The Gen 2 connects to the ECU for a pulsing ground. So, at idle partial power and you don't get full power until you reach a certain speed and RPM (1800?). This means the factory grips take a while to warm up to full heat and cut back when you drop below the speed/rpm threshold. Not my choice as I would prefer full power available at all times. If one traces the ground to the ECU, you can ground it directly (green w/white?).
Good point. This would be true if one were to use the ground wire supplied in the grip connector. And who knows how an aftermarket heattroller would like that variable ground situation.Instead, if you only used the 12V switched hot wire and just used a normal frame ground (or wire run back to the battery negative side if you prefer) the aftermarket grips would work "normally" (ie not engine speed related). Or just use the switched 12V to trigger the relay, as I mentioned earlier.
If I had no factory grips, I would want a comfortable grip, which have a contour (a little fatter in the middle or a larger diameter overall). A good choice would be the Symtec type heater strips under BMW grips for example. Hi/Lo switch might be all you need, or get a PWM controller or HeatTroller.
I also have the symtec heaters which originally had just the Hi/lo/off switch. It sucked, IMO. You were constantly switching them on-off or hi-lo. I later rewired with a Heattroller and life is much better. I do also have a set of the Oxford grips on my Vstrom. Those throw about twice as much heat as the Symtecs. I
never run the Oxfords at full blast.
For my money, while heated grips are more convenient on a slightly chilly morning, they are nowhere near as good as a set of heated gloves. When you really need heat for your hands to maintain dexterity the gloves do the job
much better, and use less wattage to do it. And yes I do have V-strom hand-guards on my bike already. The only problems with gloves are that you have to remember to bring them with you, and you will be tethered to the bike by a wire.
