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Dual star heated grips is the topic. Their web site says if you have steel bars you do not need to insulate them on the clutch side. The throttle side will have the throttle tube to take care of it. so why do you not need to isolate the heater from the bar on the clutch side? What have you done with yours and why? Seems like I heard of people wrapping duct tape on to help keep the heat away from the bar.

Does any company make gloves just for heated grips that would be thin on the palm side and thicker insulation on the back of the hand?



Please help, David H

I've installed Dual Star grips both on steel and aluminum bars. In my opinion, I'd do the heat-shrink tube thing whether steel or aluminum. Steel is not as bad, but it still sucks some of your heat away obviously.

The tube that Dual Star will sell you is a large heat-shrink tube that you cut to the right length then shrink onto the left bar where your grip goes. It makes the left side diameter same or similar to your throttle side. This means you have to purchase 2 sets of grips so you have 2 throttle-sized grips. That is really the only downside--that you pay twice for grips. The grips I used were less than $10 a pair, and come to think of it, I think were free to me because as I recall, I never paid Daryl back when he picked them up for me! Daryl?

I'm really happy with my dualstar heated grips. The problem with DualStar is that they take their sweet time to ship and are bad about following up when something is back-ordered. They don't make those heaters, so you can find them elsewhere. I think Flatland Racing in Emporia carries them, too. The old version of the heaters had a resistor element that was clunky and got hot (of course). The new design does not have one--works great and less hassle.

I tried to find a slick switch/button solution--something that would look more professional than a silver toggle switch. However, I did not find anything that looked like I could easily implement it. The grips come with a basic 3-position (Off/Low/High) toggle switch. I simply purchased a short piece of metal with small holes in it from a hardware store. Hobby Lobby may even have something like this in their picture framing section. I then drilled one end with a hole large enough to mount the switch then I drilled the other end large enough to allow a bolt on the bike to go through it. On my Husky, I ended up using the left front turn-signal bolt. (Just remove the bolt then re-attach through the custom mounting bracket.) The switch is mounted out of my way where I wont accidentally turn on the grips yet easy to access when I need it.

By the way, I mounted my GPS in a similar fashion. I purchased a small 45 degree mounting ball from http://www.cycoactive.com. I then simply removed one of the bolts that connect my brushguards to the bars and re-attached through the mount. The result is a very secure, clean mounting point. See part "M" in the image below:

I read up on grip heaters a while back. I ended up using some kimpex brand I think were intended for snowmobile use. I built a little box to mount the three position toggle switch in and an indicator light. Most guys say to wire in a relay to cut power to them when the ignition is off. My friend Rokklym forgot and left his on at last fall's Iowa gravel ride and ran his battery down. I used a bullet connector close to the switch and just unplug them when it's warm. I think our friend Devro just tapes his on the outside of his grips and removes them when not needed.
I read up on poly heaters that mount inside the bar, you have to drill a hole to run the wires out and I don't know if handguard mounts would move them too far inside the bar to be effective. I think they claim pretty even heat and the throttle side wire doesn't flex like with conventional heaters.
I very seldom run mine on high for very long, not needed and worry about melting the throttle tube. I was sure glad I had them at your Eureka Springs ride. I rode with a guy from Houston who was not expecting chilly weather. I think he had mesh pants and summer gloves. Anytime we'd stop I'd find some way to work grip heaters into the conversation until he finally told me to STFU. Dean

Don't bother with drilling holes in the bar. Just locate the throttle side so that the wire can rotate freely with the throttle. I prefer the wire on top, some prefer the wire under the bar.

I have heated grips on my F650 (steel bars) and LC4 (Al bars), neither with the heat shrink. They both work. The left side takes a while to heat up compared to the right side. I do have the heat shrink for the MXC, but not mounted yet.

As to wiring, on my LC4 I used the turn signal circuit / horn circuit as it is keyed. I mounted a swicth where I could. I have not blown a fuse, except when the wire came off the grip pad and shorted out. The LC4 only has ~3 keyed hots, and I figured turn signals and horn weren't absolutely necessary if all things went to hell, unlike brake lights and ingnition.

On my MXC 80% of the alternator output is AC. I will run my grip heaters off of AC, as the resistors don't really care whether they get AC or DC. In fact, the only thing running on DC on my MXC is the horn b/c it didn't sound very good on AC. Not sure if your husky is all DC or some AC. Running AC takes care of the switched issue.

Heated grips are my number one recemmended modification. I figure they add at least 10oF to my comfortable riding temp. In the mountains in Colorado or around Moab, the ability to keep my hands warm early in the morning or late in the afternoon without heavy gloves made my rides much more enjoyable. And when it rains, the heat is very nice.

The Dual-Star grips came with a slick connector for splicing into a power line. I chose to share the power that feeds my low-beam. So, like safiri, my grips are switched. No chance I'll turn the bike off and leave the grips sucking the battery. By the way, Safiri is the reason I have heated grips. He has been a mentor to me of sorts when it comes to moto-necessities.

My beloved/sweet Dr650 is the bike to get these grips. Thanks for the info, David H