YBR grips

[Grover]

im looking to swap my stock YBR grips for some oxford hot grips (or the dr. bike ones, which appear to be the same but cheaper ), but im not sure if it will be easy enough to fit:

most guides seem to show bikes with bar ends, which my YBR (2011 model) doesnt have, but rather the rubber grip covers over the bore in the handlebar

is it still practical and easy to fit heated grips? and do i require any more hardware to add (like if the grips allow for bar ends and leave a hole for the screw)

thanks

[PeterC]

Might need your power supply uprating.

[Grover]

ive had a shop around, and teh grips ive gone for are oxford grips designed to be fitted to a scooter, so the YBRs battery should hold out fine... so long as i dont leave it on too long. though it does claim to have an "intelligent" system that detect when ive left them on, and cuts the power automatically... supposedly by noticing when my bike's battery has dropped below a certain voltage, then im stuck with cold hands again

but for less than £30, its not the end of the world if i have to leave them turned off every now and then

[paul-666]

you need to keep me informed on how you get on with these

[Grover]

ok, my grips arrived, but i quickly found out that i bought the scooter version of the oxford grips, and the instructions wanted me to drill a hole through the fairing to bolt the switch to

ill send them back tomorrow, but in the meantime, which grips do you people suggest for a YBR, considering that my electronic top box already has some drain on the battery, and i dont wanna overload the poor little thing (5Ah isnt much considering that the grips alone can draw up to 4A, leaving me with about 40-45 minutes of discharge before my battery is lunched, so just one accidental "leaving the grips turned on" will leave me with a poorly flat battery)

otherwise, has anyone got a simple solution for hooking the wiring up to the ignition, so i can't accidentally leave them running?

thanks

[dt502001]

Yep hook them up with a dead man switch, like a jet ski then you cant get more than a few feet away

[Grover]

ok, the anticipated results of my tinkering and toiling!

basically, they do fit, but its gonna take a few sheets of sandpaper, and about an hour

first, the clutch-side grip slides on like a dream (unless youve banged the crap out of your bars), but make a couple of dry tests before you get the super glue out

but the throttle side is a right bitch to fit:

instead of a smooth plastic sleeve that has the rubber grip glued on, it has no glue, and instead has extrusions over the top, about 10mm long, 5mm wide and 1 or 2 mm tall. coupled to this there is also a ring around the edge that extrudes about as much.

the problem is that these are ADDED onto the standard diameter that the grips need, so they need to come off. i used a stanley knife to get most of them off, then some sandpaper to clean up the rough parts, keep dry-fitting the grips after each attack with the sandpaper to make sure you don't overdo it. when you're dry-fitting the drips, tehres two things you're looking for: check that you can get the grips on within 10 seconds of applying the glue (it sets bloody quick), and that the throttle will close itself quickly: since the grips may be tight, they can squeeze the plastic onto the bar itself, fouling up its movement, which can hold the throttle open for you (not good, and possible illegal as well)

it may take a while to get the throttle side on, but once you're there, and the brake lever isnt blocked by the wire coming out of the throttle, it couldn't be easier to get all the wiring done, i hid the control box under the seat (in a nicely placed space), then ran the wires flush under the fuel tank and up near the front forks. the metal plate to mount the controller to can be bent easily to whatever shape you need, and it can be cut as necessary. you might want to use some cable ties (or zip-strips) to secure some of the wiring, making sure you can still turn the bars and throttle freely, to tidy up, and ensure that if the controller comes off its stick backed foam base, that it won't go far

once they're installed, full power is too hot for bare hands at all, and the 75% power setting is nice for a cold day, but on a cold rainy night, you really need to ramp it up to 100%

these things are really toasty, adding muffs will almost certainly be too hot for full power (trapping the heat in the muff)

one side effect is that the headlight will fluctuate slightly as the grips take pulses of power, its not enough to notice as your're riding, but it makes the headlight EVEN dimmer (so better upgrade those bulbs peeps!)

finally, the grips alone can drain the battery in under 1.5 hours, so make sure to turn them off, but the chap at Hein Gericke claimed that the control box also detects if the battery is not being charged, and cuts the power to the grips if that's the case (such as leaving them on after a journey), but i wont bother testing this, for fear of busting a battery.

definatley reccomend the oxford grips, cant say anything about the DR Bike grips, but these are definitly worth what you pay for

if in doubt, or if you don;t have much skill with a Stanley knife, take the grips (adn your bike ) to a mechanic or dealer to fit them for you, might cost some, but at least you know its done safely (i DO NOT reccomend using a crap mechanic to fit them, else you're in trouble)

PS, make sure to buy some generic bar ends to cover the holes once the grips are fitted, you want the ones with the rubber inside the handlebar that expand to grip the inside of the bar, ask your local parts dealer if you dont know

[paul-666]

sounds like you recomed them then ? as I was looking at these and was a bit put off when they could drain the battery this meens I'd be stuck at work or in the house untill I get the battery charged is there no way for them to be turned off when you turn the bike off ??

[Grover]

ive been told by the salesman at Hein Gericke that the oxford ones have a little "Brain" box (which i've hidden under the seat) that automatically cuts the power if your battery starts to drain), which is also why they're more expensive than the DR. Bike ones

and i would definatley reccomend them if you can afford them, nothing like toasty hands after a long cold ride!