I have to state that the FLSTSE stock bike does run hot. It was not unusual for my bike to hit 275 deg while idling in heavy traffic after 10-15 minutes. The ETIMS would kick on at 275. And I might point out that this was during 50-60 deg days. It was because of the heat issues that I did the following:
1. Replaced the stock pipes with Rush Silp-Ons w/ 1.75 baffles, then though I liked the sound, it was a little too loud at cruise, last week I replaced the Rush with the 49 state HD SE Slip-ons. Much better sound, and no cat.
2. I installed a ThunderMax w/ autotune wide band O2. The main reason was to provide better AFR thus additional cooling to the engine, along with accommodating the new pipes.
Thus far, I'm very happy with the performance and the sound. The new SE pipes have nearly eliminated the decel popping I experience with the Rush. The TMax is working as advertised, and I'm about to copy the learned offsets into a new MAP.
The end result from a cooling perspective is this. I have a temp gage (dipstick) that I monitor when the bike is stopped. This weekend was warm (75) and I put one long distance trip (250 round trip) and a few rides around the Bay. Based on the outside temp, after an interstate highway run and say stopping at a red light, the temp would read between 190 and 220. Obviously the evening rides brough the lower temps. Around Annapolis, typical stop and go, especially during the tourist season (now), I run between 225 and 250, though I could easily expect it to run higher in the summer and in beach traffic.
Overall I really feel that with the removal of the cat's, the TMAX upgrade, and the SE pipes, I have dropped an average of 40-50 deg in oil temp.
From most of my discussions with other HD people that know the CVOs, it's a given.., 110 HP air cooled engines will run hot. Up the AFR from the mid 14s (stock) to 13.5, and increase the air flow through the engine (get rid of the cats) seems the best approach. External oil coolers and a remote fan may also be needed for parade type duty or heavy summer traffic.
But with all of it..., I really do love this ride....