This is what happens to ceramic resistors after 4.5 months on a motorcycle:
The pictured resistor is part of the low circuit on the SPI Grip Heater Kit I installed back in October. It only took three weeks before one of the connections broke apart from the vibration. I attempted a makeshift repair by chipping away at the broken end to expose enough material to re-solder the wire to. Two weeks later, that repair failed as well.
In the meantime, I’ve been using the grips on the high setting, which is about half a degree cooler than the surface of the sun. Longer rides have been a constant game of pain management: turn the grips on and enjoy ten minutes of bliss until they fully warm up and start cooking the skin on my palms. Turn the grips off and enjoy ten minutes of bliss until they cool down to the point of freezing. My hands ought to be as tough as tempered steel by now.
Still, it took me until this weekend to get around to actually fixing the problem. The solution? Check back tomorrow and find out!
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Is the solution to use a Heat-Troller?
Pretty much, though I didn’t go with an actual Heat-troller from Warm & Safe.
It looks like the resistor needs to be fastened to a heat sink (Al plate, metal bodywork, frame, etc.). That would also provide a place to secure the wires so they don’t vibrate.
It was.
I used silicone adhesive for my ceramic resistor.
Not that I need a resistor, I run my grips on high all the time, hot isn’t hot enough and low is too low.
there are other brands of grip heaters (like Symtec and Dual-Star) that don’t use a resistor at all- nice, because you don’t lose watts to the resistor.