Heated Grip question

[jim oneill]

I installed Yamaha heated grips on my FJR and they work well in keeping the palms of my hands warm. Problem is that my thumbs and fingertips still get cold. I wear pretty good gloves as well. Any suggestions? should I get mittens? as its really uncomfortable thanks

 

[Drew]

I don't have heated grips but this has been my issue as well, I've got the v-strom hand guards mounted on the bars which helps to cut the wind, but my fingers still get very cold. I've held off adding the grips for this reason and I'm thinking heated gloves would be the best solution for the problem. I've ridden in low 20's, high teens a few times and my palms are fine (for the ride distance that is), but fingers not so much.

 

[Burnspot]

Yea, heated gloves would probably be the ultimate answer. That being said, I've ridden all winter, down to the high 20's, with the guards and grips and have found that it's not hard to keep the fingertips "mildly comfortable" simply by occasionally shifting my fingertips into a better position to soak up some heat every once in awhile (hard to explain...kinda like "half gripping"...fingertips perpendicular to grip long enough to grab some heat). I'll do the same with the thumbs as well by laying it flat on the grip for a bit. If the grips are hot, it'll work.

With the guards, some folks on this board have mounted extension pieces to completely diver the airflow away from the fingertips...that might be a good option as well.

 

[Jim Morrison]

I use a type of waterproof glove, very thin but the wind does not get through...have no problems getting heat from the grips

 

[BrettB]

My suggestions are:

- heated gloves if you can stand them (I can't stand the feel of the wires across my knuckles so this didn't work for me)

- add hippo hands or similar if you can stand the look of them (I can't)

- Make sure your gloves are meant to work with heated grips and have thin or no insulation on the palms but think insulation on the backs. This is critical and I notice a HUGE difference between the two winter gloves I have, with the FirstGear Glacier gloves working well in this regards

-Make sure your gloves fit well and aren't pinching off or impeding any circulation (the downside to the FirstGear gloves for me are that the thumb is too short and because the pressure of my thumbtip at the end is pushing all the blood out of it, the end of my thumb would still get cold. So right now I can wear a different pair of gloves where I don't get near as much overall warmth from the heated gloves, but the tip of my thumb is consistent with the rest of the hand, or I can wear my Glacier gloves and have all of my hand except the tip of my thumb warm).

I do have the Yamaha heated grips and ride any time there is not snow or ice on the roads, so low 30s and rain, or 20s and dry.

Good luck!

 

[Vamirr]

I just put heated grips on my 08. Yeah.. I know I know... why did I wait this long... I'm not sure either.

I've had the vstrom guards on for a while now, so I can't say how it is without them. I find that with that combination, I can wear my Fox Bomber motocross gloves (they're perforated) down to about 30 degrees. Any lower than that and my thumbs go numb. I bought a pair of First Gear Kathmandu gloves and have gone down to the teens with them with no problem.

I should mention that I don't have the mamayama grip kit, though. I opted for the Dual Star kit and wired to run both low and high elements.

 

[mikatollah]

If you are serious about riding in cold weather, get you some Ducks Unlimited Hand Warmers. They look like oven mitts and fit over your hand grips and only cost about $25. You mostly see them on ATVs because they aren't cool enough for bikes. But if you're on a motorcycle in 30 degree weather worried about looking stupid, well that ship has already sailed, so you might as well be comfortable.

https://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/4/22/263/4808/ITEM/Ducks-Unlimited-Hand-Warmers.aspx

The ones I have are black.

 

[Scotty]

Gerbing heated Gloves with adjustable heat controller. I have the Gloves with lithium batteries(expensive) and they work for about 3 hours which takes care of early morning cold.

 

[Blind Squirrel]

If you are serious about riding in cold weather, get you some Ducks Unlimited Hand Warmers. They look like oven mitts and fit over your hand grips and only cost about $25. You mostly see them on ATVs because they aren't cool enough for bikes. But if you're on a motorcycle in 30 degree weather worried about looking stupid, well that ship has already sailed, so you might as well be comfortable.

https://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/4/22/263/4808/ITEM/Ducks-Unlimited-Hand-Warmers.aspx

The ones I have are black.

 

[mab864]

Yup... me too. When it get below 40 degrees, I put the hand mits on the bike. The combo of heated grips with the mits allow me to wear summer weight gloves down to the teens. The grips eventually heat up the entire inside of the mit and it becomes like a toaster oven in there. I have to run my OEM heated grips at no higher than 2 or it gets too hot. The mits go on and off in 20 seconds and securely fasten with velcro. I have the black ones too. The look dumb but work really well. I've also had Gerbing G3 heated gloves which were OK, but too bulky in the palm area. I don't like the feeling of gloves that are heavily insulted in the palm.

 

[CAJW]

I'm using dual-star heating elements I installed under the grips in conjunction with these Warm & Safe Carbon gloves and it works like a champ. I had the strom handguards, but never installed so don't have experience with those, but the heated grip/glove combination works super for me.

 

[dcarver]

I've always wondered about finger tips n' tops with heated grips.

Think I'll stay with heated gloves.

 

[Two-Wheeled Tourist]

I've been using the Gerbings T5 gloves if I'm intending to be out for a while in colder weather (like all day rides at 45 degrees or colder). For the quick rides or commute to work I've been using the Icon Patrol gloves and have been pretty happy with them. They're also waterproof so it takes care of the rain problem too.

The heated gloves warm up the entire hand and are much cheaper than OEM Yamaha grips. I'll take $175 for the gloves over the $350 or so for the grips. I think the power draw on the gloves is less too.

 

[jim oneill]

If you are serious about riding in cold weather, get you some Ducks Unlimited Hand Warmers. They look like oven mitts and fit over your hand grips and only cost about $25. You mostly see them on ATVs because they aren't cool enough for bikes. But if you're on a motorcycle in 30 degree weather worried about looking stupid, well that ship has already sailed, so you might as well be comfortable.

https://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/4/22/263/4808/ITEM/Ducks-Unlimited-Hand-Warmers.aspx

The ones I have are black.

Thanks My Man I,m gonna order them!

 

[JR'SFJR]

I use an thin 3 finger rain over glove by aerostich for $50 when its cold and/or raining. They slide on easily over your regular gloves, break the wind and keep my hands much warmer. I was surprised.

 

[PhilJet09]

I've got the Yamaha heated grips and Strom hand guards. Below 30 I wear a pair of snowmobile mittens that have a thin leather palm and thick down and nylon outside. They work great into the single digits. The easier solution may be heated gloves, but I never found a pair that were comfortable for me.

 

[SacramentoMike]

There's running wires up your sleeves and adding electrical connectors to your bike, and there's mounting big fugly mitts on your handlebars, but there are much simpler approaches. Unless you ride a LOT in extreme cold, these things are awful handy. Check them out here for one. 40 pairs for about 20 bucks at Sam's Club, but available lots of places. Carry a couple pairs in your bags. One in each glove lasts all day and gives off lots of heat. LOTS. I drop them down under the palm. They're thin enough they don't interfere with my grip and fit in any glove I've tried them in. Very simple solution.

 

[patch308]

I picked up a set of Tourmaster heated gear (gloves, jacket liner, and pant liner) and LOVE it! The gloves are very comfy and I don't feel wires running over my knuckles. They run just a smidge small so if you're on the large side of a size go up one. They are obviously a little more bulky then my summer gloves but not overly so. The leather is supple and nice and the palms are thin which provide good dexterity and allow my heated grips to work through them. That's my 2 cents...good luck.

 

[jim oneill]

I use an thin 3 finger rain over glove by aerostich for $50 when its cold and/or raining. They slide on easily over your regular gloves, break the wind and keep my hands much warmer. I was surprised.

As I stated in my original post, I,m not concerned about my HANDs getting cold, its my THUMB and FINGERTIPS that got cold. I,m getting the mitts