Just wondering if this is normal on aircooled v-twins? My SS takes 10+ miles to for the temp gauge to show normal operating temperature. By comparison, watercooled triumph seems to reach operating temp in no time.
Aircooled engines dont have thermostats and fluid jackets. Watercooled vehicles will hold onto flyid until temperature is reached, thermostat opens letting it flow into the cooling circuit
10 miles is about right, I don’t have a temp gauge on my 1991 bike but had an after market one on my XJR1300, was up to temp between 10 & 12 miles, I always keep my 900ss below 4K revs for the first few miles.
don't put one on the bike, it'll only scare you! My SS used to take a good 10 or so miles before it started to behave properly. Admittedly I'd let it idle for a few minutes first anyway as well. It would be interesting to fit a digital gauge on it and see what it shows compared to the analogue veglia unit.