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Thread: Heated handgrips affecting smooth running

  1. #1
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    Heated handgrips affecting smooth running

    Hi. This in my work bike, a 2018 CT110 SuperCub (12 volts electrics). New last year and part of the deal was heated handgrips on it before winter. This duly happened. Trouble is though that when I turn them on, the engine speed drops to the point where it will stall eventually. Turn the grips off and it will return immediately to the sweet running beast its always been Side issue is on a day where I use them a lot, I'm using more throttle to keep it running and consequently, more gas. I have run out of gas once and gone very close two other times.

    Other people's bikes with the same grips go fine. The mechanic doesn't think he can do anything about it. It is wired through the ignition.

    Any thoughts?
    Grow older but never grow up

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by Oakie View Post
    Hi. This in my work bike, a 2018 CT110 SuperCub (12 volts electrics). New last year and part of the deal was heated handgrips on it before winter. This duly happened. Trouble is though that when I turn them on, the engine speed drops to the point where it will stall eventually. Turn the grips off and it will return immediately to the sweet running beast its always been Side issue is on a day where I use them a lot, I'm using more throttle to keep it running and consequently, more gas. I have run out of gas once and gone very close two other times.

    Other people's bikes with the same grips go fine. The mechanic doesn't think he can do anything about it. It is wired through the ignition.

    Any thoughts?
    Yep, sack the mechanic and find a good auto sparky! it has to be a wire shorting somewhere. Ride on Oakie.
    Every day above ground is a good day!:

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by caseye View Post
    Yep, sack the mechanic and find a good auto sparky! it has to be a wire shorting somewhere. Ride on Oakie.
    My thought was a short somewhere but I'm not a mechanic's arsehole so haven't said much apart from pointing out the problem. To be honest, I'd be quite happy if he just hooked it up to the battery. They've got a kick start so there's a plan b if I forget and flatten the battery. Cheers
    Grow older but never grow up

  4. #4
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    They should be connected to the battery via a relay. A relay is a remote switch. Very cheap at auto place like repco. It caries the high current directly to the controller.

    It has a sense wire that energizes when the ignition switch is turned on. Connect it to something that gets power when switch is on. Like the feed to the rear brake light switch. (One side of that switch will have power all the time the other only when you brake). That turns the relay on.

    This isolates the current draw from anything critical and should solve your problem.

    The only other question that is near the top of the list, is does the alternator has enough output to feed the grips?

    When set up as above connect a multimeter to the battery and rev it up. Then turn the grips on. It shouldn't change much. It could be though that the output is minimal at idle and the extra draw sags the voltage. But if it is enough to charge a battery for electric start you'd think it wasn't that marginal.

    Go to an auto electrician.
    Don't you look at my accountant.
    He's the only one I've got.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by F5 Dave View Post

    The only other question that is near the top of the list, is does the alternator has enough output to feed the grips?
    Thanks for all that. The alternator should have enough output as other bikes at work (the same model with the same grips) don't have the same problem.
    Grow older but never grow up

  6. #6
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    Unless you have a really sad battery it would appear some muppet installation. You'd think apprentice mechanics would have had a good grounding in electrical theory drummed into them, more so in last 30 years.
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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Oakie View Post
    Hi. This in my work bike, a 2018 CT110 SuperCub (12 volts electrics). New last year and part of the deal was heated handgrips on it before winter. This duly happened. Trouble is though that when I turn them on, the engine speed drops to the point where it will stall eventually. Turn the grips off and it will return immediately to the sweet running beast its always been Side issue is on a day where I use them a lot, I'm using more throttle to keep it running and consequently, more gas. I have run out of gas once and gone very close two other times.

    Other people's bikes with the same grips go fine. The mechanic doesn't think he can do anything about it. It is wired through the ignition.

    Any thoughts?
    more throttle sounds like a health and safety issue. are they the same brand of grips as the others? a small bike will have a small output so it may be that they're overloading the system

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by jellywrestler View Post
    More throttle sounds like a health and safety issue. are they the same brand of grips as the others? a small bike will have a small output so it may be that they're overloading the system
    Yep. Bikes and grips are identical in all respects. It is a small bike but it does have 12v electrics.
    Grow older but never grow up

  9. #9
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    get your mechanic to check the current draw of the heated grips, I have seen large differences in the current draw as the quality control of most heated grips isn't great. The info I can find on the net is only listing a 200 watt alternator for your bike if lights, ignition & heated grips are using more than 200w this will drop battery voltage causing the ignition module to start to drop out causing spark problems. Two easy checks are to test battery voltage with the grips off with engine running battery charging (needs to be more than 13.5 volts) then turn on the grips and see if battery voltage drops. voltage needs to remain at 13.5 volts
    If the voltage doesn't drop below 13.5v it may be that the grips are connected to the ignition feed wire & it can't supply enough current, repeat tests but test at the positive & negative connections of the power feed to the heated grips. once again should not drop significantly when the grips are turned on should be at least 13 volts with the bike running.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by F5 Dave View Post
    . .....would have had a good grounding in electrical .........
    I see what you did there

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by BMWST? View Post
    I see what you did there
    bugger. I didn't.
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  12. #12
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    Additional observation

    Noticed this in respect of my problem and thought it might give some of you bright sparks a new clue.

    So my handgrips have four settings as normal, from 'slightly warm' through to 'f**k that's hot'. When engaging the handgrips and losing power you'd think that the higher the setting, the more power you'd lose. But NO! The opposite is true. The lowest heat setting of the four has the greatest effect on the idle speed and the higher up the scale you go, the less impact there is on idle speed. So using setting 'slightly warm', it'll idle like a bag of arseholes until it stalls in short order but in moving the steps up to the top 'f**k thats hot' setting, the idle speed gets incrimentally better. Any ideas?
    Grow older but never grow up

  13. #13
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    Ideas? Yes. Wire it in proper.
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    He's the only one I've got.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by F5 Dave View Post
    Ideas? Yes. Wire it in proper.
    Yep. But I think I need to hold the mechanic's hand a bit with this one so might need more specifics. Then I might as well do his job for him.
    Grow older but never grow up

  15. #15
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    Read post 9 then post 4.
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