Oil Cooler Cover Wisdom...Yeah or Ney? 2011 R1200RT

Greetings all from a BMW newbe.

I'm an old Gold Wing rider who is now enjoying a 2011 R 1200 RT with just a tick under 15,000 miles on her. Love the bike but wonder if it is a good idea to get an oil cooler cover. If my RT takes a rock right in the cooler, would it then be dead on the road, as in catastrophic failure? Would my bike run hot if I installed one? What is your experience?

And if it is a good idea, which one would you guys recommend, and from whom?

Thanks for your thoughts.

When was the last time you hit a rock 3 feet off the ground? If this happens to you then an oil cooler cover is a good idea. Enjoy the Rt.

The GS and many a dirt biker do use them. Also radiator covers or protectors for the water bikes.
On my RT you could, and I have thought of putting some screen across the plastic which is about 1 inch in front of the cooler.
If it's a good size screen, it won't cut down air flow and you won't get any more heat, or less heat dissipation.
But then I couldn't reach in and brush or flick bugs out of the fins, which may cause more heat or lack of heat dissipation.
So I haven't done it and won't.
Plus, 12k miles, with maybe 400 off road, and still no hits, so.
And, don't forget headlight protectors, fairing protectors, etc.
Just ride it.
dc

I put the Touratech protector on my GSA. IT also cuts downs on the bugs getting into the cooler fins. I would recommend you get one some kind of protection.

Have a cover on my R1200RT - no negative effect on cooling. Have had it on for years now.

Been behind some trucks that spit stones back at me with the velocity of a sling shot - punching a hole in your oil cooler will shortly end you ride.

Get the cover, and be pro-active about enjoying your travels.

60k miles, no cover, no problems. I ride mostly twisty mountain roads. I don't go for a lot of add on stuff. You can spend a lot of money on gadgets.

Warranty

Is it true that an oil cooler cover will void the bikes warranty?

All that's needed to clean an oil cooler is a few miles in a heavy rain- comes out looking almost new with all traces of dead bugs gone.
You're not going to hole a cooler 3 ft off the ground. Got a set of 4 of various types practically on the ground on the track car I use the most often that get pelted with a lot of track debris and even those have never had any damage- its just not easy to do.
Bent fins are easily straightened and there are even tools made exactly for that purpose if you're that anal. But both the tool and the screen are a waste of $. Main reason to use a screen is simply whether or not you like the appearance.
All screens, even large mesh,have very substantial effects on air flow through them- about 20% for the most open screen (way more than most would suspect) and more for the usual bike screen size. But that's not the same as reducing cooling that much. Its unlikely you would notice much of an impact on engine temps but if for some reason you already run borderline you might find yourself needing to add a fan. There are high quality waterproof 4" fans made for about $70 and while its possible to use cheap computer fans, their durability in extremes would be dubious and they don't move much air. (Best way to compare fans is to look at motor current usage- it takes power to move air- the published CFM specs are often worthless and misleading)

TomRunning said:

Is it true that an oil cooler cover will void the bikes warranty?

Click to expand...

No.

I got one after I saw how much crap built up on the cooler. I went with the AltRider. I've seen a negligible effect on the bike's temperature.

If cleaning is an issue, I shoot hose water in the reverse direction from underneath and it does a great job of removing bugs, esp. if you let them soak a while and then spray.

As for the screens blocking air, I think the overheat issue is at idle or stop and go creepy traffic. If the RT is moving, it cools fine and a 20% blockage like Racer says won't matter. And to iterate, if you have over heat issues at slow speeds in high heat, the fan is needed.

TomRunning said:

Is it true that an oil cooler cover will void the bikes warranty?

Click to expand...

Who said it was true?

If you put on a cover which significantly blocks air flow to the cooler, and then suffer an event which causes engine damage result from overheating the oil to the point of causing it to lose its lubricating properties, BMW would have grounds to deny warranty on the engine. But mere installation of a debris shield in front of the cooler is not an automatic warranty-killer.

Note, however, that depending on who is evaluating the warranty claim, its presence would provide the basis for an argument that the cover caused whatever failure for which you are making the warranty claim -- in other words, while the burden is on BMW to show your aftermarket part addition caused the failure, as a practical matter you would have overcome their argument.

That said, in my experience, BMW's regional reps are not in "automatic void" mode. I wouldn't hestitate to put on a free-breathing radiator protector if I felt one was needed.

Oil cooler guard

I got hail damage on my cooler back in June and the fin straightener didn't help much. No overheating issues yet and I've ridden in temps as high as 105 for a couple of hours. If I get a new oil cooler, I'll probably put on the Wunderlich protector as well.

Michael - please read: http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=46055 - I've added the info to the thread title. There are several model hexheads, and they use very different oil coolers.. so what applies to your model is somewhat specific. That's one reason to have this info in the thread title, the other is to help other people searching for the same info later on.

Thanks for your cooperation..

deilenberger said:

Michael - please read: http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=46055 - I've added the info to the thread title. There are several model hexheads, and they use very different oil coolers.. so what applies to your model is somewhat specific. That's one reason to have this info in the thread title, the other is to help other people searching for the same info later on.

Thanks for your cooperation..

Click to expand...

"Fighting the never-ending battle for truth, justice and the mention of your year & model!"

Your job never ends, does it?!

My 2005 1200RT purchased 2nd hand 6 months ago, has a Wunderlich oil cooler protection on it.
The bike was purchased at the top of summer here in Australia and ridden hard up our mountain range.
No overheating issues what so ever.

Alfred02 said:

My 2005 1200RT purchased 2nd hand 6 months ago, has a Wunderlich oil cooler protection on it.
The bike was purchased at the top of summer here in Australia and ridden hard up our mountain range.
No overheating issues what so ever.

Click to expand...

Good to know, what were the high temps? Any standing in traffic at those temps? Thanks

I've been on bmwst and adv as well as here for the better part of 10 years. During that time I've done about 250k on 12GS's. I've had no rocks hit my oil cooler and don't recall reading about any. Must not be a real big problem. I'm sure that at least one unlucky rider will chime in now but it is either very rare or close to 99.9% unlikely. As stated by another poster I've seen large buildup of bugs behind the TT shields. I'm sure other brands are the same, I just haven't seen them.

I looked at the Wunderlich site. How many dozen products do they have for the RT?
Enough to cover every inch or so.
And then what happens when the protection stuff gets banged, scratched, whacked or broken. Just a big puff of bubble wrap around the whole thing?
I know my bike has scratches on it. And it will get more. It's inevitable.
I don't let it bother me.
dc

Here's what I did:
http://www.bmwlt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62044

A synthetic fiber home HVAC air filter complete with template. Work through the discussion.

LngRdr said:

Good to know, what were the high temps? Any standing in traffic at those temps? Thanks

Click to expand...

One of the rides was 36 degrees Celsius.
Not really any standing in traffic, not that it matters as there is no fan cooling anyway.
Unless it's an ex-police bike.