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Re: alternate heated grip queries



 > > i ask because on my other bike i've used Kimpex grip heaters, which
 > > are thin wraps that go on the bars underneath your existing grips. 
 > > they're very nice, and quite inexpensive:  about $20.  it's not quite
...
 > Where do you get the Kimpex grip heaters?

Dennis Kirk carries them -- part #39-31, $24.95.  they're actually
marketed for snowmobilers, so you may find them a tad cheaper elsewhere.

caveats:
    - the kit includes a switch that's intended for panel mounting,
	which doesn't work on most bikes, but of course it might be
	fine on the RS/ST.  i actually forget what it looks like, since
	i didn't use it on the VX.

    - there are high and low settings -- low is obtained by putting a
	big heat-wasting resistor in series with the grips (it's
	provided).  this may be common practice with heated grip
	setups, i'm not sure.

    - here's the biggie:  on bikes (unlike snowmobiles) the two grips
	are constructed differently.  the throttle grip is thinner,
	and is fitted to an insulating plastic sleeve (the throttle
	sleeve), while the left grip is thicker, and is mounted
	directly on the metal handlebar.  since the kimpex wraps are
	of equal wattage, what this means is that the right grip will
	heat more quickly than the left.  for the most part, this is
	only an issue while they're warming up -- after they're hot,
	they feel equally warm.  i thought i noticed a difference in
	situations where i was doing a lot of clutching -- the left
	grip would feel a little cooler.  others have said they don't
	notice that, so it might have just been me projecting.  in any
	case, on my VX i fixed that, and the warm-up problem, by
	getting a second throttle grip from someone that had replaced
	their grips, wrapping the left bar with insulation, and
	installing the kimpex heater and the (thinner) grip on that. 
	with that setup, they work great, and have for several years
	now.

but remember -- they're only $25.  :-)

paul
ObRS:  i'm up to 5000rpm.  i'm gonna like this bike.  :-)
=---------------------
  paul fox, pgf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (arlington, ma, where it's 49.8 degrees)
  'oh-oh Sprint RS, '91 VX800, DoD #1462, AMA #545601

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