Heated Grips

[jim oneill]

I would definitely go with the Yamaha grips. It's a plug and play install, and they are far more sophisticated than the after market grips in that they tie into the ECU whereby the shut off if battery voltage drops too low and they take into account vehicle speed. They reduce voltage while standing still and increase with bike speed. I've found that really helps from having to keep readjusting the heat setting as you ride. Just my 2 cents.

I,ve also got the expensive Yamaha grips. Had the dealer install on my 08 they work well, put out a lot of heat,

 

[edjo69]

Using the Symtec heated grips (same as Dual Star) and love them...they work very well (with V Strom Guards also).

I run Symtec as well, though I run them through a heat-troller, I found my self cycling them all the time with the hi/low switch now I can just adjust them to where I like them. They work awesome, I use them under the stock grips.

 

[road runner]

I'm using the Dual Star grip heaters, and BMW honeycomb style grips, and Warm & Safe heat troller. This set up seems to work great.

The standard heater kit from Dual Star or Symtec comes with the left heater hotter than the right, because the heat soaks into the aluminum bars. So I called Dual Star and they sent me a piece of shrink tubing for the left bar, to insulate it and keep the heat from going into the bar. Then because the clutch side heater is the hotter of the two, I had them send me 2 clutch side heaters instead of the reg kit, they did charge a little more, but worth it because now both sides are equally hot.

Also, if you go with the shrink tube to insulate the left bar you will need 2 throttle side grips, as they are 1" and the clutch side is 7/8" before shrink tube, 1" after.

I'm also using a G2 throttle tube which is aluminum, so I put a couple layers of electric tape on it so as to not soak up heat either.

Then the wiring options. I have the white wire going to one troller wire, and both, the blue and the red going to the other troller wire. Be aware this wiring set up is very hot :devil: and I never need it more than 1/2 or 3/4 on the troller.

 

[GunMD]

Has anybody tried the Aerostitch Wrap grips? They attach with velcro, which has surprisingly good reviews - and for $45 look like a good cold weather answer for a bike that we're not planning to keep. The one downside I see from the few reviews on Aerostitch's site is about reliability.

More info here: https://www.aerostich...wrap-grips.html

Reliability is a BIG requirement for me...

 

[huron52]

Hot Grips have worked well for me.

I got a set of "Hot Grips" as well. I had them for two years(seasons) and this year the rubber(or what ever it is called) has worn off exposing the wires. They worked great before that happened. This winter I will be looking for something a little different.

 

[seventyss]

Road Runner, I have the same kit purchased from Warm n Safe. I was told that I wouldn't need to put anything on the clutch bar to get the same heat on both bars. That is not what I have experienced. I have the heat troller on high and would like more heat. The LED always stays full on and never goes to the blinking mode. I have an Infrared temperature scanner so I checked the temperature of each grip and found that the brake grip was 125* and the clutch side was 95*. I wired according to the instructions, leaving the blue wires alone.

Does this sound right? Is something defective?

 

[road runner]

Road Runner, I have the same kit purchased from Warm n Safe. I was told that I wouldn't need to put anything on the clutch bar to get the same heat on both bars. That is not what I have experienced. I have the heat troller on high and would like more heat. The LED always stays full on and never goes to the blinking mode. I have an Infrared temperature scanner so I checked the temperature of each grip and found that the brake grip was 125* and the clutch side was 95*. I wired according to the instructions, leaving the blue wires alone.

Does this sound right? Is something defective?

I didn't buy the kit from W&S, just the troller, but the elements may be the same as the Dual Star.

What you have sounds a little low, but it may be OK. Do you have a good power supply? What you can do to get a little more heat from the clutch side is remove the element (be careful removing the element, you may need a heat gun), put a couple layers of electric tape on the bar, then put the element back on using some elec tape to hold each end. This will help to keep the heat from going into the bar.

Also if you have a good power supply then you can hook the blue & red wires together. It is to much for a 5 amp fuse, but a 10 amp does the trick. Here's an article with a chart of wiring combos FJR 1300 info This does get very hot, so the elements may not last as long, but they do get hot.

Edit; I wouldn't hook the red & blue together unless you have a troller, so you can better regulate them.

 

[Big-B]

The Yamaha grips have the wires embedded in them as opposed to the heat tape style of many heated grips.

Saw these in a recent Cycle Gear Ad for $60. Comes with a variable temperature controller (rheostat) and also has the wires embedded in the grips. Not advocating anything but it looked like a good deal.

Merry Christmas.

 

[road runner]

The Yamaha grips have the wires embedded in them as opposed to the heat tape style of many heated grips.

Saw these in a recent Cycle Gear Ad for $60. Comes with a variable temperature controller (rheostat) and also has the wires embedded in the grips. Not advocating anything but it looked like a good deal.

Merry Christmas.

I think those may be the ones that someone on here tried, because the controller looks like the OEM one, and as I recall it had mixed reviews. Like not hot enough, didn't fit bars.

 

[timk]

+1 on Hot Grips Got mine for$60 on closeout. They have to be epoxied on, but haven't had any problems for 6 yrs now. I didn't bother with a control unit, as I run them max heat.

 

[zzzzip]

I used the Dual Stars on my FJR and the vendor recommended using a heat shrink tube on the clutch side to compensate for the aluminum bar, even though the left element is hotter.

I recently bought the Symtecs (which look like the exact same thing, down to the switch and wire), but emailed Symtec to ask if I needed an insulator for the left grip due to the type bars. They said I did not because the left grip is designed to compensate for the additional heat sink.

I haven't installed them yet, because in the back of my mind it seems like, if they are the same elements in both makers, then I should have to add a little tubing to to the left bar to compensate for aluminum over steel.

I didn't use extra tubing on my V Strom with the Dual Stars and they worked good, but they are steel.

 

[VanHarlan]

I've had both the Yamaha oem grips on my '07 and the Honda ST1300 kit wired into a Fuzeblock FZ1. Yamaha grips crapped out after 1 year . . . not so bad BUT the *$)(%&@# price that Yamaha gets for the oem kit is ridiculous. The ST1300 kit is and easy install as well - especially if your using an auxilary fuse block - and for 1/2 the price of the Yamaha kit they a great choice and work just as well, if not better IMHO.

 

[seventyss]

Road Runner, I did as you suggested and I'm happier with the results. It is a good thing that I have the heat troller, full on I think it would melt the grips. I set it at about 1/2 and have much warmer hands. Thanks for the advice.

 

[road runner]

Road Runner, I did as you suggested and I'm happier with the results. It is a good thing that I have the heat troller, full on I think it would melt the grips. I set it at about 1/2 and have much warmer hands. Thanks for the advice.

Glad to here it worked out for ya. And yes, full on is too hot, but when it comes to staying warm I'd rather have it & not need it than need it & not have it. Same goes for power and speed. That's one of the reason why I bought the FJR.

 

[FJReady]

Save your dollars for tires and gas. The dual-star set up is economical and reliable when installed right. By rigght I meant don't use a cheap switch. I learned that the hard way. I use a good quality marine grade switch I bought at the boat store. I think the switch costs about $18. Add the $5 relay from Radio Shack and the $35 heated elements and you've got a great setup that you can use with the grips of your choice.

Some great tips and wiring instruction here: heated grip install

I take the time to solder connections, etc. So far bullet proff reliable except for replacing the original crappy switch.

 

[Roadstar]

For all the heated grip guys with different brands. How are they when the temps get to 30*F & below ? I sent my friend the link for the Dual-stars & that was his first question & he thought that if the element was inbedded into the grip was better. ?? (of course with heat troller & not high-low switch) Input on all would be great.

 

[road runner]

For all the heated grip guys with different brands. How are they when the temps get to 30*F & below ? I sent my friend the link for the Dual-stars & that was his first question & he thought that if the element was inbedded into the grip was better. ?? (of course with heat troller & not high-low switch) Input on all would be great.

I know (for me)with the Dual Stars, if you wire them omitting one of the wires when hooking to a troller as they say, then they are not enough when the temps get down to low 30's.

I just recently changed the wiring, putting the red & blue wires together, and now they get a lot hotter :devil: . I haven't tried them in low temps yet, but they may be hot enough now that I wont need my heated gloves. I don't know for sure. The heated gloves work great, but they are to bulky for me.

I can't imagine any other grips getting any hotter than this set up, and you can use which ever grips you want.

 

[Harald]

For all the heated grip guys with different brands. How are they when the temps get to 30*F & below ? I sent my friend the link for the Dual-stars & that was his first question & he thought that if the element was inbedded into the grip was better. ?? (of course with heat troller & not high-low switch) Input on all would be great.

I have the Honda ST1300 grips on my FJR and they get plenty hot. Even with grip puppies installed (foam sleeves that slip ontop of the grips), I run at 50% or 75% most of the time with 100% being painfully hot. But when temps drop into the 20's or teens, then 100% grip power is what I use and it's just right. Without grip puppies, I suspect that 100% would never get used because they do insulate the grips and block some heat.

 

[FJR Flyer]

I've got the factory grips on the FJR and I have HotGrips on the FJ. Neither of them does much good below 30 F. I break out the Gerbings when it gets that cold. But, when it drops down to the teens, the grips and gloves combo is the only way to go.

 

[mdisher]

Has anybody tried the Aerostitch Wrap grips? They attach with velcro, which has surprisingly good reviews - and for $45 look like a good cold weather answer for a bike that we're not planning to keep. The one downside I see from the few reviews on Aerostitch's site is about reliability.

More info here: https://www.aerostich.com/a-to-b-utilities/rider-comfort/heated-grips-accessories/aerostich-warm-wrap-grips.html

I had a set of these, in fact I still have them somewhere. You know, they beat having nothing, but not by much. I found them to be more a pain, make sure they are off or on a switched circuit. And they add a quite a bit of bulk.

Again, better than nothing at all, but not worth much more than the $50 they cost.