Heat grips

[natemoen]

Single pole single throw would be all that you need.

[Nubian]

Single pole single throw would be all that you need.

Thanks, so as long as I use a relay I can connect to any keyed power source, correct?

[natemoen]

If you use a keyed power source as the trigger wire on the relay then yes.

[crazy steve]

Nate's got you covered on the wiring, the only thing I'll add is be careful that you don't exceed the charging system capacity. If you have any other electrical 'extras' on the bike, these may put you over and an extended ride could result in a dead battery. I couldn't find any electrical specs for these (watts or amps) but they usually draw a fair amount...

[natemoen]

Nate's got you covered on the wiring, the only thing I'll add is be careful that you don't exceed the charging system capacity. If you have any other electrical 'extras' on the bike, these may put you over and an extended ride could result in a dead battery. I couldn't find any electrical specs for these (watts or amps) but they usually draw a fair amount...

Glad I got it right! Thanks for confirming it!

[Nubian]

Nate's got you covered on the wiring, the only thing I'll add is be careful that you don't exceed the charging system capacity. If you have any other electrical 'extras' on the bike, these may put you over and an extended ride could result in a dead battery. I couldn't find any electrical specs for these (watts or amps) but they usually draw a fair amount...

I replaced all the instrument panel lights with LED's, did the brake/tail lights and all the turn signals also but was not comfortable with their brightness so I removed them. Will spring for that LED headlight as soon as the price is more manageable. The only other xtra I have rigged is a 12vdc power outlet for recharging gps, phone, ipad etc.......

btw the draw is 3 amps 36 watts
am I safe?

[crazy steve]

...btw the draw is 3 amps 36 watts
am I safe?

That should be no problem....

[Nubian]

Success

Will post pictures soon.
Thanks everyone and a special thanks to natemoen

[MaximPhil]

Hi Nubian,
For peace of mind add a Volt meter so you can monitor the voltage as you ride.
Phil

[Nubian]

That is not a bad idea! I suppose a digital would require more juice than an analog.

[IanDMacDonald]

I was just thinking about this whole heated grips thing. I bought the Tour Master heated jacket, pants, gloves combo and think it's the greatest thing ever. I still wear layers to protect against the wind, etc., as wearing it alone will not work. But, part of the reason your hands get so damn cold is the wind. So, will those heated grips be that effective with not so great gloves? The Tour Master gloves I use are basically snow mobile gloves, gore-tex shell providing great wind/water resistance. I have a pair of Castle X gloves that do the same. Problem with the gloves is dexterity. It's hard to "know" the friction zone of the clutch with these gloves on. I know some have used hippo hands, while others have used the wind deflectors. I think a combo of wind protection and the heated grips is the ideal setup.

[TomB]

I bought the Tour Master heated jacket, pants, gloves combo and think it's the greatest thing ever.

There's us worrying about the volts/amps draw from our heated grips!!!

Do you use this set up on your XS and does your charging system cope?

I agree on the heated grips vs heated gloves, you do tend to have the outside of your hands cold whilst the palms are warm, another problem is having really good gloves, keeps the cold out but also the hot from the grips. My problem with being wired to the bike is I just know I'll get off and walk away forgeting, done it with the intercom DOH!

[skids]

I have heated grips and seat on my honda st1300. They are nice, but the charging system for the xs11 is pretty mousey! The digital volt meter would likely be solid state and have LED display and be minimal draw of amps. However devices that make heat generally have significant amp draw. I would carefully look into the specs of anything that you contemplate installing and perhaps only switch them on at speed. Stop and go traffic may leve you "dead in the water"!

[DGXSER]

Perhaps also look into the Geezer Regulator rectifier upgrade. He makes one that puts out the higher amps at lower revs.

[IanDMacDonald]

Yes sir Skids! I have a 20 mile commute to my second job all highway, and that's the only time the switch is on. As soon as I drop rpm's, it goes off. Because it's an integrated system, amp draw is combined between each garment. It's actually quite a bit (close to 10a), running gloves, pants and jacket. Sometimes I use just one of the three on.