Thread: Oil Cooler For Pitster Pro Classic 125?

Should I consider an oil cooler for my soon to be delivered Pitster Pro Classic 125?
I plan to do some low speed logging road type riding here in Western NC.

Vince,look at the oil cooler on my orange bike.i have a new spare oil cooler and lines,its a silver finish if you want one cheap.if your new engine has two chrome bolts,one on the lower clutch cover and one under the center case.do check this because some chinese motors need a bypass tube or to run a cooler.oil will not get to the head if these are left in and no bypass or cooler is installed.my lifan engine was shipped this way with no instructions about this.fortunatly i knew about this from the webboards. yours may be different im not sure.post or shoot me a close up pic when you get it.

P.C>,
I read on this site about the lack of a bypass tube on some of the Chinese motors so it is on my PDI list but thanks for the advice.
I'll take a look st your orange bike for ideas.
Thanks,

At low speeds, oil temps tend to stay on the cool side - unless the engine gets caked with mud. It's high-speed running, especially in suburban traffic, where you cycle between mid 50s for a mile or two then sitting in traffic. The reason being that the motor isn't making much power at low speeds. Engines are maybe 30% efficient. The rest of the gasoline burned is wasted as heat. MPH takes hp, more power = more heat generated. If you want to eliminate the guesswork, source an oil dipstick thermometer.

FWIW, in 85F ambient air temp, I'll see oil temps around 90-95C cruising along steadily at 55mph. At those same speeds, stopping for traffic every few miles will push oil temp to 100-105C. Take the bike offroad, with speeds below 30mph, and oil temps won't go above 80C.

racerx,
Where do you get a oil dipstick thermometer? Sounds like that's the first thing I need to get to see if a cooler is needed.
Also I read in another post that you were not a fan of the billet coolers. Just not enought area to do a good job cooling? They sure look nice.

I love the look of those billet coolers and nearly had to be talked out of buying the real deal Takegawa version...pure bike sculpture. Ultimately though, I did my homework and concluded that with a fraction of the surface area found on conventional designs it just didn't have enough capacity for my application. With questionable effectiveness, it seems more a decorative item. That said, it might be okay for your application...especially if oil temps are only a few degrees higher than ideal, or if you just like the look. As long as oil temp stays below 235F (~110C) I wouldn't be concerned.

racerx,
Thanks for the info on the oil cooler and where do you get the thermometer?

I emailed the tech at Pitster and he said that he didn't think that I needed a oil cooler with a stock 125cc motor. He also said that the GPX motor had internal oil passages to the head area. I still would like to get a oil dipstick termometer. My bike is built and I had her running for a ride. All is well.