Symtec grip heaters

[water warrior]

Hi all, need some input about Symtec grip heaters. They seem like a decent product for their intended use so here is what I am wondering. Has anyone tried mounting the heaters on the stock grips and then covering them with grip puppies. I have been thinking this would be an easy install if things fit. Any comments or advice would be welcomed. Thanks in advance.

[jdpower]

Never done it that way. It might get too warm though. I took off the stock grips and put them on the bars then put back on Pro Grip 714 which seem to work well and get warm fairly soon. You could call the company and ask about it if you can find a number for the manufacturer.

JDP

[Heavy]

I'm running the Symtecs and the only thing I'd suggest is to consider wiring them in series, rather than parallel. For me, the low setting is almost too warm and I usually have to cycle the switch to be comfortable. I've never used the high setting but I bet it would melt the grips or grip puppies. I picked up some thin pipe insulating tape at CTC and put it on the clutch side of the handlebar before I put the heater on. No problems with the throttle grip being warmer than the clutch.

[StarWatcher]

Has anyone tried mounting the heaters on the stock grips and then covering them with grip puppies.

Saw a post over on twtex.com where someone did this in the past day or two. One of the questions that came up is that since the connecting wires would always be flexing as you rotate the throttle, how much more likely are they to break?

--Mike

[greywolf]

Don't worry about it. There are many wires moving every time the handlebars are moved. Just don't run anything so tight it kinks when moved.

[handyhiker]

I've got a set of these to install on my 07 1000. Did you tie into the harness where the factory ones do or did you go back to the battery area?

[GetFuzzy]

Hi all, need some input about Symtec grip heaters. They seem like a decent product for their intended use so here is what I am wondering. Has anyone tried mounting the heaters on the stock grips and then covering them with grip puppies. I have been thinking this would be an easy install if things fit. Any comments or advice would be welcomed. Thanks in advance. That's exactly the way I installed them as I wanted larger diameter grips anyway. While I never used them in extremely cold conditions, I found that the Hi was too hot and even the Lo was too hot at times (handlebar mounted Hi-off-Lo switch). It was nice to be able to warm up your hands on demand. The heating elements were equal out-put (non-mc specific) and using a heat-troller with these for infinitely variable heat would be ideal.

[water warrior]

Thanks guys, nice to know I am on the right track. Heavy, I already was considering wiring in series as you suggested that when we met for coffee on your trip. Fuzzy, have you done much riding lately with the grips ?? Did you wire in series or parallel ?? The heat troller also sounds like a good idea to consider.

[GetFuzzy]

I used a horn lead and plugged that into the heated grip plug (taped to the radiator). Haven't ridden since Sept. as I'm recovering from a crash and still don't know if bike is a write-off, so may not order a heat-troller after all. I don't know what the recommendations are for their installation, but would assume that it would replace the hi-off-lo switch.

[NYrider67]

Mine are set up the same way with the grip puppies. I have them run in Parallel. I have used them down to about 28 degrees so far. They work well, I don't feel that I would want them much warmer. I had them running on a warm day and they about cooked my hands. I find I run them about 20 minutes to get everything nice and warm and them shut them down and the residual heat is great for another half hour.

My wires are run well with enough left to cover the movement, no issues. I located the switch up by the gauges. These are a great addition for those real cold days.

[jdpower]

I've got a set of these to install on my 07 1000. Did you tie into the harness where the factory ones do or did you go back to the battery area?

I have a fuse block on each bike I've had and just run the wiring to the fuse block. It is off that way when the key is off so I don't forget if it is wired directly to the battery and run it down. It is fused individually that way too. I've got the centech. I've used Electrical Connections also in past. Blue Sea marine has a good set up from what I've read but not used myself.

JDP

[water warrior]

Okay, I am back again with another question about heated grips. I am pretty sure Santa is bringing me some OEM handguards and I would like to know if there is an issue with the wiring of the Symtec heaters and the handguards. I know Heavy has that combo but don't know if there are any concerns other than leaving enough wiring to allow throttle rotation. Thanks in advance for all comments and suggestions.

[Heavy]

Now, now. Would I do it if it wasn't the hot setup?

I'm surprised you could ask such a question. :p

[water warrior]

Okay Heavy, I will go with the hot set up. Just have to order the grip heaters from Casporttour. Very surprized today when the grip puppies showed up in the mail within 6 days of ordering.

[Heavy]

Before you order them from CAS check with your local Motovan dealer. They list a few Symtec kits. It might save you a couple of bucks (no guaranty though :) ).

http://www.motovan.com/cat/2006moto_en/images/0443.jpg

http://www.motovan.com/cat/2006moto_en/images/0442.jpg

[ecujim]

For me, the low setting is almost too warm and I usually have to cycle the switch to be comfortable. I've never used the high setting but I bet it would melt the grips or grip puppies.

You know I thought the same thing when i first installed them on my old KLR, but then I realized that I made a mistake and the Hi position was in fact the Low position.

When I installed them on my DL650, I paid attention to this, but somehow I made the same mistake :confused: . I live in Florida and I'm not supposed to need heated grips but i don't like cold hands on those 40 degree mornings.:cool:

[water warrior]

Heavy, Too late to order from Motovan. Probably only a couple $ difference anyway. On the + side, some U.S. suppliers have figured out how to save us the GST/PST. Has happened 3 or 4 times now so I definitely will not complain.

[Heavy]

I hope it works out for you. CAS is pretty good to deal with regardless.

[water warrior]

Good day to you all. Just picked up the grip heaters at the post office. Have a couple questions now. The package has heater resistance info as follows.
throttle: 9.6 ohms 19.2 ohms
clutch: 7.2 ohms 12.8 ohms
Going by this info the throttle should be warmer in my estimation. Correct me if I am wrong. And if I wire them in series both grips should be equally warm with the clutch side being the determining factor. Both heating elements will be installed over the stock grips and covered with grip puppies. Any and all comments will be helpful and appreciated.

[water warrior]

Oh, by the way. The package also says maximum 20 watts@14 volts. What might be the power draw wired in series ?? Never did learn to figure out that stuff.

[greywolf]

Lower resistance means more heat. The throttle side needs less heat because it is insulated from the bar by the throttle tube. 20W in parallel is about 5W in series. Series provides less heat.
E(voltage)=I(amperage)*R(resistance)
P(power in watts)=E*I

[Heavy]

Hey WW,

Before you go and wire them in series it might be an idea to try them in parallel as recommended in the instructions. I wired mine like they said in the instructions. Set my switch up so centre was off, down is "low" and up is "high". I've been mentioning that the heaters are too hot on low. Well, it may be that the circuits are marked incorrectly. I was out this weekend and it was really chilly. I thought I'd try the heaters on "high" to see just how hot they got. They did not seem to get as hot on "high" as they do on "low". I didn't ride long enough to confirm it but it looks like the wiring for "high" setting and the wiring for the "low" setting are the opposite of the instructions. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to ride again in the next couple of days to confirm. Maybe we should see what input we get from others on this one. Perhaps I can get my ammeter out and test current flow in the 2 settings to find out which is what, for sure.

[water warrior]

Thanks guys.

[Prof Chaos]

Do you ground these things to the chassis, or to a negative wire?

Can I just plug into the harness where the aftermarket grips are supposed to plug in?

[Heavy]

Don't use the chassis for a ground. Galvanic corrosion is not your friend.

"Galvanic Corrosion:

Galvanic corrosion tends to occur when dissimilar conducting materials are connected electrically and exposed to an electrolyte. The following fundamental requirements therefore have to be met for galvanic corrosion:
Dissimilar metals (or other conductors, such a graphite).
Electrical contact between the dissimilar conducting materials
(can be direct contact or a secondary connection such as a common grounding path).
Electrolyte (the corrosive medium) in contact with the dissimilar conducting materials. "http://www.corrosion-club.com/galvanic.htm

http://www.engineersedge.com/corrosion/galvanic_corrosion.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_cell#Galvanic_corrosion

http://www.ocean.udel.edu/seagrant/publications/corrosion.html

[Prof Chaos]

Heavy,

Thanks, that's kinda what I figured.
I've heard that there is a plug for the aftermarket heaters already on the bike... anyone know about it?

[Heavy]

The plug is actually intended for the OEM heated grips. You'll find it located in a most inconvenient spot, between the top of rad and the front cylinder. If you buy yourself an OEM horn lead (item #7), you'll find it will just plug into the existing connector. You can snip off the other end and wire it to your new heated grips (that is, of course, if you decide to go with aftermarket grip heaters).

36852-06G00
Description - WIRE,HORN LEAD
Price - $7.02


http://www.ronayers.com/fiche/300_0331/wiring_harness_model_k4_k5/wiring_harness_model_k4_k5.bmp

[Prof Chaos]

Big shout out to all the posters on this thread! Without your info my install would have been a huge guessing game.

Buying the horn lead wire and finding the plug behind the radiator (EASY!!! 3 bolts and 1 minute of fishing for it) saved a lot of time. I soldered 2' of wire onto the horn lead wire, added crimp connectors (soldered those too), and voilla! Power!

Taking the grips off was easy, long thin screwdriver and a can of WD-40 shot under the grips and they slid off easy. Heater elements went on clean. I trimmed off the throttle sleeve ribs as advised. Used a bit of adhesive to reinstall the grips, routed the wires, drilled the fairing and notched it for the flat switch, and put it all together.

The only problems I ran into were reinstalling the bar end weights and getting the high/low straight. There's a washer inside the bars, between the nut and the end sleeve. One of those dropped out unnoticed, and i tried reassembly without it... didn't work. Luckily I found it on the other side of the garage a while later, put it in, and all was ok. The nuts did slip up into the bars... I used a chainsaw file wrapped in masking tape and pulled the nut all the way to the end of the bar. Problem solved.
There's a mistake in the instructions. It says one of the wires is high (can't remember if it's blue or white), but you're supposed to connect it to the low side of the switch. The wire marked high IS high, I checked the impedence, plug it into the high side of the switch.


Securing the wires from the grips to the switch went well. I routed them down along the existing harness' to the center of the stem, down low. From there I tied them together and ran them toward the headlight and around the fairing support bar on the left side. It's swithced on that side, on the flat splt left of the spedo. I screwed up the power wire, running it below the front tank support. I'll eventually unplug it and re-route it above that and inbetween the fairing and the tank. There's a loop up high on the inside of tha fairing that is perfect for a zip-tie... holds the power wire in perfect.

OK, so I finshed last night and was dying to test it out. It was sunny, dry, and 40 degrees out this morning, so I rode into work. On the high setting it was perfect with my summer gloves! Only rode for 10-15 minutes so I didn't try the low setting.

Total cost: heaters: $30, horn lead wire: $11.95. The install looks very clean, and I kept the stock grips! I don't know why anyone would spend $150 on the suzuki kit.

If anyone needs more info/pictures just let me know. And thanks again to all the posters who made my install easy!