Trail Bikes Oil Cooler Kit Installation Guide (Part I)

The Trail Bikes Oil Cooler Kit is a high quality accessory designed to help your Honda horizontal engine or Honda clone engine keep cooler.  Air-cooled engines run hotter when modified or subjected to heavy loads such as racing use.  This kit will help your engine’s durability and reliability by circulating the engine oil through a cooler reducing the engine’s oil temperature.  It is highly recommend that you completely read through the installation instructions before you begin.

WARNING!!!
The installation of aftermarket accessories such as this oil cooler kit may void your manufacturer’s warranty. Trail Bikes is not responsible in any way for such voids.

WARNING!!!
This guide is for illustration purposes only.  All engine work should be performed by a trained professional mechanic and in accordance to factory recommendations.  Improper installation could result in extensive engine damage.  Use this guide for reference only.  Any and all instructions provided are suggestions for the professional mechanic.

 


Step 1.   Remove oil cooler from box and examine the two mounting brackets included in the kit.  The bracket attached to the cooler is made to slip over your cylinder studs as the illustration shows above.
The other bracket is designed to attach to the frame as the illustration shows below.  The brackets provided in this kit are designed to work on multiple applications and you will need to determine what works best for your application.  If you have the option to use either on your application, we recommend using the frame mounted bracket setup.

 

It is best to locate a spot on the bike that is towards the front of the bike where air will travel across the cooler as the bike is traveling forward.  Once a good spot has been located, attach your mounting bracket of choice. Only hand tighten the cylinder studs or the hose clamp provided for the other mounting bracket.  At this time you will  “mock up” the installation and make sure that the oil cooler lines will be long enough to reach the cooler and that the lines will not have to make any extreme bends which would restrict oil flow. (Please note that the cooler can be installed upside down if necessary, the oil lines can be at the top or bottom of the cooler)
Turn the wheel lock to lock and compress the suspension fully making sure nothing will come in contact with the cooler or the lines.
If everything looks like it is going to clear, proceed to step 2.



Step 2. Mount the oil cooler in the selected location using the mounting bracket of choice.  The illustration above shows the cooler being mounted with the bracket that slips over the cylinder studs.  Be sure to re-torque the cylinder studs to your manufactures specification if you choose this method.  The torque rating is 8ft lbs for a factory Honda engine.

The illustration below shows the oil cooler mounted to the frame using the other bracket provided. This mounting bracket is attached to the frame using a hose clamp and is the better choice if it can be used on your application.  For a stronger and more reliable mount you can also drill and tap a hole in the frame.  The bracket has a clearance hole in it already. This would be the preferred mounting method if applicable.