GL1500 heater connections

I haven’t tried this yet, so a bit theoretical, but my thought is to wrap tubing around one of the coolant pipes to make a heat exchanger rather than tap into the actual coolant system. Of course, I have a GL1100 where the coolant pipes are fairly easy to get to, don’t know if it would work on a GL1500.

Heated close and some blankets will be lot easier to do. Or some small electric heater. Electric heated blankets...

Yes a heated jacket liner would be much easier to do - and you can always add gloves; pants ; socks as the "chill" level dictates.

Sorry folks but my wife, not the greatest motorcycle enthusiast it has to be said, does not fancy clambering into all that gear every time we go out, also a heated jacket won't demist the windscreen or melt the snow as it lands on it.
The electric heaters (one a 500w) I've looked at were pretty feeble. I've seen a nice compact heater unit that fits in the space between the foot rail and the sidecar nose so with all that hot water swimming round the engine why not use it. Millions of cars can't be wrong.
In the near future the carb's have got to come off and be cleaned out so that would be a good time to connect the heater. The burning (boiling?) question is how.
Sid

Millions of cars can't be wrong - you right, but it will be lot easier and to heat sidecar with electricity then with water. Car heater design & made by car factory. Sidecar heater you have to do by yourself. You will need to connect plumbing to the bike and make sure you can shot it of in the summer, take hoses under 1500 plastic over the frame and insulate it, drill some holes in sidecar body, have some heater core in sidecar, use some kind of electric fan and figure our air movement inside...
Looks like you will need windshield wipers too...
Another idea: old BMW use exhaust to heat the sidecar.
Where are you? How long trips do you take in the winter? What sidecar do you have?

One option we have is a 12v heated blanket for the passenger to wrap up in <OK, bad grammar, but effective communication.

The sidecar is an Watsonian-Squire RX4. I've found a heater unit that fits nicely in the gap between the foot rail and the nose, it comes with variable speed fan switch and 16mm dia T piece pipe connectors. I've also sourced a heater control valve and two stop cocks so the whole deal can be isolated if needs be.
A fair bit of hassle I grant you but the electric heaters I've looked at are pretty feeble.
The worst part will be the same as most jobs on a GL1500......getting all the panels on and off.

I would go electric on this, if you are worried about the output of the alternator on the bike over sized alternators are made for the GL1500. Alternatively you could put ducting from the bikes radiator into the sidecar. A lot easier then tapping into the cooling system.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
866-638-1793

I've got a high output alternator so the bike electrics aren't a problem. I can only assume there are better 12v Heaters available in the US because the ones I've looked at here are pretty pathetic, hence the attraction running a heater off the cooling system.

While not as efficient, with a high output alternator you can run an inverter and run AC current heaters.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793

OK, so I'll go your way. Put copper T fittings in the upper and lower radiator hoses and go from there.

It'll take me a while to do but watch this space.

If you add plumbing to the bike's cooling system doesn't that upset the design parameters of the system? Seems to me you'll be removing more heat which means the engine will run cooler - maybe too cool?

Never heard of an engine running too cool, but not sure the pump will handle added load. Probably, you aren't adding much work, an unobstructed hose would just be added friction, negligible. Added radiator/heat exchanger might increase pressure, and a lot more friction, but I still don't see it doing a significant amount of change. Note this guess is coming from house boilers, I've ran my house, domestic hot water, sauna, hot tub, all with a very small circulating motor, and didn't even notice a change from house alone, except of course a lot more heat loss.