Heated Grips in Scotland - yes/no/which?

[aesmith]

Hi,

I'm finally thinking of heated grips, must be my age but even with winter gloves I start to suffer once it's colder than a few of degrees below. However, reading some reviews makes me wonder whether their really effective at proper low temperatures, most of the references seem to be about use at cool rather than cold temperatures (one review talked about 9 deg C for example). This made me start to wonder if they're really aimed at wearing thinner gloves rather than dealing with proper cold. Maybe they don't even work with thick gloves?

Anyone have any experience with them at real sub zero temperatures?

Following on, it looks like Oxford seem to be popular, but also would be interested in alternative views. I'm not sure I the point in lots of different heat settings, surely they can just be switched on or off as required. Are there any alternatives which have decent quality parts and connectors, but just a simple on/off switch?

Any comments welcome,

Tony S

[DarrenSV650S]

When I tried them I found I had to hold the grips tightly with all of my hand to keep my hands warm. This isn't how I normally ride and made my hands get tired quickly. It also meant my arms were tense, affecting steering.

That was in late autumn, so not even in properly cold weather. I don't ride in winter so don't use anything, but I think bar muffs would be the ideal solution for me.

[aesmith]

I had muffs on a bike ages ago and they worked really well. They didn't work so well on a more recent bike but I can't remember why. Maybe all the extra stuff on the bars nowadays. That older bike had cable brakes and simple switch gear.


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[fizzwheel]

They do make a difference, but what Liz found was better when she was doing a winter commute was Gerbing Heated Inner Gloves..

She also had the Gerbing heated inner jacket that she said was brilliant.

[aesmith]

They do make a difference, but what Liz found was better when she was doing a winter commute was Gerbing Heated Inner Gloves..
How did you wire those up, each glove separately or did you wire up the jacket so you plug gloves into jacket and jacket into the bike?

[fizzwheel]

It was a while ago.. but IIRC

Feed off bike plugged into the heated inner jacket and then the gloves plugged into that.

[carelesschucca]

I'd say go for it I've got Oxford sports grips on the bike and they are great. If you buy off ebay or the like you can get them WAY cheaper than winter gloves.

Remember that goretex gloves work in reverse with the heated grips. But I'd rather have warm wet hands than frozen dry hands.

[bristolboy]

The Oxford premium sports are great. I've just returned my bike to standard as I'm selling it so I have a set that are 2 months old with the receipt from sportsbikeshop if you want them for £30

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[littleoldman2]

I have Oxford heated grips on the Striple and OEM grips on the Beemer both good, BUT my Gerbing heated glove beat them both easily, however you have the inconvenience of wires and having to remember them.

[dyzio]

Heated grips won't heat as well as a heated glove, but I won't have a bike without them.

Oxford with a 5 step controller for me, whatever they are called now.

[sputnik]

Everyone has a different ability to cope with the cold. As I got older I found fingertip pain in cold conditions got worse and worse every year. I ride all year round, in Scotland, regardless of the weather but getting much below zero degrees was getting seriously painful, not to mention the safety aspect of hands that can't move.

I do have heated grips and whilst they help a bit, I do find that they only really give a hot palm (sounds pervy), cold palms were never really the problem. The ones I have are cheapy £20 ones (Motopro Snug grips I think). They are a bit lacking in variable settings - off - barely on - hot, but they do the job. They do also help allow thinner gloves to be worn later in the year than might otherwise be the case but when it get really cold, they aren't enough.

Buying a pair of Gerbing heated gloves (mine are XR12 ones) has absolutely revolutionised winter riding, and in conjunction with the grips, cold weather holds no fear... well aside from the usual snow, ice, wet weather, low visibility, slippy roads stuff anyway.

They have a cable that runs direct from the battery on feeds out somewhere near your thigh. You then have a harness inside your jacket that has a 4 setting temperature controller, a cable that runs down each sleeve and a connector to join up with the battery cable. So you need to get on the bike then join up with the battery cable and join the gloves to the sleeve cables. It sounds a bit of a faff but it only actually takes a few seconds and it makes such a big difference it is worth the effort. they only draw power when the jacket harness is connected so you don't need to worry about flat batteries etc.

The downside - the gloves are quite pricey. That said, the heating elements are guaranteed for life. I have had a number of faults on mine but they have been repaired or replaced every time without issue. I am actually now on my third pair of gloves, having had them replaced with a new pair twice now. You might think this reflects badly on them but I paid £120 (there was a deal going on) or something nearly 5 years ago and still have virtually brand new gloves so in the long run they have been pretty economical.

Other brands of heated glove exist too but I can't speak for them.

[macamxthe1st]

For me I have found the best solution to be, Oxford heated grips and hand guards also fitted. Not perfect but a good compromise solution.

Geoff.

[Heorot]

I also have Oxford heated grips. There are 4 heat setting from warm to bloody hot. As others have said, the palm gets hot but I find that the fingers warm up after a while. Just remember, if you get some, to wire them into the ignition and not directly to the battery. That way, if you forget to switch them off, it doesn't drain the battery.

[zombie]

I have the Oxford sports ones with the 4 settings. Make a real difference. Probably not as much as good gloves, but they are always there if needed. For the cost, no brainer.


4 settings are a bit pointless, you'd never want 25% or 50% heat, so there is a cheaper one with just on/off which is probably fine.


One issue I personally had is that the length of them meant the OEM bar ends (K5 naked) didn't screw in as well and as a result fell out. Replaced them with aftermarket ones and been fine since. Also this was a naked SV, and the SVs I think has different bar ends anyway.

[aesmith]

Thanks for all the comments. I'm going to go for heated grips in the first instance. A can see a few problems with heated gloves. For example I've never had a pair of fully waterproof gloves, and sometimes they take more than a day to dry out meaning that I use a spare pair the next day. Also gloves wear out fairly quickly.

[atassiedevil]

Heated grips here too. I tend to use the biketek ones, 4 heat settings, and cheap enough at £35. If the grips themselves fail due to corrosion, the R & G ones have the same connectors and work well in conjunction. Keeps things simple and cheap.

[R1ffR4ff]

Just to add my two penneth and for anyone who wants an alternative.

I've been using,"Keis" heated inner gloves for around 5 years.


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Keis-Heated-Inner-Outdoors-Motorcycle-Gloves-/182222909639?var=&hash=item2a6d54f0c7:m:mfsTl54l87pHhfm0Bs2Dosg

I always buy my Motorcycle gloves ones size too large to allow for inner gloves.

They are still going strong even though they did cost a bit.I tried heated grips but they they only heated my palms and there was a point-of-diminishing-returns e.g if you have good winter gloves then the heat from the grips gets dissipated too fast in my experience.
With the inner gloves I can keep the gloves I like and they heat all my hand and more importantly for me,my fingers.

As always these devices work better with,"Hand-guards" to help stop the,"Wind-Chill" taking the heat away.I sewed the wires from the Keis inners into my Motorcycle Jacket and connect to the Motorcycle via an SAE connector and just plug in at the my cuff-ends.
I'm modding my newly acquired SV650 for the same system and an extended SAE connector not only for the gloves but for my,"Battery Tender".

I am waiting for some cheap Hand-guards I have bought and will post if they are any good on an SV650 :)

HTH :)

[Wolfendenr]

I use R&G heated grips and handlebar muffs for my 30 mile commute and I don't have to wear winter gloves.
The only problem I've had is the control box for the grips is faulty and the right grip is always on (with ignition). Got in contact with R&G and they are sending me a new control box FOC and I dont even have to send them the faulty one.

[Heorot]

After saying I had Oxford heated grips, I needed to go into Norwich today, 12 miles each way. I was halfway there when I realised the grips weren't working. Fingers like icicles by the time I got home.

[SV650rules]

I use Ginko Biloba tablets (from Holland and Barrett etc.) which improves blood flow to extremities - started using it when my fingers went white sometimes when playing golf in the cold, supposed to improve the brain as well - no sign of that yet still haven't figured out when it is too cold to play !

[Blapper]

LOL! Like it.

[ethariel]

When I was living in Fort William and riding all year round (except when i looked out the window at 3' of snow and decided it was a 'work from home day'), rigidish not too flappy ears and some cheap chinese heated grips (low and OMFG HOT!) from probike (think they are gone now) in Inverness worked fine for 3 years. If you really can't stand feeling the bar muffs pushing back, then puting a really big set over some handguards works even better, summer gloves all yer round.

[R1ffR4ff]

Just to add.Core body temps are as important for keeping the hands,feet etc warm.I made this cheap Heated Breastplate some years ago.

http://i.imgur.com/MtwtBin.jpg

Using a couple of those cheap handlebar warmers wired in parallel.The bubble wrap was in some packing and is not like normal bubble wrap inasmuch as it's stiff-ish like cardboard.Doesn't draw a lot of current and really keeps the torso warm and reduces the wind-chill on the body,even if not plugged in.I just stick it under my jumper.

I have wiring in my M/C jacket so can plug into that.

HTH :)

[timwilky]

As an occasional winter rider. (To old and arthritic to enjoy damp cold) I use a pair of biketek electrically heated gloves for those cold dry days.

They work too well and I find myself having to turn them down. But what joy after 30 years of cold winter hands to have the luxury of toasted mitts. Just need to stabilize my weight to justify buying a heated jacket inner, but might go for the insoles first.


Not pretty gear. But good value and functional.