What does this even mean? LOL....

I swapped out my factory heated grips last fall for a set of the HD Big Kahuna grips on my Ultra Limited. Where's the easy plug and play part?

I was in no hurry, but it took several hours to wrap up. It's a little bit involved.

 

From the instructions the throttle grip looks like you just plug it in, the clutch side one looks like one needs to snake the wire thru the bars and is not a quick disconnect at the grip like the throttle side. Is this correct?

 

I like larger grips. I use the Kuryakyn heated grip covers and like it. A few more minutes to feel the heat, but then all is well.

 

Yes, the throttle side plugs in, but you still run new wires on both sides. You have to pull the outer fairing, pull off your switch housings, brake and clutch levers, and grips obviously. Rotate the inner fairing as far forward as you can, and rotate the bars so you can easily access the port, pull the existing wires, run the new wires, plug everything up, install the switch housing without phucking anything up, and buttoning everything up.

There is no easy plug and play. It's a fairly involved process that takes a few hours.

 

I have the Kyurakyn grips too, As mentioned they are a bigger grip but it's comfortable for me. Heat transfers fine through them but as Goose said it takes a little bit longer to feel but not much. My main concern is that the clutch lever touches the edge of the grip and I was worried that it might cause the clutch to drag but all is good.

 

But to just replace an existing pair of heated grips it appears that one only needs to pull the wire from the L.H. grip thru the bars as the throttle grip already has the wire there. Is there plenty of space that is easy to snake the wire thru the bars?

 

Only time we've pulled the throttle side wires when replacing/adding heated grips is if something was damaged (the two holes on the end of the TGS, wires scraped, or something like that), or if the bike did not already have the heated grip harness from the bike's TGS inside the fairing (used to see this on older bikes). Just did a 2010 a couple weeks ago with Kahuna... we staggered the 2 connectors from the clutch side and taped them to a fish wire and pulled them thru to the opening in the center of the bars, under the radio. Got a stiff wire and fished them out from under the head unit, and plugged the power in over near the cigarette lighter, and plugged the "interconnect cable" in over where the throttle side switch pack harness come into the fairing at. Road Glides the two connectors are under the gauge clusters (RGU being the exception and will need an accessories harness added for the power connector under the gauge cluster). I have done Kahunas on probably 5 bikes in the last several years and did not have to take anything but the outer fairing off and loosen the clam shells to free the grips, and of course unplug the throttle side grip under the grip's end cap. Those were all 2010's & 11's and my 2016 RGU. Seems like on a 2015 Ultra limited we had to loosen the inner faring and tilt it, but thats been a while ago (7 years), so I cant remember for sure (can't remember if you can see the center hole in the bars under the head unit on those). Even when they go smooth, they're a little bit of a pain, but very doable. Tape your connectors to your fish wire so they're staggered, so they slide thru the bars one behind the other thru the curves... and don't pull stupid hard.

If you're replacing heated grips, unplug them inside the fairing (under the gauge cluster on road glides) and tape a fish wire to one of the harnesses (power or interconnect) before you pull the old clutch side grips off. Don't tape it to both, because if they went around another harness inside the bars (switch pack harness or something) on opposite sides of each other when they were installed, you're gonna get caught up on that.

Also, If buying HD grips, other than Kahunas, be sure to check before you buy, the install instructions... a lot of them having a fuse block/link on the power wires that ain't gonna fit thru the bars and have to be run externally. I'll be doing another set to my new bike this winter... just waiting to see if HD is going to make push button ones available for the touring line, like that is on the new CVO's... if not it'll be another set of Kahunas lol also, don't forget to take the grey bushing out of the new clutch side grip BEFORE you pull the wires thru the bars...

It is really simple to do, but because you're pulling wires, screwing with the clam shells, trying to find connectors tucked away... it can easily get to be a pain in the ***. Don't rush and think before you do the different things... like pulling stupid hard on the wires instead of working or lubing them, pinching wires in the clam shells, or getting them to fit back together right.... or my favorite, getting that damn plug back in on the end of the throttle's grip.

 

The OP said his bike was a 2019 Ultra Limited. My bike I replaced the grips on was a 2016 Ultra Limited.

Plenty of space? LOL.....no.

My post that you quoted I described as simply as I could what was involved. You get new wiring and connectors for both grips. Why would you leave old wiring when you have new?

That's not how I do things.

 

That is what I was curious about, how tight are the existing wires packed into the bars? Are they packed in tight to where wire pulling lube needed to pull the new wires thru? I am thinking of adding a new set of grips on my 21 Limited.

 

I tape the two connectors about a 1/2" apart, one behind the other, to my fish wire, and tape them good so they don't come loose... also I try to tape it in a way so you're pulling on the wire and not just the connectors. Then before pulling them into the bars, flex it so its not so stiff, specially the area between the two connectors, bend it back and forth, so they're not so stiff and will bend easier going thru the curves in the bar... they fit tight, specially on bike with the switch packs internally wired. Pull, they bind up, pull back the other way a little and try again, work them. A little lube won't hurt and probably is advisable, but I haven't had to, but I am patient and careful pulling wires. If you have stock bars on an Ultra Limited (bat wing), isn't the switch packs externally wired (after you get past the clam shells), leaving the heated grip and throttle by wire stuff the only thing internal (and I thought the throttle by wire harness actually go external with the switch packs at the clamshells too)? If its a Road Glide Limited its all internal (including switch packs).