Guzzi Heated Grips Question

[Tkelly]

Dealer installed heated grips on my Stelvio when it was new. The high level of heat is very marginal, my new dealer measured it at 98 degrees. Today I rode 10 miles in 32-degree weather and my hands were very cold with medium weight leather gloves; I could barely feel the heat. The heated grips on my wife's V7 get so hot you have to turn the heat down; same with snowmobile grips. My new dealer says that the Stelvio grips cycle before they overheat. Has anyone dealt with this problem? Is there any way to get more heat out of these grips?

[Yan]

Something seems to be wrong with your setup.  Your dealer is talking nonsense.  I rarely set the heated grips on my Stelvio to its max level: just too hot.  Even on temperatures around & below 0 C, they do their job very nicely on level 1 or 2.   
Check the set-up, or ask another mechanic to look at it?

[atavar]

I recently replaced the grips on my Norge with Stelvio grips and they get quite toasty.  This is perhaps a function of the controller.  I would suggest checking connections to make sure there is good ground everywhere.
As a side issue I always suggest snowmobile gloves for cold weather. The advantage for those is that they are designed for heated grips and will have only light or even no insulation on the palms to allow heat from the grips to get to your hands.

[Wayne Orwig]

I have after market grips on my 2009 Stelvio, wired into the factory harness, and using the factory dash to control them.
On high, I have to be wearing some seriously thick gloves to not be in pain from the heat.

On my EV, the factory grips are mediocre.

[Gliderjohn]

On my 2011 Norge the heated grips work as follows:

Low setting: Great for my mildly arthritic hands with them on almost all the time with elk skin gloves.
Med. Setting: Will get almost hot in time with unlined gloves. Perfect with lined gloves down to around 45 degrees.
High setting: For really cold weather with lined gloves, otherwise very warm to down right hot.
GliderJohn

[Kiwi_Roy]

Perhaps they wired them in series rather than parallel, 1/4 the heat.

http://www.thisoldtractor.com/guzzi007/schematics/2008_Stelvio.gif
It shows two independent circuits, if you have a multimeter measure the Voltage across just one grip, on the high setting you should see 12 Volts.
I'm almost certain it will pulse On and Off depending on the heat setting, 100% should be on most of the time, 50% on half the time, that's the usual way
to control a heater element.

[Tkelly]

thanks I can't go much farther than 10 miles at 30degrees.

[Gliderjohn]

Well...30 degrees is damn cold, heated grips or not. Besides heated grips are kind of like fireplaces, they only warm half your hand while the outside half freezes.
GliderJohn

[Tkelly]

I have 12 volts on hi but not much heat .N ow what is the likely problem?

[Kiwi Dave]

I've had issues where the heated grips cable plug into the wiring loom.  Unplug them, clean and reseat.

Yes, you may have 12 volts, but it's the current that will produce the heat, and a series resistance caused by a bad connection is probably your issue.

[radguzzi]

Very timely post, it is getting pretty chilly up here and I have experienced the very same issue, I thought I was being too hard on the grips comparing them to the '07 Norge which were indeed Hot.

So for the schematic-ly challenged amongst us (me) do I see the leads from the heated grips connecting at connectors #25 and #36..?

Where do I physically find these connectors on the NTX...?

Thanks,
Rob

 

[smdl]

Very timely indeed, as I seem to have the same issue.  Heated grips on previous bikes were very warm, but those on the Stelvio are lacking in comparison.  Looking forward to determining if there is a simple fix.

Cheers,
Shaun

[Green1]

Connectors are pull tied to the frame below the gas tank on the left side


Had mine out today,highway speeds around 32deg its cold,was wearing a revit rain glove,was 55deg on the way home,hands were warm

[radguzzi]

Connectors are pull tied to the frame below the gas tank on the left side

Had mine out today,highway speeds around 32deg its cold,was wearing a revit rain glove,was 55deg on the way home,hands were warm

Thanks Green1, I'll have a peek first thing in the AM.  Appreciate that.

Best,
Rob

I've had issues where the heated grips cable plug into the wiring loom.  Unplug them, clean and reseat.

Thanks Dave.  I will probably spray some Deoxit into the connector also.
Rob

I have 12 volts on hi but not much heat .N ow what is the likely problem?

Tkelly,
Where did you take the readings..?

Thanks,
Rob

[Tkelly]

I took readings under the grips.

[Kiwi_Roy]

Was the 12 Volts on continuously or pulsing?
If you take an Ohms reading of each of the grips we will tell you what Watts you should be getting.

If you could take a current reading with your meter on 10 Amp scale we can tell you exactly what you are getting.

You could also hot wire the grips directly from the battery to eliminate a possible malfunction in the controls

If that fails to put out enough heat consider heated gloves plugged into the grip circuit.

[Kiwi Dave]

I took readings under the grips.

That is a good place to take the readings.  One terminal should have 12 volts, the other should have much less, depending on what setting the heated grip controller is on.  Think of it as the other terminal being momentarily connected to ground or 0v and then go open circuit, when no current will flow.

If you have 12v at both terminals, then I would suspect the connectors, as I already stated.

[Kiwi_Roy]

That is a good place to take the readings.  One terminal should have 12 volts, the other should have much less, depending on what setting the heated grip controller is on.  Think of it as the other terminal being momentarily connected to ground or 0v and then go open circuit, when no current will flow.

If you have 12v at both terminals, then I would suspect the connectors, as I already stated.

To re-enforce what Dave says, the normal way to control a heating element is pulse duration it will turn On and Off rapidly say over a 2 second period, as you increase the output it will stay on longer, you might see this better with a small lamp like a 12 Volt LED, it will pulse On and Off, or an old school analog meter, a digital meter might be too slow.

[Tkelly]

I didnt realize it gets cold in KIWI LAND.tHANKS MUCH FOR THE GREAT ADVICE.