Let's talk heated grips.

It's 33* outside, and it's only going to get colder.

I want to be a badass, year-round road warrior, but really I'm a big pansy and want the comforts of home. Along those lines, I'm looking for a comfortable, efficient set of heated grips. If the under-grip inserts work well, I'd be interested in looking at trying out a new grip. Is there a gotta have in that department, too?

Recommendations? Unrecommendations?

Not much help, but my parents love the heated gear they just got from Harley. Heated jacket liner, pants and grips for my mom since they came stock on my dad's bike. (like I said, not much help)

I used to ride 3 seasons on my Duc. (Didn't do summer, you can only take off so much clothing before you become un-safe, obscene, and frankly lose all chances of getting laid.)

I used a pair of Gor-Tech ski gloves that I picked up at Wal-mart. They were warmer than my Tour Master's!!! Good for 80 mph in 20 F. They started to have blow through after that.

My whole suit was a head sock (my chin stayed cold always) Tour Master cold suit, Rain suit over that, those Wally world gloves, and a pair of Rocky hunting boots with thick socks.

Kept me warm for 3 hour rides in winter no prob.

What kind of weather are you looking at?

I've got them on my BMW, a factory option; but I also have a fairing. I'm not sure how much more comfort warm plams will give the rest of your body at 33* with a 70 mph wind chill and no further protection.

Dan

In reply to 914Driver:

I hate, I envy you, I hate you.

And now everyone knows why I want a BMW R1200GS

I did some preliminary shopping on such things as grips, gloves, etc and read the opinions of many. One of the criticisms with heated grips is that it does nothing for your fingertips and in particular your thumbs. One product that seemed to cover all the bases is this heated glove liner. The downside, of course, is dealing with the power cables.

I'm in the same boat.. it's 28 degree's here.

Does anyone have experience with "over grips"?

Example: http://www.motoliberty.com/prod_detail.asp?Prod_ID=192

FlightService wrote: What kind of weather are you looking at?

I just moved to Nebraska. So uh, apocalypticlly cold.

In reply to FlightService:

As do I, but the wife put her foot down and demanded that I but either an RT, or a K bike of similar design. To work I go, to makes the monies to buy the bikes.

Oh, and it was a balmy 30 this morning when I mounted my WeeStrom, with nothing more than my three season jacket with all vents closed and no liner yet, a GRM hoodie with the hood bundled around my neck, Scorpion riding pants (without the liner, I'm still a bit too heavy), some Outdoor Research mitts, though they need inner gloves, as they hold the wind back, but don't have any insulation to speak of). and my Bates boots with wool socks. Good for the 55 that I hit on my 7.2 miles of twisties going to work. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=32+Woodlake+Drive,+Charlottesville,+VA&daddr=395+Reas+Ford+Rd,+Rio,+VA+22936&hl=en&geocode=FZMKRQIdLnFS-ylDKxu3-4eziTENFvv7wZ1JUA%3BFbMHRgIdmkVS-ylp6D3Oxnm0iTEZ01a833oNzw&mra=ls&sll=38.143333,-78.491414&sspn=0.007729,0.013711&ie=UTF8&z=12

Still, I would look at hand guards, like the enduro bikes use. Cutting the wind off your hands will do more, IMHO.

mistanfo wrote: In reply to FlightService: As do I, but the wife put her foot down and demanded that I but either an RT, or a K bike of similar design. To work I go, to makes the monies to buy the bikes.

HAD a Cagiva Gran Canyon, the 1st born was on the way and we needed more money. Now that it is gone she doesn't want me to get another one.

I am sad, truly sad.

I used to ride year round on my Yamaha. When it was 7 degrees out I couldn't make it more than 20 miles or so with the gear I had which was, Tour master pants, HJC leather jacket with liner, balaclava tucked into jacket, tourmaster gloves with liners (helps with blow through), and Joe Rocket MC boots.

Now the Yamaha is gone and the BMW k1200s has heated grips and a heated corbin seat. So far I haven't been colder than the 30s on this bike, but the grips and seat help a lot! These days my commute is 36 miles one way and I'll hit 80-90MPH on the way, so gear is more important now than when my commute was only 12 miles.

I'm using Hot Grips on my WR250R, they work really well and I appreciate the extra thickness compared to the standard MX type grips on most dual sports. I need to put the elephant ears on my handguards and toss on my wind screen too, cutting the wind is crucial.

Gear wise, 1pc suits are warmer than 2pc in my experience. It helps if the jacket has a waterproof/windproof shell, not liners, and if you wear fleeces and thermals underneath. Something to keep the wind off your neck at a minimum too, turtle furs, wool scarves, ninja balaclava's, whatever. Waterproof boots are warmer, wear wool socks minimum. Try to bring as much heat out of the house/building with you as you can. Drink hot coffee or tea, or leave the gear sitting on the heater vents at home. Use a hand dryer to pre warm your gloves and boots when you're out. If you start to get cold, PULL OVER and get warm by running around like an idiot if you have to.

Of course, if you really want to be comfortable, you've got to go electric. After last winter's hell, I ordered myself a set of heated gear from Warm n' Safe: 65w jacket liner, ultimate touring gloves, and heated socks, plus a dual remote controller. Its cheating I tell ya... it was 28 degrees when I left my girlfriend's place on monday morning for a the 3+ hour ride home and with everything cranked under my normal winter riding gear I was nice and toasty. I'm probably going to try to swap the 65w for the full 90w liner though, so I can leave a layer at home for more comfort and less little brother from a Christmas Story.

I've ridden year round for many years. Through the snow and even ice (that ain't bright btw). Here is my take on it, based on my budget limited experience.

Hippo mitts. Long gone from production, but wonderfull. And goofy looking. Big wrappers that go over your handgrips, that you stick your hands into. They block the wind and are insulated. Perfect!

Electric vest. Plug it in and be warm. Ahh! Biggest single thing I ever found for warmth while riding in the cold.

Rain suit. Block the wind and it won't strip the warmth from your body.

Lap blanket. Leather is best. Keeps the warmth of the engine around your legs. Nice! Not so nice on warm days though. Rig yours for easy removal.

Electric chaps. Not as nifty as I expected. The lap blanket worked better.

Finger mounted windshield wiper blade. Had one, lost it, miss it. Quite usefull for wiping the snow and sleet off your faceshield and windshield (if equipped).

Fairings. They help a lot. Ones that extend wide to cover your hands help even more.

I have HeatDemons on my HD. I love them. They're a thin metal "sheet" that slipped into the handle bar tube. They've got a 4 step heat setting, from "just takes the chill off the bars" to "don't touch with bare hands".

foxtrapper wrote: Hippo mitts. Long gone from production, but wonderfull. And goofy looking. Big wrappers that go over your handgrips, that you stick your hands into. They block the wind and are insulated. Perfect!

Looks like you can still get them: http://www.hippohands.com/Hippo%20Hands.htm

edit: after some more looking, it appears you can get them from other companies for snowmobiles; it would probably be easy enough to adapt those to a motorcycle.

+1 on the hippo hands, my dad ran those on his Sportster before he passed and I can't recall seeing the bike without them until I took them off a year or so after his death. he might have taken them off for the summer, but I'm not sure, I didn't pay all that much attention to the state of the bike back then

Great topic. Thanks for the tips, I'll be using them.

Heated gear will change your life!

I've had a couple sets of the wrap-over grip warmers. They work damn good. My first pair lasted 3 winters before one of the wires broke. I'm still on my second pair. I think this will be my 3rd winter with them (if they get any use).

I just put the permanently mounted under-grip warmers on my TTR250. So far they work awesome as well. Both the wrap-overs and stick-unders will heat your grips up to the temp of a fresh hot cup of coffee.

Now with the heated clothing, DIY is the way to go!! This is the GRM board after all! The store bought stuff seems like such a rip-off once you see how easy it is to make your own. Try here:

http://home.mebtel.net/~rbutterfield/Heat.html

or here

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-heated-clothing/

Basically, you get a long piece of 30awg Teflon-coated wire and connect it to the battery terminals. The resistance of the thin wire makes it really hot. The teflon coating won't melt. Get some switches, fuse holders, and battery connectors and you're done. You use a big sewing needle to thread the wire into whatever clothing you'd like.

I've done this twice. My first was a fleece vest. I slapped it together quickly as a proof of concept, but it worked so well I've been using it ever since. I think 4 winters now. My second, I wired up the removeable lining in my Joe Rocket touring jacket.

The vest works GREAT as it is tight on me and can be worn under your hoodie or jacket or whatever. The closer the heating element is to your body, the better. Any wind or drafts that get between you and the heating elements and the heat is wisked away. Which is why my wired up liner isn't as good. The jacket is already a little big on me and the liner doesn't sit real tight against my body. This makes things a bit warmer, but doesn't make me all WARM and cozy like the tight fitting fleece.

The only other thing to keep in mind is to wire up your clothing so that no individual wire is touching any exposed skin. They get HOT and sitting against your skin, it will burn you after a while.

If you pinch the fabric of a store-bought heated vest, you will feel thin wire inside. I'm sure its the same 30 gage teflon coated wire as I used. And I got 100ft of it for $8 or so, enough to make 3 jackets...

As far as Hippo Hands, I've been interested in trying them. My local scooter shop sells something similar:

Scootr Logic Mitts http://mpgmotors.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=15755

Skierd: does a WR250 have enough extra juice to power the 90W version? Curious.

A bit late to the party but here's my take...

Heated grips work very well if you've got a fairing that keeps the wind of your hands like 914Driver's RT or my R100RS. If you don't, the backs of your hands will get very cold while the palms get roasted.

A lot of the couriers in London use a combination of Hippo Hand-like contraptions and heated grips for winter on their unfaired bikes and most of them don't even wear gloves. Seems to work OK because the Hippo Hands keep the wind off you hands.

Unless you already have a proper winter jacket, that would be my first buy as you have to ensure that you keep up the core body temperature; A heated vest works wonders for that if your bike's electrical system can take it.

problemaddict wrote: Heated gear will change your life! I've had a couple sets of the wrap-over grip warmers. They work damn good. My first pair lasted 3 winters before one of the wires broke. I'm still on my second pair. I think this will be my 3rd winter with them (if they get any use). I just put the permanently mounted under-grip warmers on my TTR250. So far they work awesome as well. Both the wrap-overs and stick-unders will heat your grips up to the temp of a fresh hot cup of coffee. Now with the heated clothing, DIY is the way to go!! This is the GRM board after all! The store bought stuff seems like such a rip-off once you see how easy it is to make your own. Try here: http://home.mebtel.net/~rbutterfield/Heat.html or here http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-heated-clothing/ Basically, you get a long piece of 30awg Teflon-coated wire and connect it to the battery terminals. The resistance of the thin wire makes it really hot. The teflon coating won't melt. Get some switches, fuse holders, and battery connectors and you're done. You use a big sewing needle to thread the wire into whatever clothing you'd like. I've done this twice. My first was a fleece vest. I slapped it together quickly as a proof of concept, but it worked so well I've been using it ever since. I think 4 winters now. My second, I wired up the removeable lining in my Joe Rocket touring jacket. The vest works GREAT as it is tight on me and can be worn under your hoodie or jacket or whatever. The closer the heating element is to your body, the better. Any wind or drafts that get between you and the heating elements and the heat is wisked away. Which is why my wired up liner isn't as good. The jacket is already a little big on me and the liner doesn't sit real tight against my body. This makes things a bit warmer, but doesn't make me all WARM and cozy like the tight fitting fleece. The only other thing to keep in mind is to wire up your clothing so that no individual wire is touching any exposed skin. They get HOT and sitting against your skin, it will burn you after a while. If you pinch the fabric of a store-bought heated vest, you will feel thin wire inside. I'm sure its the same 30 gage teflon coated wire as I used. And I got 100ft of it for $8 or so, enough to make 3 jackets... As far as Hippo Hands, I've been interested in trying them. My local scooter shop sells something similar: Scootr Logic Mitts http://mpgmotors.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=15755

Damn, that IS grassroots!

mistanfo wrote: Skierd: does a WR250 have enough extra juice to power the 90W version? Curious.

It does. The alternator is rated at 350w, and has about 250w in reserve. Grips, gloves, 65w jacket, and socks are only about 150w total on full blast and I rarely run them that way.

I put my elephant ears on today, unsure how much it helped beyond keeping the rain off my gloves today.

Heated gloves are definitely gonna help, but I'd also suggest a high-quality jacket too. There are heated ones as well as just heavy leather jackets that'll keep you warm. Some good ones here: Best Leather Bike Jackets For The Modern Motorcycler [2017 Edition]

motorcycler wrote: Heated gloves are definitely gonna help, but I'd also suggest a high-quality jacket too. There are heated ones as well as just heavy leather jackets that'll keep you warm. Some good ones here: Best Leather Bike Jackets For The Modern Motorcycler [2017 Edition]

In reply to motorcycler:

A zombie thread revival for a self-promoting commercial ad will not end well for you on this board. (read you will lose possible customers instead of gain them.)

We do welcome and support advertisers of our fine forum and magazine.

Under the grip units tend to work harder and give less to your hands due to the bars sucking out the heat. Depending on bar size ones with built in heaters grip assembles (Oxford) do work well but if your the type that likes to swap grip often they're a pain. They can also increase the grip diameter. so like this some don't.