Heated handgrips - any good?

[martybabe]

I've been a fan of heated grips for years but now I've experienced the benefit of hand guards and reckon they provide much better protection from the cold than hot grips. I intended to fit the Triumph heated grips to the Tiger when winter arrived but doubt I will bother now.

I've got the ugly lookers, well not ugly but not pretty either. The front on look is a bit like you are carrying two garden variety spades across your handlebars. But hey THEY WORK!

Totally keep rain off your gloves and warm calm air sits behind the cover allowing your gloves to do the job of providing warmth without the wind chill factor ruining the party. Early Sunday ride this weekend and commuting today gave me the first taste of this winter's chill, but my hands were warm as. Much better than all the heated grip brands I've tried before. I notice the Tiger 800 and BMW F800GS have those trendy looking slim line guards for those style conscious riders. Pleased I've gone with function over form. And I'm saving on my power bill.

Seconded, heated grips are fine but they tend to warm the inside (palm) of your hands, your cold wet gloves still get the full force of the chill wind from the front. Hand guards keep 90% Of all the chill and wetness off your hands, recommended.

[fastoyz]

i have a used set of oxford ones $45 including shipping if anyone wants them

[Laava]

Heated handgrips and handguards GOOD! Mine will be getting a thrashing on our Forgotten World Highway tour this weekend!

[awayatc]

and also a windscreen,heater, roof and doors...........

[oneofsix]

and also a windscreen,heater, roof and doors...........

Oh a Goldwing - oops hold on they don't have the doors and roof ....yet

[nudemetalz]

I tried them for the first time on the MG Norge demo.

Found they were frying my hands until Mark told me it has a 3 position setting and I had it on full.
Position 1 was ample. Definitely like them and would recommend them for sure.

[vifferman]

I tried them for the first time on the MG Norge demo.

Found they were frying my hands until Mark told me it has a 3 position setting and I had it on full.
Position 1 was ample. Definitely like them and would recommend them for sure.

Reminds me of when we went snowmobiling near Queenstown; I kept dropping behind to take pictures, then racing to catch up with everyone else. The heated grips had two settings, but the actual heat output varied according to engine revs, so I was continually switching between 'Off', '1' and '2' to get my hands cozy without cooking them (alas - no hand guards, so at minus-whatever-degrees, windchill was huge...)
I'm on my second set of grips on the VFR now, and although the current ones (Oxford) are a bit fat and hard, they're much appreciated. They're wired into a spare connection on the BlueSeas (marine) fusebox under the seat, which has both permanent-on and switched connectors.
The only thing I don't like about the newer hot grips is the switch. The old one was an instant rotary control, whereas the solid-state one has push buttons ('On' /'+') and ('-'/'off'), which you have to depress for a few seconds for 'On' or 'Off', which is a few seconds too long when on the move. I guess it save accidental actuation, but that was never a problem with the old one.