Purely guessing but, the thermistors only allow the heating pads to get so warm. The only thing bypassing the controllers would do is you would lose the adjustability of temp settings and would only have the highest temp available all the time.
Only way to get more heat is adding a resister in line as told by FredH(I believe)some time ago on the GL1800 Forum.

 

At least put an on/off switch in easy handlebar reach~ I've seen systems like that reach the temp over-limit switch and shut off till cooled down. Hopefully your seat has that!
A switch for On/Off on the handlebars is found on many brands of handgrip heaters- run to desired temp and keep messing with it as you ride blah-blah- NOT on a Wing! want luxury

Convert a heated vest type controller / DIY similar design basic rheostat- to the seat!! Easy job for you I'm certain~
An older style vest I have- the controller looks like a speed control for a 1960's slot car, wire wound around a post and lever moves up it.
fuel tank sender is the same idea right?

When looking at seat makers website/calling them, does it show heater runs in bits of its full power on and off?
or runs at certain lower power all the time until reaching thermostat/controller setting- then off...back on when needed
Similar to high and low seat heat setting in some cars
Constant use of HIGH can lead to wire failure (not very large gauge stuff) Excess heat with addition of wallet in back pocket hastens pressure breaks to wiring!
Common problem on Honda 4 wheels is what I'm basing info on = my acura has the broken seat heat wire problem- thing looks like an electric blanket!

 

People with poor temperature sensation or physical issues with heat should be extra careful on this one~
Don't want to overheat your backside!

 

I put a heated seat on my 08 John. I used relays and turn signal flashers to pulse the power, worked excellent.

It's gonna get pretty warm John... You will want to consider a simple off/on switch or a PWM controller of suitable rating should work nicely... Most report that the passenger seat is lacking on heat so that one will probably be OK, but for yourself, you will need to do something, or your gonna have
a real "bun warmer"!!! :ROFL::ROFL::ROFL:

Les

Interesting comments! Assuming my Comfort System seat is typical, it never gets hot enough to worry about burning anything. I have been very disappointed in what Honda calls a Comfort System as I ride all winter, except for snow/ice. That means a winter riding suit and there is no way that seat gets hot enough to penetrate that suit!!!

 

I put a heated seat on my 08 John. I used relays and turn signal flashers to pulse the power, worked excellent.

 

Dave,
that is what I was thinking of doing, or maybe using MOSFET transistors to do the pulsing.

Your way is, as usual, less elegant, and does the job.

My way, is a result of working as an electronics tech since 1958 and trying to do it w/o large physical components. Also, this would allow me to change the "Duty Cycle" at a whim to get what ever heat I wanted.

but, that is more "elegance" than the problem needs. I tend to come up with "Solutions Looking For A Problem" >

I will store this on my "Need to do list", and tackle it next winter when I can actually sense how well it is working.

And yes, Tom, I am one who does not have an internal "body thermostat". Penske's 18 wheeler destroyed the gland that controls that situation.

that is why I bought an expensive Air Conditioned Vest to take with me on the tour in 2 weeks.

 

It's gonna get pretty warm John... You will want to consider a simple off/on switch or a PWM controller of suitable rating should work nicely... Most report that the passenger seat is lacking on heat so that one will probably be OK, but for yourself, you will need to do something, or your gonna have
a real "bun warmer"!!! :ROFL::ROFL::ROFL:

Les

 

I see you are following the type of controller I was going to make with MOSFET transistors. Yes, it would be a Pulse Width Modulator.... a finer tuned version than Dave's relay with a turn signal blinker :laugh:

And oh yes, it would definitely need to have an ON/OFF switch on it. Probably hide it and the "heat control" inside the fuel tank cover. It has a key in it all the time anyway, a short key with a yellow knob on it.

I figure a 555 chip would do the trick nicely, this shows how easy it is to do.

 

Just for grins, I am going to assign myself that little problem and come up with a PWM controller for the heated seat.

 

Do you intend to incorporate the existing thermisters?

 

Yes John, I understand PWM's... Back in the day, when MOSFETS were in their infancy I had designed a PWM controller and was actively selling it in the RC Electric Model Airplane/Car Industry... Mine use a closed loop servo chip, forgot the number of the device, but the PWM controller worked pretty well...

I would say a 555 would work quite well - many good circuits out there using a PWM... I might still have a copy of te circuit a buddy of mine used utilizing a 555 timer and a relay to control switching... I'm sure with a few circuit changes, one could sub a few MOSFET's for the relay... I'll look for it and see if I can find it...

 

Found it!!! This copy of the drawing is a bit small but if you zoom in on your computer, you can see all the component values... I'll have to look in my file cabinet and see if I still have the original...

Timing on this one is set to about 8 second rep rate with a variable duty cycle of 1 to 99% on/off... I'm sure my old buddy Jan Janowski (yes it was a guy named Jan) wouldn't mind you using his circuit assuming it was for personal use... Jan was an engineer for the local TV stations in Chicago and was a pretty knowledgeable guy... We used to share a lot of ideas and circuits for the bikes at the time... He just retired and currently lives in Maggie Valley, NC...

 

hmmmm, Deputy Dawg, interesting....
I also wear ATGATT, my pants are mesh also and pretty thick.
You might have a point there, as I very rarely get on the bike with just a pair of blue denims under me.

Les, I saved the image to the computer, that way I can blow it up and read it easier.
but, even so, I could easily see what you did.

 

OK John, but just to be clear, I did NOT design that - my riding buddy Jan Janowski did...

BTW, I just replaced my stock saddle (heated) with a Diamond Custom Saddle and the heaters in the Diamond are MUCH warmer than the OEM...

I ride in cooler weather but I am the original "freezy cat"... When my buddies are in light jackets I have my Gerbing on and warming so I can appreciate a nice warm saddle, grips, and torso... I'm working on the pants but I have to stabilize my waistline before I commit

 

Mine is slow to warm up but, once it gets there, I'm reaching for the knob to turn it down! Don't think you want to do without a way to turn it down/off. And maybe I missed something, but are you saying it's connected and on all of the time? Summer and winter? A summertime seat warmer doesn't appeal to me!

 

No, don't think you missed anything. The wiring is not plugged into anything at all right now. The bike is not equipped for heated seats, nor is there anything plugs in the harness to accept the heated seat wiring.

The bike had a Corbin seat when I bought it in January, and it did not fit me at all... I have a close friend 4 miles from me that bought an 2010 with heated seats. He did not like them, and bought special seats that made his SWMBO'd happier....

We just traded straight across, he said he would make out on the deal as the Corbin is valued higher then the OEM he took off.... I made out like a bandit because I wanted the OEM seat as it does fit me very well. The heated part of it is a bonus, if and when I get it all hooked up.

And yes, it will most definitely have on/off as well as temperature control when it is hooked up.

 

I had to admit to "greatness" a couple months ago for comfort. bought two pair of size 44x30 jeans...

I have tried to change up my diet by leaving off the sweet stuff a lot more... not altogether, but not pushing it down as the primary meal like I used to.

I also talked to the doctor and asked him about the OTC 'diet pills' you see advertised... his comment? "they work for some folks, because 'they want them to' "

His opinion is if it works, and they loose weight, and get their BP down, who is he to complain?

I am supposed to get my BP down 2-5 points or he is going to put me on pills... and that in my mind is not going to happen.

 

Well John, I have a very simple philosophy - ya do what ya gotta do!!! As we age (I'm 69) our metabolism slows down and couple that with BP meds that I take for that and AFib, my metabolism is darn near non-existant...

I went on Atkins about 10 years ago when I was still working and more active and I lost over 50 pounds over a 14 month period and my BP and cholesterol were the best they ever were... Fast forward those years and I can LOOK at a glass of water and gain 2 pounds - it's a constant struggle...

Anyway, back to PWM controller... Yep, the circuit is simple although I believe I would add at least a bit of input power filtering and some high frequency bypass caps... Does your schematic say what the operating frequency is ???

When I was designing my speed controls, I was using Motorola MOSFET's exclusively because my wife worked at Motorola at the time in the semi-conductor component group... That helped me get free samples to tweak the design with... I was using the Motorola equivalent of a BUZ11's (4 in parallel) which was originally a Siemans part, with a very low .rds - critical for my application where samarium cobalt electric motors were drawing 25-50 amps at 7.2 - 16.8 volts... I was even using ultra low loss gold and silver plated connectors... I manufactured both straight speed controls and those with a dynamic brake for use with folding propellers on powered gliders...

Here's a few pics from way back then - please note how skinny I was!!!

Testing a new motor control on an RC sailplane

My scratch built custom designed electric pattern (aerobatic) airplane "The Vindicator"... Plans for it was published in "Model Builder" magazine... Very hi-tech aircraft with custom built and molded hand laid lite weight fiberglass fuselage, samarium cobalt .15 size motor, carbon fiber wing spars and reinforcement and hand modified (shaped) custom propellers - it was VERY fast and maneuverable and made a believer out of many people that thought that electric powered aircraft could not compete with gas power... I actually carved the plugs and made the molds for the fuselage and hand produced them... An old timer I used to fly with showed me how to do it... Took a full year to build the airplane including the fuselage molds...

And finally, a true electric enthusiast - drive to the flying field in your electric car to fly your electric airplanes with your own design speed control!!! I was a bit "scruffy looking" in those days!!

Ahhhh, the good ol days!!!:grin3:

I don't think I have any schematics for my old PWM's but I'll take a look in the archives...

 

that was neat Les, I thoroughly enjoyed the history.
that was a very nice airplane that you spent that year building.
I remember reading up on those and thinking that I would also like to get into RC flying... somehow, life got in the way, and I started chasing oilfield pipeline microwave signals over a 550 mile path.... when you are out on the road 5 days at a time, don't leave much time for hobbies.

 

Yeah, I hear ya John... I have never enjoyed myself so much since I retired back in 08... I had a very high pressure job for the last 25 years working at a major Chicago Commodities Futures Exchange and it took a lot out of me on a daily basis... The end results were great but I didn't have very much time either for the last 25 years...

I would like to see the details of your PWM when your finished with it...

Les