Heated grips or heated gloves...?

[bikerskier]

Asking for a last minute Xmas present from the much better half and looking for a consensus of pros and cons for either solution to cold hands in marginal weather. Are there significant benefits to either?

My ride is a 2005 beauty.

 

[Twigg]

Both. They do different things at different times.

Heated grips are always there. Even summer mornings can drop into the 40s, and a flick of a switch provides instant relief. With heated grips and maybe some handle bar guards, you might never need heated gloves.

However, when it really gets cold and you have a long way to go, there is no real substitute for heated gloves. They are awkward, expensive and not the best things for fime motor control, yet they will allow you to ride safely in almost any temperatures you really want. If you don't venture out when the temp hovers around or below freezing, you might never use heated gloves.

 

[FJRay]

I have both and what Twigg said is right on. The FJR has heated grips and hand guards so I seldom use the gloves. On the Wing the previous owner cut the heated grips off cause he is in Kali and wanted the bling of chrome. I use the heated gloves there. Mine are a pain to use cause the fingers are to long and when reaching for the clutch or break I have to be careful.

 

[gregory]

I have heated grips on the '13 that will roast the palms of your hands through thick winter gloves right off when I turn them to the highest setting. However, for me, the tops of my hands stay cold so overall my hands are cold. I just got a pair of First Gear heated gloves and have yet to test them on the road. I have plugged them in and the feel pretty toasty. I went back and forth between First Gear (also known as Warm and Safe) but Fred put in a good word for the First Gear (and they were about $60 less then the Gerbings. The First Gear are quite a bit less bulky then my Tourmaster Winter Elites and I have much better feel and control so far. The only complaint at this point is that the gauntlet seems kind of small for bulky winter jackets. You can mix and match heated gear, so no worries there. I think that even if the First Gears turn out to be not that toasty at speed when it's really cold, I will be OK with the grip warmers and gloves combined.

https://www.revzilla.com/product/firstgear-heated-gloves

I agree with Twigg in that grip warmers are the bomb for short term heat.

A set of hippo hands or some sort of wind blocking device with grip warmers only might work out well for some. YMMV

Greg

 

[Bugnatr]

Either way V Strom hand guards are a must. Blocking the wind in the cold is half the solution to warm hands.

 

[ahchiu]

I have heated grips and bar covers, that way I can wear thinner gloves, I don't like the thick winter gloves.

 

[Niehart]

I have heated grips and bar covers, that way I can wear thinner gloves, I don't like the thick winter gloves.

+1

 

[BakerBoy]

+1 on "both". I have Gerbing T5's, but without grip heaters, and often have wanted the benefit of just grip heaters on cool mornings, and have wished that I had grip heaters in addition to the T5's on long cold rides.

 

[Niehart]

 

[Longrider]

I use Powerlet glove liners that plug into the Powerlrt jacket liner on my chopper and just the liner alone on the FJR. Can use one size up regular leather gloves with the heated liners. Has worked well down to 38 degrees here in California.

Another benefit is rain gloves, really BIG dishwashing gloves, go over it all when raining of snowing.

Longrider

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Either way V Strom hand guards are a must. Blocking the wind in the cold is half the solution to warm hands.

The Cee Bailey Sport shield I installed on Scar made a huge difference with the wind on my paws. I was very surprised to find that. Now only my pinkies are out in the breeze and there is no doubt of the difference. I was seriously considering the handguards before I added the new shield, but did not want to because so much of my riding is done in South Louisiana heat and humidity.

 

[Niehart]

I installed on Scar.

Scar, I like that.

Now back to your regular scheduled program.

 

[escapefjrtist]

I have heated grips and bar covers, that way I can wear thinner gloves, I don't like the thick winter gloves.

+1

In the PNWet, covers keep your hands dry too!

--G

 

[motoxr124]

I have found that most heated glove or winter glove are thick making it harder to operate controls. My set up is Firstgear Explorer gloves and Firstgear heated glove liners. The Explorer glove is waterproof, windproof, and light but still containing 40 grams Thinsulate, I believe. The glove liner is thin and fits inside my regular sized gloves. I have no handguards or hippo hands but the aforementioned set up works well here in Western Oregon as I ride year round except in the snow and ice, of course. I have had Tourmaster heated gloves but found them thick and inadequate. Plus, the elements are on the top of the hand which essentially makes them battle the cold wind so that probably attributes to its inadequacy. The liners don't have to fight as hard due to protective covering of the outer glove.

Motorcyclegear.com has the 2011 gloves on closeout for $32 with $4 shipping. The liners are roughly $70 anywhere. Hope this helps.

 

[bikerskier]

Thanks for the advice. I don't seek to ride when the weather is cold but want something for the long rides when the weather gets shitty. Rather than carrying extra gear, ie: heated gloves, maybe the heated grip option is better for me since I can just turn a switch and get some hand heat. I do have the V Strom hand guards and they do help.

Anyone have any after market success for the Gen 1 for adding grip heat?

 

[Bugnatr]

I used these on my Gen I when the factory grips died. https://hotgrips.com/

I had to replace one of the grips due to it getting soft and worn. I give them a 5 out of 10 rating but when I needed them it was great to have them on the bike.

 

[900gc]

I use both. Heated grips down to low 40's are enough with 3 season gloves (CB 2x4 shield deflects most of the wind from hands) then add Mobile Warming gloves when it gets colder than that. The combination is toasty.

 

[Twigg]

I've had Oxford Hot Grips on a variety of bikes. They are reasonably priced and they work well.

That said, I just made my own for the FJR. They draw up to 3.0 Amps (pair) and were very easy and cheap to do.

 

[BkerChuck]

I've used both and prefer the heated gloves. Grips are really nice but are a permanent fixture on the bike. Gloves allow me to set up all of my bikes for heated gear. Considering the number of bikes in our household the gloves are the better way to go to me. YMMV.