Nah, doesn't take long to see that your forte is shoveling shite!
Jim
Shovelling facts
Heated hand grips
- Thread starter kevtherev
- Start date
Shovelling facts
bone48
Registered user
My multistrada heated grips work ACE!!! 
My multistrada heated grips work ACE!!!
Cool
hmmmmm perhaps that's not the best description to use in this thread matchbox
Registered user
Still too hot!
Was out on my '15 GS to-day. Temperature 7C. Hot was too hot to the point of scalding. Low was just too warm and needed to keep turning on and off. Maybe older colder grips were better - for me anyway!
Was out on my '15 GS to-day. Temperature 7C. Hot was too hot to the point of scalding. Low was just too warm and needed to keep turning on and off. Maybe older colder grips were better - for me anyway!
Swap you
There's the problem - no doubt in 2016 when BMW fit an infinitely variable heat switch instead of a 2 position switch all the 2015 owners will be saying their grips are not fit for purpose as well
Still happy with my 2014 after the forced software upgrade
There's the problem - no doubt in 2016 when BMW fit an infinitely variable heat switch instead of a 2 position switch all the 2015 owners will be saying their grips are not fit for purpose as well
Still happy with my 2014 after the forced software upgrade
I wonder why BMW never went that way in all seriousness, tradition? I remember my 1100GS just had Low and High, my Tiger 1050 was the same, two position but aftermarket grips often have a rheostat or in the case of the R&G cheap'ies a 5 position setting. It' would not be quite as integrated I guess, but the switch itself on the bar could be a roller switch. (just thinking out loud here)
If they are controlled with a stepless control (rheostat) it would not need to be integrated, also it would not matter if they varied in performance providing max is hot enough then it is self adjusting, as in myself adjusting it.
I had exactly that on my Vstrom and they worked a treat. One size fits all.
My grips on my June '14 reg LC work fine I never use no.2 as it is too hot, I only wear summer gloves all the time so the heat can get through the thin palms.
I wear summer gloves all the time too and the skin on the palms is constructed from kangaroo so is quite thin. I can just about feel the heat on full but on half ? Forget it, useless ! If the external temperature is low, combined with the wind chill factor even high is useless.
The RT-LC has 5 positions and number 5 is very hot! so perhaps x5 temps will eventually being available on the GS-LC...
So we need 6.5 Ohm heating elements in the grips.
My Multistrada 1200 heated grips had three heat settings and were great, my Tiger 1200 were great re heat settings but had to be switched back on every time you switched the ignition off and back on again ie after filling up with petrol etc.
My Multistrada 1200 heated grips had three heat settings and were great, my Tiger 1200 were great re heat settings but had to be switched back on every time you switched the ignition off and back on again ie after filling up with petrol etc.
If they could arrange a form of PWM control, I.e. The voltage stays at 12V but the mark/space ratio is controlled by repeatedly pressing the heated grips button, then you could have virtually infinite control from cold to hot. It would take a bit of experimenting by BMW to perfect it, but I would think that it's possible.
GS_or_bust
Registered user
My guess is that BMW do use PWM as this is the most efficient and simplest way to do it (an oscilloscope would show this). On the 2015 grips (that probably get too hot even on the low setting in mildly cold weather) BMW could probably change the software to provide three, four or five levels of heat by successive pressing of the button. The problem is how to display it on the current display as there are only two dots and they are not about to design a new display with more dots for this minor change.
One possibility would be to have three levels, they can show the heated grip symbol for low, the heated grip symbol plus one dot for medium and the heated grip symbol plus two dots for high. It depends whether the current display can show the grip symbol without one dot.
BMW, you can have this idea for free!
The reason that there is confusion about fitting the higher power grips to the 2014 models is because the electronics don't use fuses but instead measure the current drawn by a device and switch it off if it draws too much so the wiring doesn't melt. The current limit for the grips will have been designed with some tolerance but when you fit the higher power grips the current will be higher and will come close to the maximum allowed. In certain circumstances, due to grip resistance manufacturing tolerance, temperature etc. the 2015 grips might exceed the maximum current allowed on the 2014 electronics and trip the protection. The problem for BMW is that if they sanction fitting the new grips to the older bikes, the manufacturing variations may mean some bikes trip the limits sometimes and then the owners complain that their new grips stop working setting off another 20 page thread. That's why it will be remain a try it for yourself situation.
One possibility would be to have three levels, they can show the heated grip symbol for low, the heated grip symbol plus one dot for medium and the heated grip symbol plus two dots for high. It depends whether the current display can show the grip symbol without one dot.
BMW, you can have this idea for free!
The reason that there is confusion about fitting the higher power grips to the 2014 models is because the electronics don't use fuses but instead measure the current drawn by a device and switch it off if it draws too much so the wiring doesn't melt. The current limit for the grips will have been designed with some tolerance but when you fit the higher power grips the current will be higher and will come close to the maximum allowed. In certain circumstances, due to grip resistance manufacturing tolerance, temperature etc. the 2015 grips might exceed the maximum current allowed on the 2014 electronics and trip the protection. The problem for BMW is that if they sanction fitting the new grips to the older bikes, the manufacturing variations may mean some bikes trip the limits sometimes and then the owners complain that their new grips stop working setting off another 20 page thread. That's why it will be remain a try it for yourself situation.
POL382
Registered user
I am glad that someone understands!
I am currently using FET automotive switches in a new power supply design, they have a monitor output that provides a current in proportion to the load current (FET current mirror). I have added an A/D so that I can adjust the current limit and turn the switch on and off under firmware control but this adds to the cost. I don't know but guess BMW want to keep costs down so perhaps they chose a simpler systems with fixed limits, if they have done then it MIGHT cause issues under corner cases if the grips are changed for higher current ones as explained by the GS_or_Bust above.
ianm00
Registered user
What you are all saying about PWM control is probably correct and there is the possibility that the higher power grips may reach the limits defined on the early 13/14 bikes, BUT there is also a good chance that BMW wiring and firmware can support the higher power grips of the later 14/15 bikes. I know BMW have uprated the grips but Id be surprised if they actually had to have a new wiring loom with larger wires as well!
Ian
My guess is that the wiring will be fine, after all it is not a very high current - but unless BMW are going to tell us all the details of how the firmware controls the grips then we are all guessing. If I had the time and inclination then I am sure I could put a scope on the grips and start to understand how it all works, but I have neither
Your assumption may also be correct about firmware, but at the same time it would not surprise me at all if there was something in the design that was fixed in hardware or for some other reason means that it can't be changed, we just don't know. We have unwittingly boxed ourselves into a corner with designs at work sometimes because we forgot to put in some 'get out of jail' features.
The upshot is that unless BMW say that it is ok to simply upgrade the grips then it is down to experimentation to see if it works, but remembering that there may be a downside lurking somewhere.
Out today on my 2015 GSA, 3 deg C, winter gloves, grips on low were too hot, had to keep switching them off.
