Oxford HotGrips - bad fittiing or bad advice in the Comic

[Tunahunter]

Can anyone advise me if I have been badly advised by 1) the Oxford handbook or 2) the workshop which installed my grips


The story
My lady purchased the grips as a present and I had them fitted by a local w/shop. Being aware of the problem where the grips can be left on after the ignition key is turned off - I specified that it be wired appropriately so that when the key was turned off - the hotgrips were off as well.

When I picked the bike up, the shop advised that this was not possible and that I would have to careful to turn the grips off after stopping etc etc.

Months later, and two episodes of leaving the grips turned on; I have reverted to a time-honoured kiwi tradition - I read the comic that came with the grips. It clearly states p6 ".....to prevent the HotGrips being turned on by accident, you will have to wire the Heat Controller to a circut which is turned off by the ignition key." Elsewhere it advises not to connect to the lighting or horn circuits....

[duckonin]

Mine are wired into my ignition, no chance of leaving them on..last bike I did I was told the same as you gezzz my battery was always going flat...Bad advice..

[breakaway]

How are these incompetent people able to get jobs as mechanics?

[slofox]

Can anyone advise me if I have been badly advised by 1) the Oxford handbook or 2) the workshop which installed my grips


The story
My lady purchased the grips as a present and I had them fitted by a local w/shop. Being aware of the problem where the grips can be left on after the ignition key is turned off - I specified that it be wired appropriately so that when the key was turned off - the hotgrips were off as well.

When I picked the bike up, the shop advised that this was not possible and that I would have to careful to turn the grips off after stopping etc etc.

Months later, and two episodes of leaving the grips turned on; I have reverted to a time-honoured kiwi tradition - I read the comic that came with the grips. It clearly states p6 ".....to prevent the HotGrips being turned on by accident, you will have to wire the Heat Controller to a circut which is turned off by the ignition key." Elsewhere it advises not to connect to the lighting or horn circuits....



Do THIS (http://www.canyonchasers.net/shop/generic/relay.php). I did. Easy as hell and well worth the effort. I run several accessories off it - heated grips, radar detector, air compressor socket, etc etc etc.

[Gibbo89]

has to be bad fitting mate. take the wee booklet in and show them what it says... if they were good people, they would fix the issue. wouldn't they?!

[Blew]

I would ring your local shop and ask them to rewire through a fused circuit and I am sure if they see the simple error they will fix. Oxford have 2 types of controllers, but as below dependent on type grip Oxfro advise:

6. We recommend that the wiring loom is positioned away from existing wiring looms on the
motorcycle to avoid any possible electrical interference issues.
7. When the wiring is in position on the motorcycle, we strongly recommend that all connectors are
protected with either electrical insulation tape, waterproof sealing tape or heat shrink tubing
(be careful not to damage the cable when fi tting heat shrink).
8. Both the negative and the positive battery connections are fi tted with a ring terminal. This will allow
them to be bolted to the battery terminals. It is both preferable and the easiest option to connect the
positive (+ Red wire) straight to the positive (+) battery terminal so that the switch receives suffi cient
voltage from the vehicles charging system.
9. The negative or earth (Black wire) should be connected to the negative (-) battery terminal.
10. The control box (see drawing below) can be positioned under the motorcycle seat or near to the
battery. But we recommend that it is kept at least 1” or 25mm away from the battery at all times.
11. If the switch must be connected to a switched ignition supply feed, please ensure that the wiring
harness is connected to main ignition cabling which can take the extra load of up to 4 amps.
Problems are commonly found to be caused when connections are made to horn or any lighting
circuits.
Typical problems experienced could be:
- The switch may not come on
- Fuses failing in the fuse box
- Overheating of wires on the bike
- Indicators or lighting malfunctioning
If unsure, please contact your local dealer for advice before fi tting these Hotgrips.
Control box
Heat
controller
5 amp
fuse
–
+
Battery
connections
Refer to the wiring diagram below.
5

[JMemonic]

I just fitted a set of hand warmers to the wife's bike and wanted to do the same thing, it took a little time as I dont have the wiring diagram and google was not my friend but the process went like find a circuit that is turned on when the bike is running, in my case the headlights start when the ignition module senses the bike start so there must be a relay, so I went hunting for that, it was not that hard, just a little time and a multimeter.

Once I had this wire I added a relay that is switched by this signal and run a wire direct to the battery, this gives a positive power source that will not interfere with the wiring already on the bike or cause excessive load, I would be a little surprised if the is not a circuit for grips already on the bike, if you can find a wiring diagram you should have no trouble finding a power source that only becomes active when the bike is running.

If no one comes up with any suggestions over the next few days PM me and I will try find the diagram and give you a suggestion for setting it up.

Hell as I was typing slofox was posting a very handy link that will be a great solution.

[Tunahunter]

Thanks for that SloFox

[Crasherfromwayback]

When I picked the bike up, the shop advised that this was not possible and that I would have to careful to turn the grips off after stopping etc etc.


Hi there Clyde,

I doubt we would've told you it's not possible, as there is always a way, albeit often expensive. But I've asked Bruce to contact you regarding this.

Cheers,

Pete

[Tunahunter]

Hi there Clyde,

I doubt we would've told you it's not possible, as there is always a way, albeit often expensive. But I've asked Bruce to contact you regarding this.

Cheers,

Pete

Thanks Pete - talked to Bruce and it will be all sorted out out soon - thanks to everyone else for the helpful comments

[Crasherfromwayback]

No worries...see you soon!

[Elderado]

Mate I have just fitted the same unit to my bike but when I purchased mine the salesman told me it could be wired to the ignition however my ignition is a sealed unit so that proved to be a no goer.

And as you have stated you cant hook into any other live line from the ignition due to the power draw so yeah I to will have to make sure I turn it off every time I get off the bike. Wish me luck.

Ed

[Crasherfromwayback]

As I said in my post Ed...there's always a way to wire it into the ignition system...it's just often very time consuming and expensive to do so.

[duckonin]

Great stuff all sorted...

[=cJ=]

Yep, I'd have to add to the relay comment, I trip mine off my numberplate lights and it runs my radar detector. When I get them, it'll run the hotgrips too... :-)

[Spuds1234]

After leaving my hotgrips on twice this week (leaving them on at all is rare) I think I'll be doing this after the brass monkey. Or maybe I'll sort it out tomorrow if I get around to it.

[sinned]

Yep, I'd have to add to the relay comment, I trip mine off my numberplate lights and it runs my radar detector. When I get them, it'll run the hotgrips too... :-)

Finding a hot feed to operate a relay is simple and you don't need to break into the main wiring of the ignition switch. All bikes run the tail light when the ignition is on and the tail light wiring has to be the easiest way to get a hot feed. Slofox gives a good explanation of how to do this.

[p.dath]

This is my blog entry on my own experience of fitting the hot grips myself:
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1529-Fitting-Oxford-HotGrips

I would probably go somewhere else. They can definitely be wired into the ignition system.

[trailblazer]

mine is wired to my ignition so no chance of me leaving them on. Great to see a shop maning up and sorting the problem. Good on you guys.

[rustic101]

Mine are wired through a relay. Ignition off, grips off.

Am going to install a cigarette lighter socket in a few weeks and will use another relay for that too.

[CookMySock]

They don't draw a huge amount of current, but enough that you should not wire them direct to the ignition circuit.

I connected ours to the headlamp relay, so it is impossible for them to activate with the engine stopped. I didn't change the fuse, and it has been running perfectly for more than a year. There's no way this is a complicated thing to do.

One of our 650's has a temperature controller, and on the other bike the hotgrips run on full heat whenever the engine is running. They can be unplugged in the summer, and they usually are.

We have no problems at all. Start bike, ride away.. oh theres the hotgrips warming up - nice! :niceone:

Steve

[Flip]

My hot grips are wired into the switched auxiliary circuit on the bike. There is a small water proof 2 pin 12v electrical plug under the seat already there for this purpose. I did buy a double plug adapter because I also needed a plug for Hector. I guess when you only build 3 bikes and your head is not stuck up your ass you listen to what the customers want.

[hayd3n]

Hi there Clyde,

I doubt we would've told you it's not possible, as there is always a way, albeit often expensive. But I've asked Bruce to contact you regarding this.

Cheers,

Pete
expensive its not harder than wiring in a car stereo look for acc and add a relay how hard can that be?

[sinned]

Hi there Clyde,

I doubt we would've told you it's not possible, as there is always a way, albeit often expensive. But I've asked Bruce to contact you regarding this.

Cheers,

Pete


expensive its not harder than wiring in a car stereo look for acc and add a relay how hard can that be?

There is additional cost to add a relay, cost of relay, cost of connectors (they add up), bit more wiring and time. IMO no installations should be done without a relay and the bike shop should point this out to its customer and give her the choice of relay or hard wired. My estimate is the extra cost would be in the range of $50 - $80 and it is worth it.

My hotgrips were installed by the shop without a relay and within a few days the battery was flat from them being left on. I then installed a relay myself and no more problems.

[gonzo_akl]

I see you list your bike as a bandit, if you are not comfortable fitting a relay I found this site when I was doing song some research prior to fitting grips on my bike.

http://www.easternbeaver.com/Main/Bike_Specific/Bandit/bandit.html

It looks pretty easy, thought about it but I wired up a relay triggered off the tail light, was a bunch easier than I expected. Only real problem was I picked the wrong wire on the tail light - couldn't find a wiring diagram so I guessed. You can get all the bits from either Jaycar or Repco

[Gremlin]

budget on the oxford grips using up to 4 amps, 2 per grip. I've got two accessory circuits, so all that stuff is wired into them

[cowboyz]

whats the big deal about having them wired to the ignition? I wired mine directly to the battery as per instruction sand they turn themselves off if voltage is below (a certain level which i cant rememebr) but it doesnt drain the bettary enough not to start the bike.

[Owl]

whats the big deal about having them wired to the ignition? I wired mine directly to the battery as per instruction sand they turn themselves off if voltage is below (a certain level which i cant rememebr) but it doesnt drain the bettary enough not to start the bike.

Cutoff is about 11.?V isn't it? May find different bikes have different needs, as mine needs 12.6V to start when cold. In saying that, my Hotgrips are wired directly to the battery, but I don't forget they're on.

[dipshit]

When I picked the bike up, the shop advised that this was not possible and that I would have to careful to turn the grips off after stopping etc etc.


when I purchased mine the salesman told me it could be wired to the ignition however my ignition is a sealed unit so that proved to be a no goer.

WTF... :blink:

You don't tap into the ignition... you tap into an ignition on source! i.e. tail light or numberplate light power (if your bike is one of those headlights always on when the ignition is on types)

Go to Repco or Supercheap and get yourself a common as muck general-purpose automotive relay for around $20. One wire goes to the tail light power, say,... two wires directly to the battery + (with a fuse of course) and - and a fourth wire becomes the power feed for your accessory. Quick and easy to do and your accessory will be drawing directly from the battery so you will not risk any mishaps with your bike's wiring... plus it will only be live when the ignition is on. Done.

Just don't go to bike workshops where the mechanics are either clueless or full of shit. You'll be better off finding a better mechanic somewhere else or learning to work on your bike yourself.

[sinned]

whats the big deal about having them wired to the ignition? I wired mine directly to the battery as per instruction sand they turn themselves off if voltage is below (a certain level which i cant rememebr) but it doesnt drain the bettary enough not to start the bike.
You may have been lucky but plenty of people have not been able to start their bike after leaving the grips on. If left on they do drain a lot out of the battery before the grips turn off. Whether or not your bike will start depends on a number of factors. On the busa (new bike new battery) and a frosty morning the ignition lights etc lit up but there was not enough juice to crank the motor. Making sure you turn them off is not the answer either as if the bike is parked up in public all day and someone turns them on same problem.

[Blew]

I forgot to turn the lights off on my Falcon, why do manufactures advise or do this sort of thing. Should be out lawed.

[Crasherfromwayback]

I forgot to turn the lights off on my Falcon, why do manufactures advise or do this sort of thing. Should be out lawed.

What he said. FFS, you wankers that go on about bike shops charging too much for simple jobs, still go on when bike shops do it by the rules to save you money. As 'Blew' says...turning lights off was one of the things my father taught me to ALWAYS do when I got out of the car. Is it that hard to remember? Besides...as mentioned...Oxford grips are supposed to switch off when the batt voltage gets down to 12.7V I think it is. You all go on about what a Nanny State we're living in now. Well harden the fuck up wingers. Do you want your tyre pressures checked once a week for you? Do you want your oil level checked daily for you? Do you want your fucking bums wiped for you?

[Berries]

Do you want your fucking bums wiped for you?
Bloody hell. You Wellingtonians get some good service from your bike shops. They won't even wash my bike after a service down here, let alone my arse.

[dipshit]

Do you want your fucking bums wiped for you?

Bike shops with mechanics with half a fucking clue would be nice. Too much to ask for though I suppose.

[cowboyz]

You may have been lucky but plenty of people have not been able to start their bike after leaving the grips on. If left on they do drain a lot out of the battery before the grips turn off. Whether or not your bike will start depends on a number of factors. On the busa (new bike new battery) and a frosty morning the ignition lights etc lit up but there was not enough juice to crank the motor. Making sure you turn them off is not the answer either as if the bike is parked up in public all day and someone turns them on same problem.


ahhhhh.. suzuki... right... I see.


Idk.. I always leave my grips on and they turn off on their own and then I start the bike next time and all is fine. Thats my experience with them anyhow....


Well harden the fuck up wingers. Do you want your tyre pressures checked once a week for you? Do you want your oil level checked daily for you? Do you want your fucking bums wiped for you?


actually, now you mention it.. the bike you sold me 3 years ago that I done 80,000k on is leaking oil out of the fucking big hole in the side of the engine casing as I biffed it down the road at 100k/hr. can i have my money back?

Bike shops with mechanics with half a fucking clue would be nice. Too much to ask for though I suppose.

[Crasherfromwayback]

[QUOTE=dipshit;1129775053]Bike shops with mechanics with half a fucking clue would be nice.QUOTE]

The last shop that had mechanics with half a clue got rid of you mate. You've been bitter ever since. I spoke to someone that knows you the other day. They pretty much confirmed my thoughts.

[Tunahunter]

WTF... :blink:

You don't tap into the ignition... you tap into an ignition on source! i.e. tail light or numberplate light power (if your bike is one of those headlights always on when the ignition is on types)

Go to Repco or Supercheap and get yourself a common as muck general-purpose automotive relay for around $20. One wire goes to the tail light power, say,... two wires directly to the battery + and - and a fourth wire becomes the power feed for your accessory. Quick and easy to do and your accessory will be drawing directly from the battery so you will not risk any mishaps with your bike's wiring... plus it will only be live when the ignition is on. Done.

Just don't go to bike workshops where the mechanics are either clueless or full of shit. You'll be better off finding a better mechanic somewhere else or learning to work on your bike yourself.


Well the shop got in touch and sorted things out for me at no extra cost. I'm really happy with their responsiveness and I'll be dropping off a box of beer for their next after work drinks

[trailblazer]

good to see your bike is sorted and good to see you are willing to drop a box of beer off to them. :2thumbsup

[Crasherfromwayback]

Beer makes the world go round! Cheers Clyde.

[newbould]

Any suggestions why my headlight now modulates when the hotgrips are turned on? No problems with battery drain or anything else and they turn of with the ignition. As the headlight is only designed to warn others that I am coming andf not to actually illuminate any of the road for me (or so it appears from the saddle) the modulation isn't a huge issue but does annoy. Fitted by bike shop and they have offered to check it out but is really only apparent when riding in the dark.

[dipshit]

Any suggestions why my headlight now modulates when the hotgrips are turned on?

Are they running the hot grips off headlight power or directly from the battery..??? I think the Daytona hot grips suggested tapping into the headlight power feed before it goes into the high or low switch.

It pays to do the job properly though and run them straight off the battery via a relay that is switched with an a ignition on source.

[scumdog]

Don't some grips come set-up so if they are left on and cause the battery volts to drop below 11 (I think) they automaticly turn off??

EDIT: I see on reading the rest of the thread that this has been mentioned.

But unlike what dipshit says, the neg. on the realy just has to go to earth, does not need run all the way to the battery.

[Moki]

It's called a relay.

Here's how to make one for the bike (http://www.canyonchasers.net/shop/generic/relay.php)

[dipshit]

It's called a relay.

Here's how to make one for the bike (http://www.canyonchasers.net/shop/generic/relay.php)

It needn't even be that complicated with using a distribution block and everything. A relay and a fuse and some lengths of wire... http://www.r1200gs.info/howto/relay.html

[PrincessBandit]

Mate I have just fitted the same unit to my bike but when I purchased mine the salesman told me it could be wired to the ignition however my ignition is a sealed unit so that proved to be a no goer.

And as you have stated you cant hook into any other live line from the ignition due to the power draw so yeah I to will have to make sure I turn it off every time I get off the bike. Wish me luck.

Ed

Same as me - I have to turn mine off independently of ignition and so far, touch wood, haven't run my battery flat. Once or twice I've had a niggling doubt, immediately returned to the bike and seen the light still on. I try to just get into the habit of turning them off now before I actually arrive at my destination. Seems to be a system which works! Good luck.

[davebullet]

As Moki said.

I wired mine using a 12 volt automotive relay. I think I bought a Narva from Dick Smith for about $8? It doesn't come with wiring instructions, but the pin-out on the back is industry standard and google takes care of that. I used the instructions on this site:
http://www.canyonchasers.com/shop/generic/relay.php

All you need to do it (4 pins to connect on the relay):
1. Run a dedicated connection from the battery to the main feed of the relay
2. Tap into your brake light (or any other circuit that switches on when the ignition key is on) - feed that into the relay on the pin that triggers the relay (ie. completes the connection from the main battery feed
3. Wire in the ground on the relay
4. Wire in the switched circuit on the relay to the hot grips.

Voila - hot grips you can never forget to turn off.

I'm pretty dumb when it comes to electrical things... and even I could figure it out. The instructions above are really good. One flat battery will convince you it's worth it :-)

To be fair - a mechanic may not have auto-electrical training hence the initial comment. Also - it could be costly if your bike makes it had to tap into an ignition source - as labour is involved in removing panels / parts.

The cost of parts themselves should be pretty cheap. As noted the relay is the most expensive part - followed by a few connectors and some wire.

[dipshit]

But unlike what dipshit says, the neg. on the realy just has to go to earth, does not need run all the way to the battery.


True. Though with most bikes where the battery is under the seat... it's so convenient to find a location for the relay under the seat as well and be close to a taillight wire running down the rear subframe to tap into for the switch power and earth the relay directly on the battery negative to be absolutely sure you have a good earth instead of attaching the wire under a bolt somewhere on the frame that could one day fail when dirt and corrosion and vibration does its usual thing.

A bike is easy to earth directly to the battery... doing a similar job on a car would be a different story though.

Edit... example. The relay I added to my bike to run a radar detector.

[BMWST?]

Mate I have just fitted the same unit to my bike but when I purchased mine the salesman told me it could be wired to the ignition however my ignition is a sealed unit so that proved to be a no goer.

And as you have stated you cant hook into any other live line from the ignition due to the power draw so yeah I to will have to make sure I turn it off every time I get off the bike. Wish me luck.

Ed

tap the tailight circuit,i wouldnt use the headlight circuit as that is one of the most heavily loaded circuits on the bike already

[BMWST?]

I forgot to turn the lights off on my Falcon, why do manufactures advise or do this sort of thing. Should be out lawed.

parking lights are sometimes required.

[dipshit]

tap the tailight circuit,i wouldnt use the headlight circuit as that is one of the most heavily loaded circuits on the bike already

And if your accessory shorts, it could blow your headlight fuse on you in the middle of a ride one night. Probably why most bike shops refuse to wire up accessories like that.

[outlawtorn]

Slofox gave me the solution too, easy as to do it yourself at home, and no one installs accessories on your bike quite like yourself, you learn more about your bike and take more time, care and pride in the end result.