Heated grips

[racerrad8]

Credit to Rick for finding these.

KOSO Apollo Heated Handle Bar Grips

Robert - RPM

Uh, really?

Apologies, Marty, I will amend this ASAP

Credit to Rick for installing and testing these babies out and also credit to Marty's thread for posting them originally. And to anyone else who may have posted these somewhere at some point in time, that I may have forgotten.  

Robert - RPM

[ZOA NOM]

What's the statute of limitations?

[FJ1100mjk]

What's the statute of limitations?

[ZOA NOM]

What's the statute of limitations?

Well, at least tell us how they've held up?

[FJ1100mjk]

Well, at least tell us how they've held up?

Rick:

I never bought, or used them. I had a pair of Oxford ones on a non-FJ application. I found out that from my experience, and of my opinion, heated gloves are superior to heated grips, in that they keep your whole hand warm. Cold tops of hands, and frozen thumbs are not a problem with heated gloves, but you are tethered to the bike with wires. Something, that I am okay with, considering the comfort provided.

I am sure heated grips make some happy, and have a purpose, but for any real time on a bike at highway speeds in the cold, heated gloves work for me.

[ZOA NOM]

Well, at least tell us how they've held up?

Rick:

I never bought, or used them. I had a pair of Oxford ones on a non-FJ application. I found out that from my experience, and of my opinion, heated gloves are superior to heated grips, in that they keep your whole hand warm. Cold tops of hands, and frozen thumbs are not a problem with heated gloves, but you are tethered to the bike with wires. Something, that I am okay with, considering the comfort provided.

I am sure heated grips make some happy, and have a purpose, but for any real time on a bike at highway speeds in the cold, heated gloves work for me.

You determined that without ever owning or using them? OK

I've now owned and used both (actually all three if you include the chemical reaction type heated gloves), commuting an hour each way,  and these have all of them beat, especially with regard to all the tethering involved with the heated gloves. My hands stayed warm, all over, including the tops and thumbs, which I would attribute to the warm blood flow provided mostly in the palm area.

To each his own.

[FJ1100mjk]

You determined that without ever owning or using them? OK

Yes, I determined "that", by riding hundreds of miles in the third week of October across the northern tier plains states. In one day, and it was in the 30s and 40s. Not an hour commute in California. Sheesh. Oxford grips are comparable to the Apollos. Nuff said.

To each his own.

Exactly!

[ZOA NOM]

You determined that without ever owning or using them? OK

Yes, I determined "that", by riding hundreds of miles in the third week of October across the northern tier plains states. In one day, and it was in the 30s and 40s. Not an hour commute in California. Sheesh. Oxford grips are comparable to the Apollos. Nuff said.

To each his own.

Exactly!

Wow, touchy much?

So to recap; Marty posted about the Apollo's first, and Marty doesn't like them because the back of his tootsies were cold on an ill-advised journey on a motorcycle across the Northern Tundra in October. Apparently 39 degrees up there is different than 39 degrees here in sunny California.

For the rest of us who see bundling up like an Eskimo and plugging into the bike with wires dangling all over us like Christmas tree light strings as an inconvenience, the Apollo's are a very nice compromise without the need to mount an external controller, and MY hands stayed warm, fingers and all, for the WHOLE HOUR that I commute to work. Maybe there's a difference between the Apollo's and the Oxford's, but we'll never know, because I never owned a set, and Marty never owned the Apollo's, so...

[Pat Conlon]

Maybe there's a difference between the Apollo's and the Oxford's...

A couple of differences that I noted:
1) a $30 price difference and
2) You can get replacement parts with the Oxfords. I did not see anything listed for the Apollo's.

Regardless, heated grips are the bomb.

[ZOA NOM]

 

Maybe there's a difference between the Apollo's and the Oxford's...

A couple of differences that I noted:
1) a $30 price difference and
2) You can get replacement parts with the Oxfords. I did not see anything listed for the Apollo's.

Regardless, heated grips are the bomb.

3) No external control panel   

[FJ1100mjk]

Wow, touchy much?

So to recap; Marty posted about the Apollo's first, and Marty doesn't like them because the back of his tootsies were cold on an ill-advised journey on a motorcycle across the Northern Tundra in October. Apparently 39 degrees up there is different than 39 degrees here in sunny California.

For the rest of us who see bundling up like an Eskimo and plugging into the bike with wires dangling all over us like Christmas tree light strings as an inconvenience, the Apollo's are a very nice compromise without the need to mount an external controller, and MY hands stayed warm, fingers and all, for the WHOLE HOUR that I commute to work. Maybe there's a difference between the Apollo's and the Oxford's, but we'll never know, because I never owned a set, and Marty never owned the Apollo's, so...

Yea, that's what the journey was and your "ill-advised" description is spot-on, because you were there with me for every mile of that epic 5,400 mile, western state tour weren't you? And you can certainly recall that the trip included temperature extremes, sun, rain, snow and most importantly beautiful scenery and great roads, and opportunities to cross paths with interesting people from many states, that make a trip like that memorable for any real motorcyclist. And of course commuters wouldn't understand any of this either. Right?

I learned from that trip how inadequate heated grips were for me, on any real motorcycling trip, so I had the heated gear (and no heated grips) for another epic trip of thousands of miles. The one that took me back and forth to the 2016 Colorado Central Rally, that was just as memorable and also had its share of weather challenges. The heated gear (jacket liner, gloves and socks) made cold portions of the trip, such as snowy mountain passes in Colorado and rain and cold in the other Great Plains states, more comfortable, less fatiguing, and safer.

You enjoy your heated grips for your little hour commutes, and that's great, but my opinion and my needs for heated gloves have been formed from lessons I've learned in real motorcycling adventures.

P.S. Reply if you want, but I could care less. Especially your uninformed, snarky comments.

[ZOA NOM]

You win Marty.  

but for the record, this is a heated GRIPS thread, feel free to start a heated GLOVE thread and share your opinions all you like.

[ribbert]

.... Rather than glue it, which would mean a serious mess if I ever needed to remove it, I chose to wrap a single layer of blue painter's tape on the end closest to the starter button, and it was a perfect fit.

Rick, you may find they tell you to super glue them for good reason (AND leave it for 24 hour before use) Heat is the very thing we use to return glue to its gooey non bonding state. Leave them on long / high enough and it will make short work of the painters tape. Mine used to start turning slowly on the clutch side after a few hours, I wouldn't notice until it started fouling the clutch lever. That was a result of fitting them as I rode out the door and using them straight away, the glue never set properly.

For the benefit of anyone considering fitting these, make sure you can push them all the way home dry before you put the glue on, no time for mallets, you literally have a couple of seconds to get them all the way home before the glue bites.

Not a bad idea to mark your orientation either, for the same reason, you get no time to twist and fiddle with them. Make sure the wires don't foul your levers or hit the tank.



Rick, Marty, IMO you are both correct (having used both)  Grips have their limitations for temperature / duration, gloves work better but are a PIA.

Noel

[ZOA NOM]

Good advice, Noel, thanks. I'll mark the grips to keep an eye on whether they slip. So far, the painter's tape is holding up well. The clutch side is rock solid, and unlikely to move.

[Mike Ramos]

Heated gloves or grips or liners...

Well, now if I may add another subject not mentioned - and that is hand protection in the event of a fall.

With both the heated hand grips and heated glove liners, there is a choice of gloves.  With the heated gloves there is not such a choice and most heated gloves do not have the best of protection.  Perhaps they are adequate for snow mobiles, however not likely protective in the event of a motorcycle crash.

Personally I use heated liners with the best gloves available.  The wires are not a problem as the harness is inside the liner of the riding jacket - if the gloves are needed, the wires are always there; out of the way but easily accessible.

Never have had a need for any other heated gear as the leathers (with wind proof zippers) & fairing offers adequate protection even in the coldest temperatures - but if need arose because of the cold the car would be preferable to all the other nonsense of layered clothing & wires and such. 

Principally spending time living in the mountains of far northern California I would suggest cold riding temperatures are not unknown.  As far as the "epic" or "real" motorcycling adventures, have at 'em!  A 5,400 mile ride is about a loop through the Western States and not really uncommon - so calm down, relax & enjoy the ride... 

I do believe that a "real" & "epic" ride was had by Mr. CaptainRon a few years ago - read his series of posts; the posts & the ride descriptions scribed there are themselves truly spectacular and an enjoyable read.

Ride safe,

Midget