Heated Grips just lukewarm not really hot

jake_pare said:

I have a 2013 GS and I notices the same thing. I finally decided to read the owners manual it says the power consumption of the grips at low speeds can drain the battery and the grips will turn off to ensure starting capability. It seems on mine that the grips cool down at intervals and if I cycle them on and off they heat back up.

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Which is a total load of crap!

Jim

OK, so I have finally confirmed that the 2015 heated grips do indeed bolt on and work on the 2014 bike with no other mods to the bike, or firmware after the grip swap. This is confirmed by two different bikes with the same issues. Colder grips to hot as 2015 grips on 2014 bikes by simply changing the grips themselves. Both sets reading above 160°. Both of the bikes had the firmware update, but it had no effect on the grips. I do not know if there is any relationship, though I highly doubt it.


I highly doubt anyone in BMW will confirm this, but it does work. If you want to try it, see for yourself.

Jim

'13 R1200GS new to me with terrible heated grips: Put a BMW set of 5.5 ohm hot ones

'13 R1200GS new to me with terrible heated grips: Put a BMW set of 5.5 ohm hot ones on. They worked much hotter on small tests.

Used them on a 55ºF rainy day and we smelled "burning wires" and they didn't get very hot, so I didn't use them for the rest of a NY and NH 2500 mile trip in June/July.

Bought them for sleeting rain in Montana in June and heading to Florida in the early spring from Phila.

Plan to take tank off to look for melted wires, maybe they can't carry the higher current, was 8 ohm part number, now 5.5 ohms so the amps are 32% higher if I did the math right.



Update Dec 30 2020: Warm ones work well, with Hippo Hands and 40 minutes fast at 27deg F hands with BMW GS Dry Water Proof Gloves, were fine on low, my '13 GS just has High, Low or off.
I get a warm wire smell on every ride but think that is the rear Suspension adjuster "Dynamic ESA."

While this is a fairly old thread, I'm interested in finding out what model # grips you put on your bike? I have a 2014 and the grips on high get about 10F warmer than ambient temps. So, now that it's getting cold, I am looking for a solution.

Thanks, jeff

075038 said:

'13 R1200GS new to me with terrible heated grips: Put a BMW set of 5.5 ohm hot ones on. They worked much hotter on small tests.

Used them on a 55ºF rainy day and we smelled "burning wires" and they didn't get very hot, so I didn't use them for the rest of a NY and NH 2500 mile trip in June/July.

Bought them for sleeting rain in Montana in June and heading to Florida in the early spring from Phila.

Plan to take tank off to look for melted wires, maybe they can't carry the higher current, was 8 ohm part number, now 5.5 ohms so the amps are 32% higher if I did the math right.

Click to expand...

phreakingeek said:

While this is a fairly old thread, I'm interested in finding out what model # grips you put on your bike? I have a 2014 and the grips on high get about 10F warmer than ambient temps. So, now that it's getting cold, I am looking for a solution.

Thanks, jeff

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Welcome to the forum!

My experience with this heated stuff is there has to be some contact with the surface to really measure the actual heat factor. Bike running, bike stationary, heated grips on high, you should feel quite a bit of heat. Once you start moving, there is more "flesh" exposed than heated. Really nice warm gloves can work against feeling the heat as well. The insulating factor of the gloves (on the palm-inside of fingers) try to keep cold out and are not good at letting thereat pass through.
Snowmobile gloves make an allowance for this "problem". Personally, I find heated grips nice on a day I didn't think I was going to need gloves.
Good luck.
Gary

My 18 RT heatd grips almost burn my hands on 5, rode yesterday at 37 degrees only had them on 3 and that was a touch warm

My lukewarm right grip finally failed and set a code I could read on my Motoscan App.
I removed the grip and tested it with my Ohm Meter it read "open".
Searched for a used grip assy with no luck.
I bit the bullet and ordered the later model 5.5-ohm grips from BMW - Ouch!
They came today and I installed them along with a new set of Grip Puppies.
I'm happy to report that all is well, they heat up much quicker and get warmer than the originals.
Only thing I'm not happy about is the cost - $525 for both left and right.
I seriously thought about replacing them with aftermarket Oxford Grips and controller but decided to spend some of my pandemic stimuli $$ instead.