| Author | Message | ||
     Marc |
Hi all, Many of you asked for more detailed pictures of the Polly Heaters installation in a Ulysses. After reading Jmhinkle’s article, I was inspired to add grip heaters as well. I live in Chicago and ride if it is 44 degrees or warmer and love my heated grips. I have had the heated grips for two weeks now and commute to the train station for my daily commute to work. I love the heated grips as they warm up pretty quick in the morning. Link to Jmhinkle’ article which inspired me to complete this project: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/show.cgi?tpc=142838&post=737877#POST737877 Thanks JM! Here are the pollyheaters I ordered which have a Hi, Lo, Off switch. http://www.pollyheaters.com/ph400.htm Because they have a hi and lo, an extra pair of wires is required so this installation will be very similar to jmhinkle’s but you’ll see an extra set of wires. I found that the 6 wires in the hi/lo set were a bit snug in the one 3/8” hole I have in the center of my bars. It is a little snug, but not so much that it will wear through the grommet and wire insulation. If I were to do this hi lo set up again, I would either do two 3/8” holes in the handlebar (one for each set of 3 wires, or I would have made just one hole that was ½” for all 6 wires. There is plenty of metal and bracing around the center of the bar and a ½” hole would not negatively impact strength of bar. Here are some photos of my install. I used an image compresser to get them under 70K so the image quality isn't the best. The handlebar bolts are lock-tighted so you will need to apply a great deal of torque with a nice allen wrench like this one.  Properly protect your bike with towels to prevent scratches. I did remove the rear view mirros, but I did not have to detach any of brake or clutch cables and simply supported the handle bar with the right size box which I happened to have in the garage. Hole drilling was simple.  Fishing of the wires was very simple. Right hand fish.  Left hand fish.  Wires in bottom of handlebar with rubber grommet installed. Notice it's a little tight. I recommend a bigger hole (1/2") or two 3/8" holes if you are going to do this.  The wires easily fish through the cockpit. A zip tie or two to keep them from vibration/chafing in the cockpit.  I placed my switch on the right side and use my left hand to adjust it when riding.  Inside the cockpit I soldered most of the connections on the switch and associated ground so I don't have to worry about shorts a few years down the road.  I bought a $10 12V current polarity tester at the automotive parts section of Target. It basically looks like a pen with a sharp point on it and it turns color based upon whether the wire insulation you've pushed through covers a Positive or a Negative wire. As I suspected the RED colored wire was Positive, but i'm glad I used the polarity checker just to be sure. The 12V accessory jack on the Ulysses is made for high amperage loads and other than going all the way back to the battery the 12V Accessory is the only place you should put heated grips due to the higher load. I've had no problems or blown fuses in two weeks so I'm sold it is sufficient for heated grips. To Jmhinkle's point in his article you really want heated grips connected to a key activated electrical connection so you are not left with a dead batter if you accidentally leave them on or if some knucklehead decides to mess with your switches when you are not around.  I insulated all open connections with a product called "Liquid Tape" which you can find at most hardware stores. It basically paints on, dries like rubber, and is a perfect insulator. After it dried I added a wrap of electrical tape over the top as an insurance policy against chafing over the years.  Next Steps --> I'll be getting a heated vest for XMAS and when I do, it will be connected directly to the battery. I would think both heated grips and a heated vest running off of the same 12V accessory plug will be too much for the wiring to the 12V Accessory plug. Installation report complete! Hope this helps you get more cold weather riding time out of your motorcycle. Happy Riding, Marc | ||
| Jmhinkle |
Great Job Marc. That is definitely the kit I would have preferred, but I did have mine laying around unused all ready. I don't think you can beat those prices with how well they really work. I couldn't tell if they improved the switch in that picture, but mine was the all plastic type and would not stay tight and eventually broke the plastic tightening ring. I replaced it with an all metal mounting type that has the LED in the end from Wally world. Something to keep an eye on. | ||
| Paochow |
Nice write up and pictures! This is going on my Uly to-do list. Thanks. | ||
| Marc |
To JmHinkle's question above, The switch I received in the Hi Lo kit was completely metal and very sturdy. I am very happy with value for the money on this less than $40 upgrade. Here are the pollyheaters I ordered which have a Hi, Lo, Off switch. http://www.pollyheaters.com/ph400.htm | ||
| Windrider |
Nice write up. My last two bikes have had heated grips and I will never own another bike that doesn't have them. I ride when it is cold and they make a huge difference. | ||
| Dgunther |
Where is the best place to get the PH400 kit? The manufacturer looks like they only do orders by mail, and I'm not very patient !  I've seen a couple of places online that have the snowmobile kit and a few others that don't say if it is the snowmobile or bike kit. I don't want to end up with heaters that get too hot. Also, what's the best way to get the bar ends removed without breaking them or gouging them up so I can install the heater elements? | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Dgunther, DaveS has them for $26.00. Call him: 920-757-1651. | ||
| Paochow |
Thanks for the heads up Ft_Bstrd. I'll be ordering a set manana. | ||
| Scary_mc |
Very nice mod, I'd love to do it but have the Renthal 'thick wall' bars on my Uly. I wonder how hard it would be to drill them out..... | ||
| Red_chili |
I bought the cheaper Pollys before I figured out there was a Hi-Lo version. DOH! But... with a double-pole switch, it seems to me that these could be made hi-lo as well- with the added benefit of drawing 1/2 the current at low power, putting less stress on the Uly's electrics.  I've not tried it yet, lacking time. But I see no issues, anything I might be missing? |
