| Author | Message | ||
     Midnightrider |
Just bought these wrap-around-the-handgrip electric warmers. But - somewhere between the dealer and home I lost the installation instructions. They are not available on the Oxford web site. It looks pretty simple -looks like you just connect the 2 leads to the corresponding battery posts, but I would appreciate it if anyone who has these would let me know if there are any surprises. Also - doesn't look there is any fuse, although it might be within the switch. Thanks! | ||
| Fullpower |
i have put grip heat on more than a dozen bikes. i strongly recommend that you put them on KEY switched power. that is a good way to reduce the chance that you will turn valuable BATTERY power into useless heat, while you are not riding the bike. | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
Better yet get a $5 automotive relay from RadioShaq, triggered by a keyed power source and you'll be surre to never waste your battery. Check the bottom of the page and look for your specific application. http://www.hotgrips.com/inst-link.html Good luck. | ||
| Midnightrider |
thanks for the input. I'd love to put it on keyed power, but how? I have found a fuse/fuse tap thing at Advance Auto but have not been able to find one for the same size fuse as the Uly has. ALso checked Radio Shack for an Auto Relay but they were a small store and had none. TOme to search on line I guess. Thanks again | ||
| Firemanjim |
Donald,I just bought a pack of 10 relays on eBay last week for less than the nitrous guys sell one---looks the same to me.Do a search under relays in parts and accs.I really only needed one more but as I have 4 on the bike for all the nitrous/retard/bottle heater/etc I can use a few spares,here ya go,these are mine--http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5830286973&rd=1&sspagename=ST RK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1 | ||
| Newfie_buell |
You have the actual grips!!!! The ones I put on my S1 looked like two flat pieces of plastic with heating elements built in. I had to hollow out the throttle slide so it would work smoothly. Had them on almost 4 years now and no problems. | ||
| Midnightrider |
Hey guys A couple points - first I used the wrong name - they are Hot Wraps, not hot hands. Second, I popped the fuse box cover and there are no empty spaces for relays. Do you replace one that is already there and then run two devices off one relay? | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
All you need to do is find a wire that is keyed to the ignition, and you can mount the relay anywhere. On my quad I mounted the relay close to the battery, and I put in a fusible link, but I don't remember if it was between the relay and the battery or the relay and the handwarmers. Basically the keyed wire tells the relay to turn on when it senses current, and then the handwarmers will get there juice directly from the battery through the relay. I hope that helps. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
3m make a wonderful thing called a scotchlok connector, which you can use to take a tapping off a keyed live feed if you need to; this live feed you take to the positive terminal of the control side of the relay, the negative goes to ground; The switched side usually has 3 terminals, a feed in, a normally open contact & a normally closed contact, take a fused feed from the battery+ in the same gauge as used on the grips, or slightly heavier cable if you want the extra security; to the feed in terminal, and connect to the grips from the normally open terminal. If you want to put a switch in the system , put it on the control side, between the keyed live and relay control + Hope thats clear; if not, this site explains it for audio use but it's the same principle http://www.bcae1.com/relays.htm Ps. how much did you pay for them? a silver dollar? (Message edited by Mr_grumpy on November 27, 2005) | ||
| Midnightrider |
Payed $60. Just did a road test and they were great. Only problem is warm hands makes you more aware of the other body parts that aren't so warm. Not to beat this into the ground, but what's the advantage of a relay vs a fuse tap? I still haven't been able to find a mini-fuse tap although I know they make them. Also I'm reluctant to splice into a wire that is keyed power ( as if I could recognize one when I saw it) as I have this dread of walking out into the parking lot someday and finding a heap of smoldering Buell. I've done electrical in my truck (fog lights, aux power in the cab, etc) but these are all wired of a battery post adaptor. The small spaces around the battery and fuse box on the bike make me nervous. | ||
| Easy_rider |
There's a possibility that you'll turn on the heater switch while riding and forget to turn it off once you reach your destination. If you have a relay operating on switched power when you turn the bike off the power will be removed from the heaters elements and you don't have a cold ride home. I've been struggling to find a suitable place to hide my relay on my S3 myself. It will probably end up under the dash. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
If you're still not certain, get it done professionally, it's not a long job, any auto electrics company will be able to do it, & you'll have the peace of mind that if it goes up in smoke the insurance will pay. | ||
| Newfie_buell |
I wired mine straight to a switched accessory spot on the fuse block. I also wired in a fuse smaller than 15a but a shade greater than what the grips draw at full power. That way I won't burn out the circuit in the event of a dead short. Its not a big job, also put the large resistor in a spot where air will be flowing across it. I placed mine just behind the flyscreen but not close to it, a good airflow back there. | ||
| Black_sunshine |
Midnight....Sounds interesting. Could you post a pics? | ||
| Midnightrider |
Hey again. Working til 11 pm so I can't take and post a print until then. If you just want to see the product you can go to www.oxprod.com, then click on "essentials" then click on "winter gear". For what its worth, finally got a little smarter on what a relay does vs a regular fuse. There is a "how stuff works" website that is great http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/relay1.htm. Still think I'll try it myself if I can find one | ||
| Jackbequick |
If you haven't figured out the advantage of the relay, it is that you can switch devices that draw a lot of current on and off without having to have huge wires to the switch and heavy duty switches. You've been using relays for years on cars for things like starters, horns, headlights, etc. The ad says those draw 2 Amps so you can get away with using solid state relays like the ones Jim bought. Those are pretty small and light, easy to find a mounting place for. Jack (Message edited by jackbequick on November 28, 2005) | ||
| Midnightrider |
Actually I've done a lot of research today and had some excellent help up above. Now I know what a relay is, how it works, and how to install one, and how to find a "switched" or ignition activated power source. The grips are already installed and functional. The wires are not bulky at all and the leads running to each grip are actually pretty thin. The only drawback to wiring them per the instructions from the manufacture is that there is always power to the switch. The question I still have is in this application with a low draw of 2 amps what is the advantage of a relay vs a fuse tap from a switched fuse? Seems like overkill. Granted if I wanted to power up some heavy duty driving lights or another 12 source for a full set of heated clothing a relay would be appropriate. During my little bit of research it also seems that most accessories that really need a relay/wiring harness comes with one. Bottom line is I haven't been able to find either but the first one I can get my hands on (relay or fuse tap) will be the one that gets installed. Thanks again | ||
| Jackbequick |
Relays and fuses are apples and oranges, two different things. And I would use both. A relay handles switching the 2A load of the grips on and off using light guage wiring and switches that might not be able to handle the 2A load. A fuse protects the wiring by blowing if a shorted wire starts drawing a lot more current than the 2 Amps intended load. I would put a inline fuse holder on the positive lead to the grips. And I would put the fuse as close as possible to the point where I was getting the power from. To allow something for surges I would would probably use a 4A fuse on this 2A load. If the positive wire to the grips was nicked or pinched and shorted to ground, the fuse would blow. Without a fuse the wire would start to get hot, insulation could start melting, and things could get real ugly. You say your switch has power at all times. On my M2 there are two on positions on the ignition switch. The "P" position is for parking lamps only. I identified the lead that becomes hot in the "P" position and tapped it (with a ScotchLok connector) to supply an accessory 12V cigarette lighter socket in order to have a power outlet for a PDA and GPS receiver. And when the ignition is in either on position, I have power for the GPS receiver. When the ignition is off, everything is off. If I add hand warmers to my M2 I'll run the switching side of the relay off of the same lead mentioned above and connect the grips directly to the battery. The wire I tapped is fused by the 15A Accessory fuse in the standard fuse block. When I added the GPS and PDA I added their load (it varies from .05A to 1.5A maximum) to that 15A fuse. But that 15A fuse can handle the additional load, it is not a problem. The GPS/PDA run off of a DC-DC adapter with a built in 2A fuse so if anything goes wrong there, that 2A fuse will blow long before the 15A fuse is threatened. There are a number of different approaches that can be taken to wiring accessories but as long as you keep an eye on the sizes of the wiring, fuses, and the loads you are placing on them, you should be okay. Using relays will let you add a reasonable number of additional loads to that same switched leg, especially if the load side of the relay (with the heavy current draw) is taken directly off of the battery. When I connect anything direct to the battery, I put a inline fuse holder on the positive lead as close to the battery as possible to protect against shorts in that wiring run. Jack | ||
| Midnightrider |
great help - thanks much | ||
| Az_m2 |
Detail pictures, please? | ||
| Jackbequick |
"Detail pictures, please?" Of the wiring I did? Or of Midnight's install? I can shoot some of mine in the next day or so if that was what you wanted. Jack |
