Installing heated grips: Difference between revisions

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[[Category:Electrical & Lighting]]

==Do they work?==

Whether heated grips can extend your riding season or not depends on who you talk to. Many people think they're great, but others say that good winter gloves work better and can be moved from one bike to another. To make grip heaters more effective, [[Hippo Hands]] and other handlebar mitts can help by blocking the wind. Covering your gloves with a windproof layer (Aerostich's [http://www.aerostich.com/aerostich-triple-digit-rain-covers.html Triple Digit Rain Covers], for example) will also help keep your fingers working on cold days. Search the forums under 'heated grips', 'Hot Grips', or 'grip heaters' for opinions.

The rider whose installation is featured here says, "They are soooooo cozy and warm. I did not want to get off my bike when I was testing them out!"

====Types====

==Types==

This article follows the installation of heaters that fit on the bars under your grips. There is also a kind that includes the grips and heater as one unit. For those, see [http://www.hotgrips.com/ hotgrips.com].

====Installation process====

==Installation process==

These heaters are the [http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/Heated-Grip-Kit-p-16539.html Heated Grip Kit #1400] from Aerostich. They are fairly simple to put on but do require some electrical know-how. The switch was provided, but you'll need to buy a female crimp connector and some heat shrink tubing. You also need to know [[Soldering 101|how to solder]] and have a decent iron to help you out.

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Some manufacturers say to glue the grips to the heaters, which really isn't such a bad idea. For grip installation help, go to [[I want to get some new grips]].

====More on this subject====

==More on this subject==

There is another good article on mounting heated grips on the [http://www.canyonchasers.net/shop/generic/heated-grips-alt.php Canyon Chasers.net] website.

====Addendum====

==Addendum - Battery dead==

After running the battery dry by forgetting to turn off the switch, our man decided to put a warning light into his system. If you don't want to add a relay or modify your accessory wires (above), then you can install an LED light. Buy a 12v red (or other bright color) LED, a 330 ohm resistor, and an LED holder. Solder the resistor to the LED in the holder, because that way the current is regulated by it and cannot peak and destroy the LED. The LED must be in parallel with the heated grips and not in series, otherwise the current drawn by the grips will destroy the LED.

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[[Image:LED.jpg|150px]]

~~If there were no resistor, then the current spikes might destroy the LED. The resistor is just playing it safe.~~ Attach the light to the ignition column. So now, whenever there is power to the grips, there is also power to the LED. Whenever you go to take the keys out, you are FORCED to look at the LED (which is fairly bright.) But you might just find it less hassle to hook up the heaters to a switched source.

Attach the light to the ignition column. So now, whenever there is power to the grips, there is also power to the LED. Whenever you go to take the keys out, you are FORCED to look at the LED (which is fairly bright.) But you might just find it less hassle to hook up the heaters to a switched source.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Category:Electrical & Lighting]]
+==Do they work?==
 Whether heated grips can extend your riding season or not depends on who you talk to. Many people think they're great, but others say that good winter gloves work better and can be moved from one bike to another. To make grip heaters more effective, [[Hippo Hands]] and other handlebar mitts can help by blocking the wind. Covering your gloves with a windproof layer (Aerostich's [http://www.aerostich.com/aerostich-triple-digit-rain-covers.html Triple Digit Rain Covers], for example) will also help keep your fingers working on cold days. Search the forums under 'heated grips', 'Hot Grips', or 'grip heaters' for opinions.
 The rider whose installation is featured here says, "They are soooooo cozy and warm. I did not want to get off my bike when I was testing them out!"
-====Types====
+==Types==
 This article follows the installation of heaters that fit on the bars under your grips. There is also a kind that includes the grips and heater as one unit. For those, see [http://www.hotgrips.com/ hotgrips.com].
-====Installation process====
+==Installation process==
 These heaters are the [http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/Heated-Grip-Kit-p-16539.html Heated Grip Kit #1400] from Aerostich. They are fairly simple to put on but do require some electrical know-how. The switch was provided, but you'll need to buy a female crimp connector and some heat shrink tubing.  You also need to know [[Soldering 101|how to solder]] and have a decent iron to help you out.
@@ Line 34: / Line 36: @@
 Some manufacturers say to glue the grips to the heaters, which really isn't such a bad idea. For grip installation help, go to [[I want to get some new grips]].
-====More on this subject====
+==More on this subject==
 There is another good article on mounting heated grips on the [http://www.canyonchasers.net/shop/generic/heated-grips-alt.php Canyon Chasers.net] website.
-====Addendum====
+==Addendum - Battery dead==
 After running the battery dry by forgetting to turn off the switch, our man decided to put a warning light into his system. If you don't want to add a relay or modify your accessory wires (above), then you can install an LED light. Buy a 12v red (or other bright color) LED, a 330 ohm resistor, and an LED holder. Solder the resistor to the LED in the holder, because that way the current is regulated by it and cannot peak and destroy the LED. The LED must be in parallel with the heated grips and not in series, otherwise the current drawn by the grips will destroy the LED.
@@ Line 46: / Line 48: @@
 [[Image:LED.jpg|150px]]
-If there were no resistor, then the current spikes might destroy the LED. The resistor is just playing it safe. Attach the light to the ignition column. So now, whenever there is power to the grips, there is also power to the LED. Whenever you go to take the keys out, you are FORCED to look at the LED (which is fairly bright.) But you might just find it less hassle to hook up the heaters to a switched source.
+Attach the light to the ignition column. So now, whenever there is power to the grips, there is also power to the LED. Whenever you go to take the keys out, you are FORCED to look at the LED (which is fairly bright.) But you might just find it less hassle to hook up the heaters to a switched source.