DIY grip heaters anyone?

[zippy]

was thinkin bout doin this much like the DIY jackets everyone is talkin bout. shouldnt be too difficult  considering if you  have access to inside your bars. make a coil of nichrome wire for each side and connect em up like you would the jacket, although you may hafta drill a small hole to run wiring thru for each side. anyone done this type of mod to there bike on the DIY side? if so, I'm interested in hearing about it.

[green427]

What exactly are you hoping to save by doing it yourself?  I paid $26 for the wire, the heating elements can be had for $25, and are ready to be installed.

[zippy]

who has em for $25? i had a couple bookmarks for cycle gear but i'm not the only one who uses this comp and it seems they got deleted. makes me mad that the others who get on here make changes to my stuff.

[happycommuter]

Kimpex cost way less than Symtec for some reason.
I think the adhesive-backed insulated circuit would be much less hassle than loose round wire.

[LOKi]

just buy a kit.



http://www.newenoughhp.com/accessories/grips__heated_grips/symtec/motorcycle_grip_heaters.html

$40 and you can use whatever grip you want with them.

[green427]

Just got some Tusk bar mitts for $15, combined with the heated grips, man, what a difference. Got em from this site, they have various choices of heaters at excellent prices: http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/search.do?catalogNumber=&keyword=heater

Heating element with switch & wiring is only $20.

If you are willing to spend $25 for heaters and another $40 for a heat troller, might as well go with the Oxford Heaterz, I paid $56 for them on fleaBay. They have a built-in battery protector.

 

[Yokomo]

My heated grips were only $15-20.  Put'em on my DRZ over a year ago and they still work great.

[zippy]

Just got some Tusk bar mitts for $15, combined with the heated grips, man, what a difference. Got em from this site, they have various choices of heaters at excellent prices: http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/search.do?catalogNumber=&keyword=heater

Heating element with switch & wiring is only $20.

If you are willing to spend $25 for heaters and another $40 for a heat troller, might as well go with the Oxford Heaterz, I paid $56 for them on fleaBay. They have a built-in battery protector.

 

are there installation instructions for those heaters available for online viewing? i wanna see just how easy it is to install em cause i'm kinda skeptical about adhesive backed sheets that have heat applied to em.

[fishmeister]

I like this logical solution.

"Chromy you don't need all that fancy controller stuff. Just the gloves that plug in.
Heated grips DO NOT last, you're throwing your money away on aftermarket grips.
The fact that the gloves go from bike to bike easily is what I like. Grips, not so much."

"My gloves were made by Widder, who just last year went out of business. They were a big name in heated gear. Rather than run a controller, I just use "on" and "off" on the gloves. But usually 10 minutes ON is enough heat to last for half an hour or more of riding."

                                                                      Straight from a gal that knows, Coffeebean
Here's the newest no wire technology...
http://www.gerbing.com/coreheat.net/Products/Heated%20S2%20Gloves.html

[zippy]

gloves arent a realistic solution for me. im only gonna use my bike and i want mine set  up for warmth and that can be a plus if i ever sell it. besides, $20-40 is a whole lot cheaper than $200.

[LOKi]

I like this logical solution.

"Chromy you don't need all that fancy controller stuff. Just the gloves that plug in.
Heated grips DO NOT last, you're throwing your money away on aftermarket grips.
The fact that the gloves go from bike to bike easily is what I like. Grips, not so much."

"My gloves were made by Widder, who just last year went out of business. They were a big name in heated gear. Rather than run a controller, I just use "on" and "off" on the gloves. But usually 10 minutes ON is enough heat to last for half an hour or more of riding."

                                                                      Straight from a gal that knows, Coffeebean
Here's the newest no wire technology...
http://www.gerbing.com/coreheat.net/Products/Heated%20S2%20Gloves.html

I'm going to have to disagree here Fish. Heated grips work great. You don't always have your heated gloves with you. Not in the heat of the summer. BUT even in the summer you can get chilled after a rain or on top of a mountain or even crossing bridges. It's nice to have that switch right there that will warm your paws regardless of what gloves you have on. Combine with hand guards and even thin uninsulated leather gloves are warm down to around 38 for me.

[DonD]

who has em for $25? i had a couple bookmarks for cycle gear but i'm not the only one who uses this comp and it seems they got deleted. makes me mad that the others who get on here make changes to my stuff.

http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/productDetail.do?navType=type&webTypeId=67&navTitle=Handlebars-Control&webCatId=12&keyword=HEATERS&prodFamilyId=23097

I use these cheapies and run w/o the resistor, full bore all the time. Off and on as needed. Got 'em on both my bikes.

Had a set on my st1300 that now belongs to a buddy, put those on in '02 when I got it. Working great.

[fishmeister]

On a cold day you put gloves on. How well will heated grips warm through the palms? (the only contact area)

What about the wind chilled top of yor fingers and back of your hand that the grips do nothing for?

[green427]

The debate of heated grips vs heated gloves goes on and on, especially over at advrider.com. It is almost as bad as an oil thread.

Yes, gloves are better at heating your hands than grips. It is everything else that makes grips more attractive.

Number one being the cost of the gloves vs grips.

Other reasons include the fact that heated gloves are still bulky, etc.

If I had disposable income, I would get heated gloves. Hell, if I had disposable income I would be riding a Goldwing with every option.

My Oxford Heaterz cost me $56 and Tusk bar mitts were $15, and they work great with regular leather riding gloves. Heat setting is usually at 25% when it is 28F outside.

Without the mitts, my hands are hot and the tops of my fingers get cold from the wind. Those with handguards seem to have less issues with cold fingers than without. Putting handguards on our nighthawks requires some brain & muscle.

As for gloves going from bike to bike, yes, that is true as long as you have the same electric hookup on all bikes.

Zippy: PM me if you want a cool idea on applying the heated elements without removing your grips. Works great on my Rebel 250.


Oh, and about the hi/lo/off switch versus a controller: I had an switch. It was either too hot or too cold. The controller works much, much better.

[green427]

On a cold day you put gloves on. How well will heated grips warm through the palms? (the only contact area)

Trust me, the palms of your hands get unbrearably hot & sweaty when the grips are on high, even if you are wearing thick gloves. I checked the surface temperature once, it was 130F. 

[LOKi]

On a cold day you put gloves on. How well will heated grips warm through the palms? (the only contact area)

What about the wind chilled top of yor fingers and back of your hand that the grips do nothing for?

Granted on really cold days <38F the fingertips start to get a bit cold after about 30min of 70+MPH riding. Most of our riding however is not in this extreme condition. Under these circumstances some insulated winter gloves with the heated grips offers a lot of comfort. I took a 240 mile trip in freezing conditions with winter gloves and the grip heaters on and was fine. Feet where much worse off than my hands. Now when spring comes around and 80F+ days are common are you going to remember to pack those plug in gloves? Then later on when you get rained on or climb over a 11,000 foot mountain your hands suddenly are cold and numb. Even if you did remember to bring the plug in gloves you would have to stop, dig them out, take the seat off so you can fish out the jack to plug them in, and THEN you can get back to riding only to stop again to put everything away when your back down in the valley and it's back up to 80F+.

Blood moves through your hands and circulates throughout the body. I have found that when I do get chilled I can crank up the grips and my whole body gets warmed back up. After a rain the grips will actually dry your wet gloves.

I know I live in a very warm part of the country but this last cold snap we got our share of sub freezing temperatures. I only wore my winter gloves once during that whole time. I don't care for the bulky gloves in traffic so I didn't do it again. I was fine with just the grip heaters and regular leather gloves. It's a short enough commute (30min, 20min of that above 70mph) that my finger tips are just starting to feel a little cold by the time I get to work.

[9c1]

I bought symtec last year for about $35 bucks (can't remember where right now), installed them myself, and have enjoyed them immensely.  Sure, the tops of your hands get cold when you ride in 35 degree weather for a long time.  But much of the time when it dips down in the 50's I turn on the grips and I'm good to go.  It makes the riding season a little longer and makes the cooler rides much more enjoyable.  The cost of heated grips is quite low compared to the benefits they give.  And as already noted, even with winter gloves those grips (when on high setting) can really toast the hands.

[Snoopy]

I got some heated elements for my grips. When I got them they were atv elements.  My father has the worry that they will melt the plastic throttle tubing.  Anyone have any issues with this or anyone used these? If i can get a pic i will def try.

[Yokomo]

they won't melt the throttle tube

[LOKi]

If anything the left grip will just be a bit colder than the right. ATV warmers I would think are equal. Both the grips are the same. But on a bike the right grip is thinner than the left to allow for the throttle tube. The ones designed for bikes have a denser coil of wires on the left grip vs. the right.

[happycommuter]

Easy test, pour boiling water on a throttle tube.  The boiling point is way beyond what any grip heater will produce.  heck, the clothes dryer is a bunch hotter.
I had a switch problem one hot summer day on my last bike where the HotGrips were continually on and my hands were very uncomfortable through the gloves.  No throttle tube problems.