Heated hand grips

[triguy32]

I am a year-round NAD rider in North Alabama, though it doesn't get snowy here, we do get into the teens and occasionally single digits in the winter. On my Vulcan I used ATV handgrip covers which worked great, but were a bit of a pain getting your hands in and out. My NAD is just too darn pretty to put those on it, so I am fitting a Harley Batwing fairing to knock the wind off my hands, but would also really like to try heated grips. Anyone out there got info (good or bad) and preferred brands?

Thanks in advance,
Rick "why would anyone ride anything besides a Nomad" Greif

[spirello]

I WOULD LOOK INTO HEATED GLOVES AND COAT IT COST LESS THAN HEATED GRIPS AND YOU WHOLE UPPER BODY IS WARM. I BOUGHT WARM GEAR HEAD TO TOE AND AND HAVE RIDDIN IN 18 DEGREE WEATHER AND WAS SO TOASTY. JUST A THOUGHT GOOD LUCK TO YOU.

[jloyva]

I just finished installing Polly Hot Hands on my '85 Magna (still waiting for approval to get a Nomad) about 2.5 hours ago.

I used this site as a guide.

I will test them out tomorrow and let you know how well they work.

[jloyva]

I hate to double post but wanted to give my first impression of the Polly Hot Hands grip heaters.

I didn't get a chance to ride Saturday morning as it was raining and the wife doesn't like me riding in the rain. In all it took about 3 hours to get them installed (including installation of the relay). I took a few pictures but they are still on the camera at home, I'll try to post them in the next couple days, not that there is anything special about them.

I used what I assume to be the high temperature setting on the heaters according to the how-to guide, which appears to be opposite from the cryptic instruction sheet, I'll try to verify this tomorrow morning. Temperature was 40 F on the ride in to work, I was hoping for a little colder to get a good test, but I'm sure I'll get that soon enough.

It took a little while for the grips to warm up, I would say approximately 10 minutes (5 minute warm up while putting on jacket, balaclava, gloves, helmet and 5 minutes riding time) from the time I started the bike before I started to feel the warmth through my cheap $8 Menards snowmobile gloves. I've got a 25 minute ride to work and my palms stayed very warm, almost too warm by the time I arrived at work. The clutch hand was obviously warmer than the throttle hand due to the extra meat of the throttle.

Now the real test is the fingers. My fingers were considerably warmer than without the grip heaters, but were by no means toasty warm. The outsides of my fingers could still feel the chill of the wind, but the insides were comfortable. The tighter I squeezed the grips the warmer my fingers felt. I had hoped for warmer, but they do an adequate job. When I got to work my fingers were a little chilly, but much warmer than without the heated grips.

The grip heaters performed about as well as I expected. Overall I would recommend them with the understanding that you will not have warm toasty fingers, but it will keep your fingers from becoming painfully cold, and perhaps lowering your riding temperature threshold.

[socwkbiker]

Thanks for the write-up jloyva! Nothing like personal experience to help us year round riders decide if we buy heated equipment or not.

[dip]

thanks for the review, I think I will try the heated gloves first, then grips. Warm fingers are crucial to me.

[jloyva]

On the ride home tonight I figured out that I was actually using the low setting this morning. I assumed that the guy that did the how-to article was giving wiring directions based on actual experience, apparently not.

On the high setting the adhesive on the clutch hand grip actually became soft and half of the grip was sliding around easily. It was 10 degrees warmer so it's not a good comparison to this morning but my hands felt considerably warmer, more than the 10 degree difference should feel, so I have faith that it will perform much better in the colder temps than this morning.

I was looking at the Warm Gear heated glove liners that spirello mentioned above and that looks like a pretty good option. The only problem I have with the heated clothing is having wires hanging off me and having to plug in. I like the heated grips because all I have to do is flip a switch. I guess the price is a little off putting also ($70 for the cheapest glove liners and another $70 for the Heat-Troller) I only paid $52 for my set up which includes shipping of the unit from Dennis Kirk, and the relay and smaller switch from Radio Shack.

[ringadingh]

I used grip heaters made by Symtec inc. they are stick on heating elements that go between the grip and the handlebar. I have the Kury ISO grips and I find that they dont allow the heat to transfer very well through the grips, the heating elements would probably work better with stock grips. Since I installed mine Symtec has come out with a product called Heat Demons, they look as if they would be better with aftermarket grips plus you can plug accesories such as electric vests and socks etc into the control module. They are available from California Sport Touring or Symtec online.

[jloyva]

I saw the Heat Demons before I bought my Polly Hot Hands. I called Symtec (only a 25 minute ride from my house) to ask about them. The guy I talked to was very nice and helpful, told me to stop by and have a look, they would pull out the 2 different options and I could fiddle with them. I like the four heat levels and LED lights. Unfortunately they cost more than 3 times what the Polly Hot Hands cost so I figured since I'm putting them on a 22 year old bike that I hope to replace in the not too distant future I'd go with the cheap model.

[triguy32]

Hey guys, thanks for all the info. Still not quite sure which route I will take, but I appreciate the helpful inputs. I am installing a HD Batwing fairing this month which will effectively knock the wind off my hands, which I'm sure will help a lot. I might just ride faster, which in effect would get me to my destination sooner, leaving my hands less time to freeze up, LOL.