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Cooling... Air/oil/liquid?

3K views 26 replies 17 participants last post by  Kirkus51 
#1 · (Edited)
I'm looking to get a triumph in the near future... I had a lot of fun test riding a few. I'm coming from a liquid cooled cruiser (Vtx), and live in Los Angeles where there's hot weather and tons of traffic.

I had a lot of fun on the street triple, but love the classic style of the bonneville (mag wheel is my preference). I was curious about what you guys think of the different cooling systems for practicality of a daily rider... What's your experiences? Do the twins get very hot? Is a triple a better choice? Does it come down to style more than anything? I have a feeling I'd be grinning ear to ear on either bike... I guess I'm asking if you have any feelings about liquid cooling being necessary or not?


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#2 · (Edited)
I wouldn't get too hung up on liquid vs. air cooled for a daily rider as both will get hot when sitting in traffic for extended periods of time. It comes down to style and personal preference. Generally your performance bikes are liquid cooled so the engines can be made with tighter tolerances so performance doesn't suffer when they run hotter, this doesn't by any means mean an air cooled bike is inferior just because it isn't liquid cooled. The Bonneville's oil cooler will help to help keep engine temps down, and with the Bonnie being a parallel twin it will run cooler in comparison to an air cooled V. The Bonnie gets a little more "clackity" sounding when it gets real warm but that's the nature of an air cooled bike. I've had both a modern Bonneville and a Street Triple and was/am happy with both and I think you'll be pleased with whichever route you decide to take.
 
#7 ·
What's your experiences? Do the twins get very hot? Is a triple a better choice?
I wouldn't worry about the Bonnie being air cooled and cooking.



Dog's Bonnie and my Tiger 1050 (triple) in Death Valley USA. I recall it was around 115F (46C) that day.

The Bonnie was fine. So was the Tiger. I think you'll cook before it does! (well providing you are not going to leave it idling stationary for a really extended period).
 
#8 ·
I'm going to agree with what was already said... just adding in a line or two.

Each cooling method has it's pluses and minuses.

Air:
Pro - Simplicity
Con - Build tolerances are looser, which usually means slightly less power

Liquid:
Pro - Tighter tolerances and sitting still idling for long periods aren't a problem
Con - More maintenance, more to go wrong, CAN leave you stranded

It boils down to personal preference.

I'm a fan of water cooling... but I have been left stranded (only once) due to a busted radiator after hitting a deer. (Yes, I was on a bike... luckily, I did NOT go down or get hurt.)
 
#18 · (Edited)
#19 ·
I live in the high desert area of California, so it gets pretty hot here. I ride my air cooled unless it gets over 100 or so. Then I bring out one of the water pumpers. Unfortunately, you can't go anywhere in this town without sitting at a few traffic lights. They call that progress. ...J.D.
 
#21 ·
I don't think the way the engine is cooled should be much of a buying consideration. There really isn't that much difference between the two in that area in regards to maintenance or reliability. There are much more drastic differences between the two in dynamics, appearance, and how they make you feel. Get the one that makes you drool when you look at it, and your heart go pitter-patter when you twist the throttle.
 
#24 ·
I've only ever had liquid cooled bikes and it's only been a problem when I wrecked my Ninja 650 and punched a hole in the coolant reservoir. I was still able to ride it home. I suppose air cooled is okay unless you're going to be stuck idling in traffic for long periods of time.
 
#27 ·
I bought a pretty nifty piece for the R90S I owned back in the day. It was an oil pan extension....basically added one inch of depth to the oil pan for an extra quart of oil. It had three tubes running lengthwise in it so air would pass through and cool the oil a bit better. The only problem I had was when I was heading into Denver from SoCal and had to go over the passes on I-70 and that was a problem with the engine not being able to warm up.... and for that matter I was pretty damned cold too. It got lots better when I got below 9,000 feet.

I bought three rubber plugs while I was in Denver to plug the tubes just in case I ever ran into that problem again. Never did.
 
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