1100gs - Heated Grips.

[justabof]

I'd like to fit heated grips to my 1100. It's easy enough to get the parts to do this, but my query is specifically about the handlebars.

There are different part numbers for the 'bars for the heated grips option, so, what I'd like to know is what is the difference between standard and heated grip 'bars, and can the standard ones be modified to suit?

I'd prefer to fit BMW grips, but I don't want to splash-out on new 'bars if I don't need to.

Otherwise, has anyone any experience of fitting aftermarket heated grips, but wired-in to the standard BMW rocker switch?

 

[Canuck]

I fitted oxford grips on mine and stuck the switch over the bmw plate... reason being is that the grips have selectable heat setting and the 2 position rocker switch couldn't do it... and I'm not clever enough to figure it all out.

 

[warmshed]

Not sure on the Gs but the K bikes just have a hole drilled in the centre so the heating wires can be threaded through, easy enough to drill your bars.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62717

 

[Littledumptruck]

Not sure on the Gs but the K bikes just have a hole drilled in the centre so the heating wires can be threaded through, easy enough to drill your bars.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62717

Seem to recall this is all I had to do when I fitted genuine grips to my R1100RS years ago, I will say, without any doubt, genuine grips are way way better than anything Oxford. Only other brand I'd use are Daytona, as used by Honda and Yamaha for OE.

If you've got the switch you only need the grips. Got mine from motobins IIRC. Just a thought, if you have the switch are you sure you don't already have the grips? Maybe there's just a fault on them?

 

[justabof]

Not sure on the Gs but the K bikes just have a hole drilled in the centre so the heating wires can be threaded through, easy enough to drill your bars.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62717

This sounds hopeful. I'll have a look at my bars to see what is involved in this drilling. There can't be too much metal to drill through - or are they solid? Surely not, they must be tubular....

 

[justabof]

Definitely none fitted. I don't have a switch (yet,) just the blank rocker switch. I want to use the BMW switch for a tidy job. Motobins and Motorworks both sell the grips, switches etc but I want to avoid having to buy new bars as well.

 

[Two wheels good]

Check if your bars are already drilled. Remove the bar-ends and try to poke in a wire; look at\feel the centre of the bars, between the bar risers for the entry hole.

In the past I drilled the ends of the bars on a K11. Some caution was needed to avoid damage to the threads for the bar ends but not much drilling was required.
(Note: I've no experience of the task on an R11xx)

I'd opt for the OEM over Oxford too.

 

[warmshed]

The good thing about the BMW ones is the wires are hidden in the bars.

 

[Vern]

If you feel the underside of the handlebars on the outside of the bar clamps on the top yolk,the holes for the wiring are there.

I think there used to be two different sets of bars on the early ones, one set for heated grips and one set for stock grips, but I think they just put the drilled bars on everything after a while.

Everything is there to fit them, all you need is the switch and the grips,and off you go

 

[uncle dick]

Motobins sold me a complete kit with new bars for about 125 quid IIRC. This was about 18 months ago but worth a look.

Sent from my HTC Gratia A6380 using Tapatalk

 

[uncle dick]

Just had a look, £139+vat now but still cheap if you add up the cost of the bits. Comes with switch, wiring loom etc.

 

[Cogs]

DO NOT invest in the 'full monty' set before you've checked the bars you've got!

I did, years ago and regretted it. Bought a full set, bars and grips, for my none HG mint GS. when I took off the OEM bars, I found them to be HG enabled bars. As Vern said, just look for the (square in my case) cut outs just outside the bar clamps.That's the only diference.

 

[Gecko]

Like Vern said - they fitted the pre-drilled bars later on as standard. I retro fitted BMW heated grips onto my 1999 R1100GS and to my joy - the bars were already pre drilled. I don't think I'd fancy self drilling my handle bars ....

 

[Canuck]

I think oxford heated grip are something like £19... zip tied the two small wires to the brake/clutch line ... voila! job done! Took the extra money and put it towards a set of verns panniers!

 

[justabof]

Thanks for the tips, guys.

I'll have a good look at the bars today and see if they are HG-friendly. It's a 1999 bike so I'm in with a chance.
If so, I'll get the BMW grips & switch.
I looked at Oxford, but the price ranges from £50 to £70, so not really a cheap alternative.

I'll update when I've sussed the bars.

 

[MattW]

My '94 hasn't got drilled bars (I know this cos I removed them to straighten them after it had a little lie down on a ferry last year).

This is the only thing that has stopped me fitting some OEM heated grips (I need to have a look at a set of drilled bars so I can see where to butcher mine). As Vern says, all the necessary wiring connectors are cabled tied up out of the way in the dash housing ready to go.

 

[Steptoe]

In the good old days BMW supplied an instruction kit with their heated grips showing you how and where to drill the handlebars. If they aren't drilled it's not rocket science to drill them. Drill three holes together in the centre of the bars and file the holes into a elongated hole and to get rid of any rough edges.

The difference between heated and non heated bars is at the ends, where the bar end weights locate. The end weights on non heated bars will cut through the heated grip wiring when you fit them
The heated bars have a space for the wiring.

 

[MattW]

The difference between heated and non heated bars is at the ends, where the bar end weights locate. The end weights on non heated bars will cut through the heated grip wiring when you fit them
The heated bars have a space for the wiring.

Ah - not quite as straightforward as I thought then - I'll have to have a nosy round a heated grip bike

 

[Trullion]

As Steptoe has said, it's the inserts that differ, not the bars. FWIW I fitted heated grips to my then new 850 GS in 2000. The kit included the replacement inserts, which I needed for the reason Steptoe has said. By that time the 1100GS had been replaced by the 1150 (I only bought the 850 'cos I couldn't get either a new 1100 or 1150 - all sold out), so I doubt that 1100s without heated grips already installed came with the modified inserts. Could be wrong though.

Also, neither the heated grips on my (now departed) 850GS nor my 1100RS have ever been much cop from new, certainly nowhere near as good as they were on my K75 and K100 of old.

 

[justabof]

heated grips - update

I finally got the chance to investigate the existing bars and grips today.

The bars have a hole drilled through each side, close to the centre brace, so that was encouraging.

I took the twistgrip off, and just inboard of the threaded end (on to which the end weight is screwed) there is an opening in the bar which seems likely to be for the wiring from the heated grip to run.

So far, so good.

On the l/h bar, the grip is glued in place, so I cut around the bar to loosen the grip on the last inch or so, expecting to find an opening for the h/g wiring (like the r/h bar.)

No such luck! So it looks like I have a centre-section handlebar designed for h/g wiring, a r/h end which suits the h/g's, but a l/h end that doesn't.
I think I'll attack the l/h end with drill/grinder/file, as necessary, to form a recess for the wiring, to replicate the r/h one.

I'll order the BMW grip kit (h/grips + switch&wiring) in the meantime, and keep you posted (I bet you can't wait........!)