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[oregonrider89]

Hello,

Has anyone put heated grips on an FX? Where is the connector located and what type of connector is it?

Many thanks!

[BamBam]

I'm going to be doing that over the Thanksgiving holiday.  I plan to use the auxiliary connector and run it to a terminal block where I can connect my heated grips, Stebel horn, and power outlet.  I may have to also upgrade some wiring.

[ESokoloff]

I'm going to be doing that over the Thanksgiving holiday.  I plan to use the auxiliary connector and run it to a terminal block where I can connect my heated grips, Stebel horn, and power outlet.  I may have to also upgrade some wiring.

My advice on the horn is you may not have enough current to power that horn as it is let alone with all the other accessories drawing current. (But aparintly some have used & gotten away with higher then rated horns).
I went with lower draw duel magnet horns on my 06 DSR that kept me below the Aux circuit's current rating.

Use a DPDT relay for the horn & power the horn from the N.O. contact & your other (hi draw) accessorys via the N.C. contact that way you'll minimize the current draw to just the horn when you toot it.

[BamBam]

Thanks for the information.  Yes, I know I need to use a relay with the Stebel horn, but I'm not familiar with the N.O. and N.C. contacts that you referenced.  Can you please elaborate on that.

[Doug S]

"N.O." means "Normally Open" and "N.C." means, you guessed it, "Normally Closed". When you don't have the horn button pressed down ("Normal" operation), the Common pin is connected to the heated grips and power outlet on the NC pin, not to the horn on the NO pin. When you press the horn button ("Abnormal operation"?), power momentarily cuts to the grips and power outlet, so you don't draw way too much current when the horn sounds.

ESokoloff also recommended a DPDT (Double Pole Double Throw) relay, but a SPDT (Single Pole Double Throw) will work fine, and is a little bit cheaper. You don't need to switch the ground leads, in fact those devices should be hard-wired to ground.

[BamBam]

Okay, I think I have that, but I just read this on the Zero Unofficial Manual - Common Modifications:  "The handle bar changes in 2015 made the handgrips non-transferable."

Does that mean I can't use the Oxford heated grips I bought.

[ESokoloff]

.......

ESokoloff also recommended a DPDT (Double Pole Double Throw) relay, but a SPDT (Single Pole Double Throw) will work fine, and is a little bit cheaper. You don't need to switch the ground leads, in fact those devices should be hard-wired to ground.

Oppps!!! Your right, Single pole is what I meant but I’m so used to DP relays not SP so that’s what I typed.

[BamBam]

Okay after doing some more reading it appears that the statement from the unofficial manual means the throttle control themselves aren't interchangeable because of the manufacturer/type change in 2015.  The rubber hand grip should come off of the throttle sleeve just like on any other motorcycle so I shouldn't have any problem with removing the old hand grips and slipping on the new heated grips.

[NEW2elec]

I've never used any of these grips but I was wondering if they were worth the effort.
My cold weather gloves are thick and insulted so I don't know how much heat I would feel from a heated grip.  Good gloves and bark buster style hand guards to block the wind should work in most colder riding days.

[BamBam]

Personally I consider heated grips a must for winter riding since on really cold days my winter gloves just don't seem to cut it.  I use them with insulated handlebar mitts over my hand guards. The mitts are sort of like Hippo Hands but not as bulky.  The heated grips inside of the mitts creates something like a small oven.  I think the hands are the most vulnerable part of your body when it comes to winter riding.

[BamBam]

Question for the electrical gurus.  If I use a SPDT relay as mentioned and connect my terminal block to the NC pin on the relay and the horn to the NO pin, then power to the terminal block (and all accessories connected to it) will be momentarily disrupted when the horn is pressed, correct?  I mean that's the whole point of the SPDT relay, right?  I'm not sure I like that solution.  Is there any way to increase the amp capacity on the auxiliary plug connector?   What is the limiting factor?  Is it a fuse, wire gauge, firmware, etc.  Any other solutions?

Thanks for the help.

[ESokoloff]

This is a typical automotive SPDT relay.
30 is the Common & & will connect to the Aux. power.
87A is Normally Closed & will power your other high current accessories. 
87 is Normally Open & will connect to/power your horn.
The relay coil (85 & 86) will be powered from the horn.

Clear as mud?

[BamBam]

Yes, I think so.  It's just that cutting power to the accessory terminal block connected to 87A is somewhat of an inconvenience.  When the horn is activated and the coil switches to 87, my heated grips would revert back to the lowest setting, any lights that are connected would turn off, and anything connected to the power outlet would be momentarily disrupted.  I guess if that's the only way to manage the power then I could live with it, but I was hoping for a better solution.

[MrDude_1]

Yes, I think so.  It's just that cutting power to the accessory terminal block connected to 87A is somewhat of an inconvenience.  When the horn is activated and the coil switches to 87, my heated grips would revert back to the lowest setting, any lights that are connected would turn off, and anything connected to the power outlet would be momentarily disrupted.  I guess if that's the only way to manage the power then I could live with it, but I was hoping for a better solution.

The solution on most vehicles is to run a battery.. it handles the high current loads and as long as the duty cycle keeps the average draw lower than the charging power it works.
So there are 4 solutions I can think of.

1. add a buffer for hard loads... a battery or supercap array. these are large and hard to do but not impossible.
2. add more 12v power capacity.
   A: Find the battery feed into the power supply, tap off of it to a 2nd supply for more power.
   B: Replace the current supply with a more powerful one.
3. Lower the draw to within limits.  Use a relay to switch as needed.
4. Just draw more power. Dont worry about it. Use a slow blow fuse if it pops.

Edit: btw if it was me, I would just do #4 unless it gave me problems... then I would fix those problems... probably with option 2.

[Doug S]

I'd probably go with MrDude_1's options 3 or 4. Remember these are EVs, so any electrical loads you power up are going to reduce your range....not by much, but every little bit counts sometimes. So it's probably wise to keep the gimcrackery to a bare minimum.

Also, I don't think the 12VDC supply is actually an issue -- IIRC the converter can supply 300 watts, which should be plenty for pretty much anything you want to power. It's the wiring that can only handle a finite amount of current, and the fuse is sized to keep the wires from overheating. Sure, you can find a place to tap in with higher-gauge wiring, put in the appropriate fuse and run the converter up to 300 watts (including all loads) if you want to. But with the existing wiring, you'll need to keep the steady draw down to its rated value for the installed wiring, and ensure any overloads are VERY momentary (don't lean on the horn!).