Member Contributer VFR Capt.Bob Posted January 6, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 6, 2016 I am in So.CA so pretty mild cold winters but ride every day. Installed el cheapo hand grip warmers two years ago. Trouble free and i rarely turn turn them off this time of year. Bought a cheap set of winter gloves to go with them. I put the liners in my Tourmaster jacket and riding pants and I am good to go. I think if I lived in a much colder climate then the expensive electonic heated garments would make sense. But i like to save my money these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer deltaboxii Posted January 6, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 6, 2016 I left Florida yesterday. It was 60 degrees, and people were wearing ski masks and jackets. I was wishing that I had my bike with me while I was down there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Polarbear Posted January 6, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 6, 2016 Scottish Weather, its auld but guid 50F degrees -- New Yorkers turn on the heat. People in Scotland plant gardens. 40 degrees -- Californians shiver uncontrollably. People in Scotland sunbathe. 35 degrees -- Italian cars won't start. People in Scotland drive with the windows down. 20 degrees -- Floridians wear coats, gloves, and wool hats. People in Scotland throw on a T-shirt. 15 degrees -- Californians begin to evacuate the state. People in Scotland go swimming. Zero degrees -- New York landlords finally turn up the heat. People in Scotland have the last bbq before it gets cold. 10 degrees below zero -- People in Miami cease to exist. People in Scotland lick flagpoles. 20 degrees below zero -- Californians fly away to Mexico. People in Scotland throw on a light jacket. 80 degrees below zero -- Polar bears begin to evacuate the Arctic. Scottish Boy Scouts postpone "Winter Survival" classes until it gets cold enough. 100 degrees below zero -- Santa Claus abandons the North Pole. People in Scotland pull down their ear flaps. 173 degrees below zero -- Ethyl alcohol freezes. People in Scotland get frustrated when they can't thaw their kegs. 297 degrees below zero -- Microbial life start to disappear. Scottish cows complain of farmers with cold hands. 460 degrees below zero -- ALL atomic motion stops. People in Scotland start saying "chilly, you cald an aw?" 500 degrees below zero -- Hell freezes over. Aberdeen win the Scottish Cup. Lol. Funniest thing I've seen today. Thanks Dutchy. C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted January 6, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 6, 2016 Still have some PX cask Laphraoig left to keep me warm.... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFR4Lee Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 I always say 50F is freezing in L.A. Never mind I grew up with Chicago winters. Trust me, you can de acclimate. Brrr..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Doc4216 Posted January 11, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 11, 2016 Just put on a set like this over the last two weeks. Rode for about 5 hours today and they worked so well that I only used the low setting. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002OP5YDM?keywords=heated%20grips&qid=1452479386&ref_=sr_1_3&sr=8-3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Polarbear Posted January 14, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 14, 2016 Yup. They do work. And they are cheap. C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer burnes45 Posted January 15, 2016 Author Member Contributer Share Posted January 15, 2016 My Oxford Heaterz premium grips arrived today. I was going to get a relay but the controller for the grips has an automatic cut off when it does not "see" any noise in the system or battery voltage drops below 11.5 volts. Its there only if you forget to turn it off, which I don't see myself doing. Should I Get a relay anyway?? It's starting to get crowded around the battery with the Powerlet and VFRness This will be one more thing connected to the battery. Is there a better way? Who knows what I'll find to put on next. Thoughts, suggestions should I be OK for now? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 My Oxford Heaterz premium grips arrived today. I was going to get a relay but the controller for the grips has an automatic cut off when it does not "see" any noise in the system or battery voltage drops below 11.5 volts. Its there only if you forget to turn it off, which I don't see myself doing. Should I Get a relay anyway?? It's starting to get crowded around the battery with the Powerlet and VFRness This will be one more thing connected to the battery. Is there a better way? Who knows what I'll find to put on next. Thoughts, suggestions should I be OK for now? Thanks. It sounds like you need a relayed fuse block to support your added farkles. You still need a radar detector and heated gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mihai Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 First of all hallo to every one ! New guy here, owned 3 vfrs so far, the advice found here was invaluable when I ran into technical difficulties, big thank you. The heated gloves / grips issue: I use both. When temp is above 5 degrees C I use the grips and a relatively good pair of winter gloves. Not sure about other models but my heated gloves are a bit thicker and they don't give me a very good feel for the controls. When the temp is below 5 and going for a longer ride then I tend to use the heated gloves. Personally I'd try first the heated grips and if you want more heat then try the heated gloves as they tend to me more expensive also. Hope this helps. Ps I've really enjoyed reading the Scottish winter post, funniest thingies read today :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer JZH Posted January 15, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 15, 2016 I've used heated grips and heated grip wraps (does Aerostich still sell those?) for many years, but I do not usually (intentionally) ride when it's really cold any more. My problem with heated grips is that they are only of use if you can keep your hands wrapped around them most of the time. However, when I ride in town, I almost always cover both clutch and brake levers with four fingers--four fingers that are thus unable to benefit from the heated grip! So, faced with the prospect of riding to work a few days a week, I recently purchased a pair of Tucano Urbano "Hot Road" gloves. One reason I chose that brand was that they were the only ones I could find that had a "conductive finger" thing in the forefingers, necessary to use a non-motorcycle-optimised touch screen (my Zumo doesn't need this, but my smartphone does). The gloves are very nicely made, and can be powered by Li-ion batteries hidden in the cuffs, but I didn't buy the batteries. Ciao, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 I'm in Florida and only need heated hands about 2 months a year. Question is do I go through the trouble to wire and install heated grips, if so whats best or get some battery powered gloves [liners] for the short time I'll be using them? thoughts and recommendations on brands and your experience would be appreciated. Thanks! Grip heaters: 1] You're not going to forget them at home. 2] Turn them on whenever you need them without stopping. 3] Buy gloves for protection, heaters for warmth. I'm using some cheepo ATV heaters over the OEM grips and under grip puppies. The most useful thing is a good controller. A pulse width modulated controller is the way to go here, and can be made cheap if you're handy. Maybe that's a post I need to write. Glenn Plus 100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer burnes45 Posted January 16, 2016 Author Member Contributer Share Posted January 16, 2016 My Oxford Heaterz premium grips arrived today. I was going to get a relay but the controller for the grips has an automatic cut off when it does not "see" any noise in the system or battery voltage drops below 11.5 volts. Its there only if you forget to turn it off, which I don't see myself doing. Should I Get a relay anyway?? It's starting to get crowded around the battery with the Powerlet and VFRness This will be one more thing connected to the battery. Is there a better way? Who knows what I'll find to put on next. Thoughts, suggestions should I be OK for now? Thanks. It sounds like you need a relayed fuse block to support your added farkles. You still need a radar detector and heated gear. A relayed fuse block?? I have not seen one before. Anything brand specific, pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 My Oxford Heaterz premium grips arrived today. I was going to get a relay but the controller for the grips has an automatic cut off when it does not "see" any noise in the system or battery voltage drops below 11.5 volts. Its there only if you forget to turn it off, which I don't see myself doing. Should I Get a relay anyway?? It's starting to get crowded around the battery with the Powerlet and VFRness This will be one more thing connected to the battery. Is there a better way? Who knows what I'll find to put on next. Thoughts, suggestions should I be OK for now? Thanks. It sounds like you need a relayed fuse block to support your added farkles. You still need a radar detector and heated gear. A relayed fuse block?? I have not seen one before. Anything brand specific, pictures. I've liked and used the FZ1 on all my bikes! Kind of pricey at around $100, but nice compact units. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RobF Posted January 16, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 16, 2016 A relayed fuse block?? I have not seen one before. Anything brand specific, pictures. I've liked and used the FZ1 on all my bikes! Kind of pricey at around $100, but nice compact units. +1 on the FZ1 It's a quality bit of engineering and facilitates smart design for powering multiple accessories. Every time you add a powered accessory, there are two recurring considerations: 1. Should you find a way to used switched power? 2. Should you add an inline fuse? Once something like the FZ1 is installed, answering yes to either or both becomes very simple. Related discussions: http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/81813-talk-to-me-about-fuse-blocks-and-relays http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/66140-fz1-fuseblock-installation If you're super lazy (i.e you are me), the company also makes a wiring harness that should allow you to do a quality install without need for additional trips to the electronics store. http://www.fuzeblocks.com/index.php?pid=10#fzwiring As BR said, it's not cheap, but once it's done you've laid a proper foundation for all your farkle power needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted January 16, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 16, 2016 While I have a BlueSea aux fuse box + relay on my VFR, I put in a FZI on my KLR. Great setup and it would be my choice for another install. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Marsman99 Posted January 17, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 17, 2016 First of all hallo to every one ! New guy here, owned 3 vfrs so far, the advice found here was invaluable when I ran into technical difficulties, big thank you. The heated gloves / grips issue: I use both. When temp is above 5 degrees C I use the grips and a relatively good pair of winter gloves. Not sure about other models but my heated gloves are a bit thicker and they don't give me a very good feel for the controls. When the temp is below 5 and going for a longer ride then I tend to use the heated gloves. Personally I'd try first the heated grips and if you want more heat then try the heated gloves as they tend to me more expensive also. Hope this helps. Ps I've really enjoyed reading the Scottish winter post, funniest thingies read today :) Agree. Heated grips just don't cut it for me when temps are below 40F (~5C) and the ride is longer than 30 min. Heated grips are way better than nothing, but below 40 for any length of time I use my Warm&Safe (aka FirstGear) gloves, love them. Heat all over, not just on the palms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikerJoe Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 So you'd go for heat gloves ad not grips? had heated grips on my lst bike but rarely if ever used them, could have done with either the last weekend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Marsman99 Posted January 18, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 18, 2016 So you'd go for heat gloves ad not grips? had heated grips on my lst bike but rarely if ever used them, could have done with either the last weekend! If I had to choose I'd get heated gloves. The gloves I have offer better heat than my grips and still have decent protection and pretty good feel along with other features I like. They work better in very cold conditions, yet are still waterproof, breathable and comfortable when not heated...up to about 60F. That said, I'll use my better armored uninsulated gloves and grips from about 50F and up. Having both heated grips and heated gloves with the set of gloves I have gives me more options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dae Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 First of all hallo to every one ! New guy here, owned 3 vfrs so far, the advice found here was invaluable when I ran into technical difficulties, big thank you. The heated gloves / grips issue: I use both. When temp is above 5 degrees C I use the grips and a relatively good pair of winter gloves. Not sure about other models but my heated gloves are a bit thicker and they don't give me a very good feel for the controls. When the temp is below 5 and going for a longer ride then I tend to use the heated gloves. Personally I'd try first the heated grips and if you want more heat then try the heated gloves as they tend to me more expensive also. Hope this helps. Ps I've really enjoyed reading the Scottish winter post, funniest thingies read today :) Agree. Heated grips just don't cut it for me when temps are below 40F (~5C) and the ride is longer than 30 min. Heated grips are way better than nothing, but below 40 for any length of time I use my Warm&Safe (aka FirstGear) gloves, love them. Heat all over, not just on the palms. Warm n Safe gloves heats only on the finger nail side ( top of the hands where you're exposed to all the wind. If you have wiring on the palm area, it would eventually break and leave you with no heat. Just came back from a 1 hour ride on my scooter -7C here in Seoul, Korea. I have both heated gloves and grip and I was toasty warm. If I use heated grips only, my hands will freeze due to the exposed parts of hand in the wind but with heated gloves it's all good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer burnes45 Posted January 19, 2016 Author Member Contributer Share Posted January 19, 2016 Road with heated grips this morning About 30'F. Soooo...nice to have warm hands. I just wired the controller as directed works perfect. Going to get the FZ-1 fused relay and rewire when it warms up. Looking at 30'F again tomorrow and 26'F Wednesday. Those things get hot had to turn them down to 50% after a couple of minutes and that was through my thick winter gloves. Thanks for every ones help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted January 22, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 22, 2016 2 heat settings 4 euro 1 week TAT Will post up once installed. Will not try and decipher the instructions.... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFR4Lee Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 Will not try and decipher the instructions.... :-) Why not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Polarbear Posted January 25, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 25, 2016 I bought one of those kits. Quite straightforward to install. Cost me something like $7 CAN a few years back. So about 4-5 Euros. C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted March 28, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted March 28, 2016 I bought a set of Powerlet "Rapidfire" glove liners; at postision 3 of 5 it gave me burn blisters... Powerlet sent me a new/better? set and no problem since. Advantage is the heat on top of your hand/fingers as well, but is it a bit more cumbersome. Each time when you fire up the bike, you still need to press the "on" button on the controller which sits inside your jacket. Putting your jacket on you need to pay attention that both wires run towards your cuffs. In a next life I'd probably go for heated grips... UPDATE: Used the Powerlet Rapidfire gloves today (on postion 2, 3 still gives red marks on my hands) and all was well. Untill I had stopped for some lunch.... Hmmmm... as I press/hold the on button on the controller, if briefy blinked "3" and went blank... As I disconnected and reconnected, the display blinked "8." and went dead again..... So I just dropped their customer service a note. I bought the set in January 2012, so their 3 yr warranty has expired. But having used them maybe 30 days in total I am a bit underwhelmed. I've asked them for a solution, will keep yous posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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