From ibmwrNoSpam@NoSpamworld.std.com Tue May 20 23:45:28 1997 Date: Tue, 20 May 1997 23:14:54 -0400 To: bmwmcNoSpam@NoSpamworld.std.com From: Gino Fortunato Subject: BMW: re heated grips Reply-To: Gino Fortunato i have used snowmobile heated grips on my k75t for 7 years and have been very pleased. with very little work they can be adapted to fit the bmw plug for heated grips and the bmw switch can be purchased for use on your instrument panel. cost? the switch cost more than the grips! in my case wiring was done along the handlebars and there has been absolutely no problem. since these go under the existing foam grips, you can use comfortable foam grips of you choice and change them as necessary. Carl Tyler writes: >I am interested in installing heated grips on my 1996 R1100RT. >Apparently my stock bars do not have the necessary pathway to >accommodate the wiring. I understand that BMW fixed this oversight >for the 1997 model, and installed bars that have a slot machined >into the bar ends. My dealer would be happy to sell me a new set >of bars, but that would make the total price of heated grips >something in excess of $400... ouch! Any suggestions? Carl, Yes, buy Widder heated gloves for around $80. While I like the Throttlemeister grips on my 1997 R11RT, they seem to have two shortcomings: 1. In order to get the outside (windside) of my hands to get warm, I have to overheat the insides. 2. In very hot weather (obviously when I don't need heated grips), something in the Throttlemeister seems to expand, making the throttle drag a bit. Victor From whoughtonNoSpam@NoSpamjuno.com (Bill w Houghton) Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 19:22:20 EDT Subject: BMW: Heated Grips/Kimpex/Snowmobile/R1100 Greetings, As the cold weather approaches I have been thinking about adding heated grips to my R850R. During a recent visit to my BMW dealer I picked up the BMW switch and A Kimpex heated grip kit, made for smowmobiles. They are a film with a grid on it that is attatched to the bars under the grips. Before I try this, I wanted to check with all of you wise ones, and see if you have any suggestions or tricks or anything I should know. If anyone is interesed, the heating elements cost 19.95, the BMW switch 30. To have BMW install heated grips on this bike is $500. (They just did this to someone elses bike, and that's what they said it cost!) Thanks in advance for any advice. Bill Houghton Mass. Date: Tue, 07 Oct 1997 10:44:07 +1000 From: The Tuck Family Subject: Re: BMW: Heated Grips/Question!!! At 10:22 6/10/97 -0400, you wrote: >From: Ben1364NoSpam@NoSpamaol.com >Subject: BMW: Heated Grips/Question!!! > Ben, Re heated grips. I honestly thought that heated grips were just a gimmick until I test rode a few bikes earlier this year. It was winter and I didn't have my gloves with me and test rode a fairly new R1100LT fitted with them. I felt a little cold and saw the switch for the grips and turned it on and almost immediately felt the warmth. The second half of the test was great and I even found that the grips were getting too hot. I didn't realize at that time that there are two settings on original BM grips, being hot and warm. It made a big impression on me, that ride, I can tell you. I think of all the times in years gone by when I would arrive at my workplace, peel the gloves off and sit my hands in a sink of hot water just to get some feeling back. Try driving a car without air conditioning again on a hot day and perhaps you'll get an idea of what I mean! (On a smaller scale anyway) Even with gloves on the warmth comes through. >1) Do heated grips work at highway speeds? Definitely... Although I don't know about unfaired bikes. >2) Do heated grips place a major burden on the battery/charging system? I haven't noticed any problems with mine, as they came with the bike >3) Which heated grips are best...BMW brand or an after-market brand, if >after- market, which do you recommend? In Australia, the after market brands seem to have only one setting. The BMW brand grips have the two settings and I have used both depending on the conditions. I can't recommend heated grips enough. When I have my grips on, the rest of my body seems to warm up too. I would be very surprised if anyone who has them tells you they're not worthwhile. (I do know that before trying them I would have said that anyone who wanted them would be a woos though!) regards Mick Tuck Australia 94 K1100LTSE Date: Mon, 20 Oct 1997 21:14:16 -0400 From: RWILES Subject: Re: BMW: Heated Grips R11RS RE: The Heated heaed grip issue: I (dumbnutz that I wuz) shorted out the heated grip wires on one side of my old R11RS, and fried about 12 inches of wire. Subsequently, I studied the wiring schematic THROUGHLY and re-wired the cooked wires. In such studies, I noted NO "resistors" and noted that the "low" switch-setting was achieved by using 0.5mm-guage wire from the switch to the grips, rather than normal 0.75mm-guage used everywhere else. Said thin wire acts as a long heat-sink, urning current into heat that is dissapated over the length of the 'thin' wire. Anyway,no resistors. Date: Mon, 20 Oct 1997 23:19:10 -0400 From: "aaronNoSpam@NoSpamrocketship.com" Subject: BMW: TECH: heated grips diagnosis MORE I was curious to find out what waas going on with my heated grips. One side was always cooler than the other. Using a multimeter I discovered that the resistance on one side is 8 and on the other side its 11 hence the temp. disparity. as for the cause-unknown. A 87k75s - ---------- From: Tom Coradeschi To: Scott H. Baxter Cc: The Internet BMW Riders Subject: BMW: Re: TECH: heated grips diagnosis Date: Monday, October 20, 1997 10:46 AM Scott Baxter: >I have had misgivings regarding the function of my BMW heated grips since they >were professionally installed (with good workmanship) in a BMW shop. The >right side always seemed cooler, so much so that every once in a while I'd >yank off gloves at a stop light and try to feel temperature differences at >stop lights. Now on my way to work I don't think the right grip heated at >all. A cursory exam of the wiring turned up nothing. Does anybody have a >diagnostic procedure for these grips? I would like a step by step guideline >with descriptions of notable weak points in the subsystem. Any help in this >area would be greatly appreciated. The single greatest point of failure for these things is the connector where the leads to the grips mates to the bike's wiring harness. It's under the gas tank: look for a small (say 1/2" square) white plastic connector with 4 wires inside it. The leads from this connector will run forward to the grips proper. The connector is VERY difficult to press together and it's quite likely that the actual contacts have slipped out of the connector housing and are making poor contact (or none). A good set of needlenose pliers will go a long way. Also, plenty of patience. I recommend decaf coffee that morning:-} FWIW, once they are together, they'll never come apart (the whole idea in the first place, I suspect). tom "bookawitz" coradeschi <+> tcoraNoSpam@NoSpamskylands.ibmwr.org BMW's Miracle Ride was October 12th! Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 22:02:39 -0500 From: jwst1100NoSpam@NoSpamBusProd.Com (Wilson Resources, Inc. ) Subject: BMW: Heated Grip Resistor Issue Finale Thanks to all who responded to my comments regarding the possibility of a resistor in the wiring curcuit of a R1100RS and R1100RT that would cause a reduction in wattage to the heated grips and thus a seemingly lower heat level for the R11RS and R11RT grips. It was suggested that because of aluminum bars on the R11RS/RT, the normal "high" heat level might cause the bars to swell and thus the use of a resistor to reduce the wattage. I have explored and researched this view with several technicians, dealers and "BMW wrenches" who have installed BMW heated grips and tested the same on a number of different R11 models. Conclusion. I cannot find any confirming evedence to support the resistor theory. As far as I am concerned that theory can be trashed. I did learn quite a bit about the heated grips and possible reasons for less than "high" heat during my research. For those who might have problems with shorts or heating of the grips, the following might be of help: 1. The wiring coming out of the grips is small and subject to damage. If not installed perfectly, when putting the bar end on, the small wires can be damaged resulting in heat drain. Sometimes a cursory examination of these wires (brown and black) will not reveal the damage. They have to be installed just so because of the turning throttle. Otherwise there will be extra stress on the wires resulting in weaken wires over time.. 2. Sometimes the wires will get damaged when threaded through the bars and or get kinked up where they enter the bar which will be a possible trouble spot. 3. Apparently the rocker panel switch (high, off, low) will get dirty and contaminated causing poor contact. Clean with contact point cleaner. 4. Check the connectors for good solid connection. There is a three pin connector off the rocker panel high low off switch and there is a 4 pin connector that connects the 2 each wires from each handle bar to the main power harness. 5. Also look for nylon ties. If the wires from the bars going to the 4 pin connector are cinched up too tight with a nylon tie, that could also be a possible problem. By far, my search found that most mechanics suspect damaged wires at some point as the cause for low heat. I found several saying that there should be no difference between R11RS/R11RT heated grip output than other BMW models. There may be a difference on the road with the R11RS grips because there is less fairing protection to the hands and grips. John - -- ================================================================= John L. Wilson '96 R1100GSA(For Sale) BMWMOA HSTA #5817 STOC #090 jwst1100NoSpam@NoSpamBusprod.Com IBMWR '95 R1100RS Tulsa, Oklahoma ================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 20:06:43 -0700 From: Ted Witting Subject: BMW: cheapo heated grips Well...I finally made it to the dealer...I set out yesterday with the same intent, but one curvy road led to another...and another, etc...anyhow, it got dark and I got hungry before I realized that I hadn't accomplished my primary goal (if anyone believes that BEING at the dealer was my goal, you're wrong...GOING to the dealer was the goal...just a minor glitch that I never made it). Anyhow...this morning, I finally made it. They do not have the heated grip inserts in stock, yet...but, I asked a few questions about them. First, there is no problem with the plastic twist-grip or any other part that may be in contact or in the vicinity of the inserts. Second, they won't fit every bike...he mentioned the K100RT as one that they won't fit...someone else mentioned to me that they wouldn't fit their K-bike, either. He did say that I shouldn't have any problems with my R100S...most other airheads should be okay, also. The dealer is Aloha/Beaverton Motorcycle Works (Oh'fishl BMW dealer)...near Portland, OR...(503)642-2269. They can answer more questions than I can...they can do mail order, also. I have no connection other than if enough people buy the heated inserts, they're gonna give me a new R1100GS. I was also told that the heated inserts wouldn't be too hard to make. After I get my set, I'll take a look at them and try to describe their construction...unless someone else would like to do this sooner. Ted Witting '78 R100S Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 14:00:30 -0400 From: lconleyNoSpam@NoSpamhns.com Subject: Re: BMW: Cheap heated grips, the math Charles Sturtevant: > I tore into the wiring of my heated grip inserts, > in order to add a resistor and switch for a low > power setting. While doing so, I measured the > resistance of the inserts as 5 ohms each. The > resistor that I added (in the ground lead) was > one-half ohm. The math works out like this: High Low > Resistance 2.5 ohms 3 ohms > Current 4.8 amps 4 amps > Power consumed 58 watts 48 watts > Power to grips 58 watts 40 watts When Don Graling's thermostat gave up we installed a heated hand grip switch in a vacant switch pod and spliced it into the accessory outlet. One leg was straight thru (high) and the other had point 4 ohm 50W added for a low. His vest and gloves delivered 90 or so watts on high and about 60 watts on low. Do the math...the price is right for a budget thermostat too. Lou "Louge" Conley Gaithersburg, MD