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Heated Grip Torn


CanyonCarver

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CanyonCarver

Hey folks,

 

My right side throttle grip is tearing from the outboard in. I would like to just cut her off and slide a new one on with the old hairspray trick. However, when I go to A&S cycles to look up the part number it comes up as not valid. Can you only buy the entire grip as one unit, heating elements and all? Has anyone had any luck finding an aftermarket grip that fits and works well?

 

Rich

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SAAB93driver

I have not done this personally but this is what I have heard.

 

You need 2 throttle side grips since the heated grips are the larger ID on both sides. You buy 2 sets of grips for a non heated grip bike, and cut the old grip off carefully and put the new larger ID grips on.

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I'd Like to do this myself as mine are really worn,has anyone actually done this? and do you have to remove the heating elements and wiring or can you "simply" slide off the old ones?

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2InfinityAndBeyond

I bought a used '02 RT a month ago, and have the same problem with the heated grips. The clutch side in particular is really tearing. Here's my dilemna - I haven't seen grips exactly like mine - there are almost like a series of o-rings, with a fluted metal inner section. What the heck are these things? Is there a way to replace them without involving the dealer? I'm pretty handy...

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At about 48,000 miles my grips were starting to wear and I was on the road.... went into a bicycle shop and bought a 1 1/4 tube, than cut to fit, pulled it inside out than slipped it over the bar end, rolled it on itself till I was at the top of the grip, than roll back.......... its tight, its 4.00 bucks its replaceable( new one eveery year, best of all the heat works fine.

If yoe are AR, this might not work for you, but when i'm riding I don't see the grip.

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Repair with silicone bathtub caulk, in a tube from the hardware store. Let it dry property. Comes in black, white, silver, clear, whichever best matches the color or your torn grip. 50 year warranty. ~$4.

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Although this won't help the original OP's request for info; on my '98 RT, the driver's side (LH side ) heated grip was not working after I bought my bike in summer of '05. Has to replace the heated grip ($70 plus, I think), plus the hassle of tearing apart the LH tupperware and tracing the wiring and going through the handlebars..Makes me feel kinda stupid I did not check out everything first and use defective parts and maintanence issues as a bargaining chip. I am sure he knew the LH heated grip did not work, just didn't want to divulge it. Just like the broken orange tab on LH system case. I also did not know that BMW bikes came with a service book that got "stamped" at the required intervals. I also found it strange that only one of the supplied fine-thread metric screws that hold on the LH heated handgrip would line up with the tapped hole in the handlebar. I tried many times. The hole in the heated handgrip lines up with one tapped hole in the handlebar, but is slightly off for the other tapped hole. Pissed me off for $70 or $80. Off by a good 1/32" or more. So much for the vaunted German quality. If anybody knows a fix kindly PM me.

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Carefully cut away the grip with a sharp blade taking care to not cut into the heating element. Purchase TWO sets of your grip of choice (I like Pro Grip gel grips, myself). After cleaning the heating elements with rubbing alcohol coat the insides of the throttle side grip (you will be using the throttle for both grips, that's why you bought two sets)slide into place fire up the heating elements, to dry up the alcohol (no, not bourbon) and your good to go.

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2InfinityAndBeyond

Has anyone else got the grips like I described in my first post? (they have visible metal ridges between the raised rubber rings) My only concern with trying to use an aftermarket grip is that these ridges will cause the regular grips to not slide on.

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Fix the old grip with silicone caulk, as previously noted. If it is not pretty enough, wait for a decent swap meet or ad on the classified section here, IBMWR, eBay, etc. and get a replacement.

 

I went through this on my K-bike. The heating wires feed into the handlebar from the outer end of the grip, and are baked into the cake. I wound up breaking a wire, so had to surgically split the rubber outer grip to get access and fix it. Then, had to repair the incision I made. Silicone bathtub caulk waterproofed it, and is just fine a decade later. Once you glue the rubber back in place, apply a holding tourniquet with a cotton rag or something breathable, so the caulk can dry and cure. The caulk is paintable, if you're anal about matching color of the grip.

 

BTW, those aftermarket slip-on covers may or may not be compatible with the heating element, and may or may not still allow the heat to get to your hand when you need it next winter.

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ElevenFifty
Carefully cut away the grip with a sharp blade taking care to not cut into the heating element. Purchase TWO sets of your grip of choice (I like Pro Grip gel grips, myself). After cleaning the heating elements with rubbing alcohol coat the insides of the throttle side grip (you will be using the throttle for both grips, that's why you bought two sets)slide into place fire up the heating elements, to dry up the alcohol (no, not bourbon) and your good to go.

 

Gel would be niiiicee ... do they conduct the heat okay?

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CanyonCarver

After much investigation here are my results.

 

All the rubber grips are the same, heated and non-heated. When you order a heated grip from BMW it only comes as a complete unit, heating element and all, left or right. While, not too badly priced at 99.99 for an entire unit, it is an overkill for just a torn grip.

 

As all the grips are the same, the grips for the non-heated bike come with internal plastic spacers. These plastic spacers make up for a lack of a heating element on the non-heated models.

 

The right side grips for the non-heated type are twice the price of the left side; this is due to the fact that the right side grip has all the hardware for the throttle cables. If one desires to replace the right side grip on a heated or non-heated R1150RT, he or she could order the left grip for a non-heated bike, carefully extract the grip from the internal plastic spacer and install to the right hand side. No sweat and it's not hard work. BMW may have changed the grip "vendor" as the newer grips are about 1/16" shorter, about the width of one ridge on the grip. I think they shortened these as the slightly longer original grips have been known to snag on the housings from time to time.

 

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