Installing a Temp-Stick on a Harley

Bought a new Harley-Davidson bike? Congratulations! Now it’s important to have a look at this article, because you won’t have to cruise the review and QA sites to get answers about oil and related issues. Having a temp-stick is a good thing for Harley owners. The temp-stick will monitor the oil temperature at regular intervals. Now, you can avoid overheating and oil viscosity breakdown.

Using a motorcycle oil temperature dipstick you can check your oil level anywhere. Installing an oil temperature gauge is quite easy, because you have to simply replace the oil cap and dipstick assembly.

What is the need to check temperature of engine oil?

When it comes to engine oil, it is considered as a liquid that decreases friction and wear between moving parts in an engine. It also serves a coolant and neutralizes moisture created by combustion. Similarly, it protects the engine against oxidation. Viscosity is an important aspect of motorcycle engine oil. When a fluid (oil) has a higher viscosity, it created a thicker film between parts and bears more pressure in comparison to a fluid with low viscosity.

Viscosity is affected by temperature:

Viscosity is always affected by temperature. Different weights or grades of engine oil available in the market have different viscosities. These oils work properly over a fairly narrow range of temperature. Straight 30 weight oil at 212F has a VI of 9.3-12.4 weight. Similarly, 40 weights = 12.5-16.2 and 50 weight = VI of 16.3-21.8. So, you can see that there is a variation and some 30 weight or 40 weight oils have a slight variation than another 30 or 40 weights.

It has been observed that, up to 90% of an engine’s wear takes place during winter and some of the riders use light oils through the season. Some others also use heavy ones during the summer, but this is an inconvenient option and partially successful.

However, there is a solution to check the engine oil temperature and level. A temperature dipstick in your motorcycle is a handy tool. The same is applicable to Harley Davidson motorcycles.

Things you’ll need:

You need a cap and dipstick along with the built in gauge. The size may differ according to models. The next is to remove the factory cap along with dipstick assembly. Now, you can install the new cap, dipstick and oil temperature gauge. You should now ride your motorcycle for a short time to have a look at the gauge and make sure that it works accurately.

If you are riding your motorcycle in hot weather, you have to check the gauge reading every time you stop. If you find that the gauge temperature is more than 250 degrees, you should stop riding your bike. When you ride a bike above 250 degree major engine damages may occur. So, let your bike cool off before you ride it again. Some of the riders experience persistent overheating, so it’s important to add an oil cooler to the oil system. Now, it’s clear that you should install a temp-stick to keep the engine fit-n-fine. If you want to enjoy safe and smart riding, bring a temp-stick along with motorcycle Cruise Control that will relieve your hand and wrist fatigue while on the highway.

Daniel Burns is associated with Madcorider.com that designs and manufactures intelligent motorcycle accessories including motorcycle cruise control, clock spot, quick packs, lid lock, motorcycle oil temperature dipstick, temp stick, etc.