R1200RT oil cooler fin damage

[wsearl]

I was inspecting my bike closely today and noticed a couple of bent cooler fins and in one spot a dented horizontal tube. I am regretting not investing in a mesh protector and will rectify that ASAP - but I was wondering if anyone has had damage which led to serious consequences and what those might be.

[Paul In Australia]

Hi

In both my RT's I have had lots of bent fins and travelled extensively in Central Australian desert in mid summer ( used to live there) and it has made no difference at all to the oil cooling or engine temp or performance. I think you would need to have extensive damage to be a problem, but a guard solves all the possibilities. They are hard to find in OZ for the RT> let me know if you locate a local supply.

all the best

[Tony_K]

On all radiators the horizontal fins are merely heat dispersing elements. Those get bent all the time. It's damage to the vertical lines one needs to watch. Those of course carry the fluid. I have a pretty large indent in one of my verticals but since the metal is highly malleable and was not pierced it's not a issue.

 

If you ever find a hole in the oil radiator you will know really quick as a nice oil mist will be all over eveything. The consequence... oil on everything of course.

[peterbonly]

I was inspecting my bike closely today and noticed a couple of bent cooler fins and in one spot a dented horizontal tube. I am regretting not investing in a mesh protector and will rectify that ASAP - but I was wondering if anyone has had damage which led to serious consequences and what those might be.

 

I like my oil radiator protector from Wunderlich - a bit pricey but looks good and can be painted if you need to match a color.

[HandyAndy]

On all radiators the horizontal fins are merely heat dispersing elements. Those get bent all the time. It's damage to the vertical lines one needs to watch. Those of course carry the fluid. I have a pretty large indent in one of my verticals but since the metal is highly malleable and was not pierced it's not a issue.

 

 

Well,...That is not true!

Radiators come in both down flow and cross flow configurations.

In the past most older cars used the down flow type, you can tell as the tanks are on the top and bottom of the rad and the vertical pipes carry the coolant between the tanks as Tony_K said.

If the radiator tanks are on each side of the rad, as they are in the oil cooler on the R1200 then it is a cross flow.

So the horizontal pipes are carrying the coolant (oil in the case of the RT) and the smaller vertical fins are for dissipating the heat from the horizontal pipes.

 

Either way as long as it is not leaking you should be alright.

 

The fins on my cooler were getting beat up so I made my own screen, cost less than $20 and I have material left over to make at least 3 more!

 

Andy.

[bimmers]

The simplest screen and cheapest is just to get a mosquito net / mesh (screened porch mesh) from a hardware store and cut a suitable piece and just gently place it in the opening. Easy to remove and clean or replace and cost is only a few dollars.

 

Good luck and I would also not worry about a few bent fins.

[Ken H.]

There is such thing as a radiator comb, common in the HVAC world, for straightening fins. But me, I just use a plastic bladed screw driver and move them back to close. Beyond that I think a few slightly off ones is a non-issue.