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1100 RT Operating Temp


BG1100RT rider

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BG1100RT rider

Hey all you experienced 1100 Oil Head Riders... under Normal conditions, How many bars on the Temp Gauge? I am new to this bike, kind of uncertain about the whole Oil Head cooling system... when I ride down the Freeway, I am seeing 5 bars lite, Normal?? the Air Temp is cool, only 50 Degrees, so I am concerned , when it gets Summer, 100degrees and I am riding to work... what have you guys seen??

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BG1100RT rider

Do The Time... Thanks, like I say, I am new to this Bike... and with the cool Outside Air temp, I just want to make sure, do they stay pretty consistent , regardless of Outside Air Temp?? or maybe run a little Hotter, I am sure in Traffic they may heat up, but I do Freeway, 25 miles each way to Work

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Hey all you experienced 1100 Oil Head Riders... under Normal conditions, How many bars on the Temp Gauge? I am new to this bike, kind of uncertain about the whole Oil Head cooling system... when I ride down the Freeway, I am seeing 5 bars lite, Normal?? the Air Temp is cool, only 50 Degrees, so I am concerned , when it gets Summer, 100degrees and I am riding to work... what have you guys seen??

 

Afternoon BG1100RT rider

 

Your dash oil temp RID displays the engine oil temperature exiting the engine AFTER picking up cylinder head heat but before going through the oil cooler. So basically your dash temp gauge is not reading oil temperature in the engine sump as that will be cooler than the cooling oil coming out of the engine. (in cold ambient temps much cooler)

 

Your 1100 engine has 2 oil pumps, one for engine lubrication & one just for pumping cooling oil to the cylinder heads. The early 1100 engines use a different type of (external) oil thermostat that was changed to a better functioning internal type on the later 1100 engines & 1150 engines.

 

You really won't know much about your oil cooling operation vs engine overheating until you get in high ambient temperature stop & go riding.

 

I wish that BMW would never have put a temperature gauge on these oilhead bikes, we never had any temperature complaints on BMW boxers until BMW added those darn temperature gauges.

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BG1100RT rider

DirtRider, OK ,Thanks for the explanation, That would Explain why I see 5 bars when the Ambient Air Outside is so Cool, when I go home at 11:00PM , its like 43 Degrees outside, and I still see 5 Bars lite, made me nervous, I'm Thinking , Damn, this thing should be running much cooler...

Edited by BG1100RT rider
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DirtRider, OK ,Thanks for the explanation, That would Explain why I see 5 bars when the Ambient Air Outside is so Cool, when I go home at 11:00PM , its like 43 Degrees outside, and I still see 5 Bars lite, made me nervous, I'm Thinking , Damn, this thing should be running much cooler...

 

Afternoon BG1100RT rider

 

Well you definitely want the SUMP oil hot enough (over 212°f) to keep the moisture burned out of it. Even at 5 bars, in cool weather, the lower crankcase probably won't reach anywhere near 212°f so the pre-cooler heat is all you have to work with.

 

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Eckhard Grohe
The early 1100 engines use a different type of (external) oil thermostat that was changed to a better functioning internal type on the later 1100 engines & 1150 engines.
How do I tell the difference between old & new?
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Yeah, 5 bars is “normal”, but I think it can vary by bike. I ride a 2001 R1100; the normal reading is 5 bars, but on this bike when riding through town to get gas it will regularly show 6 bars. In summer, a brisk ride in 3rd gear can also bring it to 6. I previously had a 96 RT and that bike almost never got to 6 bars except when stuck in traffic. It takes really cold weather riding to keep the RID at 4 bars.

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BG....just for reference...when I had an 1150 it ran 5 bars almost all the time while underway. I live in Houston where it gets very warm, very humid, and stop and go traffic is just the norm. You might ride 5 miles in 45 minutes in heavy commute at 100+ degrees.. When that happens my 1150 would to within one bar of the top and sometimes the top. Only once did it scare me enough to pull over and let it cool down. It was normal for my 1150 run at 4-5 year round, and even with a stop of 2-5 minutes in traffic regardless of outside temp it would raise a couple of bars..... All that being said if the thing does max out on bars you may want to pull over and cool down..but as said only happened once and that day in Houston it was 109 and I was stuck for the better part of an hour. Welcome aboard and hope you enjoy the new machine. Lots of knowledge on this board so don't hesitate to ask.

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BG1100RT rider

Hey Guys, Thanks for all you're input!! , I knew my Fellow OilHeads would have the information... I am used to my K1200 Liquid cooled, when it was chilly outside, it ran much cooler, even according to the Temp Gauge , I will keep an eye on it as the weather warms up... not much of a Problem around here right now, although today was in the 60's :-)

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D.R.,"I wish that BMW would never have put a temperature gauge on these oilhead bikes, we never had any temperature complaints on BMW boxers until BMW added those darn temperature gauges"

 

And Airheads didn't have near as many charging issues until they started adding voltmeters. LOL

 

RPG

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The early 1100 engines use a different type of (external) oil thermostat that was changed to a better functioning internal type on the later 1100 engines & 1150 engines.
How do I tell the difference between old & new?

 

 

Afternoon Eckhard

 

A few ways, check motorcycle build date = pre 12/1997 should be external.

 

Follow oil cooler lines back & should find external oil thermostat assembly.

 

Easy way= if you have to remove oil line across front of engine to replace alternator belt then assume it has external oil thermostat.

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Regardless of ambient temp my '99RT RID oil temp consistently shows

5 bars under normal operation

6 bars stuck in stop start traffic

 

And only one time 7 bars while riding in the 100th HD parade...Yup won the parade lottery and rode my RT (with a couple tiny HD flags attached and a nice HD T shirt from a Singapore dealership) I changed oil the right after that, not sure if it was needed but it made me feel better!

 

The moron next to me that was revving the crap out of his new Low Rider the whole way and it was rattling loudly and puffing oil by the end of the parade.

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BG1100RT rider

Paul De, Thanks again for the information, sounds like 5 Bars is what to expect on the Temp Gauge... I love the fact that you were in the HD 100th Anniversary Parade! That's awesome, My Wife and I rode in a local Harley Davidson Charity ride last year, when we got to the turn around , they were all thrashed from riding those Harley's , we were still fresh, enjoyed our lunch and whizzed past them all on the freeway headed back Home, Cruise set at 80 on our K1200LT, they were all over reving at 75 !

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Central Calif.

Cold is 50 or so, hot is 100-104.

Normal is 5 for my 1100RT . That's about, about where the thermostat opens for the oil cooler, ok, maybe 4.5 bars.

In traffic or riding hard, 6.

The only time it gets higher , even to all the way to the top is creeping in traffic, but a short blast of freedom brings it right down.

Change your oil by the book or sooner to feel better, use a quality oil that's correct for the bike.

I use premium gas always, even in "cold" weather.

If you have bugs in the area, Simple Green sprayed on the oil cooler ,let it sit, flush with the water hose to remove they tiny bodies once in a while.

Keep your clutch free play adjusted.

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BG1100RT rider

Tri 750, Thanks, sounds like similar riding temps, although it gets much colder, I will ride as long as its 40 or above... second thing I did when I got the Bike was an Oil Change, First was remove the Charcoal Canister... I am using conventional Castrol 20-50... I hear that running Synthetic can cause Oil Seal leaks. I'll keep an eye on the cooler for bugs, can be a problem in the warmer Months for sure...

again, I appreciate the feedback!

BG

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