My Honda XR650L Oil Cooler Project

[SpudRider]

The Honda XR650L employs an air cooled engine with a dry sump oil system. The oil pump sends oil to an external reservoir in the frame, and the oil is cooled somewhat by exiting the engine for a while. However, the smaller, Honda XR250R and Honda XR400R also came equipped with external oil coolers, as well as the dry sump engine. Honda declined to install an external oil cooler on the XR650L, and installed air scoops on the fuel tank, instead. :roll:



The stock fuel tank only holds 2.8 gallons, so most riders quickly buy a larger, aftermarket fuel tank. However, none of the aftermarket fuel tanks will accommodate the stock air scoops. :( Therefore, the XR650L can overheat if run at high rpms for extended periods of time. Therefore, many XR650L owners install oil coolers on their bikes.

Some people install an XR400R oil cooler on the XR650L. However, a proper installation of the XR400R oil cooler requires welding studs onto the oil reservoir. :( The XR400R oil cooler also requires a lot of special, oil hose fittings, so it is an expensive solution. :roll: In addition, this oil cooler is located in close proximity to a lot of wires and cables on the XR650L, which can easily be damaged by the heat. :( Therefore, I ruled out installing an XR400R oil cooler.

Two individuals also manufacture oil coolers for the XR650L. However, I believe both are vulnerable to damage, and both are fairly expensive. Therefore, I decided to design my own oil cooler. Here is my preliminary design. I am going to add a digital temperature gauge to my final installation, as soon as I receive shipment of the NPT brass fittings I ordered.









Spud