2022—this year is dramatically hot, I think.
But!
My Inazuma 1200 has a standard oil cooler, and even riding around Tokyo in this heat, it’s never actually hit 120 degrees.
It’s mostly traffic jams and tons of red lights anyway.
But why? Just a little attention makes a huge difference.
Almost 100% idle stop
I’ve been doing this for ages, but I’ve made it a habit to shut off the engine at red lights.
It’s quite effective, actually—really effective.
If you let the engine idle at a red light, the oil temperature climbs about 3 to 8 degrees.
But shutting off the engine slows that rise—that’s real.
Boiling water on a gas stove (*’ω’*)
Think of it this way and it’s easier to understand.
Right now, a pot of water on the stove is bubbling away, bubbling away…
If you keep the heat on, it’ll definitely boil over.
So what do you do?
You turn off the heat while the water is hot but not at a rolling boil.
It doesn’t go back to cold, but it stops boiling.
The temperature doesn’t rise, and it might even drop a bit—that’s the state you want. That’s it.
Long red lights aren’t normal use
Idling at red lights is normal, right? That’s supposed to be accounted for, I think.
But right now, if oil temperature keeps climbing too high, there’s nothing good about it.
Let me sort out the pros and cons.
Pros
• No need to turn on and off
• Less strain on the electrical system, including the battery
• No need to brace yourself for red lights
• Definitely easier on the engine
Cons
• Oil temperature stays high and oil pressure stays low
• Head cover gaskets and intake manifold rubber parts become hard like plastic
• Cam and rocker arm noise gets louder and they can seize
• Engine life probably doesn’t go in a good direction
A bigger oil cooler has a huge effect, but
Basically, you need airflow to make it work.
It won’t cool at idle.
A bigger cooler can cool efficiently even with a little airflow.
Outside summer, you might overcool.
In winter, if you don’t block most of the oil cooler, the oil temperature won’t rise at all—it gets so bad it’s like hardening of the arteries.
A big oil cooler isn’t a cure-all.
Focus on not raising it rather than lowering it
You can manage it with a little ingenuity, so it’s basically simple.
Obviously, it doesn’t cost anything.
Efficient air deflectors and such are pretty interesting too.
Don’t say it’s a hassle—just try it a little and you’ll think “Oh?”
