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Flying Duck
Psychotic Waterfowl
Joined: 27 Jan 2005
Posts: 7718
Location: Seattle, WA
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 Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:26 am Post subject: Aftermarket heated grips with an OEM switch |
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This seems to be a fairly popular subject so I'll make a sticky for it.
There are many ways to skin this cat. Here's a link to a write-up I did on how I do it:
http://tinyurl.com/fdkkhg
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93 K11LT-"The Alien"
94 K11RS- "Kato"
86-97 K75F (K75/100/1100 Frankenbike)
IBA #17739 (SS1K, BBG, 50CC)
Buy parts HERE |
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Flying Duck
Psychotic Waterfowl
Joined: 27 Jan 2005
Posts: 7718
Location: Seattle, WA
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| Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:43 am Post subject: |
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Someone PM'd me the following questions. (Please don't PM me tech questions. Other people may have the same questions you do so please post this stuff out in public. Not only will you get more than just my one opinion but that will also make it viewable and searchable for others.)
| Quote: | I've seen some wrte ups as of late about adding Symtec heated grips.
Some have added a relay from Eastern Beaver and went to the battery for power.
You have reccomended using the installed pick up off the harness dedicated to the heated grips designed by BMW.
In your earnest opinion, with the melt downs that have occurred on some bikes, is using that stock hook up the best route to go and could the Symtec grips suffer from the same possible melt down?
I understand from the tech comments the Symtec grip wiring is different than stock BMW so I think it should be OK.
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The meltdowns occur in the BMW intermediate wiring harness that goes between the main wiring harness, the switch and the heated grips. The low setting goes through a resistive wire that heats up when current goes through it and that melts the insulation sometimes. This causes shorts, blown fuses(#1 fuse), or sometimes smoke and, worst case, FIRE!  I know of a couple of cases(EXTREMELY rare) where bikes actually caught fire due to this. (If your #1 fuse keeps blowing, do not just keep replacing it, find out what's causing the short.)
The Symtec heated grips have two heated elements per side, one for the high setting and one for the low setting and do not use a resistive wire circuit like the BMW heated grips. Since there is no resistive wire in the circuit and you're just tapping into the factory main wiring harness you do not expose yourself to a meltdown. (Provided you wired things up properly of course.)
By tapping into the factory wiring harness, you're taking advantage of the relay and fuse circuitry that's already on your bike for heated grips so there's no need to add an additional relay and fuse.
_________________
93 K11LT-"The Alien"
94 K11RS- "Kato"
86-97 K75F (K75/100/1100 Frankenbike)
IBA #17739 (SS1K, BBG, 50CC)
Buy parts HERE |
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carp
Big Brick Rider
Joined: 09 Jan 2009
Posts: 52
Location: Minnesota
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| Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:53 am Post subject: |
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Is there a way to disable the low heat setting on a stock setup?
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93 K1100LT
86 K75C |
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Jim
Flying Brick Rider
Joined: 17 May 2003
Posts: 2682
Location: Northern VA US
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| Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 11:17 am Post subject: |
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| carp wrote: | | Is there a way to disable the low heat setting on a stock setup? |
Yes, don't turn it on - or clip the wire. See Drake's post here: http://k11og.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4199&highlight=
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Jim 
I'll stick with "the brick"
1997 K1100LTSEA 73,000
1982 Yamaha Maxim 750 - 2nd and 6th bike
"There's a disturbance in the Force" Yoda |
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Flying Duck
Psychotic Waterfowl
Joined: 27 Jan 2005
Posts: 7718
Location: Seattle, WA
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| Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 11:38 am Post subject: |
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In thinking about it, the simplest way to disable the low setting is to pop out the heated grip switch and cut the orange wire off of the back of the switch.
_________________
93 K11LT-"The Alien"
94 K11RS- "Kato"
86-97 K75F (K75/100/1100 Frankenbike)
IBA #17739 (SS1K, BBG, 50CC)
Buy parts HERE |
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skdonlan
Flying Brick Rider
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Posts: 985
Location: Virginia Beach, VA
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| Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 8:47 pm Post subject: |
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As someone who recently did the Symtec grip heater installation, I just wanted to chime in that I could have easily used the stock wiring for it, but since I had already ordered and recieved the EB kit, I decided to use it for the hell of it. Also, I have my Catz lights tied into the switched grip heater wire (green with brown stripe) and didn't feel like messing with something that worked. (If it ain't broke, don't fix it!). 
I also read about the fire issue with the stock grip setup and was concerned about it unitl I read enough to know that the Symtecs used a dual element set up (one for high, one for low) and the fire issue was not a problem. After reading about the BMW set up, it made me glad I didn't have the factory grips, all I needed to worry about is blowing a 5 amp fuse, not turning my bike into a Roman candle!
Again, my decision to use the EB relay was only because I had already paid for it and I had some time to kill in a heated garage. Had I researched more thoroughly, I would have saved $30 and just used the stock wiring.
I would also have used a stock BMW switch (like the three way one Jim donated to me) but I had already used that to run my two sets of Catz lights, down for the fogs, middle for off and and up for the driving lights.
Go for the heated grips, one of those things you didn't know you were missing... 
_________________
Steve
Virginia Beach, VA
93 K1100RS Mystic Red, 54K+ and goin' strong!
"but the red one is very tasty what with its burnished gold wheels." Superbike 1993 |
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carp
Big Brick Rider
Joined: 09 Jan 2009
Posts: 52
Location: Minnesota
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 11:41 pm Post subject: |
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I have a 93 k11LT and destroyed my left heated grip in a low speed slide. Am thinking of installing symtec on both handlegrips. I don't need a bmw switch if I already have one? Does it matter if I order the rocker switch or toggle switch? on the casporttouring site?
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93 K1100LT
86 K75C |
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Jim
Flying Brick Rider
Joined: 17 May 2003
Posts: 2682
Location: Northern VA US
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| Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2010 1:17 am Post subject: |
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Unless you wiped out the stock switch in your slide, why not use it?
_________________
Jim
I'll stick with "the brick"
1997 K1100LTSEA 73,000
1982 Yamaha Maxim 750 - 2nd and 6th bike
"There's a disturbance in the Force" Yoda |
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Flying Duck
Psychotic Waterfowl
Joined: 27 Jan 2005
Posts: 7718
Location: Seattle, WA
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| Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2010 2:11 pm Post subject: |
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Yep, just use the switch you've got.
(And stop sliding your bike.)
_________________
93 K11LT-"The Alien"
94 K11RS- "Kato"
86-97 K75F (K75/100/1100 Frankenbike)
IBA #17739 (SS1K, BBG, 50CC)
Buy parts HERE |
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carp
Big Brick Rider
Joined: 09 Jan 2009
Posts: 52
Location: Minnesota
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| Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2010 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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I am the guy who clipped off the orange wire on the switch to prevent fire, two months before I wrecked the left side heated grip. I will try to resolder it. I have ordered parts for Symtec, including pro hand grips, 699. Should I scrape off the old heat grids on the right grip or get a new plastic piece for non heated throttle grip. Glad I saw the symtec before I installed a new bmw clutch grip (cost $130).
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93 K1100LT
86 K75C |
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Flying Duck
Psychotic Waterfowl
Joined: 27 Jan 2005
Posts: 7718
Location: Seattle, WA
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| Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2010 10:44 pm Post subject: |
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You're probably fine just slapping the Symtecs on top off the old heating element.
_________________
93 K11LT-"The Alien"
94 K11RS- "Kato"
86-97 K75F (K75/100/1100 Frankenbike)
IBA #17739 (SS1K, BBG, 50CC)
Buy parts HERE |
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