Heated Grip Suggestions

[Ziffer]

I've never used 'em, but I think it's time I got some heated grips for my 5th gen. I was wondering if there were some made specifically for the VFR... Anyone? Or if anyone has any input on the subject...?

[gropula]

I'm using 3$ (not a typo) grip heaters off aliexpress with two heating modes. They're not actually grips, but heating pads that go under the original grips. They work well, they have two heating modes, 9V for warm and 12 for hot, that's all I need. They don't change the look of the bike at all, which is nice. You get a switch with 0-1-2 but no connectors for the power, just bare wires so you have to figure it out for yourself. Can't expect much for 3$ but hey, they work. I put some thin insulating foam under the left grip heater so the heat doesn't escape to the steel handlebar. Throttle tube is plastic so there's no problem on the right grip. Used electrical tape to secure the heaters and glued the original grips over the heaters. It's not the best solution but it's certainly the cheapest, keeps the original looks and gets the job done.

 

[vfrgiving]

Far more effective than grip heaters, instead I use heated glove liners fed off the cuff leads from my heated jacket liner.  I have winter goretex riding gloves I wear over them.

[Knute]

3 hours ago, gropula said:

I'm using 3$ (not a typo) grip heaters off aliexpress with two heating modes. They're not actually grips, but heating pads that go under the original grips. They work well, they have two heating modes, 9V for warm and 12 for hot, that's all I need. They don't change the look of the bike at all, which is nice. You get a switch with 0-1-2 but no connectors for the power, just bare wires so you have to figure it out for yourself. Can't expect much for 3$ but hey, they work. I put some thin insulating foam under the left grip heater so the heat doesn't escape to the steel handlebar. Throttle tube is plastic so there's no problem on the right grip. Used electrical tape to secure the heaters and glued the original grips over the heaters. It's not the best solution but it's certainly the cheapest, keeps the original looks and gets the job done.

 

 

I put something very similar to these on my 04 about 6-7 years ago, work great, no issues whatsoever.

[Lorne]

5 hours ago, gropula said:

I'm using 3$ (not a typo) grip heaters off aliexpress with two heating modes.

 

I have an older version of Gropula's setup. In fact, I've had them since at least 1999 and moved them from bike to bike over the years. Back then, generic heated grips were just awful.

 

As to heated gloves, never tried 'em. But heated grips are just a click away so you don't have to stop to warm up your hands.

[Tirso]

Oxford Evo Touring, they get hot even at the first level, I like the way they look. 

 

[Ziffer]

14 hours ago, gropula said:

I'm using 3$ (not a typo) grip heaters off aliexpress with two heating modes. They're not actually grips, but heating pads that go under the original grips. They work well, they have two heating modes, 9V for warm and 12 for hot, that's all I need. They don't change the look of the bike at all, which is nice. You get a switch with 0-1-2 but no connectors for the power, just bare wires so you have to figure it out for yourself. Can't expect much for 3$ but hey, they work. I put some thin insulating foam under the left grip heater so the heat doesn't escape to the steel handlebar. Throttle tube is plastic so there's no problem on the right grip. Used electrical tape to secure the heaters and glued the original grips over the heaters. It's not the best solution but it's certainly the cheapest, keeps the original looks and gets the job done.

 

 

Wow. That's hella cheap. And I'm a cheap bastid, so I'm considering this.

[Ziffer]

12 hours ago, vfrgiving said:

Far more effective than grip heaters, instead I use heated glove liners fed off the cuff leads from my heated jacket liner.  I have winter goretex riding gloves I wear over them.

 

Sounds like I'd have to get a heated jacket liner first, then get the heated glove liners. This is probably the way to go for extreme cold riding. I'm thinking heated grips first, then onto other measures if I need more. I live in NW Washington. We get a lot of rain. Where are you located?

[Ziffer]

11 hours ago, Knute said:

 

I put something very similar to these on my 04 about 6-7 years ago, work great, no issues whatsoever.

Good to know, if I do this, I probably won't have to re-do it in a year.

[Ziffer]

9 hours ago, Lorne said:

 

I have an older version of Gropula's setup. In fact, I've had them since at least 1999 and moved them from bike to bike over the years. Back then, generic heated grips were just awful.

 

As to heated gloves, never tried 'em. But heated grips are just a click away so you don't have to stop to warm up your hands.

 

Wow. I'm surprised they've held up well enough to move from bike to bike. But I'm going to count this as another mark in favor of heating pads.

[Ziffer]

1 hour ago, Tirso said:

Oxford Evo Touring, they get hot even at the first level, I like the way they look. 

 

 

Yeah, the grips look good. The controller, not so much.

 

Actually, I was looking at these Oxford grips: nhttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N12ZYR9/ref=sw_img_1?smid=A2Q63DCTCV9545&th=1

 

I was kinda just waiting to see if there were some VFR specific ones, and for someone to confirm that the Oxfords were good. But now with the discussion about heating pads, I'm back on the fence. For one thing, the pads just have a lead that can route pretty much anywhere, where the Oxfords have a directional lead that has to have enough room to fit. I've shaved down the stops on my triple tree and frame so I can turn the wheel sharper. I'm not sure the Oxfords won't hit the tank at full lock. Also, which Oxfords would I buy? I was leaning toward the premium touring grips, but do I want the touring grips? Are the Evos better? So many options...

[Ziffer]

16 hours ago, gropula said:

I'm using 3$ (not a typo) grip heaters off aliexpress with two heating modes. They're not actually grips, but heating pads that go under the original grips. They work well, they have two heating modes, 9V for warm and 12 for hot, that's all I need. They don't change the look of the bike at all, which is nice. You get a switch with 0-1-2 but no connectors for the power, just bare wires so you have to figure it out for yourself. Can't expect much for 3$ but hey, they work. I put some thin insulating foam under the left grip heater so the heat doesn't escape to the steel handlebar. Throttle tube is plastic so there's no problem on the right grip. Used electrical tape to secure the heaters and glued the original grips over the heaters. It's not the best solution but it's certainly the cheapest, keeps the original looks and gets the job done.

 

 

This looks similar (and even cheaper!): https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804650654330.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000014.3.777f6f1fNICIiK&gps-id=pcDetailBottomMoreOtherSeller&scm=1007.40000.326746.0&scm_id=1007.40000.326746.0&scm-url=1007.40000.326746.0&pvid=f0cc1b02-de6a-4c1f-a866-53350e648926&_t=gps-id:pcDetailBottomMoreOtherSeller,scm-url:1007.40000.326746.0,pvid:f0cc1b02-de6a-4c1f-a866-53350e648926,tpp_buckets:668%232846%238109%23201&pdp_npi=4%40dis!USD!3.64!1.82!!!3.64!!%402101fb1316981992679225458ed031!12000030679448036!rec!US!!AB

 

Apparently, you didn't put them on the way that's shown in the video (wrapping the heaters around the grips, then putting heat shrink tubing over the heaters)...?

[Tirso]

2 hours ago, Ziffer said:

 

Yeah, the grips look good. The controller, not so much.

 

Actually, I was looking at these Oxford grips: nhttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N12ZYR9/ref=sw_img_1?smid=A2Q63DCTCV9545&th=1

 

I was kinda just waiting to see if there were some VFR specific ones, and for someone to confirm that the Oxfords were good. But now with the discussion about heating pads, I'm back on the fence. For one thing, the pads just have a lead that can route pretty much anywhere, where the Oxfords have a directional lead that has to have enough room to fit. I've shaved down the stops on my triple tree and frame so I can turn the wheel sharper. I'm not sure the Oxfords won't hit the tank at full lock. Also, which Oxfords would I buy? I was leaning toward the premium touring grips, but do I want the touring grips? Are the Evos better? So many options...

 

So many Oxford options is so true. 

I had the same set you're looking at for my Super Tenere and they were fine. I don't think there's any "performance" difference between the Evo's that I'm using on my 5th Gen (paid $120 back then) vs the non Evo $65 version you're looking at.  The big reason I bought the Evos over the non Evo model, I like the controller better.  The non Evo model has bright colors that I don't like while the Evo is plain

I bought the touring model, at 120mm they fit perfectly.  Wiring can be a pain if you want a clean install. I had to take off the upper cowl, get it all to fit around the upper cowl stay, remove the left side cowl, lift the tank, and remove the seat cowl and the seat. On the throttle side,  took some calculating to make sure the throttle was not impeded anywhere along the bars travel and also making sure the cable did not push against the bars.  I cut and soldered the excess lines. Yes it took me far more time than I'm willing to admit, but I'd do it again.  They are really hot. I use these gloves year round and during the winter, even in the upper 30's, the first setting is enough and after a bit I turn them off cause they're too hot.

 

Heated grips are the shizzle.

 

 

[gropula]

3 hours ago, Ziffer said:

 

This looks similar (and even cheaper!): https://www.aliexpress.us/item

Apparently, you didn't put them on the way that's shown in the video (wrapping the heaters around the grips, then putting heat shrink tubing over the heaters)...?

These don't have the lower heating option of 9V, they're either on or off at 12V. I found that 12V is to hot most of the time. 

I tried installing them over the grips as instructed but thats ugly and slippery. Only downside to putting them under the grips is that some of the heat escapes to the steel handlebar, but some thin insulation will fix that. Still my right is a bit hotter than left because of that. I think some better insulation would help. 

[Ziffer]

2 hours ago, Tirso said:

 

So many Oxford options is so true. 

I had the same set you're looking at for my Super Tenere and they were fine. I don't think there's any "performance" difference between the Evo's that I'm using on my 5th Gen (paid $120 back then) vs the non Evo $65 version you're looking at.  The big reason I bought the Evos over the non Evo model, I like the controller better.  The non Evo model has bright colors that I don't like while the Evo is plain

I bought the touring model, at 120mm they fit perfectly.  Wiring can be a pain if you want a clean install. I had to take off the upper cowl, get it all to fit around the upper cowl stay, remove the left side cowl, lift the tank, and remove the seat cowl and the seat. On the throttle side,  took some calculating to make sure the throttle was not impeded anywhere along the bars travel and also making sure the cable did not push against the bars.  I cut and soldered the excess lines. Yes it took me far more time than I'm willing to admit, but I'd do it again.  They are really hot. I use these gloves year round and during the winter, even in the upper 30's, the first setting is enough and after a bit I turn them off cause they're too hot.

 

Heated grips are the shizzle.

 

 

 

Funny, I like the colorful controller better. My hands get numb after riding for a while. Anything that might help that is what I'm after. I think the touring grips are the cushiest, and therefor the most likely to help. It seems most the work I do on anything takes longer than expected. Sometimes much longer.

[Ziffer]

2 hours ago, gropula said:

These don't have the lower heating option of 9V, they're either on or off at 12V. I found that 12V is to hot most of the time. 

I tried installing them over the grips as instructed but thats ugly and slippery. Only downside to putting them under the grips is that some of the heat escapes to the steel handlebar, but some thin insulation will fix that. Still my right is a bit hotter than left because of that. I think some better insulation would help. 

 

Thanks for pointing that out! In the video, they showed a three position switch being installed, so I thought it was a two-speed.

[Ziffer]

3 hours ago, gropula said:

These don't have the lower heating option of 9V, they're either on or off at 12V. I found that 12V is to hot most of the time. 

I tried installing them over the grips as instructed but thats ugly and slippery. Only downside to putting them under the grips is that some of the heat escapes to the steel handlebar, but some thin insulation will fix that. Still my right is a bit hotter than left because of that. I think some better insulation would help. 

 

Take a look at these! 99 cents and free shipping! On edit: They changed the price on me. I guess they're using "dynamic pricing."

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804639873871.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.0.0.4303788fSrocve&gps-id=pcDetailTopMoreOtherSeller&scm=1007.40000.327270.0&scm_id=1007.40000.327270.0&scm-url=1007.40000.327270.0&pvid=349af887-41be-4e5d-a194-8cfb0e058c16&_t=gps-id:pcDetailTopMoreOtherSeller,scm-url:1007.40000.327270.0,pvid:349af887-41be-4e5d-a194-8cfb0e058c16,tpp_buckets:668%232846%238115%232000&pdp_npi=4%40dis!USD!12.89!0.99!!!12.89!!%402101ec1f16982186902871995e4e3b!12000030632667311!rec!US!!AB&search_p4p_id=202310250024503174870571940244061969_4

[vfrgiving]

12 hours ago, Ziffer said:

 

Sounds like I'd have to get a heated jacket liner first, then get the heated glove liners. This is probably the way to go for extreme cold riding. I'm thinking heated grips first, then onto other measures if I need more. I live in NW Washington. We get a lot of rain. Where are you located?

 

I'm in the mid-east.  I can see some winter days in the 30's.  Some mornings can hit 20 or less.  These glove liners have lasted me a few seasons now. 

https://www.cyclegear.com/gear/hotwired-12v-heated-glove-liners?sku_id=1134662

 

I prefer them over dedicated heated gloves.  1, they're cheaper.  2, you can choose your own over gloves with much better construction and insulation than what can be found in heated gloves.

[adkfinn]

I have been running these for a few yrs and they've been good so far: https://kosonorthamerica.com/product/apollo-heated-grips-universal-fit-120mm/

 

I did not like the boxy Oxford controller at all, and the Koso's have the switch integrated into the left grip edge, which I liked better. They get plenty hot (5 settings, color coded via the single LED at the switch), the control is super easy.... right there by my thumb if my hands get cold. You do have to reach over/past the grip heat switch to get the horn, but this is no big deal to me. Seem to be good quality, nicely made, nicely terminated for easy install also. 

[Tirso]

8 hours ago, Ziffer said:

 I think the touring grips are the cushiest, and therefor the most likely to help.

 

Both Evo Touring (5th Gen) and non Evo Adventure (Super Tenere) are hard.  The Evo Touring is 120mm which fits well on the 5th Gen.

 

  

[Tirso]

1 hour ago, adkfinn said:

I have been running these for a few yrs and they've been good so far: https://kosonorthamerica.com/product/apollo-heated-grips-universal-fit-120mm/

 

I did not like the boxy Oxford controller at all, and the Koso's have the switch integrated into the left grip edge, which I liked better. They get plenty hot (5 settings, color coded via the single LED at the switch), the control is super easy.... right there by my thumb if my hands get cold. You do have to reach over/past the grip heat switch to get the horn, but this is no big deal to me. Seem to be good quality, nicely made, nicely terminated for easy install also. 

 

Like the no boxy controller and the thumb switch. Thanks for the suggestion. I can see these on my 2nd VFR. You have any pictures especially of the throttle side?

 

[Mohawk]

Heated clothing & gloves is so much better than heated grips. Different ethos, grips are great for slighty cooler than you expected rides.
 

But heated clothing is the thing for proper cold riding. I used to use it commuting on those winter dry days so no ice but very cold less than zero C temps @ 90mph I had to turn the heat down !  😳

[adkfinn]

1 hour ago, Tirso said:

 

Like the no boxy controller and the thumb switch. Thanks for the suggestion. I can see these on my 2nd VFR. You have any pictures especially of the throttle side?

 

 

throttle - https://photos.app.goo.gl/9yKT5bfkp2QNmLcy5

 

clutch - https://photos.app.goo.gl/6D7pHNvVu9hEFdvg9

[Ziffer]

6 hours ago, adkfinn said:

I have been running these for a few yrs and they've been good so far: https://kosonorthamerica.com/product/apollo-heated-grips-universal-fit-120mm/

 

I did not like the boxy Oxford controller at all, and the Koso's have the switch integrated into the left grip edge, which I liked better. They get plenty hot (5 settings, color coded via the single LED at the switch), the control is super easy.... right there by my thumb if my hands get cold. You do have to reach over/past the grip heat switch to get the horn, but this is no big deal to me. Seem to be good quality, nicely made, nicely terminated for easy install also. 

 

Well, these look like the nicest ones yet...and the most expensive. I like the location and size of the controller. Where did you find the switched power to hook them up?

[Captain 80s]

Not sure if I'm groovin' on where that integrated controller is.  Perhaps taking up valuable grip space, is 120mm not including the controller?  Is the right grip 120mm?  Maybe not a problem in reality, but I'm not sure I'd want that thing always pressing against the side of my hand.  I wasn't the biggest fan of the Oxford controller either, but I mounted it down around my triple clamp, not sticking up off my master cylinder clamp.   It's not like it's a shift button that constantly needs quick thumb access.    

 

I ran a switched relay pulling power from the battery and a tapped a dash light lead to energize it with the key.  But I have friends that have it wired right to their battery, no toggle or relay. 

 

On my St1100.  There's a lot of shit going on here, I know.  The Oxford controller doesn't block as much as it looks like when riding, I don't need to know I'm going 10mph.  You can see a USB port peeking out from the upper right of the controller too.  Voltmeter is on a toggle so I'm not staring at it all day.