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Heated Grips for a '98


JimMoore

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Hi Guys,

 

I'm trying to figure out if I can turn this '98 into an all-weather sport-tourer. Cold hands probably tops the list of things I hate. Does Honda make a set of heated grips for the 5th gen?  Aftermarket?

 

Thanks,

 

Jim Moore

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Check out Oxford. They have different style of grips, Sport, Touring, Adv. I have a set of touring grips on my 6 Gen as this is the bike I commute with. That being said, heated grips are nice but a good set of gloves is also needed for total warmth. I have a set of Knox Zero 3 gloves and these work well unaided but are a little thick to allow much warmth from the heated grips to come through at maximum strength. All in all though, I like both and have used them together a few times and the grips with moderate gloves too. The coldest I have ridden with both in use was about 30F-35F coming down from Anaheim to San Diego. I'm sure this is no where near temps in the colder half of the country but works well for me.

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I've used a kit like this, https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/symtec-heat-demon-heated-grips?gclid=CjwKCAiA-vLyBRBWEiwAzOkGVBOdg6EcZcf5k-dZVJCeMk9fXYxj6Fl6SBBN0nGOmLlD3rXcXvHvJRoC0UUQAvD_BwE

 

on just about every bike I've owned. Even disconnected the factory grip heaters, useless, on my Ducati and put these on. The ones on my VFR are at least 15 years old and still keep going.

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14 hours ago, Duc2V4 said:

Check out Oxford. They have different style of grips, Sport, Touring, Adv. I have a set of touring grips on my 6 Gen as this is the bike I commute with. That being said, heated grips are nice but a good set of gloves is also needed for total warmth. I have a set of Knox Zero 3 gloves and these work well unaided but are a little thick to allow much warmth from the heated grips to come through at maximum strength. All in all though, I like both and have used them together a few times and the grips with moderate gloves too. The coldest I have ridden with both in use was about 30F-35F coming down from Anaheim to San Diego. I'm sure this is no where near temps in the colder half of the country but works well for me.

+1

 

I have Oxfords on both my VF500F2 and RC51. And a pair of 12V heated mc gloves for good measure. works great even if the temperatures become freezing...

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  • 2 weeks later...

In my experience the Honda OE heated grips don't get as hot as aftermarket. I had the OE grips on a VFR1200 and now have them on a NC750. They are woeful compared to Oxfords (and probably most other aftermarket types). I agree with Leon though, when it gets really cold you need heated gloves.

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I used the cheapo Trackside ones on my 98 vfr. No real complaints. But today would go with the symtech ones. Age 56 and I am now eyeing a heated under jacket or vest. Arthritis is a muther.

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On 3/3/2020 at 1:51 AM, vfrcapn said:

I've used a kit like this, https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/symtec-heat-demon-heated-grips?gclid=CjwKCAiA-vLyBRBWEiwAzOkGVBOdg6EcZcf5k-dZVJCeMk9fXYxj6Fl6SBBN0nGOmLlD3rXcXvHvJRoC0UUQAvD_BwE

 

on just about every bike I've owned. Even disconnected the factory grip heaters, useless, on my Ducati and put these on. The ones on my VFR are at least 15 years old and still keep going.

I too have had a pair of Symtec grip heaters on my VFR since 2005. Totally reliable.

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I've had Oxfords for about 6 years. Nicely made, everything is included, tidy with the aid of cable ties, and good 5 position control module. I'm happy with it but there are two negatives to be aware of: firstly, and I think you'll see others report this on sites like Revzilla, one hand is a bit hotter than the other. Not enough to be a bother but a small disappointment quality-wise; second, the black rubber grips are nothing to write home about - if you can tolerate them they're fine but you lose the ability to upgrade. I suppose they're deliberately hard so they last longer. And yes you can buy (the same) replacement grips.

 

Now looking to add a Duc V4S to the garage and the Symtech ones look interesting simply because you can choose your own grips. But how the grips react to heat is the next question.

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+1 on Symtec, aka Heat Demons. I've used them on many bikes for many years. I install using a switched relay. If you'd like primer on how I do it, including the switch location, visit my Maintenance page, scroll down to #30 and #31.

Joe in IL

 

http://v4dreams.com/maintenance.html

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  • 4 months later...

I installed Oxford Touring Heaterz a few months back, they’re great. The control module is chunky and ugly, but it fit very well on the clutch mount with the included bolts. On the throttle side, I found routing the power cable above the brake lever was the best option, and on the right side I routed the wire down, but you have to be careful not to foul the clutch lever or pinch the wiring at full lock. As it is, my wire touches the tank just enough with the steering locked to make me think about long-term fatigue failure of the wire. It might be just me.

 

I got a good price on the Oxfords, but otherwise I probably would have bought these Koso Apollos:

https://kosonorthamerica.com/product/apollo-heated-grips-twist-throttle/
 

They’re beautiful: the buttons integrated into the right grip look much better than Oxford’s box. Expensive though. 

 

 

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  • 2 months later...

Here is a link to the install on a 6th Generation but it will be the same for your 5th gen.  These are BikeMaster Grips and are installed off the ignition and not direct to the battery.

 

 

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