Heated grips

The Shane

Winter is coming and I reckon I need to get some heated grips. Any recommendations on brand or is Oxford the only game in town?

Youtube is full of videos of these being fitted. Is this something I can reasonably expect to do on my own?

Cheers,

Shane, The

p_mac

Hi Shane,

I was in the same position myself last year! I settled on a set of oxford heated grips and although a littIe pricier than some of the lower end brands, a year on I have no complaints!

They're a great job on the cold mornings, and even the coldest of days carrying a bit of speed you'd struggle to keep em at the 100% setting!

I would suggest wiring some way through a relay to prevent accidentally leaving em on and running down your battery, i wired mine through a relay on the lights... the thinking being no lights on, no warm hands! The little relays are easily picked up in the like of maplins etc. Plenty of guidance available on you tube, any questions just ask!

Best of luck with it,
Pete.

Wonda-Boy

The best way to wire them is to the ignition TBH, if you are anyway handy with electrics you should be okay. +1 for the oxford sports grips....the newer ones come with a better switch box.

illeagles_mcc

have to recommend R&G as a cheap and cheerful alternative

Dan Jaman

If you can get hold of a set, the best grips are the ones that fit inside the handlebar tube - you find them used on snowmobiles. There was a New Zealand maker and a guy (might have been the same fella) in England. The English maker stopped them some years ago (I always meant to buy another set from him, but long-fingered it), and I can't find the NZ website.
Anyway, they are the god's bollocks - they never wear out, unlike the ordinary over-grips, they just keep on working and working.
In comparison, the ordinary heated grips are **** - honestly.

LookBehindYou

Get a thin pair of thinsulate gloves to fit under your gloves. Way better than heated grips, because the tips of your fingers will get the most of the cold, and the heated grips only heat your palms.
I have heated grips on some of my bikes but do not switch them on.
I ride all year round.

Wonda-Boy

Dan Jaman wrote: »

In comparison, the ordinary heated grips are **** - honestly.

Dont agree with that TBH, I had the oxford sport heated grips and you would struggle to have it on 100% even on the coldest days.

And I currently have a set of Triumph Factory heated grips on the Sprint yet to be tested. But to say that the ordinary grips a shi,t.e is just way off the mark.

Dan Jaman

Wonda-Boy wrote: »

Dont agree with that TBH, I had the oxford sport heated grips and you would struggle to have it on 100% even on the coldest days.

And I currently have a set of Triumph Factory heated grips on the Sprint yet to be tested. But to say that the ordinary grips a shi,t.e is just way off the mark.

I don't mean they're tschit in effectiveness - I had the ordinary type for a long time before I found the internal ones - I mean they're tschit for longevity and wear resistance. Honestly, the ones I have are over 20 years old and have been transferred from one bike to another, more than once. Try doing that with ordinary ones.

Blondie919

LookBehindYou wrote: »

Get a thin pair of thinsulate gloves to fit under your gloves. Way better than heated grips, because the tips of your fingers will get the most of the cold, and the heated grips only heat your palms.

Do heated grips really only heat your palms?

I wear thinsulate gloves under woolly gloves under biker gloves and my fingertips still get cold. I really need to invest in heated grips this year.

Wonda-Boy

TBH if you have bad circulation in general then nothing will help that.....but for the money you spent on them (typically less then €100) they are a worthy investment IMHO.

Dan Jaman

Heated grips and something to keep the wind blast off your fingers. The basic way is a set of bar muffs, but some of them are utter crap and many people don't get on with them. You can get rigid type muffs; in fact, even something as simple as trail-rider brush guards will do the job, and I've seen them being used to keep bar muffs in place and off the levers.

Pataman

Heated gloves. The best investment you can get. The heating element is on the outer side of the glove, so toasty fingers.
Used mine all last winter and didnt have it on full heat once. Got mine at the bike show in Birmingham about £100

MonstaMash

LookBehindYou wrote: »

Get a thin pair of thinsulate gloves to fit under your gloves. Way better than heated grips, because the tips of your fingers will get the most of the cold, and the heated grips only heat your palms.

+1...been riding 30+ years, all year rider, gave up my car license in 1992, don't need one.

I have never used heated grips & never will...are ye bikers or big girls blouses, sure aren't the cylinder heads there to keep your hands warm?

Dan Jaman

MonstaMash wrote: »

+1...been riding 30+ years, all year rider, gave up my car license in 1992, don't need one.

I have never used heated grips & never will...are ye bikers or big girls blouses, sure aren't the cylinder heads there to keep your hands warm?

I stopped being a toughie when I fecked the circulation in my fingers, through being stupid.

Wossack

plenty of traffic lights on my route for me to have a few handwarming sessions with the engine - would certainly sympathise with those doing 20-30 minute long stretches at 80kmph+

MonstaMash

Dan Jaman wrote: »

I stopped being a toughie when I fecked the circulation in my fingers, through being stupid.

My hands have obviously evolved through my years of winter riding & stupidity where they don't get cold anymore...is it fun having a **** with tingly fingers, just curious?

Viserion

Drive the N24 & N25 everyday, very open road, 60kms round trip so my heated grips are essential. I have R&G on one of my bikes and Oxford on the other and can't fault either. Definitely wire them in through your ignition though.

chopper666

LookBehindYou wrote: »

Get a thin pair of thinsulate gloves to fit under your gloves. Way better than heated grips, because the tips of your fingers will get the most of the cold, and the heated grips only heat your palms.
I have heated grips on some of my bikes but do not switch them on.
I ride all year round.

I got a pair of thermal gloves at the RDS years ago and I have to say there f**kin ****e, the only way they would keep your hands warm is if you lit the fire with them. I got a bike yesterday that has heated grips (first for me), I will be commuting all winter long so I'll see how good they are. As I will be on the motorway for most of my journey I was thinking of getting a pair of the hand guards that they use on trials bikes....does anyone think they will work ?

Wonda-Boy

I tried to wear under-gloves....tried 3 different styles even went a bought an expensive pair of silk ones designed for biking for less bulk and easy insertion (gay I know). And all they did was add bulk and therefore loose tactile feedback of the controls.....not for me.

I went a bought a very good pair of winter gloves and heated grips....should sort you for 99% of trips in our winter months.

goodlad

I have tried numerous pairs of winter gloves and have never found a pair to fit me properly. They are all too bulky on my small girly hands.

I borrowed a pair of cold killers undergloves and tried them out for a while and found them great so i went ahead and ordered a pair for myself.

I also have heated grips and find them great.

Skill Magill

Getting back on track, Oxford heated grips and givi muffs , will see you right.

Those muffs have a hardish band going around them, that lends a bit of space to the inside and acts as a wind breaker too. When I was a courier I never felt the cold with that combination.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Skill Magill wrote: »

Those muffs have a hardish band going around them, that lends a bit of space to the inside and acts as a wind breaker too. When I was a courier I never felt the cold with that combination.

When I was a courier I used them too, and mostly without gloves for most winters.. Brilliant muffs.. Put on some silver duct tape to look like a hardcore Dublin courier

biko

After discussion with Motobike mods I am opening this thread again. I've removed off-topic posts so thread flows better.
It's getting colder outside and heated grips is something that will be of great use

RosieJoe

biko wrote: »

After discussion with Motobike mods I am opening this thread again. I've removed off-topic posts so thread flows better.
It's getting colder outside and heated grips is something that will be of great use

Colder outside? It's f'kin icy in here!

LostInDharma

Where is the best place to buy the heated grips ?

P.C.

LostInDharma wrote: »

Where is the best place to buy the heated grips ?

Depends which ones you want.

Most bike shops sell them.
You could try fleabay, or one of the bike shop websites.

Check out the prices online, and in your local bike shop.

arybvtcw0eolkf

P.C. wrote: »

Depends which ones you want.

Most bike shops sell them.
You could try fleabay, or one of the bike shop websites.

Check out the prices online, and in your local bike shop.

I've heard horror stories of cheap Chinese made grips bought through ebay.. For something like grips I'd definitely go local and reputable

P.C.

Makai Salmon Riot wrote: »

I've heard horror stories of cheap Chinese made grips bought through ebay.. For something like grips I'd definitely go local and reputable

You are right.

I would only consider a wellknown brand from fleabay.

nerrad1983

I had a set of Oxford "Premium Sport" Heated grips on my old bike

They were great when they worked properly but i had problems with the control unit. It would turn on and off perfect but was stuck on the lowest setting

Got the unit changed under warranty twice but the new ones also failed

From what i read up this seems to be a problem with them

Dan Jaman

nerrad1983 wrote: »

I had a set of Oxford "Premium Sport" Heated grips on my old bike

They were great when they worked properly but i had problems with the control unit. It would turn on and off perfect but was stuck on the lowest setting

Got the unit changed under warranty twice but the new ones also failed

From what i read up this seems to be a problem with them

Anyone who's got these, consider this; the heater units are just the same as they've always been and the two-stage control used to be done by simply paralleling them up or switching them in series. The bar-mounted //S switch can still be bought. No need for a PWM control unit.