grip and thumb warmers not working

[nitromator]

09 Nytro MTX, my grip and thumb warmers stopped working on my last ride. I checked fuses, connectors, and wires all looks ok. No apparent damage to the bars or grips either. Any ideas to what the problem might be?

 

[207nytro]

Go beyond a visual inspection and check for continuity through the grip warmers. If you find nothing there the next step for me would be a check for voltage drop between the power source and the warmers and then between the warmers and ground.

 

[culvert]

Let me know what you find out. Mine are doing the same thing. No codes on the dash to say they arent working but no heat out of either grip or thumb.
Its still -25 here & no heated shop to sit in & test them. So like to know exactally where & what to check. I hate wiring!!!!

 

[Dimebag]

Keep in mind that if the ignition fuse suddenly blows, its because the warmers are shorted out to the handlebars..

 

[culvert]

Did you find out what was wrong with the heaters? Going to try to look at mine this wknd.
Any info on where & what you found would be great.... I hate wiring

 

[nitromator]

Have not found the problem yet. Talked to the mechanic at the dealer, he thought it odd that both grips and the thumb warmer quit at the same time. Suggested checking for loose connection or moisture in connections, it may also be a problem with the ECU. I fired up the heater in the garage and melted all the ice off the sled. There was a little snow in the nose below the ECU, checked connections under rubber boots behind headlight, all appeared tight and dry. Started the sled, warmers still do not appear to be working. Not sure what the problem is. Did a little research on yamaheaters (may pick up a kit) they say that the factory settings does not get full power until 6,000 rpm. Unable to test that without riding.

 

[culvert]

Thanks for the reply. Mine is the same. All just quit this season.
Aswell as it hit -25, -30 this wknd again so Im not about to go looking at wiring when its this cold.

Im wondering if there is a ground just for the grips somewhere? Only thing I have done to the sled was pull the battery to charge it.

 

[nitromator]

Bought an analog multimeter today. Turned the heater on in the garage again. Pulled the rubber boots back from the connections behind the headlight. Disconnected both grip warmers (black-black) and thumb warmer (white-black). Checked resistance, approx 10 ohms for both grips and 50 ohms for the thumb -10C at the time. Specs are 7.48 and 45.21 ohms at +20C. Connections looked good, no corrosion or moisture. Reconnected and started engine and let idle for 10 min or so. Grips and thumb all appear to be working now, happy about that but still puzzled why they quit in the first place. Going to look into the yamaheaters some more. Grips on my 600Mtn Max work much better, too hot if left on high. Wish I had that problem with the Nytro.

 

[culvert]

Well thats good news, maybe I just need to pull the plugs & put some dielectric on them & give it a try.
It was -41 up here with the wind today. Never got over -23 so I didnt even go to the shop & turn on the little heater would have done anything but waste gas...

Looks like good weather coming up though, I hope.

 

[culvert]

Metered mine today & have 7.58 for the hand grips & 0 on the thumb. So I assume the thumb warmer is done.
& the hands justs didnt warm up at -25 on my last ride. I put dielec on all connections & riding tomorrow to see if the hands work or not.

Then I guess its a set of RSI heaters all around.

 

[Mooseman]

Mine does take a while of riding before I start feeling some heat in my grips and thumb in this cold, even with my huge windshield. Foaming the bars did help some.

My son's Phazer has the hooked bars that had the original heaters. Almost no heat whatsoever since one was toast. Changed them with RSI's and heat was marginal. That's because the RSI's have to be wired in parallel, not in series which is what the stock setup is. Either you try and rewire them yourself or just order wiring harness 90891-50150-00 from Yamaha (~$10). Heat now is a lot better. I confirmed that I was now getting 12V instead of 6V before adding the the harness.

Reason why Yamaha's grips have trouble making good heat is because they are controlled by the ECU. It's not straight 12V DC voltage it supplies but a pulse "on-off-on". As RPM goes up, it shortens the "off" period. This is a video that shows it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOP6_ii_HX8

Although I haven't tried them, there is also Yamaheaters. It basically works by putting full DC12V to the grips. From everybody that has tried them, they work well and the theory is sound. When you turn the stock adjustment off, the Yamaheater sees this and puts out 12V. When using the stock adjustment, it works the same as before.

 

[mx1500]

keep in mind they only cut in with RPMS OVER 5000. the nytros alternator onl;y like turns them on at that rpm. so my dealer said

 

[culvert]

Thanks Mooseman. I have Tag Metal straight bars with the factory hooked heaters on them. So huge waste of haeting that little extra tap plus the grips are all aftermarket. The thumb warmer is an RSI but I have no Ohms out of it at all so it is dead.

I will be trying the yamaheater I think rather than wiring parallel. I hear that can burn out the stator. & I hate wiring. No clue on it at all. So I'd rather have a plug & play system even if its a little pricey.

 

[LuckydawgAK]

I had a grippy (stock) that just went bad. I replaced it with RSI grip heaters and have a night and day difference. I was considering the Yamaheaters but don't feel the need anymore. You might try RSI first and then YH if not enough.

 

[culvert]

Thanks lucky. How did you wire the RSI into the system?
You know what RSI colors went to stock wiring?