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[Curt]

In Northern California, winters are mild and we ride all year. It's often just a little chilly. Actually, even our summer nights are often a chilly 50F/10C. This makes for many occasions on which the heated grips are all that are needed to make a commute comfortable so that a leather jacket suffices most of the time. I've installed heated grips on my KTM dual sport as well. A single incident involving a blizzard made that well worth it!

On the KTM, I installed inexpensive under-the-grip 35W heater grids and an OFF/LO/HI three-way toggle switch. They work great. But since my KTM has been through the mill, and I didn't mind hacking it a bit.

For my prized FX, however, I wanted something fully integrated and a clean, stock look. I wanted to be able to restore the it back to 100% stock if needed -- no cut harness wires, no holes drilled in the plastic. The Koso Apollos (made in Canada) looked good and reviews were good. I splurged for $117 (RevZilla) and what I got was worth every penny.

[Curt]

It is obvious that a lot of work went into the grip design. The status LED is attractive and transitions between brilliant colors with a gratifying fade effect. They have an automatic voltage-based turn-off feature, but that is not required by this application. We can easily connect it to a switched circuit.

The heating element is integrated into the rubber grips, and the rubber grips are of a somewhat larger diameter than the original FX grips. I slightly prefer the larger diameter but some people might not.

At this point, I will mention the two main difficulties with installation.

First, the left grip goes on so extremely tightly that I'd rate sliding it in place as the hardest part of the project. I used no glue. Windex was wholly insufficient as a temporary lubricant. A buddy helped, skin was lost, and wrists were strained. I was careful never to apply pressure to the business end with the electronics. The button is sturdy enough for normal use, but it could be sheared off if man-handled with work gloves. I felt the grip on/off switch slightly blocks the turn signal switch, but the grip is so tight I can't make further adjustments to the angle.

Second, the throttle grip requires trimming. I had to trim both ends in specific, delicate ways as shown below. I have the the Zero/Cycra accessory handguards installed http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=6532; trimming requirements might be a little different if you don't have handguards. At least the right grip slides on pretty easily. A healthy dose of grip glue is warranted.

[Curt]

Behind the front right plastic panel is a two-pin female Sumitomo connector with a weatherproof cover (pic below). This is in addition to the nearby built-in SAE connector which I use for my heated vest on those even colder days.

Zero did a great job on accessory connectors. They deserve a lot of kudos for this, and for providing the 300W DC-DC converter.

I ordered the mating male connector and adapted the heated grip harness so it can be plugged straight in. From Eastern Beaver, the required connector part is 2P090WP-DL-M-S ($2.79, min. order $10). Their thorough Installation Instructions page details how to install the rubber seals and solder the pins.

To make it clean and stronger, I slipped a length of shrink tube over the wires before soldering (pic below).

The polarity is important. The +12V wire on the heated grips (red) must mate with the +12V wire on the FX (blue) and it's easy to get it backwards.

[Curt]

The FX throttle tube has a cone-shape molded into the left side (first picture). But the left side of the throttle grip is flat! It would not sit right.

The solution was to dig a cone depression into the end of the throttle grip. I used a dremel and was somewhat conservative to avoid cutting into a heating element (second and third picture).

[Curt]

So that the grip wouldn't interfere with the handguard, I had to cut a ring of rubber off the end. Here too, I didn't feel there was any risk to the heating element. I sanded because my cut wasn't as clean as it should have been, but this will be hidden by the handguard. (The grips come with plastic end caps in case one isn't using handguards.)

[Curt]

I reattached the handguards and made sure there was no chance of the throttle binding. The heater wire should be zip tied far enough away that the wire won't fatigue, but close enough that it also is prevented from catching on anything.

It is easy enough to zip-tie the rest of the wires and harness and controller "lump" so that they're all virtually invisible.

The finished grips are shown below. I've been enjoying them for a few weeks now. They heat up quickly enough. I usually run them on the hottest setting because I have a short commute. On a longer trip, or warmer day, I'd turn them lower.

When the bike is turned off, the grips turn off. When the bike is turned back on, the grips don't turn on. If the grips are turned on by pressing the button, the previous setting is remembered -- another nice touch showing the thought that went into this product.

If I were to use the grips continuously, I wondered how this would impact the bike's range. If my average consumption is 100Wh/mi, then using the 35W grips for 3 hours would consume 105Wh. So in theory, I should get about one mile shorter range.

[Shadow]

Fantastic write-up and pictures of the Koso Apollo Heated Grips Installation! I'd done this on my '16 DSR and agree with the installation process; I wish they'd make a version of the grip already compatible with electronic throttle style (the cone).

[d_yang1]

I just installed the Koso Apollo heated grips on my Zero S.  My Zero already had the 12v accessory cigarette socket installed on the Sumitomo accessory circuit so I connected the heated grips using the SAE plug.  I had to connect the grip's wires to a stripped end of a SAE connector using butt connectors (and heat shrink over that).  But placing the left grip on was easily the worst part of the install.  The left grip is really tight onto the handlebar.  If I would've known how tough it was (ie I should've taken Curt's write-up to heart), I would've filed down the handlebars to get the grips to slide on easier and also use some oil or lubricant to assist in twisting the grip into place.  The right side wasn't a problem but I did grind out a bit of the right side's interior to accommodate the conical shape of the throttle.  The grips are a tiny bit longer than the handlebars but I've got some bar ends on order so I haven't figured out yet if I want to trim a bit from the grips or have some overhang onto the bar ends.

Aside from that, the grips are great and definitely helpful for New England riding.  They have a nice clean look and allow for easy activation.  I bought them used on Amazon for $90 and am happy with the purchase.

[Starpower]

nice write up! The main con I see is that when the grip is worn out the entire $119 assembly needs to be replaced. I just replaced the grips of my '13 S and I was surprised at how much shorter the right side is from the left. I probably cut off 3/4" of an inch. The OEM's were rock hard and had splits all over. Now I have nice comfy gel grips! If it is too cold here in Nor. Cal. I hop on my beemer with heated grips and my heated jacket for long rides.

[BamBam]

I have  the Oxford heated sport grips on my DSR and really like them.  Installation was very easy.  They are simple plug an play.  No issues with fitment.  Replacement grips can be purchased separately if they wear out.