Too hot to ride?

Had to go in to work to reset a Leibert unit that went out on high head pressure and decided to ride RedHot over to do it.

95 degrees f. with a dewpoint of 70. Started a cold motor, well ambient anyway, and oil pressure went right to 60psi. Stayed that way all most to my destination, about 6 miles. Reset the unit and got back on the bike to go back home. I decided to jump on the highway to go for a little loop on the way home. About another five mile at highway speed, the oil pressure started dropping. I pulled in the clutch and the guage dropped, let it out and the pressure returned to 30. Cut the loop short and head for home.

Upon arriving at home, I left the motor run and had a look into the tank. All was well and oil was flowing. Never really lost oil pressure and when up off idle, the pressure maintained around 20 to 30 psi.

I have an oil cooler on the shelf with a bypass valve but have simply been reluctant to put it on. If this weather thing continues, I just might HAVE to plumb it up.

The Leibert unit going down should have been my first clue.
FWIW the top of the cylinder were 320ish degrees. Not too bad. Amsoil MCV

325'F CHT is what I saw on Peel at normal legal-ish cruise 60-70 mph in hi summer. Almost 400'F on WOT runs to climb Mt or straights to about top out speeds. Oil needs to get close to boiling water temps to lay down the famous widely discussed critical zn-phos protective layer layed down before shut down. Instead of adding cooling might just try thicker oil. But still 30 lb on cruise is better than common seen 0 PSI w/o any damage d/t crank sling supply and reason Noton only came with oil pressure guage for about a season before freaked out owners made Norton stop it.

I have been running a Locheed oil cooler on my Norton for 36 yrs and the bike runs good with it all year round, with over 120,000 miles on it and I still run the standard size conrod shells on my crank, so must be doing some good.

Ashley

What's a Leibert unit?
What weight oil are you using?

GRM 450 said:

What's a Leibert unit?
What weight oil are you using?

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Liebert is a CRAC unit for data centers and the like. An AC unit.

Amsoil MCV is 20w 50. There are arguably better oils maybe but this stuff is top notch.

The point to the threadis thst the air was just too darn hot for an air cooled engine. Trying to justify an oil cooler.

ashman said:

I have been running a Locheed oil cooler on my Norton for 36 yrs and the bike runs good with it all year round, with over 120,000 miles on it and I still run the standard size conrod shells on my crank, so must be doing some good.

Ashley

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I tell you what Ashley, with an oil cooler and one of them thar Magnetos, I'll be ready for ride about. Seriously, hung out there or not, I would love a Hunt unit.

Would you say "ride about" is the Norton equivlant of "walk about".

ashman said:

I have been running a Locheed oil cooler on my Norton for 36 yrs and the bike runs good with it all year round, with over 120,000 miles on it and I still run the standard size conrod shells on my crank, so must be doing some good.

Ashley

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Could we have some mounting images please? I plan to mount one, and want to mount it to a non-shaking frame member :mrgreen:

Hi Pvisseriii

The Joe Hunt has been the best thing I have ever done to my Norton, I have run points, 3 diffrent elictronic ignitions over the last 36 years of ownership and now the bike runs great every time so easy to set up and when you need to do any mainenance on the maggie (been on now for over 2 years and haven't touched it yet) I just pull it off and work on it on the bench, I have marked all my timing settings inside the old points housing so it just put the maggie on the settings and its still timed right and the more power you put on with the throttle the more spark you get, I have had a plug lead fall out of the maggie and the spark was jumping 3" to 4' and it was still firing on that cylinder and the best thing is I don't run a battery at all on this bike, I ride all year round 6 days out of 7 so has to be ride about :lol:

Ashley

On the Featherbed frame the 2 frame cubes that run up to the steering head there is a plate where it meets just under the steering head I just drilled one hole for a mounting bolt has been like this for 32 years on the Featherbed and 5 years on the Commando frame, it gets clean air flow over the top of the front gaurd



not the best pic but you can see it side on, my thinking is the cooler you bike runs the better it performs and has always worked for me as they were made in a cold climate country.

Ashley

Another pic just after the rebuild



Ashley

Thanks Ashman, looks good. That's the classic location, the one I prefer. F'bed though... 8)