FjrVfr
Well-known member
Much of this has been covered before but I thought I would summarize/consolidate what I've learned about heated grips over the last few months. I'm on my 3rd solution and I can hopefully shed some light for others looking to keep their mitts toasty through the winter.
I started with BigBikes grips (which look remarkably like Hot Grips) after reading NovaFlyer's excellent write-up on them. These are solid core grips with integral heating elements. This means two things. First, that you have no choice of grips - if you don't like the texture, diameter or hardness (they're like a rock) you're SOL. It also means that getting them off is a real pain. Forget about compressed air or getting a screwdriver under there. I had to dremmel the clutch side off and I just bought a new throttle tube for the right side. They're also about a half inch longer than stock so getting a Throttlemeister to work with them is a challenge.
These grips do come with a variable control that fits nicely into the cutout on the left side dash panel (panel "A"). It looks neat but the variable control doesn't buy you anything if the grips don't get very hot. I never rode with them set to anything other than "Off" and "100%". As NovaFlyer later pointed out, they're only useful down to temps around 10C/50F. It's also worth reading Ionbeam's reply about what the "cheapie" grips might be doing to your electrical system.
Cost for this excursion: ~$70 for the grips and later $15 to replace the panel "A" cutout.
Next I went back to Kimpex grip heaters which I'd used on my VFR for years. These are defroster-like heating elements that adhere directly to the handlebar/throttle tube after you've removed the stock grips (compressed air is the way to go here). This has the advantage of letting you use any grips you like and is very economical (<$30 at Cycle Gear). They come with a high-low-off switch but I didn't wire up the "low" setting as it just bleeds heat to a resistor that gets awfully hot in lieu of the grips. I was ok with just flipping the switch once my hands were medium-rare.
The improvement was tremendous, my hands stayed warm long after other parts (ahem) were freezing. My only minor gripe was the uneven heating effect due to the heat sink losses on the clutch side. I'd seen this on the VFR and it wasn't a huge deal.
Cost for option 2: $27 for the Kimpex kit, $10 for a new throttle tube.
I ran into another problem or I'd still have the Kimpex units. The throttle tube I'd replaced was actually a Kawasaki part the dealer had in stock that was about 1/4" shorter than the original (though we couldn't see this because the BigBikes grip was still glued to my original!). This also kept my Throttlemeister from working properly. I'd since read about Dual Star/Symtec heaters and the benefits of the Heat Troller. Since I knew I needed to replace the throttle tube - and therefore the Kimpex heaters - I thought I'd give them a try. The Dual Stars are also defroster-like adhesives but have different elements for the clutch and throttle sides to account for heat sink. They also have three leads going to each element which offers you some options as to how hot they get. Tom Barber did a great write-up on this that I followed using the parallel method. The Heat Troller gives you variable control (you'll need it), has a small profile and is hopefully gentle on your electrical system.
Cost for the right solution: ~$27 for the Dual Stars, $47 for the Heat Troller and $5 shipping.
Note: Poo poo to California Sport Touring. They confirmed my order for a kit with the toggle switch then it magically changed to the rocker right before it shipped (as they were out of the toggle kits). Though I wasn't going to use it on this job I can always use an extra toggle, the rocker is crap and went straight in the can. Either way, it's inexcusable to change a customer's order without contacting them.
Bottom line: The Dual Star/Heat Troller is the way to go. They allow you flexibility with your grips, the controller fits anywhere, they heat well and evenly left to right and if you find yourself hungry in the middle of nowhere they can roast an armadillo. Don't settle for anything else.
Happy Holidays,
FjrVfr
I started with BigBikes grips (which look remarkably like Hot Grips) after reading NovaFlyer's excellent write-up on them. These are solid core grips with integral heating elements. This means two things. First, that you have no choice of grips - if you don't like the texture, diameter or hardness (they're like a rock) you're SOL. It also means that getting them off is a real pain. Forget about compressed air or getting a screwdriver under there. I had to dremmel the clutch side off and I just bought a new throttle tube for the right side. They're also about a half inch longer than stock so getting a Throttlemeister to work with them is a challenge.
These grips do come with a variable control that fits nicely into the cutout on the left side dash panel (panel "A"). It looks neat but the variable control doesn't buy you anything if the grips don't get very hot. I never rode with them set to anything other than "Off" and "100%". As NovaFlyer later pointed out, they're only useful down to temps around 10C/50F. It's also worth reading Ionbeam's reply about what the "cheapie" grips might be doing to your electrical system.
Cost for this excursion: ~$70 for the grips and later $15 to replace the panel "A" cutout.
Next I went back to Kimpex grip heaters which I'd used on my VFR for years. These are defroster-like heating elements that adhere directly to the handlebar/throttle tube after you've removed the stock grips (compressed air is the way to go here). This has the advantage of letting you use any grips you like and is very economical (<$30 at Cycle Gear). They come with a high-low-off switch but I didn't wire up the "low" setting as it just bleeds heat to a resistor that gets awfully hot in lieu of the grips. I was ok with just flipping the switch once my hands were medium-rare.
The improvement was tremendous, my hands stayed warm long after other parts (ahem) were freezing. My only minor gripe was the uneven heating effect due to the heat sink losses on the clutch side. I'd seen this on the VFR and it wasn't a huge deal.
Cost for option 2: $27 for the Kimpex kit, $10 for a new throttle tube.
I ran into another problem or I'd still have the Kimpex units. The throttle tube I'd replaced was actually a Kawasaki part the dealer had in stock that was about 1/4" shorter than the original (though we couldn't see this because the BigBikes grip was still glued to my original!). This also kept my Throttlemeister from working properly. I'd since read about Dual Star/Symtec heaters and the benefits of the Heat Troller. Since I knew I needed to replace the throttle tube - and therefore the Kimpex heaters - I thought I'd give them a try. The Dual Stars are also defroster-like adhesives but have different elements for the clutch and throttle sides to account for heat sink. They also have three leads going to each element which offers you some options as to how hot they get. Tom Barber did a great write-up on this that I followed using the parallel method. The Heat Troller gives you variable control (you'll need it), has a small profile and is hopefully gentle on your electrical system.
Cost for the right solution: ~$27 for the Dual Stars, $47 for the Heat Troller and $5 shipping.
Note: Poo poo to California Sport Touring. They confirmed my order for a kit with the toggle switch then it magically changed to the rocker right before it shipped (as they were out of the toggle kits). Though I wasn't going to use it on this job I can always use an extra toggle, the rocker is crap and went straight in the can. Either way, it's inexcusable to change a customer's order without contacting them.
Bottom line: The Dual Star/Heat Troller is the way to go. They allow you flexibility with your grips, the controller fits anywhere, they heat well and evenly left to right and if you find yourself hungry in the middle of nowhere they can roast an armadillo. Don't settle for anything else.
Happy Holidays,
FjrVfr
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