| Author |
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Lowflyer
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 29, 2006 - 11:13 pm: | 
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I installed Dual Star heaters on mine. They work great. Here is my switch:
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Baydog
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 29, 2006 - 11:58 pm: |
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Hey Steve- Weren't you one of those anal BMW guys also??  The anal-ness stopped for me when I saw the price of the 1200 ADV.  'Twas then I decided to forsake the Roundel for the Pegasus.
The reason I'm asking (even though I admit it does sound anal) is that I put a set of Dual Stars on a Triumph Trophy one time and was not happy with them at all. The plastic throttle tube insulated better than the bare bar on the left side and the results were a bit disappointing. |
Marc
| | Posted on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 12:03 am: |
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I love my Polly Heaters and have had no issues with 3 months of use in Chicago, IL. JmHinkle's post in this thread (fifth from the top) provides a link to my post and his post which contains our installation method and photos.
Some of the folks in this thread complained of the bar being too hot with thin leather gloves and also getting cold fingertips. I actually wear a pair of GoreTex Ski gloves when it's below 50 degrees which solves this problem. A thicker glove will keep the fingertips insulated and when the heaters are on HI the glove insulation allows the heat to spread out over the glove and into your entire hand. With thin gloves the heat goes straight to your skin which is in close contact with the bar. Thin gloves also have no insulation for your fingertips. In temps below 50 where you have to keep the bar heat up your skin needs some glove insulation between your skin and the hot bar as well as some fingertip insulation to stay warm. I would think the Buell gauntlet gloves would have greater thickness and/or insulation between your fingers and the bar as well which will accomplish better feel as well as fingertip warmth. I don't have Buell Gauntlets so I can't provide a field tested opinion on them for this application. I do loose some bar feel with ski gloves but I'm used to it and it does not bother me as my winter riding is mostly work commuting so I don't need to have "track day" feel. In temps above 50 I use my thin leather gloves and polly heater on low w/out a problem.
I like the toggle switch which came with the Polly Heaters kit. The toggle switch combined with the inside of the cockpit switch mounting I selected makes it easily adjustable (Hi/Lo/Off) with gloved left hand while riding without having to visually look at the switch so you can keep your eyes on the road. The alternate switch options and positions mentioned in other posts above are interesting, but I'm more than satisfied with what I did and feel it's the safest. Having the toggle switch in the cockpit makes it easily eye scannable so I know whether it is Hi Lo or OFF. Some of the alternate switch styles and mounting locations on the side of the cockpit appear cleaner but are out of your field of vision which may result in switch feeling with your gloved hand to confirm the Hi/Lo/Off setting while you are riding which reduces safety. It is much safer to eye scan the switch than have to glove feel the switch to confirm it's position while you are riding with those crazy cell phone yacking cagers out there.
I only use Hi for the initial warm up and then typically alternate between Low or Off as comfort requires. I've only used HI full time when it's below 35 degrees and that is about my cold weather riding limit. I don't need a heat troller on the Polly Heaters although I do acknowledge the value others are getting from it. I do not find myself adjusting Hi/Low/Off very frequently and find HI/Low/Off a satisfactory temperature control for my needs.
I actually bought a Gerbing Jacket Liner with the gerbing heat troller last weekend to keep my core body warm as well. You definitely need a heat troller for the heated clothing. My chest and neck are now toasty warm just like my hands are. Two pairs of socks in the boots and an extra layer under my leathers is fine for my lower body as you do get some wind protection even with the naked ULY. When it's really cold and I'm doing a long ride I'll take some plastic grocery bags and place them over my socks inside my boots to ensure no air gets through my boots (Yes, I agree I need a boot upgrade and have mentioned this to Santa also).
With all this heated gear I now have, I might even venture below my current 35 degree riding limit. Unfortunately Old Man Winter is arriving in Chicago tomorrow so I'll have a chance to find out soon. |
Stevenknapp
| | Posted on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 12:50 am: |
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Ya, I was (Had a '98 Trophy 1200 too! But that had the factory grips), and I ran away. I thought you were talking about evenness across a single hand. As in "my middle finger was warmer than the rest, that's why I flipped you off officer" 
FWIW, the ones I got are setup to make more heat on one side than the other. Unless there is a strong crosswind I think they heat pretty evenly. They do get more hot on low than the BMW ones. |
Lowflyer
| | Posted on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 10:34 am: |
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My Dual-Stars heat evenly and work perfectly on Hi or Low settings.
If your grip heaters get too hot, I would suggest hooking them up to a PWM. You can get one at qkits.com |
Baydog
| | Posted on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 10:42 am: |
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Thanks for that Steve. I didn't realize that they could be had with one side running a bit warmer than the other. It just occurred to me that another option might be to pull off the left grip, glue on a throttle tube to the bar and use a right side grip on the left also. That way both sides would be insulated evenly and then the heat should be dead even. |
Paochow
| | Posted on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 02:25 pm: |
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FT_BStrd: Do you recall, how big of a hole you had to drill to mount the switch? I started doing some premptive disassembly and realized that the portion where the switch is mounted is metal (no go for wood bits, may have to buy a bigger drill bit). Thanks, paochow. |
Ft_bstrd
| | Posted on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 02:47 pm: |
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It was a fairly large hole. I would recommend buying a "Unibit". It's the conical shaped bit that has tiers for different diameters.
It is expensive ($30) but, it is money well spent. For most of the metal surfaces (cowling, handlebars, etc.), it will be the best tool in your box.
I think the hole was nearly 3/4 of an inch. The switch I used was not the switch that comes in the Polly heater kit. It comes in the Symtec kit from CASporttouring.com
I also ran all the wires from the Polly heaters through one hole in the bars, so the hole will need to be larger than the directions indicate. |
Lowflyer
| | Posted on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 03:27 pm: |
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I believe the instructions call for a 11/16" hole for that round rocker. That odd size, availability of replacement switches, and the lack of weatherproofness was why I went with a standard 1/2" toggle.
Otherwise, I do prefer the cleaner, less phallic look of it. |
Stevenknapp
| | Posted on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 04:35 pm: |
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I used the uni-bit as well. I was VERY nervous drilling the hole.
If it fails I'll order another one for a buck fifty.
I've been tempted by the PWM, actually the geek in me wanted a closed loop control for the grip heat. But the hi/lo setup works well enough. |
Lowflyer
| | Posted on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 04:48 pm: |
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If it fails I'll order another one for a buck fifty.
Yeah, that's only 3x the cost of a standard SPDT toggle that you can buy over the counter.   |
Ft_bstrd
| | Posted on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 05:21 pm: |
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Yeah, but I don't like using "comdoms". |
Lowflyer
| | Posted on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 05:42 pm: |
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I don't mind them so long as they are new. |
Stevenknapp
| | Posted on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 08:20 pm: |
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Yeah, that's only 3x the cost of a standard SPDT toggle that you can buy over the counter.
Or about a half a gallon of gas.
My point is just that it's not a huge expense. It's not been an issue so far (I've ridden in a lot of rain). And if it becomes a wear item it's and cheap thing to swap out.
Both work, but I like the look. What can I say.  |
Ft_bstrd
| | Posted on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 09:16 pm: |
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You do understand that NONE of the electrical connections under the faring are water proof. Ride in the rain for an hour or so and crack open the front faring. There is moisture. The whole bottom is open to the elements. The outside might have a nifty "condom" but the business end is still open to the elements.
I went strictly for asthetics knowing that I might have to replace a switch sometime maybe. |
Lowflyer
| | Posted on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 09:48 pm: |
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No, I am completely unaware that all of the heat-shrunk coated contacts and rubberized connectors located behind the flyscreen are exposed to the elements. |
Lowflyer
| | Posted on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 09:50 pm: |
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The back of my switch was soldered and potted before I installed it. I used environmental splices to connect the wires.
Aviation stuff. Remember? |
Ft_bstrd
| | Posted on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 11:02 pm: |
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Have you taken a good look at the grounding wires or the wires that connect your horn. Have you looked inside all of your switch gear.
Yes it has insulation. Yes some of it is wrapped.
If you think that area under there is completely protected from the elements, you are on crack.
I've watched "Seconds from Disaster". You knuckle dragging aerospace wrench benders are just as likely to bring the plane down as keep a toggle switch waterproof! |
Lowflyer
| | Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 08:39 am: |
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Grounding points need little or no protection. Switch gear is as designed. My toggle, and yours are not designed for indoor/outdoor use. While weatherproofing is not absolutely necessary in this application, it does help to prolong the life of electrical components. If you take a look at the Deutsch and Delphi connectors used all over your bike, you will notice that they are all weatherproof. I couldn't care less about the puny horn. I can yell louder through my helmet so I never use it anyway.
The only planes I have brought down have been landed with such skill and precision as to make Chuck Yeager shed tears of joy.
Besides, I don't bend wrenches. I'm a specialist.
Is that all you have, fatty?  |
Adrian_8
| | Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 09:17 am: |
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I use the Gerbing heated gloves, no need for the heated grips..back of your hand stays warm even when waving to other riders. Have plug-ins on both bikes, roasty-toasty. |
Ft_bstrd
| | Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 09:48 am: |
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Yeah, Kansas sucks! |
Lowflyer
| | Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 11:34 am: |
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I agree. Kansas sucks.  |
Paochow
| | Posted on Saturday, December 02, 2006 - 11:05 am: |
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Ok I'm in the process of installing my Polly's does anyone recall which is the "high" wire and which is the "low" wire. From the French instructions it appears the red(rouge) is high, is that right? Thanks. |
Ft_bstrd
| | Posted on Saturday, December 02, 2006 - 12:29 pm: |
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You got the French version! 
I believe the Red is the high and goes to the bottom terminal and the other (Blue/Brown) is the low and goes to the top terminal (unless you are using the switch I am using and then the terminal locations are reversed.
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Paochow
| | Posted on Saturday, December 02, 2006 - 02:39 pm: |
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Thanks, I was hoping those years of high school french didn't let me down. |
Gearloose
| | Posted on Saturday, December 02, 2006 - 07:02 pm: |
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You guys with the Pollys.Did you wire direct to battery or wire into the dash acc. plug behind dash?
Hope that made sense! That's what I get for working 13 hrs today.
Thks
Gearloose |
Ft_bstrd
| | Posted on Saturday, December 02, 2006 - 07:25 pm: |
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Gear,
I had a fused and relayed connection that powers my HIDs that I used. I connected the relay to the power outlet and then direct wired to the battery via fused connection.
That way, I'm not running any real power off the power outlet, so I can still use heated vest, etc. without worrying about power draw.
Some have wired directly. Some have wired into the power outlet. I just like the added safety of having a separate dedicated direct connection with it's own fuse. I also like the safety that a relay offers in that once the key is turned off, the power is off. You can't accidentally leave your grip heaters on and drain the battery.
I'm sure others here can weigh in with better wiring ideas. |
Jmhinkle
| | Posted on Sunday, December 03, 2006 - 01:37 am: |
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I never use the dash outlet for anything so I tapped it for power. It is switched power all ready so you won't have to worry about draining your battery by using it. The max rating of the Polly's is like 5 watts or something super low so I wouldn't worry about it anyways. |
Paochow
| | Posted on Sunday, December 03, 2006 - 10:02 am: |
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I'm using the dash outlet as well. However I fried my hands using just the low setting, so I have a Heat Troller on the way. |
Ft_bstrd
| | Posted on Sunday, December 03, 2006 - 10:23 am: |
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Yep! It's hot like a mofo!
At first, I was worried that they wouldn't get hot enough. I'm not worried any more. |
