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[Cowboy2]

Even my horse property has about 400 metre driveway of rough gravel roads, and that ain't nothin....

You Blokes put on mud flaps on the front?  Or protect the oil cooler in any way?  I will be going in and out of this property a few times a week, typical gravel and this is a highway compared to some country roads...

[spydglide]

If I were going to be using a CVO for regular travel on gravel roads, I'd definitely be adapting it to minimize the damage from the gravel.  You're ideas are good ones with the mud (gravel) flaps and protective screens, etc.  Let us know/see what you come up with Cowboy2.  spyder

[gyver]

2008 police bike (used) and the oil cooler leaks.  Mighty poor design in my opinion, putting it right behind the front tire at an angle that nearly eliminates any outcome but a direct hit from any road debris.  I would like to know if anyone has a better idea for protection of the $260 replacement cooler or a better design I can use instead.

[mrmagloo]

In preparation for my Sturgis ride, I took my oil cooler out to clean the debris, and here's a couple of things to note.

First - And most importantly, if the bike is a couple of years old, be VERY careful with the hoses. Mine were stuck, and even very carefully trying to twist them with pliers caused them to crack.  The bad thing is, they are on national back order.  I figured this out after I broke mine and took a ride up to the local dealer to pick up a new set. He quoted me the end of August!  I got lucky and found a set in stock about 150 miles away, so I jumped in the truck immediately, to avoid missing my trip. The moral of that story is, before thinking about disassembling, buy a set of hoses first. these things are preformed with tight radiuses and there is just no way to fab up a temporary.

Anyway, I found the cooler pretty much filled with little pebbles and cottonwood things. Was much worse than it looked as it was all jammed in between the fins.  I ended up taking a thinkness gauge and grinding it down to fit the gap, and simply went fin to fin, from the back side forward to push out the crap. Took a hell of a long time, but I was able to straighten the small impact damage and clean everything pretty well. 

Upon reassembly, I went up and bought some aluminum screen material and wrapped the front prior to installing the chrome cover. While that won't help a lot with major stones, it will definitely help with the cottonwood and smaller stuff.  I'm not sure what else can be done, short of going with an aftermarket unit that mounts higher, or getting a mudflap of some sort.

[gyver]

Wow, thanks for the timely tip.  My bike is in the dealership for a 20K and I need to call them and make sure they don't take it apart.

[mrmagloo]

Wow, thanks for the timely tip.  My bike is in the dealership for a 20K and I need to call them and make sure they don't take it apart.

Gyver - I believe Suburban up in Thiensville has one set, if your '08 uses the same hoses as my '06.

I hope this helps.

[mrmagloo]

Those hoses are OFF backorder now

That's great news!  I gotta tell you that when I cracked mine, I thought it was no big deal with 3 weeks until Sturgis. I dilly-dallied cleaning the cooler, and other maintence, and figured I'd just pick up the hoses with the rest of the stuff It needed. When he told me they were on national back order for a month, I almost crapped my pants. His computer located only a couple of locations with small stock, and a couple of those turned out to be incorrect. Learned a valuable lesson there. As a matter of fact, I left my order in for a spare set.

Anyway, good news. I guess the boat from China finally hit the dock.   

[Cowboy2]

Well Guys,
I have looked at putting a stainless black screen on a little frame in front of the cooler, but in the heat of summer I think I would rather get the air to it...

The best I have come up with is HD mudflaps.  There are two available.  I may just have to bit the bullet.  The normal Ultra lower front fender skirt does not work as the CVO fender is narrower and shorter at the bottom.  The HD Mudflap will require me to put in a couple of stainless bolts on the lower part of the great paint job on the fender, but I guess it is worth it.  For me, it is mud packing up the cooler as well as stone damage on gravel tracks like into my horse property shown above.

I think the Dealer showed me a Bar and Shield logo on the back of a rear fender add on mud flap.  I will try it, and post pictures.  It may have to be trimmed a little to fit the front, but it is better than the alternatives.... BIG BLUE is just going to have to live with it...

   Cowboy, out on the "Last Frontier"  Australia

[timo482]

i had a terrible time keeping my oil cooler in ok shape in the stock location ... so i got a remote filter mount and mounted the filter and cooler to the right crash guard...

works better - oil changes are totally clean

ymmv

to

[gyver]

Great news indeed.  Now the question is can my oil cooler be repaired, and if not, are there any good alternatives to either replace it (and hoses) without buying the entire kit?  Has anyone found an effective solution that takes it's place and doesn't require airflow impeding armor and/or mud flap?  I still can't believe they put it right behind the tire...what about oil bud?  How about eliminating it altogether and getting a manually switched fan?  This fellow describes oil coolers as a cash cow for manufacturers that really isn't all that effective.  http://www.americansteel.net/techtips/tip4.asp  My bike goes into parade mode if I get stuck sitting through the same light twice at 85 degrees, so the oil cooler isn't helping in that case anyway.  I am thinking fan, but conflicting reviews on LeNale.