So we did some work in the garage adding equipment on the Transalp.
When it comes to heated grips there are alot of them out there. I prefer the kind with loose heating element that sit under the grip so u can still choose the type of grip that suits your riding.
Going with grips that have built in heating elements you are stuck with that grip and we like the foam grips for longer trips saving us from blisters and I have not come across that kind with built in heating yet.
I know there are heating elements for motorcycles out there with the clutch side element more powerfull then the throttle to compensate for the heat loss by having the element against the metal in the handlebars. But when I added heated grips on the 950 I could only get hold of heating elements for snowmobiles that dont have any throttle tube and they have worked great. So went that route on the Transalp also.
Since the elements power are the same we need to insulation the clutch side here we did it with shrink tubing to make extra sure the shrink tubing wont slip we added glue under it:
Heat gun to shrink it in place:
There is a downside to insulating the bar this way that a normal set of grips might not fit since the clutch actually is a little smaller in diameter so you will either need grips like we use that allow some stretch or two throttle grips, some are sold separatly.
Hilary placing the element itself take some care here to get the most of the heating element to heat the part of your hand you want to heat I would suggest your palm:
Element in place:
We later also added two strips of electrical tape (can be seen in the video below) mainly to secure the element while sliding the grip in place DONT add more electrical tape or insulate the bar with it, cause it will become slippery and the grips with start rotating later on, was a mistake I made on the 950.
For lubrication I have previously used Methanol but lately learned that hair spray works great also, provides lubrication when sliding it in place and also “glues” it in place. DONT use WD-40 or any other lubricant that wont evaporate then the grips will slide off as easy as you got them on.
For the throttle side u need to take extra care and place the heating element so its in a good location when you have some throttle applied.
Hilary doing the throttle side but runs into some trouble, here you cant rock it side to side since the throttle just wiggles so you have to go round preferably against the normal direction, just take care so the heating element doesn’t slide.
Folded the grip over a little since its open ended and comes with a cap that can be added:
Cap in place:
When routing the cables take extra care on the throttle and leave enough slack to allow for full throttle movement before you secure it with small zip ties (cat stranglers).
No throttle:
Full throttle (the way Hilary likes to ride):
Once you are done let everything sit for a few hours and really make sure everything is secure and the grips are not slipping on the handlebar. If you have hooked up the wiring let the heaters get nice and hot and double check that nothing loosens up when its hot before first ride.