Heated Grip Suggestions

[Ziffer]

5 hours ago, Tirso said:

 

Both Evo Touring (5th Gen) and non Evo Adventure (Super Tenere) are hard.

Oh. Seems like the Oxfords are going to require time to figure out the difference in the models.

[Captain 80s]

At the time I bought mine (couple years ago), supply was shit but I absolutely had to get the bike back together and wanted to finalize all the wiring for my accessorizes.  I liked the Touring grip pattern the best anyway, but 125mm would have been nice.  As it turned out, 120mm has been fine for me but I would have liked to fill the space a little better.  Well...   5mm better.

[Ziffer]

4 hours ago, Mohawk said:

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 !  😳

 

We really don't get many days like that here. If it's below freezing, I'm probably not gonna be riding. Too much chance of ice here.

[Captain 80s]

Just now, Ziffer said:

 

We really don't get many days like that here. If it's below freezing, I'm probably not gonna be riding. Too much chance of ice here.

 

I'm just a little South of you, and for the most part I agree.  Buuuuuut...   goddamn it's nice sometimes!  Even if it's not even close to freezing.  I just wanted the option and this is my Sport Touring bike.  I'm more apt to take this out in less than ideal conditions.

[Ziffer]

37 minutes ago, Captain 80s said:

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 hadn't even thought of that. And that's a good point.

[Ziffer]

At this point, I'm leaning toward the heating pads. The price is right, the switch is small and can be located anywhere, the leads are flexible and can be routed anywhere, and I can use any grips I want. And I don't think I'm going to need more than two settings.

 

But... I don't want grips that move around. They need to be secure. And if I use these pads under the grips, there are a few layers that need to stick to each other without slipping --> the insulation over the bar, the heating pad over the insulation, the grip over the heating pad. Maybe double-sided tape? Also, am i going to be able to get grips over all this?

[Terry]

I've got Oxfords on all 3 or my bikes, so I guess that is a ringing endorsement right there. AFAIK the real differnce between the models is around the lead length. I believe I fitted the sports model to my MT-10 (hey it is very sporty) and wished I had gone with a set with longer cables as it would make routing much easier with that bike's upright and wide bars. No such problems with the VFR.. 

[Captain 80s]

The Touring had nice, long leads.  Was able to route a nice meandering hidden path and still coil a little extra lead.  Nice with the Helibars on the ST.

[Captain 80s]

@Terry

 

What adhesive did you use on the left grip?

 

Well...   both I guess.  The left has been the more difficult one when using level 4 or 5.   The right, which is pretty much plastic on plastic seems to be less finicky. 

[Terry]

1 hour ago, Captain 80s said:

@Terry

 

What adhesive did you use on the left grip?

 

Well...   both I guess.  The left has been the more difficult one when using level 4 or 5.   The right, which is pretty much plastic on plastic seems to be less finicky. 

I use a cyanoacrylate Super Glue. Actually that is what Oxford supply with their grips. Very unforgiving stuff but seems to stick well to the cleaned bar. I use isopropyl alcohol to wipe the surface first, let it dry, fit the grips (being careful not to extrude glue over the rest of the bike, DAMHIK) and then leave it alone at least overnight. I think I have had one grip come loose, always the left, and usually as a result of wrestling with the bars when moving the bike about the Mancave. I now make a point of pushing hard on the bar ends rather than the grip under these circumstances. 

[Ziffer]

23 hours ago, Tirso said:

 

I use these gloves year round and during the winter...

 

Those look like nice gloves, but holy cow, $250?!

But maybe I should scrap all the other stuff and start with a good pair of gloves.

[adkfinn]

16 hours ago, Ziffer said:

 

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?

 

Like Captain mentions below - I just tapped switched power to trigger a relay wired from the battery. I am planning on adding a fuse block/power center ( something like this perhaps? https://easternbeaver.com/Main/Wiring_Kits/Fuseboxes/fuseboxes.html ) in the near future. 

 

15 hours ago, Captain 80s said:

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.

 

 

 

That indeed is one busy cockpit Captain! What are the four switches for? 

 

I took some measurements for posterity since you raised a concern I hadn't even thought of - https://photos.app.goo.gl/Qe31T5BHgyQcgnwS9

 

Regarding the switch position - I find it doesn't eat up enough space to bother me and it also lines up well with the soft webbing between thumb and forefinger, so I don't feel any pressure point from it or anything while riding. 

[Captain 80s]

1 hour ago, adkfinn said:

That indeed is one busy cockpit Captain! What are the four switches for?

 

Left to right:

 

Driving lights - Toggle for switched power to energize relay from battery.

Heated grips - Toggle for switched power relay. Redundant, think I was just using up an empty toggle at the time, controller can power off.

USB port - Tapped into clock so port can be used with key off, but on toggle to not always drain.

Volt meter - So I don't have to stare at it.  

 

Hidden behind the Oxford controller and Volt meter:

 

Fan switch - parallel to original thermo switch

Fuel Cut Relay - override, also parallel

 

There is a really nice nearby space under the air box cover, right behind upper triple to bundle connections and leads. 

[Captain 80s]

13 hours ago, Terry said:

I use a cyanoacrylate Super Glue. Actually that is what Oxford supply with their grips. Very unforgiving stuff but seems to stick well to the cleaned bar. I use isopropyl alcohol to wipe the surface first, let it dry, fit the grips (being careful not to extrude glue over the rest of the bike, DAMHIK) and then leave it alone at least overnight. I think I have had one grip come loose, always the left, and usually as a result of wrestling with the bars when moving the bike about the Mancave. I now make a point of pushing hard on the bar ends rather than the grip under these circumstances. 

 

I "lost" a throttle side Oxford grip using their glue.  I thought I was ready and prepared, but it set as I was quickly (or so I thought) sliding it into position.  When I say "set" I mean became ONE with the throttle tube.  Replacement grips are not cheap, be careful.  I ended up using a 3M super adhesive that was great to work with and has not moved.  I thought the left side on the steel bar didn't "take", as I checked it 2 days later.  I rotated it back and forth a little and thought "fuck".  Well that last movement was what it needed apparently, the next morning it was SOLID.  I had sanded the bar with emery cloth and scored in some "X"s using the edge of a file for something the adhesive to grip to.  All the reading I have done, it's usually that left grip that gives grief down the road.

[Ziffer]

I got tired of messing with Aliexpress. That website absolutely sucks. I bought the Oxford Premium Touring heated grips off Amazon. The price seemed way better than anything else I saw. I don't know where I'm going to put the controller, but I'll try to hide it somewhere.

[Captain 80s]

4 minutes ago, Ziffer said:

I got tired of messing with Aliexpress. That website absolutely sucks. I bought the Oxford Premium Touring heated grips off Amazon. The price seemed way better than anything else I saw. I don't know where I'm going to put the controller, but I'll try to hide it somewhere.

 

That's where I bought mine.  Best price at the time (2021-ish) and one of the only places that had vendors that showed availability.

[JZH]

On 10/25/2023 at 7:57 PM, Mohawk said:

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 !  😳

 

I haven't ridden in winter in years, but when I was commuting into London I found that even with some nice OEM Honda heated grips and ST1300 controller (purchased separately, by individual part number, seemed to be the cheapest option at the time), because I usually had to cover the brake and clutch levers riding through traffic, my palms would be fine but my fingers frozen!

 

That's when I switched to heated gloves and never looked back (heated glove liners would also do the same thing, assuming there's enough room in your gloves to accommodate the liners and your hands).  My last set of leather heated gloves were Tucano Urbano Hot Road, IIRC.  No longer made.

 

One thing to look out for with heated grips is the wire to the throttle side has to move, of course, so it can short or break (with is usually irreparable).  Careful routing and looping could help alleviate this, but that kind of constant movement isn't going to be good for the wires for ever.

 

Ciao,

 

JZH

[bmart]

Nail on the head! 

 

Heat the body core and the surfaces in the wind (back of hand...not inside of hand/grip). Heated grips are...a really dumb idea, right up there with winglets on street bikes. 😇

[Captain 80s]

18 minutes ago, bmart said:

Heated grips are...a really dumb idea

 

That's a little harsh.  Just cuz you don't like the idea doesn't mean they don't work well for different people in different circumstances.  I don't ride enough in the cold to want to plug in clothing and have cords hanging out.  But every now and then, the heated grips on my ST1100 certainly don't feel really dumb.  They feel really nice.  And they are a just a push of a button away when I want them.    And when I don't, I'm still wearing my favorite gloves.

[VeeEffArah]

THIS ^^^^^   After 5 decades riding motorcycles, I still love to ride but I'm to the point if it's cold enuff for heated vests, gloves, sox or seats, I'll be on the car with the heater on.

But will say when I left the house this morning, temp was 45f and the heated grips on the FJR was rather comfy motoring down the 77 and 485.

[bmart]

2 hours ago, Captain 80s said:

That's a little harsh. 

Maybe...I don't say it to be mean, but we don't engineer much that works well like this. Seriously, you want warm blood, so heating (or insulating) your core goes a LONG way to being warm. If you have cold hands, you want them insulated from the cold/wind (hippo hands, wind block, etc., for instance) to reduce heat loss, and to directly heat them. Heated grips are mostly heating the bars, not your hands. 

 

I hear you on the wires. When riding back in New England, I used to run heated vest/gloves. They were a PITA, but let us comfortably ride down to 18F. Below that, they just couldn't keep up. With the right unheated gear, staying warn into the 40s would seem pretty easy. We'll full vented gear down into the mid 50s at the track without much of an issue with just a base layer underneath. 

 

Unless it is really cold, heated grips/seats seem much more like gadgets to me. 

[Captain 80s]

3 minutes ago, bmart said:

Heated grips are mostly heating the bars, not your hands.

 

I guess I should tell my warm hands that.  Don't think they'll care, just like me.

[bmart]

A direct comparison may yield useful results. It just never made sense (or worked well) for me. 

[Captain 80s]

I already have useful results.  I wanted my hands warm, and they're fucking warm.  I don't want to plug in apparel or install Hippo Hands.

 

Everybody else can do whatever they want.

[vfrgiving]

2 hours ago, Captain 80s said:

 install Hippo Hands.

 

I forgot about those.... Now that I'm running the police handlebar, these may be an option.  Do they come in Italian Red?🤔