Heated Grips on the XR

[RedRick Esq.]

I had a 14MY GSA and as we all know the heated grips were completely shit.

I have the same problem with the XR

I keep trying mates bikes other BMWs and KTM and indeed bikes with cheepo Oxford hot grips and the heated grips on them are way way hotter than mine. even the 16plate XR i took out were better.

I have raised this issue with my dealer a couple of times now and on the face of it the service manager tends to agree that mine are not very hot.

Last week when i went through I had the grips on full for the 40 mile journey and although i didn't need them they should have ( in my experience) have become un bearably hot but they didnt and the service manager was asked to feel them and make his own mind up.

He raised a PUMA (Again) and did say that they would change the grips.

BMW have now interfered with that and told them to do something with the ECU ( they tried this last week) and then to disconnect everything, plug it all back together and ride it for an extended test ride and then check the grips which should be between 43 and 48 deg ( at least that's what i think he said)

Someone higher up at BMW wont let the dealer change the grips FFS and has said they do get hotter on a GS than on an XR !!


The bloody part number is the same so why would that be ???


Dont get me wrong I love this bike, it is fantastic but I am getting fed up with a company who will change an engine at the drop of a hat for some corrosion but simply refuse to fix niggles like heated grips.



I can feel a defection to the orange side ......

 

[Engineer]

Maybe the XR handle bars are a more effective heatsink than the GS ones, so the heat gets dissipated?

 

[Deleted account 220319001]

I test rode the xr at out local dealer a while back and it's grips were shit as well.

 

[RedRick Esq.]

Maybe the XR handle bars are a more effective heatsink than the GS ones, so the heat gets dissipated?

I think that was one of the excuses they used on the 14 MY GS

What is the solution if it were true

 

[Engineer]

I think that was one of the excuses they used on the 14 MY GS

What is the solution if it were true

If the part number is the same and the drive level from the electronics the same then the only difference can be the rate of heat loss to the environment by a path other than your hands - the only path that I can think of is the bars, metal is a very effective conductor of heat.

So the only solution is to put some thermal insulation between the grips and the bars or change the bars for a material that is a poorer conductor of heat - are the XR bars made of the same material and thickness as the GS bars?

 

[RedRick Esq.]

If the part number is the same and the drive level from the electronics the same then the only difference can be the rate of heat loss to the environment by a path other than your hands - the only path that I can think of is the bars, metal is a very effective conductor of heat.

So the only solution is to put some thermal insulation between the grips and the bars or change the bars for a material that is a poorer conductor of heat - are the XR bars made of the same material and thickness as the GS bars?

Dunno but i will be endeavouring to find out

 

[Engineer]

Dunno but i will be endeavouring to find out

I would like to know the reason so good luck in your quest!

 

[mrtee43]

All the excuses from BMW are bollocks as we know. This is a replay of the early GS scenario, whereby people and dealers were told that fitting later model grips that got hot could not be retrofitted. Of course, some owners fitted the later ones themselves or a dealer fitted them and there was no problem at all.

All the talk about heat sinks is flannel. On previous bikes, I have fitted Oxford heated grips to standard steel bars and alloy Renthal bars and they all got much hotter. The most I ever paid for them was about £70 and one pair free with subscription to BIKE magazine.

The early GS bikes with shit grips are probably all out of warranty now so that issue has now gone. They will probably tough it out with the XR as well.

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

.........................

The bloody part number is the same so why would that be ???

............................................


I can feel a defection to the orange side ......

The only answer is, of course, get a decent Orange bike

The only other thing that crossed my mind when you mentioned WBM playing with the ECU............. the heat of your grips are probably controlled by either voltage level (more volts=more heat) or by a set voltage and frequency of cycling on and off (more on than off=more heat). Maybe this is set to a different level on the GS than the XR and there is a software patch or some inherent adjustability

Does the XR have hand guards like the GS; I guess that would make a difference if not but even so the grips should still be up to the job.

............and thinking properly about it whilst typing the above I have come to the conclusion that still the only real answer is to go Orange

Andres

 

[RedRick Esq.]

ll the only real answer is to go Orange

Andres

Or red !

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

Or red !

KTM don't make red bikes



Andres

 

[Flashman]

Have you tried wearing thinner gloves? ��

 

[Deleted account 251212001]

I had my grips on today in southern Spain . Agreed they are feeble, and seem to have a mind of their own.

 

[Timolgra]

I can feel a defection to the orange side ......

You'd change your bike because of heated grips?

 

[2 wheel humvee]

You'd change your bike because of heated grips?

This ^

 

[Deleted account 251212001]

Surely you bought the bike knowing there was a fair chance the grips were shit having have the GS 2014, and knowing there was no real fix for them.....might need to temper your expectations from the fatherland on this one.

 

[RedRick Esq.]

You'd change your bike because of heated grips?

No
I love the bike but am rapidly falling out of love with BMW and their attitude to customer issues so when I do change it I really feel that a different manufacturer may get my money


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DRAIN MAN]

looks like BMW are using up the old stock of the early GS grips to get rid of them as they are shite as we all know, the later grips work fine on the early bikes. I have had mine on for over a year now, still waiting for the bike to catch fire which was one of the excuses BMW used

 

[Nutty]

My heated grips are shite on the XR. I couldn't care less, as the rest of the bike is amazing. I might sell it soon though, as something else has caught my eye, which isn't quite as fast.

 

[RedRick Esq.]

My heated grips are shite on the XR. I couldn't care less, as the rest of the bike is amazing. I might sell it soon though, as something else has caught my eye, which isn't quite as fast.

Oh I agree about the bike as a whole it is not spoilt by the grips but the attitude of BMW. The dealer really seems to want to sort this and as said were going to fit new grips but have been stopped from doing so.

I will not be selling mine any time soon as there is nothing else that could live up to it for me but in time there will be and i doubt it will be a BM for me.

The comments of selling a bike because of heated grips are way off the mark.

They should work though or more precisely work at a standard that actually warms a bods hands and they don't and there seems to be no desire to make them do so