Replacing rubber on OEM heated grips

[Unleaded]

Anyone ever remove the rubber from factory heated grips? It's my OCD at work, probably, but I've used Pro Grip 719's on four bikes, and I'd like to do so on my '14 FJR. It's a fairly easy job with an Exacto knife and a light touch to do it on BMW heated grips. Anything to watch out for on the Yamaha heated units? Just adhesive over wire, I assume?

 

[Niehart]

Unleaded, why not just install $13.00 grip puppies over the top of your Yamaha heated grips. They easily last a year and work well the heated grips.

https://www.amazon.com/Grab-Grips-Grip-Cover-1-25in/dp/B000WJAH5M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1411606285&sr=8-2&keywords=grab+on+grip+covers

Or you can buy the $23.00 ones.

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/160173-grip-id-help-needed/

 

[Greg 03]

Exactly what I was gonna suggest. I don't have factory heaters, just the ones that area film under your grips. The grips started feeling thin so I added grip puppies over the top and it seems to me the heaters actually work better.

 

[Unleaded]

Thanks for the replies. I used Grip Puppies for a couple of years and agree that they work extremely well with heated grips. But I don't like the added grip circumference. I don't have particularly large hands, and they feel too bulky. The 719's are just what feels right. I'd just dive in and do it, but want to make sure there isn't something to be aware of in the construction of the grips - like some kind of rubber cement that prevents any separation, for instance...

 

[Fred W]

I do not think with the factory heated grips that the heating element is separate. I believe it is like some of the after market ones (Hot Grips and Oxfords) where the wire is embedded in the grip itself. That would foil your plan to change the grips unless you also want to switch to aftermarket heating elements

 

[ionbeam]

Before you do something that is destructive and unreversible to the grips, price out replacements.

The Gen I heated grips have the heater wires embedded in the rubber, dunno about the later OEM grips but I would expect all quality heated grips to have the heater wires embedded.

 

[Unleaded]

I do not think with the factory heated grips that the heating element is separate. I believe it is like some of the after market ones (Hot Grips and Oxfords) where the wire is embedded in the grip itself. That would foil your plan to change the grips unless you also want to switch to aftermarket heating elements

Thanks very much, Fred - good info. Discretion being the better part of valor, I'd better abandon that plan....the OEM grips aren't half bad compared to some others anyway.

Before you do something that is destructive and unreversible to the grips, price out replacements.
The Gen I heated grips have the heater wires embedded in the rubber, dunno about the later OEM grips but I would expect all quality heated grips to have the heater wires embedded.

Thank you, and I bet you're right: If the Gen 1 grips are designed that way, it's doubtful they've had any reason to change. Interestingly, late-model BMW's have wires running in tiny channels in the plastic grip body. The rubber is completely separate. A papery-film of some type is laid over the grip channels to protect the wires. It takes a quite a bit of hairspray/grip glue to install the new grips and leave the wires undisturbed, but since the wires are individually exposed, any mistakes can be remedied by laying the wires back in the channels. Nice system, really.

 

[ionbeam]

FWIW, Gen II prices and P/N:

2D2-82963-10-00 GRIP, WARMER (LEFT) $197.80
2D2-82960-10-00 GRIP, WARMER (RIGHT) $187.69