Zach’s Garage

Grip Heaters

I installed my grip heaters today. It took about 3 hours total, most of which was wiring work. Instead of simply tapping into an existing power source like the directions recommend, I instead used a relay wired to the license plate light. When the ignition is turned on, the signal wire from the plate light turns the relay on, which then powers the heaters directly from the battery. This way they get direct power, not piggybacked off another circuit, and I won’t have to worry about leaving them on since they turn off when the ignition is off. I spent a good deal of time soldering and heat-shrinking every connection so they’d be waterproof and wouldn’t vibrate loose. I mounted the relay and the bulk of the wiring directly in front of the airbox, and followed all the existing wires with zip ties. Getting the grips on and off was pretty easy using compressed air under each one. I ended up drilling a hole for the switch, something I didn’t want to do, but its not like I’ll be removing the grip heaters anyway and it looks pretty clean. Also had to be careful with the wires coming from under each grip, making sure there is enough room for the handlebars to move back and forth, and for the throttle to open and close. Tested it out in the garage, and on the high setting the grips are almost too hot to hold with bare hands. This should make cold weather riding much more enjoyable, and they didn’t cost much at all. Sorry for not having any pictures of the install, I didn’t really have time this afternoon before Thanksgiving dinner.