Ideal oil temperature

[moto]

I have an xt600e and was always curious about the running oil temperature so bought a dipstick temperature gauge.

What is the ideal oil temperature and when does it get to the point where I should pull over and let it cool down?

[Itchy]

Those dipsticks are pointless! I was going to get one for my Russian trip but then realised hold on I know it's getting hot but what can I do about it?

The irony is if you do pull over and let it cool down the oil stops circulating and the temp shoots through the roof! A bike with a radiator you're supposed to keep the engine on and point it into the wind.

Take it from David Lambeth who gave me 5 minutes of abuse over the phone about it. He took his XT6003AJ to the Sahara desert and ran it all day and night. He had the oil tested and the oil did not break down.

My XT was seriously hot in Italy, Greece and Turkey (coast) it got even hotter in the Russian humid summer. It got even hotter in the Gobi... but it didn't break even when I was stuck in massive traffic hams in Tbilisi You may want to change the oil more frequently though if you constantly run it hot... but in the UK you'll almost never overheat it.

The XT is an adventure bike and is almost unbreakable, if you really are paranoid about it, then plumb in a couple of oil coolers you can get them for £10 off ebay there are quite a few good mounting points for it between the headlight and mudguard.
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[Robby]

On any bike you get the best cooling from moving at a reasonable speed using the least power. Sitting on tickover is a bad idea, you need some airflow to cool it. This is why the radiator fan will come on at tickover on a liquid cooled vehicle.

Don't worry about oil temperatures, if its getting too hot then the bike will run weak and then cut out. Your owners manual gives the correct oil grades for the ambient temperatue range you are running in. In Ithcy's case he probably should have been using 20W50 rather than 10W40.

[moto]

OK thanks guys. I apreciate the answers.

I guess I was just trying to be over protective of the bike but I only ride it in the UK and not too hard either.

So maybe I should have saved my £25 for petrol instead