Engine Temperature Gauge

[Rogerl]

I have a 2013 R1200R. I was thinking of installing a small engine temperature gauge on the bike to replace the bar graph that is currently on the bike. Has anyone done this before? What temperature range would I need to have? Would it be best to install it to read the oil temperature or just the engine block temperature? If it was the oil temperature would it be best to read the temp of the oil coming out of the cooler or going into the cooler? What is the existing sensor reading?

 

Any information would be great.

 

Thanks

Roger L

[dirtrider]

I have a 2013 R1200R. I was thinking of installing a small engine temperature gauge on the bike to replace the bar graph that is currently on the bike. Has anyone done this before? What temperature range would I need to have? Would it be best to install it to read the oil temperature or just the engine block temperature? If it was the oil temperature would it be best to read the temp of the oil coming out of the cooler or going into the cooler? What is the existing sensor reading?

 

Any information would be great.

 

Thanks

Roger L

 

Afternoon Roger L

 

The stock engine temp gauge reads the oil temp coming out of the engine on the cooling circuit but BEFORE it goes through the oil cooler.

 

Ideally you would want to read the oil temperature in the engine sump but about the only way to do that easily is using a thermocouple type oil drain plug (that is easy enough to install & wire up to a gauge) but it that does place it under the engine & easy to damage.

 

Engine block temperature won't tell you much useful.

 

I'm not sure why you would need another oil temperature gauge as it is difficult to really overheat a BMW boxer in normal usage. Unless you intend to ride it off-road & get it stuck in deep sand then use the engine to work it free you probably will never really overheat it.

 

Remember the stock temperature gauge is reading the hot oil coming out of the engine AFTER picking up the engine & cylinder head heat but BEFORE being cooled by the oil cooler so you want to see it raise a little in hot or high work-load conditions as that means the oil cooling circuit is picking up excess engine & carrying it out of the engine.

 

 

 

[Rogerl]

DirtRider:

The only reason to add the gauge is to have a better read out as to the temperature. The existing bar graph is difficult to read is left to interpretation. A nice analog gauge that you could look down and see and be able to say the bike normally runs at 175 and now it is a 250 well things are getting hotter might need to do something to cool things off. I am an engineer, I like numbers and gauges.

 

It has been a long cold winter starting to think about the bike and ways to make it "better"

 

Thanks

Roger L

[dirtrider]

DirtRider:

The only reason to add the gauge is to have a better read out as to the temperature. The existing bar graph is difficult to read is left to interpretation. A nice analog gauge that you could look down and see and be able to say the bike normally runs at 175 and now it is a 250 well things are getting hotter might need to do something to cool things off. I am an engineer, I like numbers and gauges.

 

It has been a long cold winter starting to think about the bike and ways to make it "better"

 

Thanks

Roger L

 

 

Evening Roger L

 

If it gets hot enough you should also get a dash warning. Unless your are doing something extremely engine load heavy at no forward movement you will never get that light.

 

Problem with a 2nd gauge is it will be all over the map, temperature wise, as the engine isn't water cooled.

 

As far as I'm concerned the biggest mistake BMW ever made was to put a darn temperature gauge on their oil cooled motorcycles. Especially a temperature gauge that reads on the oil cooling circuit prior to the oil cooler that can lower it.

 

We NEVER heard of engine temperature complaints, concerns, or worries before BMW started putting engine temperature gauges on their motorcycles.

 

Do some research & try to find any 1100, 1150, or 1200 BMW boxer that has engine damage due to overheating.

 

Even now the BMW boxer doesn't need a temperature gauge as long as the rider has decent to moderate hearing ability. If you have ever overheated a BMW boxer (I don't mean a high reading gauge I mean REALLY overheated) then you will forever remember the distinct sound of rattling chains. (an overheated BMW boxer sounds like metal bucket full of logging chains with some potato sized rocks tossed in sitting on an out-of-balance washing machine).

 

If you really want an additional temperature gauge then find one with a sensor that will fit the oil drain plug hole. Then find (research) the max temperature that your (specific) engine oil can stand, then use that as absolute max that you ever want to see (if you ever see that temp, or above, then change the engine oil first chance that you get). Just keep in mind that the cooling oil is probably running hotter on the inlet side of the oil cooler than your sump gauge shows)

 

 

 

[Rogerl]

DirtRider:

Again thanks for the wealth of good information. I will not continue to pursue the oil temperature gauge. Last summer when I was in stop and go traffic I thought it would be a good idea to have a better gauge but it does not seem to be worth it's time and effort.

 

 

Roger L