Koso Apollo Heated grips from RPM

[aviationfred]

I took advantage of the Holiday sale at RPM and picked up another set of the Koso Apollo heated grips.

With cold weather setting in on most of North America and Europe. Casper was the only one left without headed grips. Now all 3 will be a bit more comfortable in temps down into the 40's and 30's.

Installation is easy and straight forward. One thing on the installation that i do a bit different is.... on the throttle tube, I use a utility knife and score the throttle tube both length wise and around the circumference. Also, I have found that the included super glue adhesive does not work very well once you start using the heat. I have had very good performance from Renthal Grip Glue. I know many use hair spray for regular grips. That does not work at all for these heated grips.


Fred

[ZOA NOM]

I love mine. I didn't need the glue on the throttle side, only the clutch side. I've never had to use the "Red" setting. Orange is plenty warm into the high 30's.

[Pat Conlon]

Fred or Rick, do they have a safety shut off so boneheads like me don't run my battery down?

[ZOA NOM]

They're wired to switched power, so they reset when you turn off the bike.

[Waiex191]

How many amps do they pull?

[ZOA NOM]

Comes with a 4 amp fuse, and there is a low battery cutoff circuit. I run them daily in the cold months for about an hour long commute. Never needed the hottest setting.

[red]

Fred or Rick, do they have a safety shut off so boneheads like me don't run my battery down?

Pat,

For any heavy electrical load, it's a good idea to run a dedicated fused power wire from the battery to the switch contacts of a relay.  Switch the relay ON and OFF with the ignition key, using a wire from an existing fuse, by using a Fuse Tap.  Run the battery power (through the relay contacts) to the accessory needing it.  This trick avoids any overloading of the existing bike wiring.  The power needed to switch a relay is very small.  Everything gets switched off by removing the ignition key.

One alternative, to give you lots of fused power wires, is to use a relay-switched Fuse Block.  Feed it with direct battery power, and switch the power relay ON and OFF with a Fuse Tap.  Same principal, and with more power lines for accessories.

Fuse Tap, here's how:

https://www.fjrowners.com/forums/1269703-post1.html


.

[aviationfred]

Fred or Rick, do they have a safety shut off so boneheads like me don't run my battery down?

Others may not like it. I wired mine directly to the battery. No worries about leaving them on accidentally. They have built in circuitry that turns them off when voltage is sensed at 11.5v.


Fred

[ZOA NOM]

Yeah, you're asking for trouble there, but if it works for ya...

[Pat Conlon]

Thanks Red, I have Oxford heated grips on my bikes.
The Oxford system uses a control box that velcro's to the inner fairing panel, and is directly wired to my battery. Good news is that this battery direct wiring bypasses my 36 year old wiring harness. The Bad news is that....unless there is a safety cut off, I will leave my grips on, which is not a good thing with a direct wired circuit.
The Oxford has a safety cut off...and a rather clever one at that. The control box senses the alternator output at the battery, so when the Oxford unit stops sensing the alternator sine wave, the unit automatically shuts off after 1 minute.

That said, I do like the clean Apollo setup.
I like how I can keep my hands on the grips and control the heat with my thumb.
With my Oxfords I have to take my left hand off to push the buttons on the control box. No big deal, but still....
If I'm concerned about pulling an extra 4 amps thru my old harness and switch, I can always put in a relay like we do with our coils and headlight....no biggie.

I put my Oxfords on around 8 years ago before Apollo's were made... They have been great, although I did damage the left side when using a grip tie to secure the bike...no problem, Oxford sent me a new grip for $18. If that would have happened with the Apollo's, I suspect it would cost a bit more.

Still.... I had to do it over, I think I would go with the Apollos and a key switched relay.

Fred, 11.5 volts is set for battery protection. You're gonna be walking unless your jump pack is handy.

Open Circuit Voltage .................... State of Charge

12.80 volts or greater....................... 100%

12.60 volts ..................................... 75%

12.30 volts ..................................... 50%

12.00 volts ..................................... 25%

11.80 volts ...................................... 0%    

  My FJ will not start when my AGM Battery has a OCV less than 12.30 volts.



Cheers

[ribbert]

Yeah, you're asking for trouble there, but if it works for ya...

True with some brands perhaps, but with the Oxfords, and the function that Pat describes, it doesn't matter (as long as it's a protected circuit). In fact, the instructions tell you to wire it directly to the battery.

I wore out my first set of Oxford heated grips after probably 150k, as in, literally wore through the grip.  The first time this happened I lamented to the dealer that if not for that, they were in perfect order, he found a complete new LH unit from somewhere and provided it free.

Many, many years and more miles than most ride in a lifetime later, well after the warranty had expired, I had a problem with the grips again, it turned out to be a split grommet on the cable into the control unit that allowed moisture to enter and turn the circuit board furry, unbelievably, the dealer provided a new unit at no cost.



Needless to say, after service like that and a product I can't find any flaw in, I now have the current generation Oxfords and they continue to work flawlessly.

Two years ago I did a ride in Winter that saw them in constant use for 5000km, never turned off.

Noel

[ribbert]

Thanks Red, I have Oxford heated grips on my bikes.

Just how many bikes do you have Pat, I always thought you only the red and silver one.

Noel

[Bones]

Same here with the oxfords, they were still working ok, only problem after years of use was the temp could be dialed up with the buttons but wouldn't go back down unless turned off and start again, plus the grips were completely worn out. The new unit doesn't have an on/off button like the old ones, just push the plus/minus button to turn on and regulate heat, plus there's less wiring than the old one. Mine is wired directly to the battery and haven't tried the low voltage function on these yet, but left the old ones on one morning at work only to find that afternoon that the bike would still wind over slowly but not enough to start it, a quick bump start in second gear got it going. Testing them out at standstill, with the heat turned right up and up to temp, they get that hot you can't put a bare hand on the grips.

[ribbert]

.... with the heat turned right up and up to temp, they get that hot you can't put a bare hand on the grips.

Tony, you live in QL, that could apply to the entire bike in Summer.

Noel

[Pat Conlon]

Thanks Red, I have Oxford heated grips on my bikes.

Just how many bikes do you have Pat, I always thought you only the red and silver one.

Noel

Correct, I am currently down to just one bike, but soon I'll be back up to two...thru the years I've had as many as 4. My friend Carson City Paul has 3 of them now.... two of the 3 have Oxfords on them, along with the Oxfords on my '84.

Hard to remember the days before heated grips and heated vests.