NovaFlyer
Well-known member
**update OCT/06**
This installation works well for most folks that ride in temperatures above 10C / 50 F. If you are a more hardened rider that tends to find themselves in cooler conditions, then you may be better served by some of the more expensive units as those tend to put out more heat than this inexpensive set up.
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Evening Folks.
Thought I'd pass on some farkle info and give back to the forum.
Like many riders living in more chilly climates, I knew I would want heated grips for my new Feejr so I could extend my riding season. I read all the info here and on other sites regarding the bar wrap style units and heat troller, but was not impressed with the non factory look of the final product. Looking at the Yamaha product caused me to go into heart palpitations from the sticker shock , so what was I to do?
Browsing around the internet , I came across these little beauties: supplier site
What struck me was how similar they looked to the factory units:
I figured the two units were made by the same manufacturer and went ahead a picked up the 7/8ths" and 1" x 5 3/4 grips from my local dealer. The kit is a complete unit that is plug and go after you connect it up to the battery. The connectors are all marked and pretty much fool proof.
Now for myself, I wanted to have these work off a switched power source so as not to drain the battery if I inadvertently forget to switch them off. I also wanted a good mounting point in the fairing that didn't require me cutting things up. Well Moma Yama has done the major work for us already with the AE model having factory grips already installed. The left back fairing panel on the A models has a blocking plate filling in where the AE models have their controller installed. If you remove it, you have a perfect hole for your controller
The controller fits perfectly into the hole, much like how the factory unit would ...Hmmmmm.
Now I just used the blocking plate and Dremmeled off the raised portion:
and secured it back into the fairing piece and voila ... it fits perfectly and secures the controller:
Now where to find a switched power source to connect to the relay :search: - discussed here:Relay explanation by Warchild
Well I figured that there had to be a powered source under the fairing panel and sure enough ... there was one. It's on a blue socket under the removed panel that I can only assume is to be used with factory grips because the connector is 'very' similar, but not exact. The green wire from this socket is a switched power source that comes on after engine start.
I installed the relay and the included fuse block right to the frame under the panel. I also used this point as the ground:
The grips , if you get the 5 3/4 units for the Goldwing, are longer than that stocker units and will require longer 6mm bolts to re-attach the bar end weights. I picked up ones that were 1/2 inch longer and they worked fine. You also will require a bunch of shim washers to make up the space. I grabbed my wife's hairspray to glue them on, then cut and spliced the wires to fit and she was all done. I even threw on the ol' Vista Cruise as per Warchild's instructions (Vista cruise - Warchild)
I'm very pleased with this farkle since basically you get factory equivalent heated grips for a fraction of the price. The look is OEM and the grips heat up in seconds instead of minutes.
I realize some folks like the bar wrap style as you can pick your grips. The benefit with this kit is the grips are wider than stock so your body weight is not as concentrated to a small point. I found my hands didn't get as sore after a long ride ...Food for thought.
Anyways ... I hope some of you find this helpful.
This installation works well for most folks that ride in temperatures above 10C / 50 F. If you are a more hardened rider that tends to find themselves in cooler conditions, then you may be better served by some of the more expensive units as those tend to put out more heat than this inexpensive set up.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Evening Folks.
Thought I'd pass on some farkle info and give back to the forum.
Like many riders living in more chilly climates, I knew I would want heated grips for my new Feejr so I could extend my riding season. I read all the info here and on other sites regarding the bar wrap style units and heat troller, but was not impressed with the non factory look of the final product. Looking at the Yamaha product caused me to go into heart palpitations from the sticker shock , so what was I to do?
Browsing around the internet , I came across these little beauties: supplier site
What struck me was how similar they looked to the factory units:
I figured the two units were made by the same manufacturer and went ahead a picked up the 7/8ths" and 1" x 5 3/4 grips from my local dealer. The kit is a complete unit that is plug and go after you connect it up to the battery. The connectors are all marked and pretty much fool proof.
Now for myself, I wanted to have these work off a switched power source so as not to drain the battery if I inadvertently forget to switch them off. I also wanted a good mounting point in the fairing that didn't require me cutting things up. Well Moma Yama has done the major work for us already with the AE model having factory grips already installed. The left back fairing panel on the A models has a blocking plate filling in where the AE models have their controller installed. If you remove it, you have a perfect hole for your controller
The controller fits perfectly into the hole, much like how the factory unit would ...Hmmmmm.
Now I just used the blocking plate and Dremmeled off the raised portion:
and secured it back into the fairing piece and voila ... it fits perfectly and secures the controller:
Now where to find a switched power source to connect to the relay :search: - discussed here:Relay explanation by Warchild
Well I figured that there had to be a powered source under the fairing panel and sure enough ... there was one. It's on a blue socket under the removed panel that I can only assume is to be used with factory grips because the connector is 'very' similar, but not exact. The green wire from this socket is a switched power source that comes on after engine start.
I installed the relay and the included fuse block right to the frame under the panel. I also used this point as the ground:
The grips , if you get the 5 3/4 units for the Goldwing, are longer than that stocker units and will require longer 6mm bolts to re-attach the bar end weights. I picked up ones that were 1/2 inch longer and they worked fine. You also will require a bunch of shim washers to make up the space. I grabbed my wife's hairspray to glue them on, then cut and spliced the wires to fit and she was all done. I even threw on the ol' Vista Cruise as per Warchild's instructions (Vista cruise - Warchild)
I'm very pleased with this farkle since basically you get factory equivalent heated grips for a fraction of the price. The look is OEM and the grips heat up in seconds instead of minutes.
I realize some folks like the bar wrap style as you can pick your grips. The benefit with this kit is the grips are wider than stock so your body weight is not as concentrated to a small point. I found my hands didn't get as sore after a long ride ...Food for thought.
Anyways ... I hope some of you find this helpful.
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