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Temperature gauge on 350J models

Mow-the-cat

Mow-the-cat

Finally made it
Location
Wales
Has anyone fitted a temperature gauge to one of the 350J models & if so what sort of temperature readings are you getting?
 
Temperature of what?
I'm assuming engine rather than ambient air. Oil or spark plugs sensor?
Dip stick gauges are a bit of a toy unless they reach down into the sump, even then not the best.
 
Mow-the-cat said:
Sorry, I meant one of those oil temperature things that goes in the oil filler hole.
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On the J350 the clutch is in the way of a straight path to the sump so at best it gives a indication of the oil mist temperature in the cases.
That's OK for a rough reference but no real indication of actual oil temperature, that requires a sensor submerged in oil, a sump sensor for example.
 
Having started my 350J without replacing the oil filler plug, I can testify that an oil filler plug temp gauge will have its bottom very well bathed by oil thrown off the clutch pack. Given good quality gauge design and construction, it ought to work.
My '22 classic has an oil temp sensor, turns on the check engine light. Being lazy, I let it keep track for me.
 
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DaddyJack said:
Having started my 350J without replacing the oil filler plug, I can testify that an oil filler plug temp gauge will have its bottom very well bathed by oil thrown off the clutch pack. Given good quality gauge design and construction, it ought to work.
My '22 classic has an oil temp sensor, turns on the check engine light. Being lazy, I let it keep track for me.
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I did that on my T100 once. Wow, that was exciting! Hard to imagine how far that oil gets thrown.
 
DaddyJack said:
Having started my 350J without replacing the oil filler plug, I can testify that an oil filler plug temp gauge will have its bottom very well bathed by oil thrown off the clutch pack. Given good quality gauge design and construction, it ought to work.
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It will work, but work at what?
It'll give you the oil mist temperature in the engine cases, that's massively different from the real oil temp.


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I have no evidence. The real oil temp would be in the head, at least that's where the factory picked put the sensor. Oil heats up in one place and cools off in another, so it's different everywhere. I think we're just picking "a" place, establishing a baseline there, and monitoring for changes. We could tap into the oil temp sensor wiring, I suspect that would get expensive, so the engine case gauge is just a do-able plan B. Me personally, I never worried about oil temps, a lot of bikes for a lot of years got by without oil temp sensors...
 
I've had a dipstick temp gauge on an old BMW R80 for nearly 20 years, it reaches right down into the sump & gives a vague idea of oil temp, it's entertaining but not a great deal of use and not easy to read while riding (especially with my eyes...).
There's a few mentions on forums of the dipstick gauges on Enfield's that show a low temp (because they aren't in oil), someone talking about 60~80°c fully hot on the other forum IIRC, which in oil terms is cold (I can find the posts, but would prefer not to...).

I've fitted sensors to sumps on VW aircooled motors many times, 12v sensors & dash gauges that have been relatively accurate, also used 12v dip stick sensors that seemed to work pretty well too.
Of course with any gauge they're of no use unless you know the "cold" & especially "hot" temp limits.......

A dip stick sensors/ gauge not submerged in oil is as good as useless in my opinion, but the best way is to get one & form your own opinion, just understand the temp in the cranckcase above the clutch isn't going to tell you much.

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If anyone came here for actual temps here’s mine.

Taken on the 350J Bullet 2025.

After driving home 45 min in rush hour with mix of city and highway. Weather @ 10C with rain.

Measured with an IR temp sensor pointed at the cylinder. Reading right after coming home and shutting off the engine. Measured 122C.

Not sure what the normal operating range is of this motor despite googling but I have no issues. Bikes only gone 7.500km.
 
Carl 350 said:
It was the T2 buses that really needed watching, Bugs not so much.
Aftermarket sump plate threaded for a sensor (or home modified steel one).

Sorry folks, Off topic...

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The T2 busses you definitely wanted to keep an eye on the oil temp, they really didn't have the airflow for what was asked of them. Beetles it was much handier to have a spark plug ring style sender and put it on the #3.

For an RE, optimal would be a sensor tapped into the cooling circuit loop around the exhaust valve seat. But for realistic solutions I'd think a spark plug type head temp sensor would do much better than the oil filler cap type since it would give you an actual reading from a bit of hardware that sees all the heat get generated first-hand.
 
I remember on a big Guzzi V twin fitting a VDO oil temp gauge. The sensor, a bulky affair fitting in place of OE low oil pressure switch, had terminals for warning light as well as temperature gauge.
 
RBDK said:
If anyone came here for actual temps here’s mine.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the field advise. Been considering installing a temperature gauge of some sort on my 350J Bullet 2024 following last year's record 113 days in a row over 100°F. With local summer (June thru September) temps ranging from 101-107°F / 74-81°C , I sometimes take a break approximately every 90 minutes on long rides to let the engine cool down a bit even if doing so wasn’t strictly necessary. Better safe than sorry.
 
A little late to this party, but someone may find this useful:

ON TOPIC:

Marc Stones, a vlogger in Berlin, Germany, who currently owns a Meteor 350 (and a couple of scooters and a CFMoto adv. bike, and who vlogs in German as "Scooteria") posted this video review of the (fairly expensive) Chigee AIO 6 MAX CarPlay/Android Auto unit a few months ago:


That unit, via an OBD connection, shows readouts of assorted factory sensors, including engine temperature (from someplace). Look around 12:04 and 15:16 to see what I'm talking about.

Of course, as stated by several folks already, that info is probably more useful for baseline purposes than anything else, but at least it should give you an opportunity to spot trends, maybe realize if something's amiss, that sort of thing.

Plus, it's easier to see on a device screen than looking down at a dipstick gauge, and requires no DIY plumbing for those thinking about another way, and, last, it ought to be more consistent in its readings.

OFF TOPIC:

Speaking of DIY plumbing, back about a decade or so I wanted to add an oil temp gauge to my air/oil-cooled Victory bagger. I started accumulating parts -- in my case, it was to be based on a new sensor in a ring that was to be placed between the oil filter and where that screwed onto the bike. A lot of Vic owners had those dipstick gauges, but this seemed to me to be a better idea. I never got around to finishing the project, and sold the bike a year or two later. Oh, well -- no such CarPlay devices for bikes back then.
 
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