Heated Grips vs. Electric Gloves- great summer topic...

I have Widder Gloves that are great for longer trips and COLD dayz.

I have been thinking about heated grips for commuting (30 miles)

Whadda think?

paulsibek said:

I have Widder Gloves that are great for longer trips and COLD dayz.

I have been thinking about heated grips for commuting (30 miles)

Whadda think?

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how fast do you ride on the 30 mile commute? it's the whoile wind chill thing. if you putt-putt at city speeds, heated grips might do the trick. if it's higher speeds, you'll get colder faster.

the heated grips take the chill out of some days, but for real cold and highway speeds, heavy gloves are what i need. (i've also got gerbing glove liners, but i've only used them on one trip.)

Both together at the same time are the absolute best way to go.

But...

Grips are more convenient. They heat the palm, which means in really cold conditions you'll prefer not covering the clutch or brake with your fingers. Also, I often find myself hitting the grips button on a coolish summer morning with vented gloves on, rather than wearing heavier gloves.

Gloves are slightly warmer, and heat the outer part of the hand instead of the palm. But the wiring is less convenient than heated grips.

If you've got both, and I do, I don't know what the temperature limit is for keeping your hands warm - I've only ridden down to the single digits F, and had no problems there.

I have heated grips on my GS with the wind deflector things (I don't think the stock items on my '99 provide much protection other than wind) and they work fine. I have never used heated gloves so I can not speak to that but I have heated grips on my snowmobile and I wear the same gloves that I wear on my bike, my hands are always toasty warm on the sled and sled weather is a lot colder than what I ride the bike in. I guess having both would be the best of both worlds but I have not felt the need for the gloves yet.

Doug, thanks for the reply

It's usually around 40 degrees or less on the winter mornings and if I leave early the summer mornings can be chilly.

I use the gloves for trips of a few hours or more and they are great but I'm looking for ease of use which the heated grips seem to be about right.

Here in LA my speeds range from 0 to 80, mostly below 40 so the grips should be fine.

paulsibek said:

It's usually around 40 degrees or less on the winter mornings and if I leave early the summer mornings can be chilly.

I use the gloves for trips of a few hours or more and they are great but I'm looking for ease of use which the heated grips seem to be about right.

Here in LA my speeds range from 0 to 80, mostly below 40 so the grips should be fine.

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You're welcome.

FWIW, my older brother prefers heated grip wraps on his Harley. But that sounds as inconvenient as gloves to me.

Doug

paulsibek said:

It's usually around 40 degrees or less on the winter mornings and if I leave early the summer mornings can be chilly.

I use the gloves for trips of a few hours or more and they are great but I'm looking for ease of use which the heated grips seem to be about right.

Here in LA my speeds range from 0 to 80, mostly below 40 so the grips should be fine.

Click to expand...

Out here, grips will help quite a bit, as will adding a layer under your gloves. You can ride almost all year with heated grips, a decent pair of gloves and a $10 pair of coolmax glove liners.

I don't know what kind of bike you have, but if you have an oilhead, adding a set of GS hand protectors will look goofy but really help keep your hands warm.

Edit: Ah, I see you have a K75. Put some handguards on it and you'll be good to go. I think the airhead GS ones will work.

I thought heated grips were a usless gimmick until I used them, now I will not have a bike without them! Silk glove liners work wonders also.

Heated grips are always there, you don't have to remember to bring them, wear them or turn them on. On the other hand, they are not much help on an extended ride when the temps are below 30, the hands will ache with cold anyway and you'll wish you had heating coils over the top part of your hand.
If you are not doing "crazy" winter riding, heated grips are sufficient for the times you get caught in the chilly weather.

It's simply for

Commuting to work on cold mornings, not freezing, Los Angeles winter.

I want to wear my elkskins, no liners or the big electric Widders.

Sounds like the electric grips will do the trick.

Thanks all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've got both and would never spend the extra money to have heated grips.
If you sell your bike, the heated gloves go with you and don't need to be replaced. Not so with heated grips.
Plus, there's no comparison in terms of comfort. Gloves rule. Heated grips are only marginally useful.

Prior to purchasing my first bike with heated grips (94 R1100RS) I obtained the Widder heated vest, chaps, and gloves. Shortly after getting the RS, I bought a used 93 R100GS/PD that had heated grips.

I discovered a few things:
1) the hand protectors on the GS blocked much of the wind and made the heated grips much more effective than the "naked" grips on the oilhead RS.
2) the oilhead GS hand protectors could be mounted on the oilhead RS thereby making the heated grips more effective.
3) heated grips can only warm the surface of the hand on the grip. The top of the hand and fingers can still get cold.
4) heated gloves do a better job at keeping my hands warm
5) heated gloves are more easily transferrable to other bikes without heated grips.
6) it cost about $190 to add heated grips to the oilhead RS. The heated gloves were about $100.
7) Widder gloves are made mostly of a nylon outer which will melt if they touch a hot exhaust.
8) Pat Widder is a nice guy and sent me some "swatches" for use in repairing the melted glove.
9) Over time the Widder vest will shrink, which makes it feel warmer, but after a while breathing becomes difficult
10) At the MOA National Rally Gerbings sells at a bit of a discount - they have jacket liners that can keep one's arms warm as well as torso - and the next size larger can be purchased to "grow into".
11) the Gerbings gloves are leather and don't melt.

So now I rarely ever use the heated grips. I do use the Gerbings jacket liner and leather heated gloves in the cooler weather. I don't need the heated chaps or other leg warmers. The BMW foot warmers are effective for my feet - this seems to only be available on R bikes.

Yes the Widder vests

do tend to shrink, mine did but then it seemed to grow back after a few months.

Funny how that happened I think Famous Amos had something to do with it.

I review of the message above you heard from many already. I too have use heated Widder gloves & vest for the past 20 years and only since March have I had heated grips (with my 1150rt), and am glad for them. With heated gloves you have to plan or stop when using. With heated grips it's a simple switch (on or off). Sometimes in the early mornings (Riverside County, CA) the heated grips are great and by 9-10am it's off with the heat and enjoy the rest of the ride....

My 2.5 cents worth.



K Smith57

Heated Grips half the investment

I have both. The heated grips are much more convenient but be sure to invest in those hand guards. Not only do they protect from airborn FOD but they deflect the airstream to make the grips more comfortable AND at a lower setting.

Heated grips are one of the great inventions. I routinely turn them on in the summer on cool mornings and used them on the way back from the Vt. rally in the rain. Almost as good as wearing a hat

A couple of falls ago I bought 4 sets of bar warmers from a snowmobile supply place,paid $20 bucks for the 4 pair. They work every bit as good as BMW'S overly inflated price,and cheap enough that I gave away 3 sets for christmas presents

I run both. I have a 02 KRS with factory heated grips, I use these on cold mornings and in the rain during the summer. I have a Gerbing jacket liner and leather gloves for the colder times. During the winter(in WI), I usually run with the full heat on in the clothes and have the grips on high as well. Rarely do I get cold.