Heated grips on a 1250

[Pidgey]

Hi, anyone installed heated grips on their 1250 ?
I would appreciate a few product reviews before buying, regarding quality, price, ease of installation and so on.
It's one of the things I want to do on the bike over the winter.
What is the O.D. of the stock bars ? Any advice appreciated.
Thanks guys & gals.........

[Red01]

I don't know if any of the 1250 folk have done this yet or not, but I can't see how it would be any different than the older Bandits. They all use 7/8" dia bars and since there's no CanBus system on the 1250 (like BMW, Duc, Kawi C14), there's no real electrical complications.

I went with the Dual Star unit and it's performed flawlessly for several years now.

[Pidgey]

I don't know if any of the 1250 folk have done this yet or not, but I can't see how it would be any different than the older Bandits. They all use 7/8" dia bars and since there's no CanBus system on the 1250 (like BMW, Duc, Kawi C14), there's no real electrical complications.

I went with the Dual Star unit and it's performed flawlessly for several years now.

Thanks, any tricks or tips to install ?

[Red01]

Pretty basic & straightforward instl.

Hardest part is removing the grips - if you want to save them. I just cut mine off because I was installing gel grips at the same time.

I wired mine straight from the battery, so I wanted to conceal the switch to keep curious people from playing with it, so finding the right spot was the hardest part for me. Turned out one of the fairing support brakets was the perfect spot.Just had to drill a hole in it.

[ZenMan]

Getting the old grips off without ruining them is easy.

Just work a screwdriver in between the grip and the handlebar, at the top. Then take your WD-40 (with the little red straw attached) and slide the straw in next to the screwdriver shaft and squirt a little in there. Do it on each side of the screwdriver so it runs down in the gap between the rubber and the bar inside.

Twist on the grip, and keep working the screwdriver all the way around while squirting the WD in there, and the grip will slide right off. Should take 2 minutes per side.

Wipe off the handlebar, but not too clean.... the remaining WD-40 residue will make it easier to install the new grips. Don't worry, it evaporates after awhile and your new grips will stick just fine.

[pmackie]

I'm with you on the UNINSTALL method. I have always done the same thing.

However, my experience (mostly with dirt bikes) is that the WD-40 residue (which is basically kerosene) does NOT evaporate easily and can interfere with grip adhesion on the new grips. Not likely a serious problem on most street bikes, as we don't use the grips like a dirt bike does.

On the dirt bikes, any amount of residue would cause the grips to slip on the bar. Over the years I installed grips in a number of ways, including paint, air nozzle, even dry, but I found the best method was to use a very light solvent, like Naptha or contact cleaner. Saturate the bar and grip and slip on quickly and completely. The light solvent would then evaporate and almost vulcanize the grip to the bar. Little or no slip in service, but almost impossible to remove without cutting them off.

Just my two bits worth (Can or US $   )

[ZenMan]

Pmackie, your right about the residue causing problems if you leave too much on there... I was saying to wipe them clean, leaving very little.  

It also depends on what type of grip you are installing... the foam ones I use seem to soak up any residue and I can't make them slide if I wanted to. Harder rubber grips (like most dirtbike ones) do slip easier.

At any rate, getting them off that way is so easy. Cutting them off can take even longer, and I hate to see perfectly good grips wasted.

[Red01]

I didn't say removing the grips is "hard" - it's just the hardest part of the job, IMHO.    

[PitterB4]

Hairspray or rubbing alcohol work great for lubing the grips for removal (and installation) and evaporate completely.