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I have the original rubber oil cooler lines on my '87. (23 years / 115K km.) Would replacing them now be sensible preventative maintenance or a waste of money?

My bike wears an 'S' fairing rather than the 'RS'. Do you think the oil cooler is still necessary, or does the 1000c engine need it regardless?

And - I still wonder if the thermostat is really necessary as the GS and R100R don't have one.

I removed the thermostat from my '84 RS and replaced it with the filter cover
and stainless lines from an R100R 20 years ago and have not had any problems.
It makes filter changes a little easier. The bulky thermostat is not in the way and
you don't have to put in the longer bolt to open the thermostat to drain the cooler.

moore84rs wrote:I removed the thermostat from my '84 RS and replaced it with the filter cover
and stainless lines from an R100R 20 years ago and have not had any problems.
It makes filter changes a little easier. The bulky thermostat is not in the way and
you don't have to put in the longer bolt to open the thermostat to drain the cooler.

Are the R100R lines a good fit?

They fit great.


http://i766.photobucket.com/albums/xx30 ... CN0113.jpg

http://i766.photobucket.com/albums/xx30 ... CN0116.jpg

http://i766.photobucket.com/albums/xx30 ... CN0119.jpg

moore84rs wrote:They fit great.

And they look great. Thanks.

I am still wondering about running an R100 without an oil cooler. I don't spend a lot of time riding in blistering heat, and the /7 and R100CS (to '84) did not have one.
Hopefully we will get some opinions.

Oil has come a very long way since our bike where designed.

IMO an oil cooler is not needed, unless you are operating outside the engines original design peramiters, such as sidecar use, racing, or comprimized engine cooling such as slow speed off road use or full fairing in very high temps.

Pure personal opinion:

If it's cool enough to need the thermostat, you probably don't need the cooler at all. If it's warm enough to need to cooler, you probably don't need the thermostat.

Garnet's point about oil quality is very key. If you are running the cheapest oil available and live in a hot climate, you might need the cooler. My own perspective is: if you need temp protection, run synthetic oil. It gives a lot more degrees of protection than a cooler does.

Heat and weather -
Southern Ontario does get a few heat waves but generally speaking the temperature is rarely over 30C (86F) and if it is I usually don't ride much.

For oil I have been using Belray 20-50 semi-synthetic.

I tend to agree about the cooler being unnecessary 98% of the time. The other 2% I can probably trust the oil.
The upside is that the plain filter cover plate is less than $10. New hoses are much more.

Yeah, the replacement cover is cheap but make sure that you change out the filter tube to one thats correct for the cover type you're using. I understand that swapping those tubes is very straight forward but me? I'd pay up and have a pro do that little job.

You only get to do that one wrong once!

PS: I have the stock cooler on the R100 engine that in my Hot Rod and if you're like me and sometimes or frequently ride hard, you'll note that at the end of a fast passage, your cooler is probably open and functioning. That means that the engine is working hard enough that it's benefiting from the extra cooling.

Your engine probably doesn't really need a cooler but I like having one on my bike, the extra step in the oil change routine is no big deal and it's already paid for.

KenHawk wrote:Yeah, the replacement cover is cheap but make sure that you change out the filter tube to one thats correct for the cover type you're using.

Once that is done, there is that whole thing about different filters, o-rings, cover gasket, cover shim, etc.
The first thing I might try is to install "blind" bolts in the thermostat housing and no oil lines - no difference in filter installation. It will be as if the thermostat never opens.
I could do the same with the R100R filter cover plate - still no internal difference, and I could still return to the cooler with the SS oil lines from the R100R.

I know this is all a bit nuts, but whenever I look at a bike my first thought is "What can I remove, what is unnecessary complication, what is excess baggage?"