Thanks Brit, I'm on it.
Were you able to remove the OE grips without damaging the heaters? My unreliable source was all ticked off that he had to buy new grips.
Here's the dealio - order the longer tube from G2 for the AE. It's 1/2" longer and is made only for the AE with hot grips.
I slid a kebab skewer between the grip and the OEM tube and it worked fine to loosen the grip. I also squirted a bit of WD40 onto the skewer thingy as I jammed it in. Take a careful note of how the cables to the heated grip align with the existing tube before you slide it off. If you don't when you stick it all back together, you will try to twist the throttle and run out of heater cable. This will make more sense once you're in there... I was apprehensive, but it was really a piece of cake. Definitely 100% worth doing. Dramatically better drivability.
I haven't tried removing stock heated grips, but I can tell you that an air nozzle hooked up to your air compressor works wonders for removing most grips. Even glued on ones. Stick the nozzle into the end between grip and bar, blast full pressure and the grip should just slide right off.