G'Day All yet again.
Yet another request for help from all the forum ZX-14 experts...
I have just bought and semi installed a set of Oxford heated grips. I had these on my previous bike (came installed on the bike when I bought it) and they were great.
However Oxford recommend you wire these directly to the negative and positive battery terminals. Problem is of course if you forget to turn them off your battery is in serious jeopardy of being flattened and this isn't good if your touring and staying overnight in a small country town somewhere.
Therefore I want to wire the positive wire through to an ignition based source so when the key is off, so are the grips.
My questions are is there a spare powered fuse available for accessories such as this that I can use and if so how do I find it?
If not, what is the best ignition based wire to tap into that won't cause any issue with the 4-5 amp draw?
And finally am I not considering all available options and have I missed something?
Thanks in advance for any assistance...

* Last updated by: yannih on 1/10/2013 @ 3:25 AM *

No extra fuse that I know of. Have you considered a lighted switch? I have a lighted switch on my accessory outlet and the Gerbings heat controllers for my heated gear have LEDs also. Pretty hard to ignore them accidentally.

I'd play safe and fit a small relay powered by an ignition source. I can't think of any ignition circuit that has 4amps continuously rated capacity 'spare' and if you wire it directly to an ignition source and it blows the fuse you'll probably kill the engine which could be very dangerous for obvious reasons.

I have Oxford grips on my Husa wired directly to the battery and yes, I've left them on and flattened the battery. The grips are supposed to turn off automatically when the voltage drops to a certain level but this appears to be at a point lower than what is needed to spin the starter.

* Last updated by: pegscraper on 1/10/2013 @ 9:25 AM *

Thanks guys...
Looks like straight to the battery it is and be as careful as I can to ensure they are turned off.
Not perfect, but life.
I'm willing to take that risk for warm hands in winter...

@yannih...Where did you buy them from? I'm looking into getting new heated grips.

Can highly recommend the Oxfords. I find the Sport is the one to go for as I really like the grip design that comes with that model. I got them from my local motorbike store in Sydney but there seems to be a few on eBay as well...

I connected my oxfords to relay and tapped into the license plate light for the power. Works like a charm! Better than running them directly to the battery and some joker turning them on for shitz and giggles when you're not around.

You're right Dave, I do worry that some dick from the street will switch on the heated grips just to stuff everything up for fun...
You will have to excuse my absolute novice status when it comes to electrics but could you briefly explain what I would need to purchase and do regarding wiring and relays to go via an ignition source.
Also will the number plate source be able to handle the heated grips current draw?

I'm not sure i'd be worried about someone else turning and leaving the grips on but on my first motorcycle I left them on several occasions (discovered that the parking lot at work has enough of a slop for me to "bump start" my bike) :)

Basically what Dave is suggesting is:

Run a wire from the battery to the 1st leg of a 12v relay (this is the main power supply)
Run a wire from the grips to the 2nd leg of the relay
Run a wire from a ignition switched wire (tail light is a good source since its not critical if something shorts) to the 3rd leg of the relay
Run a wire from the ground (battery or other good ground) to the 4th leg of the relay (for a ground for the relay itself)

When you turn on the motorcycle, the relay senses power on the 3rd leg and closes the connection between the 1st and 2nd legs which provides power for your grips.

Its actually WAY more complicated to explain then it is to do :) Just check out a decent automotive store and they should be able to get you the correct relay, then just follow the directions on the relay and your set.

PS: make sure to use fuses on all of your positive (power) sources as close to the power source as possible, you don't need a wire catching fire due to a short.

Thanks Nightmare!

That's exactly right. And +1 for the in line fuse for the power sources (forgot to mention that)

You can pick up a relay at most electronics stores for a few of bucks.

And Nightmare is right, explaining the the set up sounds difficult but it's not.

You'll need a relay, wiring, and a fuse. On my '09, the wire for the tail light runs under the pilon portion of the seat, at the left side.. I tapped it there, put the relay right by it and ran the wires to the battery. The bikes in storage for the winter, if you want, let me know and I'll snap a couple of pics tomorrow.

Cheers.

Thanks Dave and Nightmare...
All done.
Relay and fuses (I put 2 in, one fuse for the direct power and one from the tail light power source) installed and all is brilliant...
It all went very smoothly because of your excellent advise and instructions. Thanks so much for your time and effort. It has made a massive difference...
I'm very happy and feel a lot safer now the grips are always off with the ignition off.
Interestingly when I was testing the final installation, I noticed that if the grips were off when the ignition was turned off, the grips were off when next turning the ignition on. But if the grips were on when the ignition was turned off, the grips came back on when next turning on the ignition again. Must be related to the type of on/off switch Oxford have used.
Do you guys have the same thing?
Its no issue at all because the grips are always off when the ignition is off regardless, but I thought I'd see if you guys have experienced the same?

Been off the bike for 2 months so I don't remember 100% lol but if memory serves me correct, if I leave the grips on and turn off the ignition, when I turn the ignition back on the grips turn on as well, but default to the lowest setting.... I think lol

Maybe Nightmare can chime in.

Its probably the design of the switch, the heated grips i had on my old bike were just a switch that you moved to a couple of different positions so in my case if I left it in the "High" position it would automatically come on when i turned on the ignition. Shouldn't be a big deal, worst case scenario you have warm hands :)

Correct and no issue at all.
Just thought I'd mention it.
Thanks again guys...