Handwarmer expectations

[diesel12]

For starters I want to say I'm running a mesh hood with no hand guards. I've already filled the bars with foam and have switched to hi-power grip heaters.

The temp was about 20F last weekend so I was expecting HI to not even be bearable for long periods. Well I had them on HI the entire time and although they were way better than stock, they weren't that impressive.

To put it in perspective - I rode my friends Polaris with warmers on high for just under a minute and thought his grips were going to melt off. We both have the same Klim gloves and he has a shorty windshield so it's not a wind thing.

Am I missing something with my warmers? My idea of HI is that my hands are frozen and I want something ridiculously hot right now (after a couple long pulls).

-Ryan

 

[spook222]

what kind of grip heaters did you put on? I put RSI's on and they get hot as he**

 

[diggerdown]

I got the rsi also and they get too hot keep on high, but my fingers still get cold!

 

[diesel12]

The heaters were the RSI hi-powers and I also went with their grips. I triple checked the wiring connections based on their instructions and since they both work assume that everything is correct.

Maybe they aren't getting enough juice? The sled is running great otherwise.

 

[miko]

How do they work on low? Are they equally bad on low or the same? The reason I ask is that I switched to Moose heaters and got the wires switched around so when the switch was on low the heaters were on high. If that is not the case check your voltage going to them the voltage reg. may be getting bad.

 

[jTrue]

I did the RSI 7 inch grips, hi powered heaters, and filled my bars with foam. They get super hot, but some of my fingers still get cold sometimes. Thumb on the non throttle side gets cold because it isn't touching the grip directly. Usually get cold when the sun starts dropping and I'm heading back on a trail. I think wind is probably the issue for me.

 

[BigAir]

Do the RSI warmers plug in or do you have to splice wires?

 

[Rixster]

How thick are your grips? I am running the ODI grips and they are a little thicker. It takes a few to warm up but when they do I normally have to turn them off. Also, I wear lizard skins gloves that are pretty thin.

 

[kidrman]

For starters I want to say I'm running a mesh hood with no hand guards. I've already filled the bars with foam and have switched to hi-power grip heaters.

The temp was about 20F last weekend so I was expecting HI to not even be bearable for long periods. Well I had them on HI the entire time and although they were way better than stock, they weren't that impressive.

To put it in perspective - I rode my friends Polaris with warmers on high for just under a minute and thought his grips were going to melt off. We both have the same Klim gloves and he has a shorty windshield so it's not a wind thing.

Am I missing something with my warmers? My idea of HI is that my hands are frozen and I want something ridiculously hot right now (after a couple long pulls).

-Ryan

I run the exact same setup with mesh hood and all. I wouldn't go without the hand gaurds because the warmers will not keep the back of your hands warm and the wind chill is likely what is making you so cold. I also put on a windshield but my bars are higher than the shield so I am certain the handwarmers are what make the difference.

 

[diesel12]

Follow-up to a few posts:

Low operation does work as it keeps ice off the grips. Plus due to the awesome switch location they did end up on low or off after some tree aversion techniques

The RSI hi-powers are a splice operation but came with instructions on the proper connections. All joints were soldered, liquid taped, and shrink wrapped. Here are the connections:

RSI / CAT
White - HI / Green - HI
Blue - Low / Black - Low
Red - Ground / Yellow - Ground

The grips were RSI's and I think they're right around 1/8". They did take a bit to fully warm up, so compared to stock I'm ahead there.

Sounds like I'll go back to hand guards... On that note does anyone have a recommendation on ones that don't get in the way when sidehilling? I've got the AC mounts and have tried to use them before but they kept getting in the way.

-Ryan

 

[kidrman]

I started out with the AC mounts and then switched to the RSI billet mounts for just the reason you are talking about. I wound up switching left and right sides so I would have more clearance between the gaurds and my hands and they are working great. let me know if you want me to snap a picture of my setup.

 

[fossy]

pictures are always nice