HOT GRIPS 203 User Manual
Model #203 "HW" Hot Grips®
HOT GRIPS® Manufactured under one or more of the following Patents:
Canada 1,299,621
USA: 4,471,209 4,937,429 4,990,753
Read through entire instructions before starting installation. If you can not comfortably install this product, hire a professional mechanic to do it.
If you want to pre-test the grips, use a V.O.M. and check that each Hot Grip's® resistance
measures approximately 2.4 ohms. You can temporarily wire them in series and test on a
12 volt car battery or battery charger of minimum 3 amps if you desire. Do not leave them
unattended, and do not heat them up for more than a few minutes, because without the
heat sink effect available from the metal handelbars, the grips may be damaged.
Hot Grips® model "HW" (hidden wire) is designed for installation on Ski Doo or Arctic Cat
snowmobiles fitted originally with handlebar heaters with wires that are fed through the inside of the handlebars. It must have a thumb-throttle, not a twist throttle.
On model "HW" Hot Grips® the black lead wires are protected from damage by being
located inside the hollow handlebars. They are for SKI-DOO and ARCTIC CAT snowmobiles that already have the original equipment hole in the handlebars for their original
handlebar heaters. We do not recommend drilling a new hole in the handlebars as it may
weaken it.
1. Remove original grips on the snowmobile, and clean the old adhesive off the handlebar surface. Use a coarse file or coarse sandpaper to roughen and clean the handlebar.
2. Remove existing cartridge heaters ( or foil circuits on the handlebars) and the original
wiring that fed through the handlebars for those heaters. Do not use the original wires,
though you may use the old wiring to "fish" the new Hot Grips® wiring through the handlebars.
3. Expose the original existing wire lead holes on the handlebar (generally near the
center of the steering column.) The original existing wire lead holes were used by the
snowmobile manufacturer to feed wire to the original grip heater devices.
4. Insert a "fish-wire" through the existing hole and feed it out through the open end of
the handlebar. Secure the "fish-wire" to the black Hot Grips® lead wires and pull them
through the existing hole. This step may take a little patience to ensure the black lead
wires don't catch on the inside of the hole. Repeat the operation for the other side of the
handlebars.
Some electrical systems cannot handle the power requirements of heated grips
and the headlights at the same time. The model "HW" Hot Grips® will produce 8
watts on low and 15 watts on high for each grip. The ceramic resistor consumes
a small amount of wattage, so the entire kit will draw 1.66 amps on low and 2.5
amps on high.
Some handlebars are slightly oversize and generally it is unwise to try and force
the Hot Grips® on. Better to file down the oversize handlebar until the grip can go
on without force.
EPOXY INSTALLATION ONLY: Obtain a two-part slow-curing epoxy, such as
Duro, Devcon, Borden, JB Weld, PoxyWeld, etc. Make sure it is not the quick cure
type, such as a 5-minute epoxy. We need the slow cure (6-8 hours +) because
generally these epoxies are good for service up to 250 degrees F., whereas the 5minute quick cure type epoxies are generally good for only 200 degrees. Do not
use any other method to install. We have tested everything else, and they don't hold
up under the stress and strain, torque loads and heat that is present. (Do not use
silicone seal, crazy glue, gasket cement, weatherstrip adhesive, etc. None of them
will hold reliably under severe riding conditions!) Check that the grip will slide onto
the handlebar without effort. It is normal to find you have a loose fit, to have the
small gap filled with the epoxy. If it is not a loose fit, do not force the grip on. Your
handlebar diameter isn't .875" and must be filed down until the grip fits on without
excessive force. Some metric handlebars we have seen are up to .020" diameter
oversize.
A full length pencil is helpful as a tool to spread the mixed epoxy inside the grip
interior, and on the handlebar. Use a very light coat, and push the grip on 75%
and remove, then redistribute the epoxy with the pencil and remove any excess
quantity. Then install grip 100%, and again remove any excess epoxy. Be sure
the grips do not interfere with any of the handlebar controls or the thumb-throttle
lever. If there is interference, use a new single-edge razor blade to trim the grip
as necessary, using care not to cut near the black lead wires that exit the grip.
Allow to fully cure per the epoxy's instructions, or you may quicken the cure by
temporarily wiring the grips in "series" per the diagram below, and wiring them to
a 12v. car battery, or battery charger with a minimum of 3 amps charge rating.
The epoxy will set up firm in about 30-45 minutes. Allow grips to cool off, and test
epoxy for hardness where it oozed out of the grip. Do not twist the grip to test the
epoxy as it is curing, as this will compromise and weaken it.
SWITCH AND RESISTOR: The switch can be located at any convenient
practical location for your left hand that doesn't interfere with safe vehicle operation. (Note that the orientation of the wires in our wiring illustration to the
"Hi-Lo" switch plate is correct because of the switch's internal action.) Drill a
1/2” hole to install switch.
5. Epoxy the grips in position as outlined further in the instructions.
IMPORTA NT: DO NOT drill an "air-escape" hole in the model "H W" grip's
ends or damage will result. There is no need for the air escape hole since the
air can exit where the wires come out.
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