Oil cooler protection

Hi;
I have an 06 12RT and thought about some type of grill to protect
and for easier cleaning of the oil cooler fins.
I have seen and not particulally fond of the double sided tape that
hold some grills on but I have seen one (can't remember where) that
requires some dis-assembly and made of stainless.

Any thoughts as I don't want to reinvent the wheel.

Thanks,
Bill

billyb said:

Any thoughts as I don't want to reinvent the wheel.

Click to expand...

I have yet to experience any rock/stone damage to the oil coolers of any of my BMWs ('90 R100 GS, '03 GSA and '04 GSA) so I didn't look for that level of protection.

Instead, I wanted to keep bug splats off my oil coolers and a simple black fiberglass screen did that. On my oilheads, it just sits in place...no attachments needed.

Check out the Touratech cooler guard, I have ordered one too.

http://www.touratech-usa.com/shop/s...on=touratech:CF7A306DA330C531AA7482A08139635E

Oil cooler

Thanks to Alex and Osaiyid;

I will try the fiberglass screen first.
I wonder if the fiberglass screen affects the cooling
at all.
I have been told that screens on a house block up to 35-40%
of the air flow. I have a number of deep scratches on the
windscreen. Am I lucky that what ever caused the scratches
didn't hit the oil cooler?

Bill

billyb said:

Thanks to Alex and Osaiyid;

I will try the fiberglass screen first.
I wonder if the fiberglass screen affects the cooling
at all.
I have been told that screens on a house block up to 35-40%
of the air flow. I have a number of deep scratches on the
windscreen. Am I lucky that what ever caused the scratches
didn't hit the oil cooler?

Bill

Click to expand...

I guess there would have to be some reduction in airflow, but doubt if it would be enough to impact cooling. However, I have 22K on my 05 RT and really have never given a screen a serious thought. I just wash the bugs out when I wash the bike. My $.02......YMMV.

billyb said:

I will try the fiberglass screen first.

Click to expand...

Now that you are considering that Bill, you should sew some black double fold trim along all four edges of the black fiberglass screen. It strengthens the edges. You could also sew some black laces to it should you need to attach it to anything (mine sits nicely between my oil cooler trim and the oil cooler on my R1150 GS Adv). You can get that trim at any sewing/fabric store. But as I mentioned, it won't protect your cooler from stone impact.

billyb said:

I wonder if the fiberglass screen affects the cooling
at all.

Click to expand...

I'm at 5 bars on the oil temperature indicator with or without the screen.

Just thought I would resurrect this thread after talking to the parts manager at MotoMarin today. He showed me a bulletin from BMW NA stating that any damage done to an air/oil cooled engine from overheating would not be covered under warranty if any type of grill or screen was used in front of the radiator. Do what you will with this info, I'm just passing it along.

Rad covers of any kind can make the engine run warmer. Here's a simple test. Take a piece of whatever screening you are going to use, put it up to your mouth and blow through it. Put your hand on the other side. Now take the material away and blow again. You'll see the difference.

The fins on the coolers may get banged up but the main channels that the oil actually flows through are much thicker and I can't see there being an issue with breakage. The rads on your car etc are just as open as these coolers are and it is not know to be an issue.

If the fins get badly bent I would just straighten any bent fins & leave it alone.

I had a rock strike my 05 RT hard enough to damage one of the cooler tubes..It didn't puncture it but it did hit the fins hard enough they did not fully protect the cooler tube..I bought some ordinary window screen at Wal Mart and cut a piece to fit over the cooler.. I don't believe it restricts air flow any significant amount and I hope it does offer a little protection..I just replace it as needed when it begins to show a lot of bugs and debris..My oil cooler stays clean and so far it has worked well..

If your bike is out of warranty, the next thing you need to consider is the cost and possible damage done to the oil cooler if you don't put some kind of screen over it.
Go to your local Home Depot / Lowes, etc. and buy a 3 foot section of gutter guard. Very lightweight aluminum that allows max air flow.
Pull your fairing off, and whatever else you need to do to get to the back of the kidney shaped openings in front of the cooler.
Cut a section of gutter guard the approximate size, and then trim to fit.
I've got a pattern that works on R11S bikes and might work on yours, you're welcome to try it if you want. Email me: jerry.duke@gmail.com if you're interested.