43 replies to this topic

[Lou D]

I bought my blue 2006 about a week ago. I`m bringing it in for the harness recall. I`m thinking about ordering the factory heated grips and having them installed when I bring her in. Can anyone give me any feedback on these good or bad? Thanks LD

[Burnspot]

I think the general consensus is that the OEM heated grips are good, but very expensive. You can achieve similar results from Symtec heated grip wraps (go under grips) for far less money (under $50). Guess it really depends on how much you're willing to pay.

[CAJW]

These currently being discussed look promising and appear to be an easier install than the under the grip style that many of us have. Heated Grip thread

[Lou D]

I spoke to my dealer Saturday. He said he might have the grips in stock and will call me with a price installed.

[Bill]

I bought my blue 2006 about a week ago. I`m bringing it in for the harness recall. I`m thinking about ordering the factory heated grips and having them installed when I bring her in. Can anyone give me any feedback on these good or bad? Thanks LD

A few years ago, I bought a brand new GEN II kit from a Yamaha dealer on eBay for $287.50. They were easy to install on my 2006 and work quite well however.... seven years ago, I installed a Dual Star Heated Grip kit on my CBR1100XX that cost $29.95. They're still working perfectly and still get as hot as the Yamaha grips do.

If you don't want to install heated grips yourself, you'll be very pleased with having your dealer install the Yamaha grips. If you can do it yourself, save a few hundred dollars and try the Dual Stars. They still cost about $30

Edited by Bill, 03 October 2011 - 05:34 PM.

[cadman]

christmas last year i bought an oem set for my '05 from an ebay vendor. not the plug and play the gen2's have so it took me a few hours to install. warm hands and fingers makes a big difference, they are my favorite cool weather upgrade.

cadman

[Burnspot]

Hold the presses. A'Me has new heated grips that apparently work on FJR's; the heating element is built into the grip and includes it's own throttle tube (from what I've been told). Warchild has a set on order and says he'll be reporting about them once he's got them installed. I've seen an installation on the other forum and they do look they might make for an awesome middle ground, price wise, between OEM and the Symtec/Dual Star versions.

[spike747]

I put on factory. They are really good quality. The fit and finish of them is great too. They actually look like they belong on the bike. The variable heat on the dial is great. And the controller throttles the heat up with higher RPMs. So it doesn't load the charging system too bad at idle.

I think they are worth the money.

[Lou D]

Thanks guys for the replies. I ordered the factory grips from my dealer today. Funny, the pre 2006 grips are $100 cheaper. what`s up with that?

[ionbeam]

...the pre 2006 grips are $100 cheaper. what`s up with that?

The Gen I OEM heated grips were actually a universal grip kit intended for motorcycles, ATVs and snowmobiles. They were a 'FJR OEM' grip kit by virtue that the kit included a bag of interconnects to tap power from the front brake switch, a universal power tap and a couple of other jumpers that were FJR specific. The plastic block with the power controller mounted in the unused left side mirror hole. The only electronic trick it did beyond controlling power was to monitor battery voltage to determine if the engine was running before allowing power to the grips.

The Gen II has a knockout mounting hole in the fairing, the electronics are babysat by the ECU which steps down power to the grips when the RPMs drop below 1.7k and the wiring harness is integrated into the main wiring harness. The Gen I heated grip kit was very over priced. The Gen II kit which doesn't really do much more than the Gen I needs a Bend Over warning added to the labeling. I suspect that the Gen II grip kit is highly profitable for Yamaha. That said, both kits do the job that you would expect from them, they aren't a total waste of money.

There are other alternatives that cost a lot less but they require work and time to get them installed and wired up. If you have to pay someone to do the install they won't be any less expensive than the reliable Plug 'n Play OEM grip kit. If you can do a good job installing an aftermarket kit yourself you can save 50% or more over Gen II OEM heated grips. Plus, if you go with heat tapes you can choose the grips of your choice. The down side is by adding grips to the cost of the heat controller and cost of the heat tapes you will be increasing the cost of your DIY install.

[mcatrophy]

If you want to save money, make your own.

Part-made (click on image for larger view)



I did it on my Trophy, easy to do, written up here.

[majicmaker]

Just Curious, Does any of the Aftermarket Heated Grips do what the Factory ones do?

Selectable Max Temperature, and Rheostat Controlled by the Throttle?

[JSLong]

I took mine in for state inspection a few weeks ago and had them install Show Chrome heated grips. The rheostat looks like it was made for the FJR, fits perfectly in the factory cut out. Four different heat setting and only $70 (plus installation) I have used them a few times and find them to be very nice indeed.

[SkooterG]

Does anybody know what the differences are (if any) between the Symptec and Dual Star varieties?

[FJRBluesman]

I had a BMW with factory heated grips, loved them! My last Feej had Symtec heated grips, loved them! My new to me Feej has none.

Once you've had them, you'll never want to be without them.

[Burnspot]

Does anybody know what the differences are (if any) between the Symptec and Dual Star varieties?

I got Symtecs last year and they look identical to the Dual Stars, as far as the basic wraps and wiring are concerned.

[road runner]

They look the same, but you may want to go to there sites and compare specs.
I'm running Dual Star. I think I got them direct from them, and they were very helpful about what to get and how to do it. For example, They sold me a piece of shrink tubing for the clutch side to keep the heat from going into the aluminum bars. They also told me which side is hotter (I think the clutch side) so I could buy a pair of them, instead of the regular set which the left is hotter than the right. So now both sides are equally hot.

If you do the insulating tube on the left bar you will need 2 right side grips. Stock the left grip is 7/8" inside and the throttle side is 1" because of the throttle tube. After the insulating tube is put on the left it is 1" also.

[Bill]

Just Curious, Does any of the Aftermarket Heated Grips do what the Factory ones do?

Selectable Max Temperature, and Rheostat Controlled by the Throttle?

When it's cold enough in Michigan to need the grips turned on, I can't really feel much heat until the dial is in the 1/2 On position. Additionally, I can't feel much difference between 1/2 and Full. Because of that, the Dual Stars on my Blackbird, with a Hi/Lo switch, give me the exact same results for about $30.

[Lou D]

I had the factory grips put on today. I`ll report back after the next cold day. LD

[Lou D]

Yesterday morning was 46 degrees. The heated grips got so hot I had to turn them off. My hands were sweating. The throttle was a little stiff. I went back to my dealer and he adjusted the cables. It SEEMS to be better. Anyone have these issues? He kept telling me that there is a wire under the grip. I told him that for $600 it should come with cruise control! I also had the harness recall done and he installed some kind of upgrade. Remember, my other bike is a ZX-14. But, I`m liking this one more and more. LD