So Symtec heated grips. Fitting etc.

[stinkwheel]

Had them recommended by G amongst others so ordered a set off ebay for the girlfriends CB500.

These are unusual in that they retain the original handlebar grips.

The kit comes with two heater elements in a flexible plastic sticker which are a bit like the heated rear windscreen on a car. It also comes with a rocker switch (for faired bikes) or a flick switch (for dirt bikes etc), some terminals and some bits of wiring.

They suggest tapping into a switched live such as the headlamp feed for the power supply to these grips. I would strongly recommend against this. It would be better to fit a seperate, individually fused power supply for the grips routed through a relay. You could use such a supply to power a whole variety of accessories. I've described how to do this in detail in another thread

So. Having sorted out a power supply for them, you need to remove the handgrip rubbers. Easier on some bikes than others. If they have been glued on with strong glue, you may need to cut them off and replace them, remember the throttle one has plastic under it.

My way is to remove the bar weights. Having done that, you can see a gap between the rubber and the handlebar, I push the straw of a can of WD40 up in here and start squirting the WD40 between the rubber and the bar. Once you've got it worked round, a bit of twisting and pulling should see them slide off.
https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/stinkwheel/drumbrake/DSCN0611.png

I have also heard of people putting an airline in the gap, this may see them coming off rather faster than you intended!

You now need to remove all traces of glue, and oil from the inside of the grips and the handlebar. I'd suggest hot soapy water for the grips themselves and some sort of residue-free spray solvent for the bars. If you don't degrease them thoroughly, the heaters aren't going to stick.
https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/stinkwheel/drumbrake/DSCN0614.png
https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/stinkwheel/drumbrake/DSCN0612.png

Next step is attaching the heaters. The clutch and throttle side ones are different powers because one attaches to metal, the other to plastic:
https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/stinkwheel/drumbrake/DSCN0615.png

Offer them up first so you can see where you are going to route the wires. You'd normally want the wires coming away from the bars towards the front of the bike. Once you're happy with where they are going, peel off the backing and stick them on. I put a bit of PVC tape round the outside edges of them to help them stay put but the glue on them is pretty damned sticky, it was probably unecessary.
https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/stinkwheel/drumbrake/DSCN0616.png

Next you need to slide the handgrips back on. The best way I've found to do this is to NOT use glue. Get some hairspray and soak the inside of the grip with it. It should slide over the handlebar with next to no effort. After half an hour, the liquid part of the hairspray will have evaporated and they'll be stuck fast.

Unlike with glue, you can get them off again using the WD40 trick if you put them on with hairspray.
https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/stinkwheel/drumbrake/DSCN0617.png

The clutch side wiring is pretty straightforward. Just straight out from under the grip at the 9 O' clock position when viewed from the end of the bar. Cable tied in place to the bar alongside the switch wiring.
https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/stinkwheel/drumbrake/DSCN0619.png

The throttle side needs a bit more planning, you need to leave a loop of loose cable to allow for the throttle turning.
https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/stinkwheel/drumbrake/DSCN0618.png

I routed the wires from the grips alongside the existing switchgear wiring down to the front subframe then across to the right side of the fairing following the indicator wires. It all fitted neatly under the existing cable clips.

Remember to leave enough slack so the cables don't pull tight with the bars at full lock.

As is my usual, I wrapped the wires together into a kind of mini-loom with PVC tape.

I attached connectors to the end of the wires and fitted them to both the switch supplied and my power supply leads according to the diagram supplied with the kit. (the black wire you see is just a short loop running from the switch to the connector, the main black wire could just have easily been connected directly to the switch).
https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/stinkwheel/drumbrake/DSCN0622.png
https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/stinkwheel/drumbrake/DSCN0623.png

The final job is fitting the switch to the fairing. For this you need a 13/16" hole (roughly 20mm). I used a step drill to make the hole in the fairing, pushed the wires up through the hole, reconnected the switch and pushed it into place.

A step drill is a very useful tool for making neat holes in plastics to allow for fitting of switches, wiring, bungs and suchlike.
https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/stinkwheel/drumbrake/DSCN0627.png

Job's a good-un.
https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/stinkwheel/drumbrake/DSCN0626.png

The grips themselves seem to warm up ok, you can feel them hot to the touch after 2-3 minutes. I haven't personally road tested them but I'll let you know what the girlfriend thinks once she's tried them.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[neatbik]

Cool

I like the idea of being able to use normal grips, i find the oxford grips a bit bulky

[Gazdaman]

And do you think they were worth the money?

I can't help but think they're very pricey for what you get. I think the cheapest I found was £36 inc postage. Which is more than the last 2 sets of full heated grips I've bought put together.

Gaz

[silky666]

Good 'write up'.
Just wish I had read this before f*cking up the install of mine.
They never did work
____________________
There's nothing that shouts "Poor Workmanship" more than wrinkles in the Gaffa tape.

Gaffa tape is like "the force" - it has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

[stinkwheel]

[Gazdaman]

I do like the idea of having heated renthal soft grips. So I may well pay for the idea.

But I reckon give it a few years and these'll be £10-15.

Gaz

[G]

I got the impression they talked about glue (they mentioned jbweld in the instructions I believe) also to aid heat transference as well as staying stuck in hot/wet conditions - I would suspect that it's possible as they got hot the grip could become loose, especially in wetter conditions.

Gaz - these grips have been used for some time on snowmobiles I think. Cheapest I found in the US is £26 with a very quick on look google shopping US.

I don't think the price, considering this is the UK etc, ist too bad - compared to other heated grips and the functionality they offer, I'm fairly happy to pay it.

Incidentally, I wired a LED in to mine on the KTM, so that I could see if I've left them on - they're actually wired in to an accessory wiring loom bit anyway, but still nice to see.
I forget how I did it, but I have it so it lights whether you have it on high or low power.

[stinkwheel]

[owl10]

apologies for dragging this thread back up again, just wanted to say excellent guide, just fitted my symtec grips using a switched live following your instruction.

Cheers, have some karma!

[instigator]

Stinkwheel - any update as to how they've lasted so far and how good they are in the current, shitty weather?

[Tonka]

I put these on the Serow, as I found that the thinner offroad gloves I need to use meant I was getting very, very cold hands.

They went on in April this year and I've used them a lot - yep, mainly on constantly when in Europe in June! I've been using them the past week and I think that the clutch side is now dead. Throttle side is still lovely a toasty, albeit I only feel the heat on full, nothing gets through on low.

I'm now going to get hold of these cheap Chinese ones from ebay and replace the clutch one that's given up with the new throttle one!

I'd recommend heated grips - whatever your budget there seems to be a set out there you can use. I'm not sure how these wrap ones work through thicker gloves mind you - my offroad gloves are really quite thin.
____________________
'The core of a man's spirit comes from new experiences'
Suzuki SV650S (Clean); Yamaha XT250 Serow (Dirty)

[stinkwheel]

[The Artist]

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Motorcycle-Heated-Grip-Pads-Heaters-MX-Enduro-Road-Bike-/150478683805?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item23093a7e9d

Chives has these. Even simpler method is to just have them over the top of your grips, extra toastyness, none of the hassle explained above. Also only £5 for effectively the same thing.

I ordered mine a while ago and should be here soon.

[G]

[The Artist]

[G]

Ah oops, my bad. They are entirely different then, because the symtec go underneath the grips .

Pretty sure the cheap ones I got didn't come with the extra plastic, so where made to go under the grips.

[The Artist]

Ah ok. Well description says it should come with them. Chives got 2 whole sets sent to him by accident and they had the sticky pads.