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Having trouble getting power to heated motorcycle grips

juntjoo

Jun 8, 2015
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I'm trying to connect them with these "sae quick connect" cables so I spliced the bare ends(as they arrived) with a spare pair of these cables to my grips. I can get power via alligator clips connected to the quick connect end directly to the battery but connecting via the cables strangely doesn't work. I'm baffled. Any ideas?
 

kellys_eye

Jun 25, 2010
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Yeah.... those 'quick connects' aren't as quick - or as secure/safe - as their name suggests.

When you state:
I spliced the bare ends(as they arrived) with a spare pair of these cables to my grips.
do you know what these 'spare cables' actually do? i.e do they actually have power on them? When the ignition is on or off?
 

juntjoo

Jun 8, 2015
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Yeah.... those 'quick connects' aren't as quick - or as secure/safe - as their name suggests.

When you state:

do you know what these 'spare cables' actually do? i.e do they actually have power on them? When the ignition is on or off?

Power on them? I use them for some devoces/accessories. They move power lol. Sorry. Not sure what you mean. I got power through them to the grips via alligator clips connected directly to the battery, but when I replace the alligator clips with these sae cables, connecting my spliced grips to my sae cables that hook up to the battery with their intended terminals, no power. And I checked that power is sent through the ables with my multimeter. Just not to the grips. Only with alligator clips. It's weird. Idk
 

juntjoo

Jun 8, 2015
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The grips are connected /spliced to a spare pair of these cables, so the grips connectors currently, as I've modified them have these sae connectors. And I can get power to them, through the quick connectors, but ONLY with alligator clips(to battery). But if I connect the connector to another sae cable connected to my battery, no go. Hope it's clearer now
 

Harald Kapp

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Nov 17, 2011
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But if I connect the connector to another sae cable connected to my battery, no go.
Did you check the cable for continuity? Check each wire separately usingthe Ohms range of your multimeter. Make sure the connectors are well fastened to the copper wire.
 

juntjoo

Jun 8, 2015
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Did you check the cable for continuity? Check each wire separately usingthe Ohms range of your multimeter. Make sure the connectors are well fastened to the copper wire.


Yes, I tried to show in the dark video how I did verify I got power to the end of the cable that I want to connect to the grips, and the grips received power. Maybe it's off a couple volts? Could it be a matter of a weak cable? I just did I quick visual check to see that the dual moved at least 10 volts but maybe the cable is weak and the grips really need a full 12 volts?
 

Harald Kapp

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maybe the cable is weak and the grips really need a full 12 volts?
10 V or 12 V should not be the main issue. If, however, the wires are too thin, the voltage drop across the wires when the grips draw a high current to heat up may be too high. Measure the voltage at the connectors with the grips installed. If it drops noticeably below 10 V, your wires may simply be too thin.
 

FrankB

Nov 19, 2018
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It appears you used the red crimp inline connectors to attach the SAE conn. to the wiring.
Those inline connectors are notorious for bad connections and poor crimps. A poor crimp can cause a resistive connection and drop the voltage.
I never trusted them after fighting a nightmare in a used truck I bought for days. I always solder the connections and use the heatshrink with the sealant in it, or the environmental (Mil Spec) splices used for aircraft.
The wire size can cause voltage drop also.
For some excellent help and information on bad connections, I'd recommend watching today's YouTube South Main Auto video, where Eric goes into detail on troubleshooting using voltage drop to find bad connections and a bad alternator. I know you are not fighting an alternator, but the technique is the exact same to find your voltage loss. good chance it will solve the problem for you in a few minutes using his technique.
 

CircuitMaster

Dec 17, 2016
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I am not very good at motorcycle repairs, but if you provide a circuit I might be able to help you.
 
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