki engine experts in the world: Suzuki.
Suzuki don't instruct that the cooler be covered; if there were a need, they'd state so in the manual.
True, but our beloved 2 wheeled sewing machine is not normally ridden in COLD temps 8<θ} id say a formed cover would work, like a piece of aluminum THIN formed over it, holding clips provide pressure against cooler. Kinda like using cardboard on a car rad, to warm it in winter. Before driving
I don't think Suzuki has told us anything about riding their street bikes in the winter same as other bike makers in this regard. I've been riding year around here in NE Ohio for 30 years and it's very rare indeed to see another rider when it's below freezing. Not much market for winter bikes.
Street bikes in general are not fitted with large enough batteries for winter use, when it gets cold and the oil thickens the voltage drops below what's needed for producing spark while cranking. I bought my 97 GS new and really didn't want to splash thru the salt water with it so I used an old CM400A I had as a winter bike that still had a kicker. I could grind the starter on it until it barely growled without it starting and it then would start with one kick of the kicker with enough voltage left to make spark w/o the starter cranking.
That 97 GS screamed spring, summer, and fall and I didn't want to use it during the winter salt season so I enjoyed it for 80k miles without re-jetting. But it was virtually unusable in winter cold without keeping the choke partially on all the way to enrich the fuel mix.
Bikes like any product are made to sell for a price that will be profitable while still having enough value to be desirable to customers. Frequently the sales department has as much to say about design as the engineering dept does, been there, experienced that.
PS- No way yammi and I could both be wrong, just saw his post. :icon_lol:
Well wouldn't it be nice to have a kick starter on our beloved GS5's for cold weather?
Anyway, I think I should buy a dipstick thermometer if I really want to carry on with this...
Or does anyone have one? It'd be great to know actually how warm the oil gets on a stock GS500F in the cold.
Quote from: Atesz792 on November 05, 2014, 01:12:36 PM
Well wouldn't it be nice to have a kick starter on our beloved GS5's for cold weather?
Anyway, I think I should buy a dipstick thermometer if I really want to carry on with this...
Or does anyone have one? It'd be great to know actually how warm the oil gets on a stock GS500F in the cold.
how warm the oil gets in the cold?, meaning while running or when first started?
Quote from: yamahonkawazuki on November 05, 2014, 01:15:04 PM
how warm the oil gets in the cold?, meaning while running or when first started?
Oops, my bad. Actually wrote "cold weather" the first time then edited it as to not repeat myself.
So I meant the normal (or perhaps lower than normal) operating temperature once the engine is warmed up after running for, let's say, an hour or so.
Aye. Could make a cover, out of many things, im thinking thin sheet aluminum, this would work, or a grade of engine oil for cooler temperatures or both
Not really worried about oil grade, manual says I can use 15w-40 in -15°C, not sure I want to ride in those temps :icon_lol:
Aluminium is not a bad idea. According to google cardboard would work, too, just gotta figure out how to make it "rain-proof".
Quote from: Atesz792 on November 06, 2014, 01:00:15 AM
Not really worried about oil grade, manual says I can use 15w-40 in -15°C, not sure I want to ride in those temps :icon_lol:
Aluminium is not a bad idea. According to google cardboard would work, too, just gotta figure out how to make it "rain-proof".
Hmm, cardboard maybe not.. but ill see what I can mock-up tomorrow maybe give you some ideas. you're just talking above covering the oil radiator right?
I glanced at a piece of "flashing" material used in roofing that I had in my garage. Metal, should not rust (galvanized?) easy to bend by hand and shape, and dirt cheap. I think it was $0.99 USD. Could be fitted to droop around and behind the cooler and secured with straps that'd resist heat? Just an idea.
I get where you guys are coming from but I'd hesitate without knowing actual "normal" temp ranges. If the manual lists -15C as an operating temp it implies Suzuki has foreseen that temp, designed accordingly?
PS is there an oil cooler thermostat after all, or does the oil flow through all the time? Also would the cover be needed in motion at -15C or only during warmup? Wondering out loud.
Quote from: Rallyfan on November 06, 2014, 02:40:23 AM
I glanced at a piece of "flashing" material used in roofing that I had in my garage. Metal, should not rust (galvanized?) easy to bend by hand and shape, and dirt cheap. I think it was $0.99 USD. Could be fitted to droop around and behind the cooler and secured with straps that'd resist heat? Just an idea.
I get where you guys are coming from but I'd hesitate without knowing actual "normal" temp ranges. If the manual lists -15C as an operating temp it implies Suzuki has foreseen that temp, designed accordingly?
PS is there an oil cooler thermostat after all, or does the oil flow through all the time? Also would the cover be needed in motion at -15C or only during warmup? Wondering out loud.
Oil temp gauge? no problem! lmao
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=40955.0
Nice but the site doesn't list GS500. Is this listed for a different bike but compatible with ours?
Quote from: J_Walker on November 06, 2014, 01:12:23 AM
Hmm, cardboard maybe not.. but ill see what I can mock-up tomorrow maybe give you some ideas. you're just talking above covering the oil radiator right?
Yes, I'd like to reduce the flow
through the radiator only. Cylinder heads are right behind it, wouldn't want to reduce airflow there, not even in cold weather.
Quote from: Rallyfan on November 06, 2014, 02:40:23 AM
I glanced at a piece of "flashing" material used in roofing that I had in my garage. Metal, should not rust (galvanized?) easy to bend by hand and shape, and dirt cheap. I think it was $0.99 USD. Could be fitted to droop around and behind the cooler and secured with straps that'd resist heat? Just an idea.
I get where you guys are coming from but I'd hesitate without knowing actual "normal" temp ranges. If the manual lists -15C as an operating temp it implies Suzuki has foreseen that temp, designed accordingly?
PS is there an oil cooler thermostat after all, or does the oil flow through all the time? Also would the cover be needed in motion at -15C or only during warmup? Wondering out loud.
Not sure I'd use a material too durable either, safety first. What if it just falls off? If it gets caught in the chain, it should just get torn apart. That's why I'm thinking about some water-proof paper-like thing.
Yes, knowing normal temp ranges should help, that's why I'm thinking about buying a dipstick thermometer. They're really expensive around here, though.
I don't know about a thermostat. If there is one, covering the radiator would be pointless :) Would be great! Tomorrow is the next time she gets ridden, maybe I will let her idle a bit longer before, and compare radiator and left side engine cover temps by hand for a while. If they are identically warm to the touch before riding, that should imply that there is no thermostat.
Quote from: J_Walker on November 06, 2014, 04:21:22 AM
Oil temp gauge? no problem! lmao
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=40955.0
Yes, they are widely available around here, but not cheap...
Quote from: Rallyfan on November 06, 2014, 08:45:02 AM
Nice but the site doesn't list GS500. Is this listed for a different bike but compatible with ours?
I would only buy and use one if they list the GS500. Even then, I'd compare the length to the original dipstick before...
What is the cooler made of? ... if aluminium/alloy then a metal cover should be made of similar metal, if copper then copper. .. etc etc. .. cardboard? .. what about that waxed stuff (boxes) they use for transport lettuce and vegetable in?
The similar metal thing. .. when I had a aluminum boat, it was highly recommended to not drop steel fish hooks down under seats etc... electrolysis/corrosion etc can set in and chew through the hull... similar for an oil cooler on salted winter roads?
This whole deal seems like a lot of work to solve a problem which may not exist.
Anybody actually have any bad effects of cold weather operation of a GS 500 ??
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