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[DCC]

I think I may have stumbled upon a factory wiring issue...maybe.  A little history is in order.  Bike is a 2008 CVO ULtra.  36000 miles.  First heated grip failure occurred in 2009 with 20214 miles.  RH grip separated and was replaced under warranty.  Just recently, both grips failed to get warm while riding and since I'm somewhat a perfectionist, I ordered both grips since the left one is getting that worn look to it anyway and the bike is out of ESP.  RH grip is a piece of cake to install.  LH, is a real PITA due to the internal wiring.  OK, so I get everything done and I'm reconnecting the connectors and I notice something odd.  The left grip has (2) sets of wires. One set is a pair with a Black wire and a Black with white tracer.  According to my wiring diagram, it connects to connector [206], a deutsch 2-place connector.  The Black wire is to go to socket #1, and the BLK/W should go to socket #2.  And that is how it was originally wired.  BUT, the other half of that connector coming from the RH grip (actually the wires are integrated with the twist grip sensor (TGS) have a solid Black and a solid White wire (no BLK/W like the book says it should have).  Further more, the Black is in socket #2 and the White is in socket #1.  I think they may be flipped.  My wiring diagram says it should be Black in socket #1 and BLK/W in socket #2.  So now I'm confused.  I think first, my tech book is in error since the wire colors it shows isn't what I have, but common sense tells me that the two Black wires should be matched and I should match the BLK/W with the Solid White.  Any comments and is it possible that Harley wired a bunch of bikes wrong from the get-go?  I know many out there have had numerous heated grip failures.

[porthole]

is it possible that Harley wired a bunch of bikes wrong from the get-go? 

Nah - no chance at all 

[DCC]

Update:  I believe I've found the problem and a solution.  I went to my dealer with my service supplement in hand and explained what I found.  They in turn looked in a more recent supplement and it appears that my wiring diagram in my 08 supplement is wrong.  The heater wires coming from the RH Grip should be solid Black and solid white.  On top of that, the techs and I both believe that my bike was wired wrong as well.  The #206 deutsch pin connector from the RH Grip should have the wires flipped so that the black wires match up.  The white wire coming from the RH Grip is the correct wire color...not BLK/W as my book calls out.  That wire should match up with the BLK/W coming from the LH Grip.  The dealer is going to follow up by calling Milwaukee next week to confirm, but I do believe we have it figured out.  At this point, we're both wondering just how much difference it really makes.  After all, the grip heater is nothing more than a coil and changing the wires may make no difference anyway, however, with all of the problems that I've read, myself included, I can't help but think this could answer a mystery or two.  Those out there that have a 2008 Service Supplement may want to check it.

[Jerry/MD]

DCC,
What is in your hand grips (and your seat) is a resistive heating element, not a coil. This element does not care about the polarity of the DC voltage, it just means the current will flow in a different direction. Since it is isolated from the frame there is no safety issue. Bottom line, the grips should work despite the error you found in the wiring diagram.

Jerry

[DCC]

Jerry/MD - thanks for your reply. I know just enough about these things to get myself in trouble. I did suspect that it probably didn't matter, but was unsure. I hate when things don't jive with "the" book. Anyway, I'll sleep better now. Thanks again. DCC.