Kymco AK 550 heated grips

[rjs987]

Went riding today without the muffs on the bars. Wore my thickest gloves and set the heated grips on high. The temp during this ride started out at 15F and ended up at 21F. I rode just over 23 miles.AND THE HEATED GRIPS WORKED GREAT THE ENTIRE RIDE. I rode a variety of roads ranging from 35 mph to 55 mph. I was paying particular attention to the volt meter reading during this ride. I do recall seeing the voltage drop to 13.8 during the rides when the heated grips did fail before but wasn't really paying a lot of attention to it or correlating that voltage drop to the grips failing.It is possible that the battery needed more time to recover and charge every cell completely after sitting at the dealer for 3 weeks without being plugged into any battery tender/maintainer device. A battery can show full voltage even if one or two cells are not fully charged and that would only show up during a full load being put on the battery. That could be why the heated grips failed a week ago. Since the controller unit was replaced that part has not failed. But if the battery wasn't able to provide full power to the system it could cause a random error code to show. It is also possible that what ever caused the fail code a week ago has resolved itself otherwise, but more likely the battery has now been fully charged and conditioned to equalize all the cells.

Since this ride was way past 12 times as long as when the heated grips failed any time in the past I'm not going to worry about this issue any more. One of my goals has been to be able to no longer need my heated gloves system. And also to not need to wear my heated gloves at all since they are thicker than any of my other gloves. They have been great for when I need them but with heated grips and the muffs on the bars I don't see that I'll need the thicker gloves any more. My plan moving forward is that any time the temps can drop below freezing during a ride I will use the handlebar muffs with the heated grips. My ride last week at 7F with the muffs showed me that my hands will be plenty warm with this combo down below zeroF.

[Luckyword]

Been scouring this thread / topic -- did this all get sorted out?

...asking because, after 8,000 miles, these past two days I've had issues with the Heated Grips.

I live in California, and most of the times when I've used the Heated Grips, I've had it set to 3 - Full Heat - and it's worked great, every single ride (33 miles on most trips). It's worked really well since I bought the scooter new in May.

Two days ago, the Heat turned off after a few miles. This morning, same thing. Turned off. I tried turning back on again, and noticed the red light on the left grip would flash a few times.

If anyone has good basic troubleshooting suggestions, that'd be really helpful.

[rjs987]

As stated in prior posts by me the heated grips controller WAS proven the fault and was replaced. It failed on the bike as well as on the test bench when hit with freeze spray. The new controller was also hit with freeze spray on the test bench before it was installed and continued working fine. The grip heat temp sensors are located near the grips just where the wires enter the handlebars. It does seem that when you ride in really excessively cold temps like I do it is possible this cold air can blow into that hole in the bars and cool the grip heat temp sensors to give a false error indication to the controller. But as I posted just above the grip heat worked great at 15F without my handlebar muffs. My normal is that when I ride in any temp below 40 (getting older makes one less able to handle cooler temps) I do use the handlebar muffs. I don't usually turn on the grip heat at that temp but maybe at below 35F I will. The handlebar muffs shield the handlebars so cold air doesn't blow into the holes where the grip temp sensor is located so no false error can happen. The design is not the best.

If you are getting a flashing red light at the left grip indicator then you need to pay attention to the code that flashing shows. Here is the section from the service manual on the fault indication, the same information is in the owner manual. The bold part in step 5 is the error code to look for to determine where the fault is. The fault code shows before you turn off the bike when the heated grips fail and after the self check is done if a fault is found.

Handlebar Heater State Indicator:
1. After turning ON KEYLESS Main Switch, a self-check is performed with the
LED indicator flashing in a 1-white and 1-red format.
2. After KEYLESS Main Switch ON and indicator self-check, in the event of a
Handlebar Heater anomaly, the indicator will flash in red, with the Handlebar
Heater function disabled. (Refer to anomaly states below for indicator flashing
modes.)
3. After KEYLESS Main Switch ON, press and hold the button to activate
Handlebar Heater. Indicator lights in white constantly for normal operation.
4. Turn KEYLESS Main Switch OFF or press and hold the button to deactivate
Handlebar Heater. The indicator will go out, indicating the function is switched off.
5. If Handlebar Heater is faulty, the indicator will flash in red.
When Handlebar Heater function is OFF, anomaly states are as follows:
a. 1 flashes (on/off) per 0.2s followed by 2s off: Handlebar Heater function is
faulty.
b. 2 flashes (on/off) per 0.2s followed by 2s off: Handlebar Heater temperature
sensor is faulty.
c. 1 flash (on/off) per 0.3s followed by 0.3s off: Handlebar/ Controller Circuit is
faulty.

After eliminating the fault and re-starting (Key Off -> Key On) the vehicle,
indicator will resume normal operation.

Clicking the button when the indicator is flashing in red will stop the flashing. For
the sake of your safety, please go to a KYMCO dealer for check-up.

I have found that I haven't needed to turn up the heat any more than the lowest setting. I have tried medium and even high for short times but those were too hot for me even below 10F with the muffs also in use. In Dec 2022 I rode in temps at around 6F with the muffs and grip heat on low and was toasty warm. It is all working fine for me since the controller was replaced last year.

BTW- riding at any temp above freezing should never cause the grip heat temp sensors to fail.

[Luckyword]

Thanks, Bob, for these helpful troubleshooting steps.

I've had a few days where the Heated Grips are consistently working again - and the troubleshooting I did was to plug in the trickle charger overnight. This is by no means scientific, of course, and I'm glad they are working again.

As stated in prior posts by me the heated grips controller WAS proven the fault and was replaced. It failed on the bike as well as on the test bench when hit with freeze spray. The new controller was also hit with freeze spray on the test bench before it was installed and continued working fine. The grip heat temp sensors are located near the grips just where the wires enter the handlebars. It does seem that when you ride in really excessively cold temps like I do it is possible this cold air can blow into that hole in the bars and cool the grip heat temp sensors to give a false error indication to the controller. But as I posted just above the grip heat worked great at 15F without my handlebar muffs. My normal is that when I ride in any temp below 40 (getting older makes one less able to handle cooler temps) I do use the handlebar muffs. I don't usually turn on the grip heat at that temp but maybe at below 35F I will. The handlebar muffs shield the handlebars so cold air doesn't blow into the holes where the grip temp sensor is located so no false error can happen. The design is not the best.

If you are getting a flashing red light at the left grip indicator then you need to pay attention to the code that flashing shows. Here is the section from the service manual on the fault indication, the same information is in the owner manual. The bold part in step 5 is the error code to look for to determine where the fault is. The fault code shows before you turn off the bike when the heated grips fail and after the self check is done if a fault is found.

Handlebar Heater State Indicator:
1. After turning ON KEYLESS Main Switch, a self-check is performed with the
LED indicator flashing in a 1-white and 1-red format.
2. After KEYLESS Main Switch ON and indicator self-check, in the event of a
Handlebar Heater anomaly, the indicator will flash in red, with the Handlebar
Heater function disabled. (Refer to anomaly states below for indicator flashing
modes.)
3. After KEYLESS Main Switch ON, press and hold the button to activate
Handlebar Heater. Indicator lights in white constantly for normal operation.
4. Turn KEYLESS Main Switch OFF or press and hold the button to deactivate
Handlebar Heater. The indicator will go out, indicating the function is switched off.
5. If Handlebar Heater is faulty, the indicator will flash in red.
When Handlebar Heater function is OFF, anomaly states are as follows:
a. 1 flashes (on/off) per 0.2s followed by 2s off: Handlebar Heater function is
faulty.
b. 2 flashes (on/off) per 0.2s followed by 2s off: Handlebar Heater temperature
sensor is faulty.
c. 1 flash (on/off) per 0.3s followed by 0.3s off: Handlebar/ Controller Circuit is
faulty.

After eliminating the fault and re-starting (Key Off -> Key On) the vehicle,
indicator will resume normal operation.

Clicking the button when the indicator is flashing in red will stop the flashing. For
the sake of your safety, please go to a KYMCO dealer for check-up.

I have found that I haven't needed to turn up the heat any more than the lowest setting. I have tried medium and even high for short times but those were too hot for me even below 10F with the muffs also in use. In Dec 2022 I rode in temps at around 6F with the muffs and grip heat on low and was toasty warm. It is all working fine for me since the controller was replaced last year.

BTW- riding at any temp above freezing should never cause the grip heat temp sensors to fail.

[rjs987]

Thanks, Bob, for these helpful troubleshooting steps.

I've had a few days where the Heated Grips are consistently working again - and the troubleshooting I did was to plug in the trickle charger overnight. This is by no means scientific, of course, and I'm glad they are working again.

One other thing to watch for is the voltage level while riding. I usually see 14.1 +/- .1 while riding in warmer weather. In below freezing weather and the heated grips turned on the low setting the voltage meter shows 13.9-14.0 depending on engine speed. I found that with my phone also plugged in to charge while using the heated grips the voltage would drop a bit more. The heated grips system and USB plug are on the same fuse. I did have my heated grips system shut off once while charging my phone in near 20F temps and going slow through town. I realized that the bike computer will shut down things like the heated grips system AND USB port if the battery doesn't get enough charge while riding so I avoid charging my phone in the cold. I don't usually ride very far in cold temps anyway so not a big deal. My phone will hold a charge for all day anyway so don't need to charge it while riding unless I am using the phone with the AK for navigation. Again, I don't usually do that in cold riding.

[Luckyword]

One other thing to watch for is the voltage level while riding. I usually see 14.1 +/- .1 while riding in warmer weather. In below freezing weather and the heated grips turned on the low setting the voltage meter shows 13.9-14.0 depending on engine speed. I found that with my phone also plugged in to charge while using the heated grips the voltage would drop a bit more. The heated grips system and USB plug are on the same fuse. I did have my heated grips system shut off once while charging my phone in near 20F temps and going slow through town. I realized that the bike computer will shut down things like the heated grips system AND USB port if the battery doesn't get enough charge while riding so I avoid charging my phone in the cold. I don't usually ride very far in cold temps anyway so not a big deal. My phone will hold a charge for all day anyway so don't need to charge it while riding unless I am using the phone with the AK for navigation. Again, I don't usually do that in cold riding.

Interesting. I really wanted to like the Noodoe nav system, but think it's lacking in many business locations and even some addresses. So about six months ago, I installed a phone holder I bought off Aliexpress, and hard-wired it to the battery, and it works great.

I've only recently started to charge my phone while riding. I'll keep an eye on voltage - I've seen mostly upper 13s while riding. It seems like I only see 14.0 or 14.1 when the battery is full charged. Fortunately, the heated grips are working great again.

[Dale]

A lot of reading there. My heated grips on my new AK 550 don't work right either. No matter what position I put the heater in (low, medium or high) they get very hot instantly. So hot I have to turn them off or fry my hand. Haven't used them since. My dealer is 100 miles away and its cold outside. Worry about it this summer.

[rjs987]

When the heated grips controller was replaced on mine the tech at KymcoUSA told me that the part number had changed from the manuals that were available at that time (January/February 2022). That tells me there was an update to the controller. Mine currently works as it should. I can sense a difference between low, medium, and high. Enough for when the temps are really low and the low setting is not quite enough heat and high setting is plenty. That was what I found when I rode at just below zeroF. When I ride at just under 10F the low setting is enough.

[Dale]

Today it was 50 degrees and sunny. I put the heater on low and it got warm but not too warm. I'm finding out that the heater is for really cold temperatures. Usually if its below 50 or say 45, I stay home. I'm going to try riding in colder temps. Will see how it goes. Middle of February here in SE Iowa and so far no snow.

[rjs987]

Today it was 50 degrees and sunny. I put the heater on low and it got warm but not too warm. I'm finding out that the heater is for really cold temperatures. Usually if its below 50 or say 45, I stay home. I'm going to try riding in colder temps. Will see how it goes. Middle of February here in SE Iowa and so far no snow.

Yeah, we did have snow here but the last of it was totally gone by yesterday. Was 52F here today and expecting 56F tomorrow.

I usually don't turn on the heated grips unless the temp goes below freezing. The handlebar muffs I use keep my hands plenty warm above that and my gloves alone are all I really need above 40-45F.

With the heated grips I found out what I always suspected with them... they do great at keeping the palm side of the hands warm but not so much the finger tips and back of the hands, unless you wear thicker gloves or have something like the muffs to shield from the wind. My circulation is not so good anymore so that doesn't help distribute the heat from the inside to the outside of my hands.
With the muffs the heat from the grips warms up the air inside the muffs. I know at least one rider on the ST-Owners forum who has heated grips and muffs and often rides with only his summer gloves at temps just below freezing and still has warm hands. He has the same muffs as I do and was the rider who recommended them to me.

[Quick-Star24]

Well, well, well....

Just put my battery back in yesterday and decided I'm riding my bike to work today since we are having great weather for this time of year.
Last fall I used the heated grips a lot and always on the highest setting. No issues....at that time.
Tonight on my way home in the dark after work the headlights are blinking on and off, the heated grips won't stay on and the RED light at the edge of the left grip is also blinking Red off and on.
I thought I was smelling something burning but I cannot say for sure that was the case.

One other thing....when I had trouble with a dead battery last summer and I had the battery out, I never put back the battery plastic cover. And it was off and not used the whole summer.

So I start thinking tonight something is getting fried in there....

This is not good.....whatever the problem is.....

There have been reports in the past of issues with the heated grips. In the first few years of the AK 550 there were posts I've read about the grips melting from the heated grips system being too hot or maybe it was more likely the grip material itself was too soft and not up to par for using with grip heaters. The day I picked my AK 550 up from the dealer I did use the heated grips on the first leg of my trip home 180 miles. I didn't turn them on more than the lowest setting and they worked great the entire time. I used them a few times after that as well, always at the lowest setting since that was plenty of heat for the temps I was riding in at the time.

Last month, just as a back up in case the grip heat wasn't enough, I temporarily installed my heated gloves wire harness. I have used both the heated grips and the heated gloves at the same time once or twice after that.

When I did that I had the grip heat turned up to the middle setting, and just to test how hot they could be I set them at the highest setting for a short time. So far every time I used both glove and grip heaters the grip heaters indicated a fault, flashing red LED indicator on the left grip, and the system shut down. Every time that happened I had the grip heat set to the middle or high setting. I was thinking that maybe it was an issue with sensors in the grip heaters having an issue with the glove heater wires being energized. So I tried the heated grips on some rides while wearing my heated gloves but without turning on the heated gloves and the system was working great. So I thought maybe it was a fluke. I only had the grip heat set to the lowest setting during these rides.

A few days ago I rode with only the heated grips turned on to the highest setting. The temp was significantly colder than before at around 15F so I wanted to see if the high setting on the grip heat would be enough. I did not have the heated gloves turned on this time either. But after only ONE mile the grip heaters issued a fault with the flashing red LED. So I think there is a problem that needs to be resolved with the heated grips.

I sent an email (for a record of when this is reported) to my nearest Kymco service center and am waiting a reply about getting warranty service on this issue. I sent the email last night and also since this is a holiday weekend I really don't expect a reply until sometime next week so we'll see what happens.

I am thinking that it would be a really poor implementation of a grip heater system if they cannot handle being used in cold temps. I mean, isn't that exactly when they are supposed to be used? Everything else on the AK is working flawlessly. I even had one ride at temps several degrees colder than it was on this last ride but was only using my heated gloves and the bike is working perfectly in the cold weather.

[rjs987]

... the heated grips won't stay on and the RED light at the edge of the left grip is also blinking Red off and on.
I thought I was smelling something burning but I cannot say for sure that was the case.

One other thing....when I had trouble with a dead battery last summer and I had the battery out, I never put back the battery plastic cover. And it was off and not used the whole summer.

So I start thinking tonight something is getting fried in there....

This is not good.....whatever the problem is.....

In reply 32 above I posted the code that is blinked out by that red light when it flashes. Pay attention to that flash sequence to determine what exactly is failing on the heated grips system.
That's your troubleshooting diagnostic indicator for the heated grips system. I would also check out on top the battery to make sure there isn't something that found its way on top the battery to cause that burning smell. It could be a defect in the heated grips system (controller, grip heat sensor or grip heaters) but with the headlights also blinking off/on seems to indicate a different electrical issue, maybe a problem at the battery. A grip heater problem shouldn't effect the headlights. I'd suggest once it's all sorted to get that plastic cover put back on. There is a very good reason it's there. It also has the tab that holds the fuse box from bouncing around... which could be part of the problem.

There are only 2 electrical circuits on the fuse for the heated grips. The heated grips system and the USB charging port. That's it. That fuse will blow if there is a serious enough problem in one of those 2 systems and protect the other circuits. But if there is a problem at the top of the battery that can effect the entire electrical system of the bike in random ways.

[Quick-Star24]

In reply 32 above I posted the code that is blinked out by that red light when it flashes. Pay attention to that flash sequence to determine what exactly is failing on the heated grips system.
That's your troubleshooting diagnostic indicator for the heated grips system. I would also check out on top the battery to make sure there isn't something that found its way on top the battery to cause that burning smell. It could be a defect in the heated grips system (controller, grip heat sensor or grip heaters) but with the headlights also blinking off/on seems to indicate a different electrical issue, maybe a problem at the battery. A grip heater problem shouldn't effect the headlights. I'd suggest once it's all sorted to get that plastic cover put back on. There is a very good reason it's there. It also has the tab that holds the fuse box from bouncing around... which could be part of the problem.

There are only 2 electrical circuits on the fuse for the heated grips. The heated grips system and the USB charging port. That's it. That fuse will blow if there is a serious enough problem in one of those 2 systems and protect the other circuits. But if there is a problem at the top of the battery that can effect the entire electrical system of the bike in random ways.

THANK YOU RJ!

Grateful!

Jeff

[Quick-Star24]

In reply 32 above I posted the code that is blinked out by that red light when it flashes. Pay attention to that flash sequence to determine what exactly is failing on the heated grips system.
That's your troubleshooting diagnostic indicator for the heated grips system. I would also check out on top the battery to make sure there isn't something that found its way on top the battery to cause that burning smell. It could be a defect in the heated grips system (controller, grip heat sensor or grip heaters) but with the headlights also blinking off/on seems to indicate a different electrical issue, maybe a problem at the battery. A grip heater problem shouldn't effect the headlights. I'd suggest once it's all sorted to get that plastic cover put back on. There is a very good reason it's there. It also has the tab that holds the fuse box from bouncing around... which could be part of the problem.

There are only 2 electrical circuits on the fuse for the heated grips. The heated grips system and the USB charging port. That's it. That fuse will blow if there is a serious enough problem in one of those 2 systems and protect the other circuits. But if there is a problem at the top of the battery that can effect the entire electrical system of the bike in random ways.

Was not sure where I put the battery cover piece and when I found it I noticed there is a fuse on the side of the cover. I am sure that is just an extra fuse correct?

[rjs987]

Was not sure where I put the battery cover piece and when I found it I noticed there is a fuse on the side of the cover. I am sure that is just an extra fuse correct?

Yes, that is just a spare. I put mine in a small case I have in the storage box (under seat) with an assortment of fuses. There are a few other spares in the fuse block as well.

I was mistaken about how many circuits are on the grip heaters fuse. There are 3: grip heat, USB charge, and seat open switch LED. But that last one doesn't show connected to that fuse in the electrical diagram yet the notes on the electrical diagram do state that it is there. So that's where I lost track of that one. But still none of those would effect the headlights or any other electrical part on the AK.