TOPIC:

I run one, the trick is engine temp and that is affected by mods, boring , etc,
where i live we go from mid 90s in the summer to really cold, ( too friggin cold to ride ) I run a bypass and havent notice any issues as of yet in the cold, one could simply remove the cooler in the winter a connect the lines together with a barbed splicer, simple enough and wouldnt neccsitate changing fittings, that will be my option if problems arise (which I dont think they will)

One more question:
I have seen different oil line routes.
Some run from the cooler round the engine and some back up over
the engine.
And some out of the top and some out of the bottom of the cooler.

On race Z bikes they go over the engine.

the routing is up to u, doesnt really make a difference as far as function

one more thing on this, I noticed the other day a milky white film in my oil level window, but when i drained the oil no problem, it seems that the moisture in oil issue (oil temp) wasnt so much of a problem, just looked that way, I run a bypass BTW

You want the shortest run of piping for obvious reasons.
Run the cooler fittings out the top of the cooler, that way the cooler stays full, oil reaches the engine a bit quicker on initial startup and you get a bit of extra oil capacity (don't forget to drain the cooler though when doing an oil change)
A bypass is good if using in cold weather, All depends on engine tune though, Bigblock motors get very hot,very quick so probably not needed in that instance.

Reference to title question, "Do they work"... Yes!

As for do you need one, who the hell knows all depends on your bike/build and where you live (internal/external temps).

OMR's chart provides a definitive answer to the question about their effectiveness. One thing that jumps out at me is the 16 degree increase in temperature at the exhaust outlet. I wonder if there was a tuning difference that led to a change in EGT or did the addition of the cooler alone produce this?

A 200+ degree drop in cylinder head pipe temps sounds way too much, and the exhaust header temp drop also sounds strange to me, but then again I'm no engineer. It's also strange to see the inlet temps being about the same as the outlet side considering that fuel constantly cool the inlet side and hot gasses constantly heat the exhaust side, but I guess there are reasons for this that I do not understand.

The drop in oil temp is very reasonable and is what I would be concerned about. In general, we do not have temps high enough nor speed limits high enough to warrant a cooler, but if I did a lot of hard running and/or idling in traffic in a warm climate, I would definitely add an oil cooler. And even if you do add a cooler that you rarely need, you can cover it up most of the time to prevent air flow and just leave it open when needed.

Keep in mind all, laser temp guns can be tricky/deceiving due to angles (reflected light vs refracted back to the gun)....

The key notes in those measurements are as follows...

* All FLUKE Bead measurements are accurate (oil temps).

* Laser "Cover" measurements will be fairly accurate due to decreased angles, aimed right at the cover.

* In noting the intake & exhaust ports, assumption is fairly accurate due to minimal measurement change in the intake side for this wouldn't change but the exhaust side would due to decreased operating temps, kinda makes sense...

As for the exhaust pipes, hard to say due to angles, not sure I buy the large change either but these are the measurements obtained with the laser temp I recorded...

The biggest thing for me is the oil temp, here in AZ @ summer temps of 110-118F, oh yeah huge change in oil temp thus engine temps... Must needed here in Hell!

Just in case interested, tools used...

reading an article on this very topic with Cycle "experts" from the racing world. They said the reason the race bikes had them was becasue they had such high temps the oil would literally boil otherwise.
Also this was more for clutch working properly than to cool the engine in any way. It does not cool the engine. The AIR cools the engine...these are AIR COOLED bikes.
If a bike is stationary on a dyno it will get much hotter than if it is going around the block. I am not a mechanic, nor a scientist so I am sure that oil coolers work at keeping the oil a cooler temp so that it doesn't break down as fast and the viscosity that is needed to run the bike is kept more consistant...as far as cooling the engine...I don't believe it. water cooled bikes have a radiator, and the liquid is pumped through the engine case to keep it "cool".
Oil coolers don't work that way...the oil is internal and i don't believe that they were created for this reason. just my humble opinion. Honestly I would ask a Kawasaki mechanic who works on a racing team with air cooled bikes for this answer.

Sorry, that's just not correct.

Oil is pumped, just like coolant. The reason it boils is because it's drawing heat out of the engine, it doesn't just heat up spontaneously. The engines are both air and oil cooled.

OMR, I graphed your readings in a crude spectral format. Some interesting stuff there. Can you repeat these tests to give a more statictically sound look? Also, can you verify your IR gun readings with your contact thermometer? I have a healthy distrust in those IR guns as the emissivity of different materials can throw them off at different temps. Is 370 the max scale on your IR gun at an emissivity of 1? Interesting that the oil in the case only changed a few degrees and yet you see that huge difference in temp at the "pipe". Can you show us that location? The reason I am so curious is I live in Phoenix (Chandler) as well and I don't ride my KZ in the hottest months because I don't have a cooler but I want one but have heard so many conflicting opinions. I would like to repeat your tests when it gets to face melting temps here to see what different oils, coolers and some other variables will have on the temp and performance of the bike.

Old Man Rock wrote: Reference to title question, "Do they work"... Yes!

As for do you need one, who the hell knows all depends on your bike/build and where you live (internal/external temps).

I'd have preferred to see a chart done apples to apples- seems temps and dyno oil were checked against cooler and synthetic.
I cant find the chart I found on the net showing 4 engines on a dyno and all they compared were dyno to synth. Fake oil ran quite a bit cooler