Heated grips

Country Joe · October 09, 2016, 04:40:13 PM

Just a question for the collective..... is anyone using the RPM grip heaters? I rode my wife's Can Am Spyder yesterday (yeah, I know...) and it was in the 50s. It didn't take long to find out how nice heated grips are. I was wondering how hot they are on the high and low settings and if it is a high quality kit. I know everything I have gotten from Randy has been top quality stuff.
Joe

FJ1100mjk · October 09, 2016, 07:08:52 PM

Quote from: Country Joe on October 09, 2016, 04:40:13 PM
Just a question for the collective..... is anyone using the RPM grip heaters?
Joe

No. After having heated grips (Oxford) on another bike, that I sold with it, I bought heated gloves. I won't be going back to heated grips again.

Heated gloves completely envelope the hand, heating each finger and thumb. They aren't tied to one particular bike if you own more than one too.

Country Joe · October 09, 2016, 08:45:16 PM

Which gloves are you using? Are you connecting it through a heated best or jacket?

FJ1100mjk · October 09, 2016, 08:57:07 PM

Gerbing gloves, connected to a Warm & Safe jacket liner with one of their remote dual control heat-trollers. The setup works very well, as you can control the heat level of the gloves separately from the jacket liner. However, you can just use heated gloves, if your only concern is cold hands. My above setup cost much more than a set of heated grips, but it works for me, where the heated grips had their shortcomings with me.

JPaganel · October 09, 2016, 09:39:02 PM

I have used heated grips on several of my bikes now. They are a must-have accessory for me.

The grips are really nice for commuting - I can have them on in the morning when it's cool, and off in the afternoon, and I don't have to mess with two sets of gloves.

I use Bikemaster grips. They are cheap, well built, heat the whole grip, not just a strip of it, and have 5 heat settings, which I find very useful.

ribbert · October 10, 2016, 05:33:07 AM

No doubt about it, heated gloves are the ducks nuts when it comes to hand warmth. I even have a vest (Tourmaster Synergy) with connections and a controller already configured for them, but I don't have them. At a very steep $350, it's not even the cost. For me it is practicality.

I like the thinnest gloves I can get away with which means I change them several times over an average day. The duration of the trip also has some bearing on glove choice, as it takes some hours for the cold to really penetrate your bones. I also don't like the twisties with thick gloves, no matter how cold it is.
A typical mid Winter days riding here starts at about 0 deg C and rises to high single digits, not that cold. And then there's the rain. On an all day wet ride I go through several sets of "water proof" gloves.
My gloves usually only last a few seasons as well.
I know nothing about the RPM units but I have the Oxford grips, which appear to be the standard, and after 9 Winters and a hundred and something thousand km's, I can't imagine riding without them. Yes, heated gloves give you warmer hands and if I lived somewhere really cold and I rode through the Winter, I would probably have a set, but only in addition to heated grips.

I recently put in a 650 km day with the temp peaking at 5.5 C and for most of the day hovered between 0 and 2 (rained most of the day with intermittent hail and snow) and the grips did a great job.

I like the versatility of grips better and while I ride a lot and use them a lot, I don't live in a particularly cold climate.

What you won't realise until you get them is you don't just use them to stave off frostbite, but for comfort, sometimes it's nice just having warm hands even when it's not particularly cold. For probably half the year, mine stay on all day, I just vary the heat.

I have posted reports on the Oxford grips here a number of times over the years, value for money they are great, and you can buy spares for them, not that I've ever needed any.

One great advantage the gloves have is instant heat (infrared) no warming up.

Whatever you end up with, you'll love the warm hands.

Noel

JPaganel · October 10, 2016, 09:06:38 AM

Quote from: ribbert on October 10, 2016, 05:33:07 AM
What you won't realise until you get them is you don't just use them to stave off frostbite, but for comfort, sometimes it's nice just having warm hands even when it's not particularly cold.

This.

Country Joe · October 10, 2016, 11:02:02 AM

Gentlemen,
Thank you for all the input. I don't wind up riding a lot in the cold, but have started the day with below freezing temps. I think I will start out with heated grips and escalate to heated gloves if that seems prudent.
Joe

carey · October 13, 2016, 07:39:34 PM

QuoteI think I will start out with heated grips and escalate to heated gloves if that seems prudent.

Seems like a good idea. I started with heated grips and they worked well, but when the weather gets into the 20's, heated gloves work best for me. I still have grip heaters on my bikes because sometimes you didn't think to pack them. This past July, I got caught in some dense fog and when my gloves got damp, I turned on my grip heaters.

Pat Conlon · October 13, 2016, 08:21:14 PM

Heated gloves I can understand, burrrr....but heated grips? Come on, isn't that a bit much? How silly.

Until I installed them (Oxford) wow....these things are the bomb! I love them.

Reminds me of the saying by William Paley:

"There is a principal which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments, and which can not fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance. That principal is: Contempt prior to investigation."

movenon · October 13, 2016, 10:32:13 PM

I am with Pat on the grips. I had the pads for a few years and stepped up to the Oxfords. No comparison well worth the money.

FJmonkey · October 13, 2016, 11:29:31 PM

I have the grip heaters from RPM, they even work through the foam grips. I am quite happy with them, they allow me my grip of choice.

mr blackstock · October 15, 2016, 02:21:23 AM

G'day,

Over the years I have suffered the old cold fingers malady, having to stop every 15 minutes to put the hands on the engine head. I wanted to avoid handlebar heaters and the like, so I thought to give mittens a go, they worked pretty well, and then I bought some neoprene handlebar muffs and have not looked back! I wear light winter gloves in them, and I can vouch they are great in frosts or air temps around -1 to -3 Celsius. They are cheap, durable, and take a minute to attach.

ribbert · October 15, 2016, 07:09:54 AM

Quote from: mr blackstock on October 15, 2016, 02:21:23 AM
G'day,
I wanted to avoid handlebar heaters and the like, so I thought to give mittens a go, they worked pretty well, and then I bought some neoprene handlebar muffs and have not looked back! I wear light winter gloves in them, and I can vouch they are great in frosts or air temps around -1 to -3 Celsius. They are cheap, durable, and take a minute to attach.

Excellent Gareth, can you post a pic of them on the bike. From time to time I have considered these for long mid Winter trips but never found any I liked. How do you find using the clutch and front brake with them and how do they go in the rain?

Hmmmm, muffs and heated grips ....nice.

I have noticed even bark busters make a difference by deflecting the wind, the muffs must be fantastic but I draw the line at mittens, I can't ride in them.

Noel

mr blackstock · October 16, 2016, 04:12:21 AM

G'day,

I had to cut a hole in the outer edge of each muff to allow for the bar weights extra length, and using the clutch and brake is unchanged. I find wearing winter gloves and getting my hands in there can be a tight fit, so I have been wearing summer gloves, but once the hands are in, it is quite comfortable. I bought these locally, but they do not come up very often on ebay Oz. UK would have them cheap though.

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Heated grips