Heated Hand Grips Draining Battery

Hi,

I need some advice.

I have a 2005 R1200GS and my heated hand grips keep running down my battery even with the key off. Every time I charge the battery, the grips get hot...even with the heat switched off and the key off. I would first like to know the easiest way to disconnect the heated grips. Then, I would like to know your ideas on how to solve the issue.

The issue just started.

Thanks,

Pull the switch and see if it's defective. If it's okay you'll have to trace the wires till you find the pinched wire. If you haven't had the tank or fairing off, I lean towards a switch. Could just use some spray on contact cleaner.

This is on your R12GS?

If you go out in the garage 20 minutes after you shut the bike down, is the hazard light on the left grip still illuminated?

How do you know it's the heated grips drawing current? They're part of the group of components that aren't activated until the bike starts and are shut down when the engine is turned off.

Have you added some new electrical component to your bike?

I'm not entirely sure the issue is with the hand grips. The hazard light goes out shortly after I turn off through bike. When I charge the battery, the grips get regardless of where the heat switch is or even if the key is on. That is what leads me to think the problem is with switch somehow.


I hate the idea of having to take it into the shop. I just don't want to start digging through the wiring without having an idea where I am looking.

Thanks

Pull the fuse

My bike is in the shop now. They don't know what the cause is. Apparently the computer is saying it is a short somewhere, but no one has heard of this problem so far. The mechanic is waiting to hear what BMW says about the issue.

How are you connecting the charger to the bike, i.e. through one of the acc plugs or straight to the battery. Reason I ask is when I plug the trickle charger into the plug below the seat, on the left side panel it charges. However, when it's plugged into an aftermarket recp that a previous owner installed on the left side of the faring, above the glove box, the tail light and the left turn running lights light.

Don

I charge directly at the battery terminals. I'm hoping the short isn't in one of the wiring harnesses. I am looking at big dollars if that is the case.

UGH!

Hi Pahl:

Gotta chime in on this.
Very often, mechanics are far more comfortable with mechanical things, than they are with electrical things. Even the good ones.
To make it worse, this problem involves electronics.

Sometimes, mechanics will start replacing electrical things until the problem goes away. Often, you get to pay for each item they replace until they nail it.
Ask some questions around that before you throw up your hands and say "Just fix it, I don't care what it costs."

I don't know anything about your bike but I am familiar with electronic power distribution and IMHO, the electronic switch that powers the hand grip heaters has failed short, leaving them always on. That could explain the error reported by the computer. It knows it can't shut down that load.
Hopefully, that's a replaceable part. It will be an order of magnitude cheaper than the whole Power Distribution Unit.

If not, and you are not happy with what they want for a new PDU, you might consider disconnecting the heated grips for now, and hard wiring them outside the CanBus system later when you feel comfortable that this is the only problem.

Pahl said:

Hi,

I need some advice.

I have a 2005 R1200GS

Click to expand...

You might find someone in the Hexheads Forum (where this belongs) that has had this exact problem too. It sure does sound like the switch but this is a CanBus bike. Oilheads are not.

Thanks,

I spent a $1100 to replace the CVE unit. They recommended I not use the heated grips since they had gotten so hot before. The heat may have damaged them.

"They recommended I not use the heated grips..."?????? That takes some cajones.
Time for a new shop. Those guys are not repair technicians, they are parts-replacement weenies. MotorradMike nailed it.

The more advanced these bikes get, the more expensive they become to purchase and maintain; and the less competant the techs become. Something wrong with this picture.

Since all power for the grips run through the computer, and there are no fuses, and you charge directly to the battery, there is obviously something wrong with the computer.

I assume the grips do not get hot if you are not charging the battery?

Are you cerain your battery charger goes directly to the battery?

Jim