Wilsons Sandbox

Listers, I've been working a bit lately on my BMW R100RT project bike. I've owned it for 5 1/2 years and still haven't ever started the engine since I bought it. Yeah, it's a long story but at least I'm finally putting it back together. : ) What's this got to do with KLRs? Well, today I got to the point of installing grips and grip heating elements. Thought I'd share just a tad as this method works on the KLR too. Fellow list member and Wyoming Airhead Hugh Kenny had told me in the past about some touring grips he really likes on his Airhead. A few weeks ago I asked him about them again and also if he thought they'd work with grip heating elements. He didn't think they'd be so good with heating elements as they probably wouldn't pass the heat very well. Sooooo....... I decided to go with similar grips to what I'm using on my KLR with similar grip heating elements. I ordered two pair of ProGrip Gel Grips model 714 at a local Motocross store. I met Gage the owner right before he opened the store and like to toss some business his way when I can. My choices were the 737 which is what I use on the KLR or the 714. The 714 seems a bit less aggressive to me and has small holes (about 1/8") over the entire grip. Heck, maybe that makes it more aggressive? Anyway, I like the way they looked in the book and think they look good on a road touring machine now that they're installed. A few days after I ordered the grips Gage called and said they were in. Cost was a bit more than Fred's price at about just over $9 per pair of grips. Even with tax at 6% my bill was less than $20. Why two pair you may wonder? Well, I've been trying to keep the heat on the left grip from going into the bar. So what I do is wrap the left bar with cork bicycle grip tape and then put the heating element over the tape and the grip over the heating element. That gets kind of large so I use a throttle side grip on the left side. To make that happen I need to buy two pair of grips. It leaves me with a pair of clutch side grips and nothing to put them on in my stable. This evening I decided I'd take the pair of 714s and also the pair of 737s from the KLR installation back to Gage and see if they would work on a kids motocross bike. If not I'm pretty sure they'd work on an ATV and I know a few guys with ATVs here so I should be able to get them a good home. Anyway, these black 714 grips look pretty darn good and feel comfortable so far too. I won't get to ride the bike for a few more weeks probably but so far I'm impressed with them. If I was doing the KLR again I think I'd use the 714s instead of the 737s. Back to the heating elements... On the KLR I started with the Dual-Star elements that I bought when I was offered a deal by a guy that did a bunch of testing on them before they were commercially available. The deal was so good I bought three sets knowing I'd use them on a few bikes in the next 5-8 years. On the KLR with the tape under the left heating element it gets so hot, even on low, that I can only use it for a few minutes and then must turn off the grips. I've recently been wondering if that doesn't have something to do with the gel grips getting hot and then really transferring the heat well. Anyway, Martin Earl has the same issue with his KLR when we set it up. I guess it was two years ago I changed from the Dual-Star element to Moose ATV grip heating elements. Both elements in the Moose kit are the same wattage which just happens to be the same as the clutch side of the Dual-Star kit. So I removed the first pair I installed and swapped out with the Moose heating elements. I was hoping to up the heat on the throttle side so both hands would stay comfortable. It's better but still not equal. A point about the Dual-Star heating elements is they are different heat ranges for the clutch side (hotter) which is supposed to be mounted to the bar (heatsink) and the throttle side which is not so hot. After using the Moose heating elements and still having too much heat... my next attempt at getting easily regulated useable heat on the grips is buying a dual controller heat troller for heated grips. I bought one a few months ago and still haven't installed it. But it's looking promising for the RT and the KLR too. I should be able to regulate each grip using pulse width modulation (really fast current switching) and set each grip to a comfortable heat level. The heat troller will be wired in permanently to the heating element circuits so I can select high or low on the element and then use the dial to control the electricity going to it. In theory this will save electricity as it only uses what I set it at versus using a resistor which just becomes a heating element itself and wastes the heat and electricity. Tomorrow I think is heat troller day on the RT. The KLR is on hold for a few weeks or more. A couple of the tricks I use to install the heating elements and grips are to make sure the bar or throttle tube is clean and smooth. On the KLR I file off the ridges on the throttle tube after cutting off the factory grips which really stick to the tube. I also had to file two ridges off the throttle tube on the RT. I use High Temperature RTV as a lubricant and glue. So I put the heating element on the throttle tube and then wrap it with sewing thread using about 1/2" spacing in a spiral to the end of the tube. I tie off the thread and make sure the element is positioned where I want it and the wires will be able to move full rotation without issue. Then I put some RTV on the element and slide the grip over the RTV, thread and element. I wipe up the RTV that is squeezed out. Then I let it vulcanize for 24 hours without so much as touching the grips. On the left side I wrap the cork bicycle tape on the bar and then wrap sewing thread around the tape. I put the heating element in position and then return wrap the sewing thread to the starting point. This really helps keep the element in place when I slide the grip over it. I continue like the throttle side with RTV, sliding the grip in place and then wiping up any RTV that is squeezed out. I again check the wires and also the grips to make sure they are positioned correctly. I don't touch the grips for 24 hours although I suppose 12 hours would probably be enough time. I did remove a set of grips that were installed using this method and it was easy to do without damaging the grips or heating elements. In fact this evening I used the previously installed clutch side heating element on the RT. I did check it with an ohm meter to make sure it had good circuits and I also wiped it with acetone to remove some old adhesive. So, for those thinking they'd like to have a bit of heat on their hands when riding this might be something to consider. When I get the dual control heat troller installed and tested I'll let you know the results. Best, Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads.org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT

Thanks Jeff for the excellent heated grip installation write-up. If we continue to have cold weather in AZ I may install some on my KLR. Thanks again.... WVDoran Scottdale, AZ Jeff Saline wrote: Listers, I've been working a bit lately on my BMW R100RT project bike. I've owned it for 5 1/2 years and still haven't ever started the engine since I bought it. Yeah, it's a long story but at least I'm finally putting it back together. : ) What's this got to do with KLRs? Well, today I got to the point of installing grips and grip heating elements. Thought I'd share just a tad as this method works on the KLR too. Fellow list member and Wyoming Airhead Hugh Kenny had told me in the past about some touring grips he really likes on his Airhead. A few weeks ago I asked him about them again and also if he thought they'd work with grip heating elements. He didn't think they'd be so good with heating elements as they probably wouldn't pass the heat very well. Sooooo....... I decided to go with similar grips to what I'm using on my KLR with similar grip heating elements. I ordered two pair of ProGrip Gel Grips model 714 at a local Motocross store. I met Gage the owner right before he opened the store and like to toss some business his way when I can. My choices were the 737 which is what I use on the KLR or the 714. The 714 seems a bit less aggressive to me and has small holes (about 1/8") over the entire grip. Heck, maybe that makes it more aggressive? Anyway, I like the way they looked in the book and think they look good on a road touring machine now that they're installed. A few days after I ordered the grips Gage called and said they were in. Cost was a bit more than Fred's price at about just over $9 per pair of grips. Even with tax at 6% my bill was less than $20. Why two pair you may wonder? Well, I've been trying to keep the heat on the left grip from going into the bar. So what I do is wrap the left bar with cork bicycle grip tape and then put the heating element over the tape and the grip over the heating element. That gets kind of large so I use a throttle side grip on the left side. To make that happen I need to buy two pair of grips. It leaves me with a pair of clutch side grips and nothing to put them on in my stable. This evening I decided I'd take the pair of 714s and also the pair of 737s from the KLR installation back to Gage and see if they would work on a kids motocross bike. If not I'm pretty sure they'd work on an ATV and I know a few guys with ATVs here so I should be able to get them a good home. Anyway, these black 714 grips look pretty darn good and feel comfortable so far too. I won't get to ride the bike for a few more weeks probably but so far I'm impressed with them. If I was doing the KLR again I think I'd use the 714s instead of the 737s. Back to the heating elements... On the KLR I started with the Dual-Star elements that I bought when I was offered a deal by a guy that did a bunch of testing on them before they were commercially available. The deal was so good I bought three sets knowing I'd use them on a few bikes in the next 5-8 years. On the KLR with the tape under the left heating element it gets so hot, even on low, that I can only use it for a few minutes and then must turn off the grips. I've recently been wondering if that doesn't have something to do with the gel grips getting hot and then really transferring the heat well. Anyway, Martin Earl has the same issue with his KLR when we set it up. I guess it was two years ago I changed from the Dual-Star element to Moose ATV grip heating elements. Both elements in the Moose kit are the same wattage which just happens to be the same as the clutch side of the Dual-Star kit. So I removed the first pair I installed and swapped out with the Moose heating elements. I was hoping to up the heat on the throttle side so both hands would stay comfortable. It's better but still not equal. A point about the Dual-Star heating elements is they are different heat ranges for the clutch side (hotter) which is supposed to be mounted to the bar (heatsink) and the throttle side which is not so hot. After using the Moose heating elements and still having too much heat... my next attempt at getting easily regulated useable heat on the grips is buying a dual controller heat troller for heated grips. I bought one a few months ago and still haven't installed it. But it's looking promising for the RT and the KLR too. I should be able to regulate each grip using pulse width modulation (really fast current switching) and set each grip to a comfortable heat level. The heat troller will be wired in permanently to the heating element circuits so I can select high or low on the element and then use the dial to control the electricity going to it. In theory this will save electricity as it only uses what I set it at versus using a resistor which just becomes a heating element itself and wastes the heat and electricity. Tomorrow I think is heat troller day on the RT. The KLR is on hold for a few weeks or more. A couple of the tricks I use to install the heating elements and grips are to make sure the bar or throttle tube is clean and smooth. On the KLR I file off the ridges on the throttle tube after cutting off the factory grips which really stick to the tube. I also had to file two ridges off the throttle tube on the RT. I use High Temperature RTV as a lubricant and glue. So I put the heating element on the throttle tube and then wrap it with sewing thread using about 1/2" spacing in a spiral to the end of the tube. I tie off the thread and make sure the element is positioned where I want it and the wires will be able to move full rotation without issue. Then I put some RTV on the element and slide the grip over the RTV, thread and element. I wipe up the RTV that is squeezed out. Then I let it vulcanize for 24 hours without so much as touching the grips. On the left side I wrap the cork bicycle tape on the bar and then wrap sewing thread around the tape. I put the heating element in position and then return wrap the sewing thread to the starting point. This really helps keep the element in place when I slide the grip over it. I continue like the throttle side with RTV, sliding the grip in place and then wiping up any RTV that is squeezed out. I again check the wires and also the grips to make sure they are positioned correctly. I don't touch the grips for 24 hours although I suppose 12 hours would probably be enough time. I did remove a set of grips that were installed using this method and it was easy to do without damaging the grips or heating elements. In fact this evening I used the previously installed clutch side heating element on the RT. I did check it with an ohm meter to make sure it had good circuits and I also wiped it with acetone to remove some old adhesive. So, for those thinking they'd like to have a bit of heat on their hands when riding this might be something to consider. When I get the dual control heat troller installed and tested I'll let you know the results. Best, Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads.org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT WVDoran Scottsdale, AZ --------------------------------- Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Jeff Saline wrote:

> may wonder? Well, I've been trying to keep the heat on the left grip from > going into the bar. So what I do is wrap the left bar with cork bicycle > grip tape and then put the heating element over the tape and the grip

...

> in the next 5-8 years. On the KLR with the tape under the left heating > element it gets so hot, even on low, that I can only use it for a few > minutes and then must turn off the grips. I've recently been wondering

That has nothing to do with the gel grips (I have'em), and everything to do with the left grip having a hotter heater than the right grip so that the heat that goes into the bar keeps the two at the same temperature. If you do not like that behavior, you need to get ATV grip heaters. ATV's don't have a throttle tube on the right grip like motorcycles do, so with an ATV both heaters are the same. All the dual-heat grip heaters are made by Symtec and Symtec does have two different varieties -- motorcycle (with hot left hand), and ATV (with equal hands). Since I don't have insulation between my left heater and my handlebar, I got the motorcycle variety. The two sides (left and right) pretty much stay the same heat, at least after the left side gets a chance to heat up the steel underneath it a little. Note that aluminum is a better conductor of heat than steel, so if you have an aftermarket aluminum bar, the wrap-and-ATV-heaters approach probably is preferable because then the bar will conduct heat too fast for the left heater to keep up (it's matched to the conduction coefficient of steel). Physics. That science stuff sure comes in handy, eh? . -E