[Guest]

I am going 944 this winter and even though I live in the Northeast we still have our share of hot, dry days and more than my share of traffic, which I seem to have NO problems finding. With my 900 I can watch the temp needle climb as I work my way through traffic on my way to twistier or faster roads. I can't imagine the situation will be any better with a high compression 944 kit.

What is everyone doing to keep temps at bay? How about adding a second oil cooler as advised by my dealer? How will another cooler affect the stock oil pump? I don't want to be starving the top end when if the engine can't get the oil past the coolers fast enough.

 

[test-reg]

how hot is hot?

 

[Guest]

Howie:

Hot can be anywhere from low 80's to high 90's. We have a saying up here, if you don't like the weather, wait a minute and it will change. Nevertheless, the summer is usually (excepting this past summer) in the upper 80s for a couple of months. The ambient air temp is just a contributing factor though. The real issue is traffic, which is a constant and no matter how you get to a destination there are always the spots where you just get stuck either at a light or whatever. The worst case has me creeping along waiting to get through a busy intersection or on the highway if there is an accident. Right not its not so bad and I usually get moving before things get too hot, but that is with a stock bore/compression. What happens when I add another 40cc's and high compression? Sure, as long as I keep moving everything should be fine, but I can't guarantee that I won't be caught in creeping traffic while the needle rises.

I thought about a second oil cooler (per BCM) but what will that do to the overall oil pressure?

 

[test-reg]

oops! i meant how hot is hot with the oil temp.

 

[Guest]

Howie:

Oh...the short answer! The day that sticks in my mind was when the group of us were coming back from some better roads south of Boston and took a wrong turn through Brockton of all places. The needle tipped a hair over the 3/4 mark which doesn't really bother me since it went back to the normal 1/2 way mark as soon as I was moving for any piece of time. While we were stuck in the city we were pretty much moving between lights. Unavoidable at that point and certainly not my preference (or decision) for a ride. The guys I were with were all on Jap bikes, each one water-cooled.

 

[Guest]

I'm in Sacramento. It hovers around 100 degrees in the summer.

I have this oversize oil cooler on my M944:

http://tinyurl.com/rnzt

 

[CRASH!]

What's with the third oil-hose fitting? My baby has only two.

 

[test-reg]

Snick, i don't think you really have a problem. for added security, the oversize cooler seems like a good choice if you can figger out what to with the third fitting. if you ride in the winter, i would consider the thermostat in the same link posted by Moto.

 

[Guest]

Hi Don,

My OEM cooler had a plug in the third fitting. My 916 had a plug in the third fitting as well.

I was thinking of adding the thermostat this summer as well. Maybe I'll stick a temp gauge on the bike to see if the oil is running too cold.

 

[chaf]

Moto -

That T-stat on your site is the Evo unit, right?

Have you gotten any word from them on a T-stat for '02+ bikes?

M.

 

[Guest]

I know a couple of long running 944's here that Manley produced and they have the stock oil cooler on and nothing is getting overly hot on those....

 

[Guest]

Retro,
You're in Minnesota right?

It gets hot here. It's 93 today. In the middle of summer 100 degrees is common. In California bumper to bumper traffic, the bikes suffer. Every little bit helps.

Chaf,

We have the evo t-stats. The 02 bikes use an unusual fitting.
they don't have any plans for a kit.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the posts. Its not usually 100* here, but just the same traffic causes its own heat problems and I want to avoid any issues. I have the only air cooled bike in the group and also the only Ducati. I don't want to be the guy who has to pull over to let his bike cool!

I figure a second or larger cooler will help cool the bike down faster once I get moving.

Retro, I saw on the Manley site that they built a 944 and added a second cooler. If most 944 bikes don't have one, maybe I'll try it with the stock unit and upgrade if there is a problem.

Moto - I saw that oversized cooler on your site before, but at $500 its too rich for me. What's the deal with the pricing on Ducati oil coolers? I can buy one 10x the size from a premium brand like Perma-cool, Earls or B&M for a quarter of the price.

 

[Guest]

Yeah Ben's bike is a really cool 900ss with some nice work done to it...over 90hp...and he did put two on.
I know Ducman851 scrounged an oil cooler up somewhere for his
620racer....so I am sure if ya like call Manley....my hope is to finally get my 944kit also this winter. The others I know of here are monsters....so talking to them plus Manley I hadn't really thought of adding another cooler....I might consider it but I will ride it first it's going to cost enough already and I also want to add Carillo rods and blueprint it so I can get it smooth......smooth is good....I think.....good luck with the 944 let me know how it goes......and who is doing the work? BCM?
Cheers.....oh yeah ask Ducman what temp his bike runs at on the track.....? wow....

 

[Guest]

Retro;

I am in New England and a BCM customer. Those guys kick ass and I guess their 944 kit is the balls. The pistons are 11.5:1 however, but Bruce suggested I install a base gasket if I want to reduce it to 11.1:1-ish. Bruce was also the guy who said I might want to consider a second cooler if I find myself in summer traffic. What I would like is the trick cooler on the ST4s or MS4r. Check it out. It is curved and smallish, perfect as a supplemental unit but expensive at $500 or so from DP. Like you said, the kit is costing me enough already without tacking on another 5 bills for an oil cooler.

Who is doing the work? Me. It shouldn't be too tough with an air-cooled engine. I have done engine work before, but not on Ducati's. The way I figure it, if I try it and get stuck I can always bring it to BCM, but if I try it and succeed I am ahead 6-10 hours labor at $65 per.

 

[Guest]

The BCM kit is way cool.....there is a BCM Manley connection so the BCM kit goes in mine too....so I went down again today and Ben's 900ss bike came up and I asked about
the head work and now dammit.......now I want valves and porting too...****! I was going to be happy and then you had to remind me of the headwork done on Ben's 900ss ;D.....so I may be looking for an oil cooler after all........good luck with the install.....cheers...

 

[Guest]

I picked up a cooler from an older Monster. Personally, I like the boxy "finished" look of the coolers on the pre 2000 bikes. If you are looking for valve covers to hang the second cooler the BEST deal, believe it or not, is from Ducati. The Ducati e-Store has polished lightweight aluminum covers from the MH900e that should bolt up to any 900SS engine. These will cost you $90 including $30 shipping from the boot. The hoses and fittings are always cheap at www.summitracing.com.

A second cooler can't hurt. If it cools too much you can always cover it, but I bet you would be glad you had it once you got stuck in traffic.