IMPORTANT: Read through entire instructions before proceeding. Protected under one or more of the following patents: USA: 4,471,209 - 4,937,429 - 4,990,753 Canada: 1,299,621 If you do not have the ability to install these grips then hire a professional mechanic to do the installation. Hot Grips® are available for nearly any Motorcycle with either 7/8" or 1" handlebars and in 3 different overall lengths: 4.75" 5.25" or 5.75" and with external lead wires or internal through the hollow handlebars versions. End weights or other need to open the ends: You may drill out the outboard ends of the grips for installation of end weights or other purpose, if you use a fine tooth hole saw and do not go larger than the handlebar's inside diameter. We have molded in a visual guide on the grip's ends, and we recommend 3/4" (19 mm) or at most 7/8" (22.2 mm) diameter and be sure to center drill carefully. DO NOT use a hacksaw or you will destroy the grip, because there are resistance wires molded into the grip outboard of the handlebar diameter. Some throttle sleeves are molded with raised plastic ribs or ridges to help hold the original equipment grip in place, but these will interfere with sliding our heated handgrip over the sleeve so if there are interfering ribs, they must be trimmed with a file or razor knife until the Hot Grip® slides over them. Do not force the Hot Grip® over the ridges as the grip cannot stretch and will be damaged if forced on. Hot Grips® have a maximum output of 15-18 watts depending on which model you have. As the Variable Heat controller is adjusted clockwise, the current drawn from your electrical system is reduced, with no efficiency loss caused by the controller. PREPARATION: Remove old grips and any adhesive residue from the handlebars and throttle sleeve with solvent. In the case external lead wire grips ONLY, you can drill or puncture a small hole in the center of one of the Hot Grip® ends ( unless there is already a hole molded into them) so air can escape when they are installed. Never drill a hole in one of our "Hidden Wire" model Hot Grips® where the black lead wires are fed through the hollow handlebar since that would destroy the wiring in the grip. There is a slight variation in handlebar diameters, so some may be loose, and some may be tight. Better to file a tight handlebar down until it fits than to force the Hot Grip® over it. DO NOT rely on a press fit since the grips will expand when heated up, and could become loose. They rely on epoxy bonding to remain secure. WIRING: The wires should be secured to the handlebars, however it is important to form a gentle 180 degree loop from the throttle side grip to the handlebar to minimize strain on the wires during throttle operation. Determine the operating range of your throttle twist action. Make reference marks where the throttle rotation starts and ends. This is to determine how many degrees of rotation you have, perhaps it is 60 or 90 degrees, perhaps it is more or less. You now must determine where you want your heated grip's external lead wires to be throughout that operating throttle rotation. Mark on the throttle sleeve where the external wires should be located when the throttle is closed or off. This mark will be used when you actually epoxy it in position. You need to visualize the path of the grip's external wire leads during throttle operation, to determine where there will be no interference with your other handlebar controls and switches. Roughen your motorcycle's plastic throttle sleeve with the edge of a file or coarse sandpaper. This aids in a stronger epoxy bond. Slide the Hot Grip® with the larger inside diameter over the throttle sleeve (without epoxy) to check the fit. If tight, with anything more than hand pressure. (Do not force it on by hitting it with a hammer or block of wood!!!) Determine the spacing you will need on the throttle sleeve so that there is no interference or friction with the throttle housing. We have made an attempt to limit the possibility of this by molding a specific inner grip length. Make a mark on the throttle sleeve for when you later use epoxy. EPOXY: We recommend only slow curing (generally considered 6+ hours, or overnight) two-part epoxy because it is generally rated at 250 degrees F (120 degrees C.). The quicker curing epoxy is generally rated at 200 degrees F (94 degrees C.). DO NOT use other types of adhesives. DO NOT use silicone sealant, crazy glue, superglue, other cyanoacrylate adhesives, weatherstrip adhesives, or anything else. Just use two-part epoxy of the type we recommend. There are many brands out there, and some of them are DURO, DEVCON, POXY-WELD, JB WELD, Borden, etc. Out of the USA they may be called by another name. They are commonly available at auto parts stores, hardware stores, and is often found in hardware or automotive departments. (The reason we do not want you to use anything other than epoxy is because of the temperature these grips may reach in service, and because other types of adhesives rely on solvent evaporation, which may take a tremendous amount of time. Most other adhesives will soften with elevated temperatures, and you don't want these grips to loosen while riding.) After you have pre-determined your grip's external lead wire orientation in relation to the throttle housing and throttle sleeve, then you can proceed to use the epoxy. (With our Honda Gold Wing we found it best to have the wire on the bottom range of the throttle to eliminate any interference with the controls on top) Mix the epoxy per the manufacturer's instructions. It is important to mix in the correct ratio or the epoxy will be weakened. Use a long slender object such as a pencil to get the epoxy spread evenly on the exterior of the throttle sleeve on the motorcycle, BUT NOT INSIDE THE GRIP. The pencil can be rolled around the throttle sleeve to ensure the layer of epoxy is even or uniform thickness. DO NOT PUT EPOXY IN THE GRIP INTERIOR, instead allow the epoxy on the throttle sleeve to find it's way inside the grip as it is pushed on. The epoxy will mesh with the inside ribs, locking the grip in place once the epoxy cures. While aligning the external lead wires where you want them, push the right grip on the throttle sleeve fully, and you should clear away epoxy as it is slid on if it builds up excessively as the grip moves fully into position. IMPORTANT: DO NOT PULL THE GRIP OFF at this point because otherwise epoxy will gum up the throttle action. Again make sure you have enough clearance so no friction or interference will exist with the throttle housing. This is extremely important, since once the epoxy cures, you won't be able to adjust later. If you are in a hurry for it to cure, it is OK to quicken the cure by temporarily wiring the two grips in "parallel" as shown in our wiring diagram, and applying 12 volts using a car battery or battery charger capable of at least 3 amps. 45 minutes will do it, and do not leave the grips heated unattended. Let it cool for another 15-20 minutes. That heat will have accelerated the cure from the normal 6-8 hours down to about an hour. If the epoxy hasn't cured you may need to give it heat again. If the second time doesn't cure it, then you probably mixed the epoxy in the wrong ratio, which prevents the epoxy from curing. Do not test the epoxy bond while it is curing by twisting the grip. If you want to check if the epoxy had cured, check it at the area where a tiny amount of epoxy has squeezed out next to the inboard end of the grip. Wait until the epoxy is very hard. Follow similar instructions above when installing the left clutch grip, although the installation is easier since there is no throttle movement to worry about. Wiring: Follow our wiring diagram, there is no polarity to the two external wires coming from each grip, no positive nor negative. IMPORTANT: Hot Grips® for THIS model are wired in "Parallel", meaning each grip gets 12 volts. Your ground connection is important, so scrape the paint off immediately under the contact point you make. Ground shouldn't be to the handlebars as some are rubber mounted and perhaps electrically isolated from your system. The two Hot Grips® must be wired in "parallel". Connect one of the two conductors from each grip to positive 12 volts coming off the white wire on the Variable Heat controller. The controller red wire is connected to your voltage source, which must be 12 volts D.C. current. The controller will not work on A.C. voltage. Wiring Schematic Using the Variable Heat Controller with the wiring diagram above, you eliminate the switch and resistor while adding a mere 14 grams (1/2 oz.) of weight. A Pilot light (not supplied with kit) is a Radio Shack store item and can be installed if you want it. #272-345 or #272-334A or #272-331C. Wire it in parallel as indicated and ground one of the leads of the lamp. Variable Heat Controller Mounting: Locate a suitable site for it in a safe convenient location that does not interfere with anything on the motorcycle. In some cases you will have to improvise a mounting area. On most touring bikes with full fairings you can simply install in a panel which has room behind it and access to get to the wires. Power Source: Many motorcycles come with an accessory electrical terminal, Ask your motorcycle dealer's service department if in doubt. Often your owner's manual will include a wiring diagram, and may have information on where to obtain power for accessories. In any case you will want a power source that does not remain "on or electrically hot" when the ignition switch is turned off. You should use a 4 or 5 amp fuse. (The grips normally will draw a maximum of 3 amps on highest heat setting). Wire into an accessory terminal if available or into a power lead that will not be left "hot" or energized when the ignition is shut off. Otherwise leaving the heated grips on while the engine is off will drain the battery as quickly as if you left your headlight on. Solder all connections to prevent copper oxidation in the future. DO NOT use the crimp-on terminals if you want your connections to remain reliable. They tend to oxidize and corrode over time and create problems. Cover all exposed connections with vinyl electrical tape. HEAT CONTROL: The Hot Grips(r) do not automatically regulate their heat output, and rely on the rider to reduce the heat by turning the Variable Heat Controller clockwise. Full counter-clockwise would be maximum heat. Be sure to check and correct for any interference with vehicle controls and proper throttle operation and throttle return before starting or operating motorcycle. End Weights: On external lead wire Hot Grips(r), you may drill out the outboard ends of the grips for installation of end weights, if you use a fine tooth hole saw and do not go larger than the handlebar's inside diameter. We have molded in a visual guide on the grip's ends, and we recommend 3/4"(19 mm) or at most 7/8"(22 mm) diameter and be sure to center drill carefully. DO NOT use a hacksaw or you will destroy the grip, because there are resistance wires molded into the grip outboard of the handlebar diameter. Do NOT bore out the ends of our "Hidden Wire" models which have the wires fed through the hollow handlebar, as that would ruin the wiring of the grip.