Heated Grips

[devanator]

I don't know if any one else has had this problem but I have been fairly unimpressed with my heated grips. Even when they are on wide open it hardly lets off any heat. At least to me.

I went to N Dakota this week-end and the wheather was a bit nippy towards evening and with hitting some rain had them on but was not impressed at all. Just thought I'd put the word out and see if anybody else has had a poblem feeling any heat or maybe it just mine.

I have had two Yamaha Snowmobiles and those heated grips were so hot you could not put them on high. On snowmobiles they are noted for having the best in the buisness. I know they are not the same type of heated grips but still they should be better than what I felt. IMHO

Anybody else have the same situation with their grips? Or any advice? I hate to get rid of them for what they cost but they also are useless as far as I'm concerned at the current rate of heat than I'm feeling with these.

Devanator

 

[Bubba]

Mine work great. I run mine about half-way and they're toasty-warm.

Maybe you have a defective set.

 

[yamaholic]

I've found 2 items that dramatically decrease the heat output to both grips.

1.) Thick or dense grips. OEM grips are hard, yet thin. Not terribly bad for heat transfer, but not great either. Thick foam "touring" type grips are the worst.

2.) Thin wiring. If you're running 20 guage wiring, it will really limit the current transfer. The effect should not be so dramatic as what you describe, however.

Which set did you end up going with? Kimpex? OEM? Dual stars??

Also...is the right side hotter? If so, it is because the plastic thottle sleeve is acting as an insulator (limits heat soaking into the bars, so heat transfer more to the grip/hand). Also, the right grip is thinner, which will transfer heat faster. The left side is typically a little cooler. The fixes range from heat shrink to duct tape to reflective tape on the left side.

What you describe kinda sounds like limited output, such as a bad resistor if you have the type that uses these.

 

[devanator]

They are the OEM heaters from the accessories catalog. And I had the local dealer install them before I even took delivery. I figured I wanted to have them to extend the comfort level for cooler days. I'm not kidding, I could barely feel any heat unless I was really holding on tight to the bars.

The ones from Yamaha are total replacements if you know what I mean. They totally slip on as a replacement to the ones that come on the bike. And they aren't the most comfortable grips anyway. They are sort of hard. But they should be warmer being that way though.

 

[smthng]

Dealer Eff'd up... make him do it again right. I have the Yama grips and they'll burn the halibut out of you on high.

But... one word of note... there is a "brain" of sorts in the little controller box. If your voltage is low (like sitting at a stop light with brake lights, turn signal and fan running), they'll switch off. Take it for a 15 minute ride with them on high and see if they don't burn the wax off your gloves. If not, take it back.

 

[ionbeam]

Your <assumption> Yamaha </assumption> grips should get too hot to touch with your bare hands. The heat controller is designed to work only when the engine is running. It uses the battery voltage to determine when the engine is running. At <13 volts the controller is off, regardless of where the heat indicator dial is set. Once the engine is started and voltage is >13.5 volts the unit will turn on and follow the indicator dial. If you have connected your heat controller to an ignition switched line it is possible that the voltage is marginal forcing the controller to turn on and off.

Then again, there have been a number of people that have had defective units. My first Yamaha controller didn't work sorta. If the mounting hardware was screwed in securely the unit wouldn't work. Loosen the mounting screws until it rattled and it would work fine. My dealer replaced it, no hassles.

Heavy, bulky gloves actually insulate your hands from the heat. Thinner palm material transfers heat better

Alan

 

[devanator]

Thanks for the info guys. I thought something had to be wrong but just didn't know what. Although I was going at highway speed when I was having the problem. I'll check it out again and see if that is the problem. The dealer is fairly good to deal with, I have no doubt he'll fix it if I find that it his mistake. I've dealt with him when I had my snowmobiles. Thanks Again

Devanator