How I will build my own oil cooler for my TE511

So there is the hand crafted machined oil filter cover that nobody can buy that you need in order to connect a oil cooler. If you haven't seen that mod then a brief search of the forum should turn it up..

I started thinking after looking at the 449/511 clutch cover and thought , " I really need to take that off and have a look at how the oil flows inside ". My first hope was that crap loads of oil goes into the cover. So I left all 1300cc of oil in the engine and started unbolting With the clutch cover off now I wanted to see what kind of oil flow rate goes into the clutch with the bike straight up and down. Stood the bike up and the oil poored out faster than you can empty a quart of oil... Cool this is what I wanted, direct access to the oil bath. Why the clutch cover ? Because the oil that is swirly around in there will force its way out of a hole with pressure behind it when I drill a hole and weld a hose bung to it

I plan to weld some aluminum tubing to my skid plate and plumb my oil line coming from the clutch cover to it.. The skid plate is perfect for absorbing heat out of the oil and so is what I will use it for



This pic is just a general "Get the picture?"pic...

You seen it here first Centrifugal force !

Sounds like he's off again. Will enough oil still be directed to the clutch plates?

Yes, it poors in there and the clutch claps it around. The oil will re-enter threw the cap and poor back into the main oil pool that the oil pump pulls from. It won't starve the clutch of oil.

That is good! If this oil cooler is workable, that should give the added volume of oil you all seem
To want, and keep it cooler.

I just need to figure the best way to prep the cover for my welder and the series of oil tubes I'm going to weld on the inside of the skid plate. The oil volume should bump from 1150 to 1200cc or so. Plus the extra 100cc for doing the breather mods so around 1300cc total. Depending on the head pressure the clutch cover produces I might run one of my cans inline to bump oil volume another 150cc

I would think that the skid plates main job (kissing rocks) would disqualify it as an oil cooler. Unless you want oily rocks.

That's what you think. The lines will be way better protected than a conventional oil cooler. My skid plate has seen some really harsh treatment and the aluminum tubing will be thick and welded to key areas .

Don't do it,,put it behind the radiator..Just a thought.

I have a cooling fan on each radiator so there is no room there. Soon as I have a test of out output I will get more serious about the cooler. If the skid plate takes a big impact and bends so will the aluminum heat sink pipe , there might be several pieces welded in different locations on the skidy.

IMHO, not a drop of oil will be moved from the point of origin to the point of return to sump. The force from the oil spinning off the clutch basket simply is not enough, especially with the point of origin being lower than the point of return, AND an even lower point on the cooler portion.

Don't discourage him! We can learn from failures and success.
Grampa said "good experience often comes from bad experiences"
Go rearwheelin!

It will only take less than a half of psi to move oil threw the system . Just check in time to time and we will see who is right.

Only one way to know for sure. Build it & accept the glory, or defeat.

I agree with olderhuskyrider, how is there even half a psi going into the pipe you weld on? all this will do is create extra oil capacity. You don't even have gravity on your side, if you can pick up higher and return lower that may work. Even then you need pump pressure to flow through any kind of cooler. How about an electric pump?
Just my two cents.

The clutch on the 449/511 has full access to the engines oil reserves. There is a 360 degree opening behind the basket and two oil spill ways at the bottom. When oil goes into the clutch area its like waking into a tornado .

The clutch covers inner inside diameter is smaller than the inner outside diameter . All oil coming in is getting the centrifugal treatment and gets forced outward to the covers walls and stays there swirling around the cover . Since to covers I.D. is largest closest to the engine case the oil in centrifugal suspension will be loaded up most there .

As oil pores in and hits the clutch there will be a force to the oil outward . As oil escapes threw the perforation for the cooler it will get replaced just as fast by the engines oil reserves . My theory is there are a few pound of pressure to be had out of the clutch basket on the 449/511. A water tank holding 10 feet of water will produce 5 psi at the tanks bottom. I don't know how many rpm's a tornado spins but I'm willing to guess its less than the 511.


If there was a tropical rain downfall and the temps of the water drops where 98.7 F what do you feel hitting your face ? the water drops or the pressure a drop of water creates ? There is no doubt a hole in the basket will produce oil . The question is how much


I will weld my pipe in the spot I think will be the best and it will move oil out. I can take my Dremmel tool and cut little mini canals that all lead to the hole. A round hole with a pipe is simple and if it works good enough than I don't need to go any further with the clutch cover.