installing grip heaters / electrical help!

[mlee10018]

I am considering installing one of these grip heaters on the buddy, but did not know if anyone has had any experience with these and if they worked well or not.

http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=&L ... WHI_49-221

And the other question is how do I get the grips off and back on again? I have heard wd40 in a earlier post, but do you use that to take it off as well? and after putting it back on with wd40, do you have to wait before riding it again so it "dries"?
thanks...

[GatsbyGirl]

Silly question: wouldn't gloves be easier? Mine were roughly the same price. Plus, added safety feature of protecting your hands in case of mishap.

Of course, I do get considerable enjoyment our of my car seat heaters even when I'm wearing pants.

[mlee10018]

I am also in the process of getting some new gloves, especially one with a attachment to wipe off rain after tonight's ride.

[GatsbyGirl]

I am also in the process of getting some new gloves, especially one with a attachment to wipe off rain after tonight's ride.

Good, you got that I was joking and not being a bitch.

[castleton]

Sounds like a perfect use for the dummy light switch!

[DO3]

Of course, I do get considerable enjoyment our of my car seat heaters even when I'm wearing pants.

I hope you have dark tinted windows for the days that you're not wearing any.

[vitaminC]

If possible, it would probably be a good idea to measure the width of the heating elements to ensure that they aren't wider than the grips themselves. I actually have a set in my garage and will try and remember to measure them tonight.

This is something I, too, definitely want to get installed!

[gt1000]

Sounds like a perfect use for the dummy light switch!

This was my first thought too. Then I checked the grip heater website. I have a few concerns about these things.

The grip heater units I've seen are integrated with new grips, not an add-on system like this. They also typically cost quite a bit more. Before buying these I would check out a couple of things. First, see if you can find anyone actually using them. I would not buy something like this without first getting some opinions from users. There are people who swear by the grips BMW sells for their bikes and others who think they're worthless.

Then you need to find out if the Buddy's electrical system can handle the load. Keep in mind I've never used these things, I'm just going by what other moto people have told me. What they've told me is that grip heaters can sap your electrical system if you do a lot of stop and go riding. If you keep your speed up, you're fine. If you're idling a lot, you're stressing your system.

Back to gloves. I just bought a nice pair of Olympia gauntlets that are armored, waterproof and fully insulated. They cost about $65 and I've already ridden in sub-freezing temps with warm hands. I know gloves have already been mentioned but you might want to try on a few pairs before committing to the grip heaters. If it was me, I wouldn't touch the heaters without some real-world testimonials from users.

[vitaminC]

Then you need to find out if the Buddy's electrical system can handle the load.

That's my biggest concern, too! Unfortunately there is not much info in the service manual about this. I haven't emailed Genuine, but imagine their reply might be "blah blah warranty blah blah"- i.e., they don't know either.

I've used heating elements (which go under the grips) on all my previous motorcycles and they are a wonderful thing! I never experienced any electrical problems, even running the elements and aux lights, but again that was a bike with a (likely) more robust charging system.

My problem with winter gloves is that if they are insulated enough to keep my hands warm, then I lose too much dexterity. I've found that gip heaters and something to keep the wind off the hands is much more effective than thick gloves, as the hands stay warm without losing dexterity.

[peabody99]

as those of us in cooler climes have discovered, even heavy gloves dont help the coldest days coupled with longer drives. the buddy tall windscreen covers the handgrips and helps tremendously for wind chill on hands, as well as head and torso. legs, not so much!

[Kevin K]

Here's another option:

http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/Aer ... 16731.html

-K

[dorothyblue]

How/where/to what do you plug these things in? I know...dumb girl question. Sorry, but I guess someone has to be.

[Kevin K]

You would have to wire connectors into the bike.
-K

[hermitgirl]

-dreams of heated grips... heated seat... maybe some toasty cocoa dispenser in the front storage-


It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...








(Yes. I know I'm in CA. I still get cold in the morning too!)

[Keys]

Let's see....it's about 82 degrees this afternoon here in the Verde Valley in AZ. Don't think I'm gonna sweat heated grips...and maybe a cold ice tea instead of hot cocoa...

--Keys

[mlee10018]

I did some research on these grip heaters and found that people here in NYC like them and recommend them. Of course they use them on their Vespa gs and gts and would not know how it will do for the buddy. My dealer said that he will look into it by contacting genuine.

here is also a link with more specifics...

http://www.modernvespa.com/forum/viewto ... =heat+grip

[mlee10018]

I just decided to go for it and install the grip heaters and got to a point where I need some help with the wiring...

I am trying to wire the power for them and don't know which direction I should continue...

1- install a fuse and relay. My question here is where should the switched power come from? I am looking for a specific wire, but don't know where to start? may be after the kill switch? (which is light blue wire from the diagram?) or before? (orange wire).

2- tap into a wire that is already switched and hope the system can handle it? (I read that the high is at 3.4amps and low at 2.3amps) Any suggestion which wire to tap? same as above?

These are pretty technical questions, thanks for any insight.

[mlee10018]

1- install a fuse and relay. My question here is where should the switched power come from? I am looking for a specific wire, but don't know where to start? may be after the kill switch? (which is light blue wire from the diagram?) or before? (orange wire).

I decided to go with the first step as suggested by someone on modern vespa and tap into the kill switch wire. It works great!! My hand have been warm since and I only have my thin leather gloves that I have worn since summer. It has been in the 40's here and I am looking forward to getting some muffs and make little ovens for my hands. I will see if the buddy's charge system can handle it before I recommend it, fingers crossed.

[jrsjr]

I decided to go with the first step as suggested by someone on modern vespa and tap into the kill switch wire.

Right choice! Sorry, I haven't been here for a while or I would have jumped in earlier. Driving the relay coil off the kill switch wire is brilliant. The kill switch contacts aren't designed to handle the current of the heaters but they should be totally adequate to pull the relay coil.

Good job! Hope you enjoy them!