Heated grips

Cuddlesworth

Can anybody recommend a make and where to buy?

I bought these and I'm not impressed. Throttle grip is oversized in every way, they have been on the bike 1 day and the LED on the high setting has died and to top it off it takes bloody ages for them to actually heat up.

KamiKazi

Picking up a pair of Oxford HotGrips this evening, will let you know how I get on.

thetyreman

Yea the Oxford are the way to go.have them on both and are simple to fit....get them for about 60sterling id say

KamiKazi

Came across this deal earlier which I think I'll order, great price.

randomway

KamiKazi wrote: »

Came across this deal earlier which I think I'll order, great price.

You get it for the same in Cotters if you add up the shipping.

KamiKazi

randomway wrote: »

You get it for the same in Cotters if you add up the shipping.

Really? Hot grips + muffs for ~ €50?

n.catenthusiast

KamiKazi wrote: »

Came across this deal earlier which I think I'll order, great price.

Hey man,

looks like a good deal. Let us know how you get on with them-might order that package myself once the bikes fixed...

KamiKazi

n.catenthusiast wrote: »

Hey man,

looks like a good deal. Let us know how you get on with them-might order that package myself once the bikes fixed...

Will do, gonna order them and a few bits this evening. Whats the craic with your bike anyway?

Cuddlesworth

Thanks for the replys. Just a quick update, the high LED hasn't died but rather the High setting has. A class piece of electronics.

n.catenthusiast

KamiKazi wrote: »

Will do, gonna order them and a few bits this evening. Whats the craic with your bike anyway?

Cheers man,

Ah have been away for the last three weeks and so parked all my problems till after the holidays so haven't done anything. Unfortunately I'm back tomorrow and did some terrible damage to my card so it's hard to know when I'll have the cash to get everything back in order!

Reckon it just needs a good service (and fork seals replaced) to get me through the winter.

I'll probably sort it out sooner rather than later though-commute on the bus was wrecking my head before I left!

746watts

oxford are good value and were still working perfectly when I sold the bike 2 years later, had muffs too on a different bike but not both together. I found muffs pushed back by the wind and pressed against the brake lever at Xmph (cough) so stopped using them.

Georgey Burgess

I'm on my 3rd set of oxford hot grips .... 3 different bikes.

easy to fit and quite reasonably priced. I got mine on e-bay.

The following is a review on how to fit them. Newer versions of hotgrips may be slightly different as this review is old.

http://www.foc-u.co.uk/reviews/chrioxford.htm

KamiKazi

Hot grips finally came today :cool: will fit them on Saturday

Hotblack Desiato

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

to top it off it takes bloody ages for them to actually heat up.

No wonder - it says they only draw 1.5 amps. That's only 18 to 20 watts - so half that on each side - and you have rubber and gloves between them and your hands. You need more oomph than that on a cold day (and a low setting, or variable heat, for when they reach the temp you like)

I can't offer any advice on aftermarket ones though as my bike came with OEM ones fitted. First bike I've had with heated grips. I'll never ride through a winter without them again.

Whatever you do, don't fit heated grips without a fuse, or bypass the fuse...

faceman

Ive had 2 sets of Oxford Hot Grips. The first pair were an older model and stopped working after a year. The set I currently have were only put on a few weeks ago but I find them easier to use and faster to heat up than the last model I had.

Just a tip, try wire them via your brake light so that they only operate when the ignition is on.

KamiKazi

faceman wrote: »

Just a tip, try wire them via your brake light so that they only operate when the ignition is on.

Yea I'm gonna attack the bike with a multimeter tomorrow

Surely the brake light cable would only have power when you're braking?

KamiKazi

Fitted em this morning, pretty awesome Took about an hour to install the grips and a pair of Oxford muffs. Anything above the second setting (40%) burns I'm not sure if it's because the right grip is thinner than the left or not, but the right grip seems to give off a little more heat than the left.

Georgey Burgess

KamiKazi wrote: »

Fitted em this morning, pretty awesome Took about an hour to install the grips and a pair of Oxford muffs. Anything above the second setting (40%) burns I'm not sure if it's because the right grip is thinner than the left or not, but the right grip seems to give off a little more heat than the left.

good stuff. try to turn them off a few minutes before you arrive at your destination. if your batteries feeling a little ill then leaving the hot grips on till the end can mean having to jump start her.

i only use the lowest setting when riding. if its really cold i might use the higher setting at the start to get them up to heat.

KamiKazi

Georgey Burgess wrote: »

good stuff. try to turn them off a few minutes before you arrive at your destination. if your batteries feeling a little ill then leaving the hot grips on till the end can mean having to jump start her.

i only use the lowest setting when riding. if its really cold i might use the higher setting at the start to get them up to heat.

Yea I only use the 1st or 2nd setting. I don't think the right grip gives off more heat, I think it's just that I use my left hand to wipe my visor etc. whereas my right hand never leave the grip.

Georgey Burgess

KamiKazi wrote: »

Yea I only use the 1st or 2nd setting. I don't think the right grip gives off more heat, I think it's just that I use my left hand to wipe my visor etc. whereas my right hand never leave the grip.

yeah I find the right grip slightly cooler. as you say that might be due to wiping your visor with you left hand. also it may be due to the left grip being thicker and absorbing more heat!!

Alkers

Much bother fitting them? Does it keep your whole glove/hand warm or will the side exposed to weather still be freezing?

KamiKazi

Simona1986 wrote: »

Much bother fitting them? Does it keep your whole glove/hand warm or will the side exposed to weather still be freezing?

Took a bit of brute force to get the left grip on, but I think that's because I have Renthals on which may be slightly thicker and the left end was knurled too which didn't help. Keeps my whole hand warm, but that's probably because I stuck a pair of Oxford Sports Muffs on as well.

Georgey Burgess

Simona1986 wrote: »

Much bother fitting them? Does it keep your whole glove/hand warm or will the side exposed to weather still be freezing?

only on the really really cold days will the exposed side of your hands be freezing. all other days the warm sensation on the palms of your hands compensates for the colder side. they certainly keep your hands from freezing to the point where you can't feel them and cant use the controls properly or concentrate on the road.

n.catenthusiast

Oh dear that links dead think the deal must be over.

Having a poke around the internet for an equivalent offer but please give us a heads up if you know of anythin!

n.catenthusiast wrote: »

Hey man,

looks like a good deal. Let us know how you get on with them-might order that package myself once the bikes fixed...

KamiKazi

n.catenthusiast wrote: »

Oh dear that links dead think the deal must be over.

Having a poke around the internet for an equivalent offer but please give us a heads up if you know of anythin!

Saw that, that's why I ordered them, realised how good the deal was :P

MargeS

Oxford Hot grips
Are these the full Oxford Hot Grips product, because at 39.99sterling they seem a little inexpensive? Seems too good!

n.catenthusiast

MargeS wrote: »

Oxford Hot grips
Are these the full Oxford Hot Grips product, because at 39.99sterling they seem a little inexpensive? Seems too good!

Reckon the price is about right for just the grips but no muffs attached, so going on what others are saying they'd be of limited value on their own....

goodlad

A slightly off topic question but i dont think the question needs a thread of its own.

I tried to find some gloves for bloody ages and couldnt find a nice warm pair to fit me properly. Damn little girl hands! haha!

I have gloves but they are kinda a racing glove so arnt that warm, would it be worth my while getting some oxford muffs? I guess i could still wear my gloves with the muffs on the bike? Would i need both?

KamiKazi

goodlad wrote: »

A slightly off topic question but i dont think the question needs a thread of its own.

I tried to find some gloves for bloody ages and couldnt find a nice warm pair to fit me properly. Damn little girl hands! haha!

I have gloves but they are kinda a racing glove so arnt that warm, would it be worth my while getting some oxford muffs? I guess i could still wear my gloves with the muffs on the bike? Would i need both?

Muffs are awesome, no more wind chill

n.catenthusiast

this is slightly off topic too, but it definitely doesn't deserve a thread of it's own.

Muffs are awesome. I remember being in a pub one evening and a girl screamed at me that my problem was that 'I was afraid of the muff'.


And you know what? I think she mighta had a point....

Hotblack Desiato

KamiKazi wrote: »

I'm not sure if it's because the right grip is thinner than the left or not, but the right grip seems to give off a little more heat than the left.

The right grip is insulated from the handlebars by the throttle twistgrip; the left grip is in contact with the handlebars. So heat conducts away faster from the left grip and it will feel cooler.

Some heated grip kits have a 'warmer' grip for the left side to compensate for this.

rccaulfield

Hot grips are an awful invention imo! Palms are warm fingers aching as usual! Muffs keep the WHOLE hand toasty!

Cuddlesworth

rccaulfield wrote: »

Hot grips are an awful invention imo! Palms are warm fingers aching as usual! Muffs keep the WHOLE hand toasty!

I have found if you grip the grips properly then your whole hand, tips included keep warm. If on the other hand you have the bad practise of fingers over both the levers, then no they won't work,

KamiKazi

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

I have found if you grip the grips properly then your whole hand, tips included keep warm. If on the other hand you have the bad practise of fingers over both the levers, then no they won't work,

Bad practice? How is it bad practice?

MargeS

I got and fitted Hot Grips recently. Don't know why I waited so long to get them. Maybe it's the fact that I have smaller hands then men, but I can get my whole hand around the grip, so my fingers don't get cold.

Also there is a down side.....I left mine turned on last week and flattened my battery!

Cuddlesworth

KamiKazi wrote: »

Bad practice? How is it bad practice?

You have less control of the steering in case of a blowout, less throttle control and your creating a over-reliance on your front brakes rather then being more aware of keeping adequate reaction distances. Its not far off a person driving a car with their foot in a constant hover over their brakes for fear of what might happen.

KamiKazi

MargeS wrote: »

I got and fitted Hot Grips recently. Don't know why I waited so long to get them. Maybe it's the fact that I have smaller hands then men, but I can get my whole hand around the grip, so my fingers don't get cold.

Also there is a down side.....I left mine turned on last week and flattened my battery!

You could hook up a relay, that way they'll only come on if your ignition is on.

aurin07

bike depending.. handguards..

Hotblack Desiato

rccaulfield wrote: »

Hot grips are an awful invention imo! Palms are warm fingers aching as usual!

I've never found that, including on rides several hours long in just-above-freezing weather. A lot of aftermarket heated grips kits are pretty weak though.

Hotblack Desiato

KamiKazi wrote: »

You could hook up a relay, that way they'll only come on if your ignition is on.

Yeah and make sure the wiring on the switched side of the relay (that feeds the grips) has a fuse between the relay and the battery positive terminal. Unfused wiring is a big fire risk.

KamiKazi

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

You have less control of the steering in case of a blowout, less throttle control and your creating a over-reliance on your front brakes rather then being more aware of keeping adequate reaction distances. Its not far off a person driving a car with their foot in a constant hover over their brakes for fear of what might happen.

Less control of the steering yes, but far better reactions in the case of some twat car driver pulling out in front of you.

Over reliance on your front brakes? lol

It's completely different from a car driver driving with their foot over the brake constantly.

Hotblack Desiato

It is and it isn't, KamiKazi (great name by the way ) like a lot of things it depends on the circumstances. Doing the same thing all the time regardless of circumstances is bound to be wrong sometime.

If I was entering a junction and there was a car stopped at a side road, didn't look like they were going to pull out, I'd be covering the front brake just in case (and covering the horn button) but if I'd got my speed right on the way into the hazard, I wouldn't need to slow down any more.

If I was in any doubt that they might pull out, hadn't looked in my direction, etc. then I'd be braking and giving them a toot on the horn until I was sure either I'd be able to stop in time, or the danger had passed.

But riding with your fingers over the lever all the time is bad. It's either sloppy (means that you're not thinking but just doing things out of habit) or else it means you're riding on your nerves instead of looking ahead, planning ahead and thinking ahead. It's also bad in slippery conditions as it means that if a danger arises suddenly* you're more likely to grab a big handful of brake and maybe locking the front.

* apparently 'suddenly' is the word that appears most often in insurance reports! But really, on the road things rarely happen suddenly, what it really means is 'suddenly I noticed something that I hadn' t been paying attention to, or the clues were there earlier'. With experience (and training is even better) you can identify the drivers likely to pull out or cut you up or whatever even before they do it.

Hotblack Desiato

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

You have less control of the steering in case of a blowout

Much much better to make sure your tyres are in good condition, correctly inflated and that tyre tubes (on bikes with spoked wheels) are replaced asap after an emergency repair. Then you will almost certainly never have this problem.

Mate of mine was killed ten years ago when his front tyre blew out at 60MPH. He'd bought the bike about 3 months earlier, it turned out the front tube was more patches than tube. I'll never ride a bike with tubed tyres again. They're 19th century technology invented for bicycles after all and have improved little since then... unlike tubeless tyres, if they let go they let go all at once leading to loss of control.

Fabio

aurin07 wrote: »

bike depending.. handguards..

Want to get ones for the V-Strom and modify them for the Bandit actually...that be daycent.