A warming possibility???

[kb9lae]

I know there have been some discussions about engine oil heaters on here before but the one I was thinkgin of I could not find again. So I am starting a new thread. I found this:

http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/...37/Pr-p_CATENTRY_ID:1000002205615000002000837

What are your opinions on this type of application for preheating our GS engine blocks to keep the wear and tear from cold engine starts down to a minimum?

 

[8trackmind]

What are your opinions on this type of application for preheating our GS engine blocks to keep the wear and tear from cold engine starts down to a minimum?

When it's really cold, I simply leave a drop light with 75 watt bulb under the bike over night. (in my un-heated garage) It's cheap, and it works.

 

[bonanzadave]

I know a guy whos been making them for airplanes for 20 years.

http://www.e-zheat.com/index.htm

Its basically the same as JCW heater pad but because it says airplane the price is inflated.

 

[OhioEric]

Does it get that cold in OK? LOL!

i too, just use the light bulb in a trouble light...

 

[Mark whiz]

I put one of those Whitney units on my cage last winter - it works, but slowly. Most bikes have cooling fins on the oil pan, so there would be very little contact with a flat pad like those provided in these kits , so the heat transfer would be even slower and the odds of it even staying on the pan are slim.

A dipstick-type heater that you could drop all the way into the sump via the oil filler hole might be a better idea.

 

[kb9lae]

You are correct, it doesn't get that cold in OK, most of the time. But my GS450 hates any temp below 35deg. I'm just trying to think of an idea that would help keep the oil warm with the following in mind. It stays outside, sometimes under a fabric motorcycle cover. I have no idea how well a light placed under the bike would work in that situation, plus I don't really like the idea of leaving a light on outside close to the road on the ground. I was hoping to figure out a way of glueing a magnet mount or one of those heating pads onto the bottom or side of the engine block to help preheat the engine. And before anybody asks, the choke does work but I don't want to sit out there and monitor the idle speed contantly.

I think that one of the heaters I mentioned above would work if I could figure out how to mount it. I have a couple of ideas from products in some local stores around town here. If I use or install something I will post details about it.

 

[bwringer]

Address the root of the problem -- the bike doesn't run well when it's cold.

Just turn the idle mixture screws out another half turn to richen the idle mixture a bit.

If it's set up correctly, the bike will run fine in sub-zero temps.

Heating the engine at night is a rather complex band-aid. It's wasteful and quite possibly dangerous.

 

[Guest]

You are correct, it doesn't get that cold in OK, most of the time.

I spent a week in OKC just after a blizzard in the winter of 87-88. It sure did get that cold then.