Oxford heated grips and symtec heated grips

I have not had the most enjoyable time with my oxford heated grips; a bit of searching about the internet has suggested to me I am just unlucky, many people seem happy with them.

However, I've had enough. This is the third winter I've needed them, and the third controller I'm on. The first controller had something break inside, so didnt turn on. The second controller was a digital one, which always thought my battery was pants and kept switching off, so i brought a new analouge controller. The grips were working fine until about 4 weeks ago, when the throttle grip stopped working. I assumed it was a faulty connection, so cleaned it and they worked for a bit. Then they stopped working all together, so I;ve soldered the wires to make a permanent connection, which still hasnt worked.

So, today I ordered some symtec grip heaters. Unlike many other heated grips, these are just the heating elements which go between the handlebar and the original grip. They require wiring into the existing circuit, not directly to the battery like the oxford ones, but thats ok. They also come with a smaller simple switch with three positions: Off, Low, High.

I'll be posting a How-To guide of fitment as and when I come to put them on the bike (with help from my dad!)

So, with my personal experianes in mind, a thumbs down for oxford heated grips. Like many oxford products, they are capable of doing a great job, but unfortunatly, they lack the quality required to be a long-lasting investment.

Matt

[the_lone_wolf]

Got symtecs on the ADV, you hit the switch and the grips warm up, not much else to say about them really

Originally Posted by the_lone_wolf

Got symtecs on the ADV, you hit the switch and the grips warm up, not much else to say about them really

Thats what I'm after, warm hands and no fuss....not cold hands and dancing at the roadside to generate some warmth

Mate .... I've decided that rather than spending £100 on heated grips, muffs, thermals, etc .... that I'm going the heated clothing route ....

Jacket insert is in the post as we speak .... gloves will follow if I feel the need ... job job'd ...

Not the cheapest .... but the stress free route, and VFM route (I hope)

I have reservations about heated gloves, mostly about their bulk and therefore the robbing of "feel" at the controls

unless the palm and fingers are quite thin mterial, and the heating elements only are on the top of the hands?

Originally Posted by Alpinestarhero

unless the palm and fingers are quite thin mterial, and the heating elements only are on the top of the hands?

I think they are in general ...... mosts are heated back of hands and fingers...

Bikerz are doing the biketek ones for £99 including the controller .... as I say I've gone for the £125 jacket insert for now ... thinking warm arms (and body) and decent gloves should keep my hands warm ... its amazing how cold the body gets even without realising as your concentrating on your hands being even colder !!

I'll keep you posted if my theory works .....but so far, i've been very impressed with my Oxford hotgrips ... except they don't keep your fingers warm enough ... and a decent set of gloves actually keeps most of the heat out !!

As for hotgrips ... loads of options out there .... and it seems most are more reliable than the oxfords .... these rebranded oxfords or not ??

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Dr-Bike-Heated...110181005r6569

looks like they are re-branded oxford ones.

Let me know how the heated gloves feel with regards to sensitivity of the controls; i need to try some on really. Will you be getting them with a battery pack or connecting to the bike?

I've gone for the heated jacket liner for now... but I'll let you know it helps on the general warmth (and hands too) ....

You could make your own heated gloves, muffs, or clothing ??

http://heat4jackets.com/info.html

Just been told my symtecs have arrived I'll begin fitting them tomorrow

Roght, I'm about to go and install the symtecs - I'll take lots of pictures as I go along. The oxford grips have already been removed

One thing worth noting is the symtecs done come with an inline fuse; I'm going to use the one from the oxford heated grips package, its a good precaution I think to have a fuse there.

The kit is quite simple and it looks like one has to do a bit more work than with the oxford grips to get it installed (removing the insulatiing sheath from some of the wire etc etc, nothing actually difficult, I can do it!).

The kit contains: two heating elements (clutch side and throttle side, labelled for your convinience!), a switch (you chose which one you want when you order), some spade-type connectors, some cable ties, and an amount of cable to tap it into the live electrical circuit. Each grip heating element has an earth wire qhich requires attachement to the frame, I'll take a picture of where I earthed the grips aswell.


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