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12-04-2008, 6:44 PM Bottom Joined on 08-26-2008 Poulsbo, WA Posts 4 Heated Grips If I install heated grips on an '82 gl500, will the electrical system handle it?  Will the headlight dim if I turn on the grips?  Anyone have experience with this or knowledge about this bike's electrical systems ability to handle added load?  I appreciate your help, Thanks, Paul    Report

12-04-2008, 6:52 PM DaveF Joined on 06-11-2008 Lawrenceville, GA Posts 1,232 Re: Heated Grips The GL500 and GL650 bikes can easily handle that extra load with no problem. My Web Site 1982 GL500 1983 GL650    Report

12-04-2008, 7:03 PM Bottom Joined on 08-26-2008 Poulsbo, WA Posts 4 Re: Heated Grips Thanks, Dave.     Report

12-05-2008, 9:15 AM Keith in Rocky River Joined on 06-25-2008 Rocky River OH Posts 308 Re: Heated Grips A Diver on this board? Wow, I thought I was the only one! Keith in Rocky River 71 CL175 If Harley riders buy chrome and BMW riders buy tires, What do CX and GL riders buy?    Report

12-05-2008, 9:37 AM pwtsvwt Joined on 08-10-2008 Richfield, NC, USA Posts 664 Re: Heated Grips "A diver on the board?" Me makes 3! Bought on Craigslist - Restored from Ebay: 82 GL500I - now without the "I" -------------------------------------------------------------- I had all my ducks in a row, but they wondered off!    Report

12-05-2008, 1:21 PM Keith in Rocky River Joined on 06-25-2008 Rocky River OH Posts 308 Re: Heated Grips Been blowing bubbles since 83. Nitrox, sharks, wrecks, Cenotes, 193 feet Divemaster Assistant Instructor. Still waiting to see a whale shark. Keith in Rocky River 71 CL175 If Harley riders buy chrome and BMW riders buy tires, What do CX and GL riders buy?    Report

12-05-2008, 3:12 PM DavidfromWisconsin Joined on 03-19-2008 Appleton, WI Posts 2,458 Re: Heated Grips Kieth, Whale??? You haven't experienced me in the water yet then ...  David From Wisconsin ... R80Dave '82 GL500I alias Candy '82 GL500I alias Candy II '00 BMW K1200LT & trailer '81 KZ440 (Wife's learning bike)    Report

12-09-2008, 5:48 PM Eddie Joined on 10-04-2008 Las Vegas, NV Posts 82 Re: Heated Grips  Keith in Rocky River wrote: Still waiting to see a whale shark. I think i saw one of these the last time i was in Daytona Beach. She was wearing a 2 peice string bikini. It was terrifying. eddie 1978 honda cx500 - retired 1972 kawasaki h2 750 triple - retired    Report

12-12-2008, 12:48 PM bpcorliss Joined on 12-03-2007 Windsor, ON Posts 123 Re: Heated Grips I installed the "Hotgrips" Ergo 2 model with the variable control knob.  No problems! B.P. Corliss Windsor, ON Canada '82 Silverwing Interstate Bought in December 2007 with 2987.9 miles (yes, you saw that right, less than 3000 miles)    Report

12-12-2008, 8:52 PM LRCXed Joined on 05-15-2008 Sacramento, California Posts 1,670 Re: Heated Grips bpcorliss, How much did they help, and how much more comfortable did it make the cold riding? Larry If your going to do something, do it right, don't do it half as@*d. 78 CX500 Std, 79 CX500 project, 80 CX500C, 83 GL650I http://globalcxglvtwins.hostingdelivered.com/    Report

12-14-2008, 4:36 PM bpcorliss Joined on 12-03-2007 Windsor, ON Posts 123 Re: Heated Grips Yes, they made an amazing difference.  The biggest thing first though is to get wind protection.  The hottest grips in the world won't help if you are losing heat over the top of your hands.  If your bike doesn't have a fairing, get a windshield and "hand protectors".  I have seen people put dirtbike deflectors on thier street bike.  Also, National Motorcycle products (makers of National Windshields) make deflectors that I used to have on my Valkyrie. Here is a link to what I am talking about: http://www.nationalcycle.com/catalogue/CoolWeather.shtml For the HotGrips, I actually have to turn them down when I have them on unless it is really cold.  Yesterday it was -6C (20F) and I had to turn them down because my hands were roasting.  It isn't until it is around -12C (10F) that I can leave them on full for any length of time.  I also wear Military Arctic Mittens (not gloves) to keep warmth. To see some advice on cold weather gear, check out this link: http://choppercharles.com/cs/forums/66845/ShowPost.aspx In it, I list all the stuff I use and either examples or the web-site you can buy similar. Good luck on the install! B.P. Corliss Windsor, ON Canada '82 Silverwing Interstate Bought in December 2007 with 2987.9 miles (yes, you saw that right, less than 3000 miles)    Report

01-25-2009, 12:26 PM Sidecar Bob Joined on 03-02-2006 Kawartha Lakes, Ontario Posts 1,899 Re: Heated Grips I keep telling you guys: Don't get heated grips. Handlebar heaters (cartridge heaters that go inside the bars) are better. With heated grips you have extra wires running down the ourside of your handlebars and you have to leave some slack in the right side so the twistgrip can turn. On theother hand, with in the bar heaters you can use any grips you like. www.pollyheaters.com Mr. Honda ('83 GL1000/Dnepr) summer The Famous Eccles ('84 GX650EI/Velorex700) winter WHY I HAVEN"T BEEN AROUND MUCH LATELY    Report

01-25-2009, 12:49 PM LRCXed Joined on 05-15-2008 Sacramento, California Posts 1,670 Re: Heated Grips Thanks Bob, I like those better. How long do they take to heat up a set of grips? If your going to do something, do it right, don't do it half as@*d. 78 CX500 Std, 79 CX500 project, 80 CX500C, 83 GL650I http://globalcxglvtwins.hostingdelivered.com/    Report

01-25-2009, 4:12 PM Blindstitch2002 Joined on 05-16-2007 Greenfield Wisconsin Posts 5,000 Re: Heated Grips So you drill a hole near the bottom of the handlebars and feed the wires through there? How warm do the grips actually get. I can see the left one doing a good job as it's flush to bare metal but with the twist grip on the right does it warm up as good as needed? 1978 Honda Cx500 Maggot 1979 Honda Cx500 Custom 1980 Cx500 Deluxe Buy HTTA Items Quick Reference Info    Report

01-25-2009, 5:59 PM bpcorliss Joined on 12-03-2007 Windsor, ON Posts 123 Re: Heated Grips I tried using a different style heater where I had to remove the vibration dampers from the inside of the bars.  I ran the wires down through the bar and out through a hole under the fuse block.  I found that the bars without the dampers were very buzzy.  To me they were so bad I had to switch to hot grips and replace the dampers.  With the heated inserts, do they act as vibration dampers? B.P. Corliss Windsor, ON Canada '82 Silverwing Interstate Bought in December 2007 with 2987.9 miles (yes, you saw that right, less than 3000 miles)    Report

01-25-2009, 6:31 PM Sidecar Bob Joined on 03-02-2006 Kawartha Lakes, Ontario Posts 1,899 Re: Heated Grips I have mine wired to a DPDT centre off switch so that when the switch is up the heaters are in parallel (36W) and when the switch is down they are in series (9W). I have a light next to the switch that is connected across the left heater so that (at least in theory) the right one will get a little more power when they are in series. I also have my reflective handlebar muffs and wear snowmobile mitts when it's cold out. How hot? Well, here's how my usual drive to work is: If it is -20c and I switch them to high on my driveway I start to feel the warmth after less than 5 Km of mostly 80 Km/h or faster driving. This is a couple of Km before the next town. If I don't switch them to low as soon as I feel the warmth they will begin to become uncomfortably warm before I get to speed up on the other side of town (distance from home about 8 or 9 Km). Sooner if I have to stop for the crosswalk. My hands are warm enough for the rest of the (mostly 80+ Km/h) trip with the heaters on low, but I usually switch them off a couple of Km before I arive and they are still warm after I park and get the block heater plugged in and mylunch out of the topbox. At temps above -10 I usually leave the heaters on low unless I decide to wear gloves instead of mitts. BTW: The reflective muffs make a big difference. I had to go to Beaverton (about 16 Km at mostly 80+) for some errands on Friday. It was just around 0c (freezing for those who live in backward countries ;-) when I left so I just wore my gloves and didn't turn the heaters on. I took the gloves off at my first stop and left them off while I drove around town at 50 Km/h, then decided to see how cold my hands were on the less than a minute run down the highway to the next stop and ended up coming home bare handed inside the muffs. I should also mention that at temps approaching -25c I often leave the heaters on high for most of the trip to work. It does take a tiny bit longer for the heat to get through the twistgrip, but, as far as I can tell, 5 minutes into the trip my palms are equally warm. My right hand (& arm & leg &c) always feels a bit cooler than the left when it's cold out, but that's mostly because of the wind that runs up over the nose of the sidecar and onto my right side. It always seems to find it's way between the gauntlet of the love and the sleeve of the jacket, not powerfully enough that there is danger of frostbite, but enough to be annoying. Mr. Honda ('83 GL1000/Dnepr) summer The Famous Eccles ('84 GX650EI/Velorex700) winter WHY I HAVEN"T BEEN AROUND MUCH LATELY    Report

01-25-2009, 7:01 PM Sidecar Bob Joined on 03-02-2006 Kawartha Lakes, Ontario Posts 1,899 Re: Heated Grips  bpcorliss wrote: I tried using a different style heater where I had to remove the vibration dampers from the inside of the bars.  I ran the wires down through the bar and out through a hole under the fuse block.  I found that the bars without the dampers were very buzzy.  To me they were so bad I had to switch to hot grips and replace the dampers.  With the heated inserts, do they act as vibration dampers? That sounds exactly like Polly Heaters. Your bars shouldn't buzz that much unless something else is wrong. Make sure all the motor mounts are done up tightly and the wheels are true. Valve adjustment & carb setup can make a difference too, but you already know that... But then, what do I know? I never took mine for more than a short test drive with their original bars before swwitching to the ones that already had the heaters in them. Maybe I have a bhigher tollerance for these things, or maybe my bars are bent differently enough that they don't vibrate as much. Mr. Honda ('83 GL1000/Dnepr) summer The Famous Eccles ('84 GX650EI/Velorex700) winter WHY I HAVEN"T BEEN AROUND MUCH LATELY    Report

01-26-2009, 9:59 PM jayhanig Joined on 08-23-2008 Topsail Beach, NC USA Posts 927 Re: Heated Grips "If I install heated grips on an '82 gl500, will the electrical system handle it?  Will the headlight dim if I turn on the grips?  Anyone have experience with this or knowledge about this bike's electrical systems ability to handle added load? " I just got through installing heated grips from Cycle Gear on my GL500 and it handles them just fine.  Voltage at cruise was 14.2 before I installed them and seems to run at 14.4 volts with the heaters on.  With a combination of Hippo Hands you can easily ride down the interstate with the ambient air down in the 20s. I mounted the rheostat on the left handlebar and ran the wiring harness under the gas tank to the switched accessory 12 volt supply hiding under the seat.  The main wiring harness's ground point is right there and makes a fine place to tie in the grips ground as well.  This also gives you something to do with all the wire supplied with the grips. The only problem I had with the installation was the heated grip was too big on the throttle sleeve and had to be built up a little to avoid throttle slippage.  I used a couple of small pieces of that thin rubberized material they sell to line toolbox drawers.  No glue needed, so nothing gets gummy when it gets hot. I don't ride with anything else heated but since the installation, I've noticed other parts of my body cooling down for the first time.  It was always my hands before.  I ride in cold weather with a heavy sweatshirt covered by a leather jacket, thermal underwear, jeans with leather chaps, boots, and a full helmet.  Now in really cold weather I wear gauntlet gloves; otherwise I wear mesh gloves.  The Hippo Hands gives you some latitude. http://www.hippohands.com/HHSmallWM.htm http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=&L2=&L3=&L4=&item=PRC_A99-00010 It only takes a couple of minutes before you become aware of the heat being generated.  Unless it's absolutely frozen outside, you'll end up having to reduce the heat after a while.  Although I suppose the left grip might take a bit longer to heat up since it has to warm up the handlebar directly first, in practice it down't seem noticable.  Both hands seem equally comfortable.  Frankly, this is what I should have done when the weather first turned cool.  It makes riding possible on days where there are no other riders. Jay 82 GL500 Silverwing (naked) Age 55 Dress for the slide.... not for the ride.    Report

01-26-2009, 10:06 PM CXSarnia Joined on 01-11-2008 Sarnia, Ontario, Canada Posts 2,623 Re: Heated Grips  Keith in Rocky River wrote: A Diver on this board? Wow, I thought I was the only one! count me in on that group too! I was an instructor for 10 years.  Haven't been under since moving to Sarnia in 2002. 2009 DN-01 Spakin' New! 1982 CX500 Turbo & Parts bike 1981 SL185 Yamaha Exciter 198? V45 Magna 1979 CX500 Deluxe 1982 CB750K Daily rider September 1999 1982 CX500 Custom - project Originally bought April 1982 safetied and on the road 09/2008    Report

01-26-2009, 10:13 PM jayhanig Joined on 08-23-2008 Topsail Beach, NC USA Posts 927 Re: Heated Grips Oh, hell.  I'm retired now but I was a PADI Master Instructor teaching in Charlotte, NC.  Haven't been diving since 1992.... developed other interests but I still have the gear. Jay Hanig PADI M-9033 Jay 82 GL500 Silverwing (naked) Age 55 Dress for the slide.... not for the ride.    Report

01-26-2009, 10:42 PM RustyTec Joined on 08-26-2007 Dallas Tx. Posts 606 Re: Heated Grips Hi-jack alert; Divers post in 'off topic ' -  here: http://choppercharles.com/cs/forums/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=74909 RustyTec ’81 GL500. Dallas Texas. RustyVape Electronic Cigarettes Local NE Dallas, Texas    Report

01-27-2009, 5:15 PM Sidecar Bob Joined on 03-02-2006 Kawartha Lakes, Ontario Posts 1,899 Re: Heated Grips When I got my first set of Poly Heaters they came with an SPDT centre off switch and a resistor and instructions to connect the heaters in parallel and wire the switch so that thwhen the switch was in one position the heaters were fed directly and in teh other position they were fed through the resistor. Being an electronics tech and knowing that I was going to run extra lighting &c I decided that the resistor was a bad idea - why waste watts that could be charging the battery just to heat a resistor. I sat down with a pencil & paper  for acouple of minutes and figured out how to switch tehm from parallel to series with a DPDT and have been doing it that way since. Poly now has dual heat units with 3 wires. Much easier to wire up. BTW: One of my best friends from high school was a qualified diving instructor. He became a bike mechanic too. Mr. Honda ('83 GL1000/Dnepr) summer The Famous Eccles ('84 GX650EI/Velorex700) winter WHY I HAVEN"T BEEN AROUND MUCH LATELY    Report

01-28-2009, 7:45 PM Blindstitch2002 Joined on 05-16-2007 Greenfield Wisconsin Posts 5,000 Re: Heated Grips http://www.pollyheaters.com/ph400.htm 1978 Honda Cx500 Maggot 1979 Honda Cx500 Custom 1980 Cx500 Deluxe Buy HTTA Items Quick Reference Info    Report

01-29-2009, 7:23 PM lozwho Joined on 10-21-2008 West Sussex, U K Posts 38 Re: Heated Grips Hi Paul.... and that's one more diver aboard! I recently put heated grips on an '82 'B' I'm no electrical genius, but the guys here on the U K site guided me through and it's a breeze... and well worth it! System doesn't even notice it. One good tip was to power them from the rear brake light feed under the seat, as this is 'off' when ignition is off in order they can't be left on and flatten the battery Here's to warm fingers! Loz. Ride safe    Report

01-30-2009, 6:06 AM Sidecar Bob Joined on 03-02-2006 Kawartha Lakes, Ontario Posts 1,899 Re: Heated Grips Not the best place to connect them. That 10A circuit has the turn signals, brake lights & horns. The turn signals flashing and the brakelights each draw just under 2A per bulb. The horns I'm not sure about, but anywhere between 1.5A & 3A per horn seems typical. I don't know what kind of heaters you have, but Poly Heaters draw 3A on high. You must absolutely never honk your horn while the brakes and/or signals are on while you are using the heaters. You would be much better off to connect them to the instruments circuit. It has only the 7V regulator (temp gauge) and the oil & neutral lights. I'm not sure off hand if the connection inside the headlight (brown/black wires) has a second place to plug something in, but if it doesn't you could always use a Scotchlock. Finding the power inside the headlight is also preferred because the wires will be shorter and you won't have to run them through the frame unprotected. If you really insist on connecting them under the seat, the tail light circuit would be better than the brake light circuit. All that's on the tail light circuit is the tail lights (about 0.25A each) and the lights in the speedo & tach (total about 1A). There's also an unused connection to this circuit inside the headlight shell (brown wire). The drawbacks are: - If you don't wire it carefully and blow the fuse you won't have tail lights. - If you use the "Park" function on the keyswitch to leave the tail lights on the heaters will also be on. But, as I said before, the accessory connections are still the best place to connect them if your bike is so equipped. Mr. Honda ('83 GL1000/Dnepr) summer The Famous Eccles ('84 GX650EI/Velorex700) winter WHY I HAVEN"T BEEN AROUND MUCH LATELY    Report

01-30-2009, 11:49 PM lozwho Joined on 10-21-2008 West Sussex, U K Posts 38 Re: Heated Grips Thanks Bob ... looks like I've got some tinkerin to do! Ride safe    Report

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