Why not liquid cooled?

jrogers329 · #1 9th July 2007

I have an 06 XL1200R that I bought in May of this year. I love the bike!! Much better performance than what I had. But I was wondering why HD does not build their engines liquid cooled?

I had a Honda VLX 600 for 2 years. It had a small radiator on the front of the downtubes behind the front wheel. While I will admit that the bike did not have near the hp that my sporty does, it NEVER gave off the heat that the sporty does either. The radiator had a fan on it that would only kick on if the water temp went above a certain point. In 2 years and 11k miles, I only noticed it on 3 or 4 times. I have seen several posts on hear about Honda's being bulletproof, so I know that some people at least respect them.

Me neighbor has an 03 Sporty and just bitches that the VRod is not a Harley b/c it is water cooled. But on my Honda, service at the dealer for a new bike was at 600 miles to adjust the valves if necessary, and an oil change. The next service was not needed again until 4k miles and then 8k. Honda also recommended oil changes every 8k miles, and I from what I have seen most people on here change their oil every 3 to 5 thousand miles.

So I was wondering what are the pros and cons of air cooled vs. water cooled? I would assume it is not because of maintenance costs that HD has stayed with air cooled.

Sorry if this is beating a dead horse, but I am kinda new and just wondered.

Thanks for the info,

John

Moved On / My Own Choice · #2 9th July 2007

YUP deadhorse.

Pros - water-cooled means tighter tolerences, more power per cc, less emssions.

Cons - water-cooled means more parts to fail/maintain (radiator, thermostat, water pump, hoses, coolant to flush and fill). PLUS when the cooling fan kicks on in traffic it can be BRUTAL.

Pros of Air-Cooling - simple, cheap, does the job 99% of the time. Aesthetically pleasing, fewer parts to service or repair.

Cons of Air-Cooling - costs a little in hp and tolerences. Can't sit in traffic indefinitely, at some point you have to shut her off or ride up the side.

Personally, I don't NEED/WANT water-cooling.

Kev

jrogers329 · #3 9th July 2007

Thanks for the info. I was just wondering about it.

DJJSR · #4 9th July 2007

Kinda funny, I remember when all bikes were kickers and no biker would be caught dead with an electric start. I think the water cooled motor will follow the same course.

pquirk · #5 9th July 2007

Change is inevitible, progress is not

.

jrogers329 · #6 9th July 2007

The main reason I was asking was due to the amount of heat put off b/c of the air cooled bike. This thing is sooooooo much hotter than the honda that I had. I see nothing wrong with liquid cooled bikes. I think that there will come a time when HD makes all its bikes liquid cooled.

John

CBAS5 · #7 9th July 2007

Quote:

The main reason I was asking was due to the amount of heat put off b/c of the air cooled bike. This thing is sooooooo much hotter than the honda that I had.

It depends on the bike. When I test rode a V-rod it was giving off a lot more heat than my sportster and that was liquid-cooled. One thing to remember is that air-cooled motors tend to give off more heat because the heat is being released into the air instead of coolant.

jrogers329 · #8 9th July 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by CBAS5

It depends on the bike. When I test rode a V-rod it was giving off a lot more heat than my sportster and that was liquid-cooled. One thing to remember is that air-cooled motors tend to give off more heat because the heat is being released into the air instead of coolant.

Yeah, I knew that. I just noticed a big difference in the temp of the bike and the ride from one bike to the other

Moved On / My Own Choice · #9 9th July 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrogers329

Yeah, I knew that. I just noticed a big difference in the temp of the bike and the ride from one bike to the other

I didn't see where you'd commented on ride?

But look, they're different animals, and frankly, having owned a water-cooled Honda before myself, I'm GLAD THEY'RE DIFFERENT ANIMALS...

jrogers329 · #10 9th July 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kev M

I didn't see where you'd commented on ride?

But look, they're different animals, and frankly, having owned a water-cooled Honda before myself, I'm GLAD THEY'RE DIFFERENT ANIMALS...

I meant the temp of the bike while riding. I really enjoy the sporty. It has so much more power and is just a better all around bike.

I rode my neighbor's 03 rigid mount sporty and told him that he keep the damn thing. When I rode a rubbermount, I was sold on it. Much smoother than his 03, IMO.

I had decided to buy another honda b/c none of the harley dealers would work with me on trading in my honda. I went to the honda place where I bought the 600 I had and someone had traded in the sporty the day before on a CBR1000. I got an 06 XL1200R, 1500 miles on it, quick detach backrest and windshield, SE fork brace, SEII exhaust and AC, plus other assorted chrome goodies for $8k out the door. I am extremely pleased with the bike. I have put 1500 miles on it since I got it in mid may.

Thanks for the input...I am still learning about the HD

John