Heated Grips or Heated Gloves?

[Lgn001]

Have any of the members here tried both heated grips and gloves? Not as a combination, but one versus the other. I need to do something this winter since I am no longer willing to ignore the discomfort.

The following list is what occurs to me as considerations, and I am sure that there are others. Ultimately, though, what matters the most is which works better. So please fire away, and deliver me from my complete and utter ignorance on the subject. Thanks!


Glove Advantages
Can use on more than one bike
Will probably easily adapt or plug into a Widder vest (got one)
Heat on both sides of hand (assumption on my part)

Glove Unknowns/Disadvantages
Cost a lot
Costs even more with a controller; is controller an absolute must?
Bulkier than winter gloves? (I’ve never tried them on)
10 amp fuse OK for gloves and vest? Looks OK on paper, but…
Same circuit as vest. Possibly cold hands AND cold everything else
Wire routing through jacket a headache?
Durability?


Grip Advantages
Separate fused circuit than vest
No electrical harness running through jacket sleeves

Grip Unknowns/Disadvantages
Good for one bike only
Heat on inside of hands only
Possibly uncomfortable anatomically
How long does the “grip” portion last?

[supervfr]

i would rather have the grips. your palm is not going to be the coldest part. its the top of your hand that is the least insulated from the wind.

however i HATE being attached by wires if thats the case.

[SCraig]

I have both and I use both.

Most of your observations are pretty close to the mark. Grip heaters do heat the palms of your hands but that warmth does spread to the rest pretty readily. My Gerbing gloves only heat on the outside of the hands but then that warmth spreads pretty readily.

My heated gloves are very bulky and sometimes difficult to ride with. They are, however, very warm so I put up with the bulk in exchange for the comfort. I don't even notice the wire routing once everything is hooked up.

One important thing that you left out is that heated grips are never left at home when you need them. They are always there. I was on the Blue Ridge Parkway in July, 2007 and the air temperature on the west side of the mountains was in the 90's. On the east side it topped out in the low 70's and on top of the mountains was in the low 50's. I would never have even though of packing my heated gloves but I was on my V-Strom and very, very glad to have grip heaters in July.

Also, the electrical system on some bikes is taxed to heat everything. I don't know about the VFR. My V-Strom ahs about 125 watts available and a vest or jacket plus gloves or socks would pretty much top that out.

A variable controller is not an absolute must but it is an absolute joy. You can switch them on and off constantly wiht a switch, or you can just get the controller where you want it and leave it.

If I had to pick one I'm not sure which way I'd go. I think I'd go with grip heaters though.

[Yakima9]

I'm going to be installing these on both of my bikes this winter

Heated Grip Kit :: Heated Grips and Accessories :: A to B Utilities :: Aerostich/RiderWearHouse Motorcycle Jackets, Suits, Clothing, & Gear

Looks like they got rave reviews and you can't beat the price.

[jackinthebox4]

i find the grips better.
they are plenty warm, they don't inhibit movement of the hands, and you can wear lighter gloves and still feel warm.
love'em.

touch that switch, and it's springtime on the viffer.

[two4one]

Originally Posted by Lgn001

Glove Unknowns/Disadvantages
Cost a lot
Costs even more with a controller; is controller an absolute must?
Bulkier than winter gloves? (I’ve never tried them on)
Wire routing through jacket a headache?
Durability?

I can give some feedback concerning these issues.

Keep in mind, I use a Gerbing's jacket liner and Gerbing's classic gloves.

Controller: Is the controller a must? Absolutely not, however, depending on how easily you sweat, you may find the gloves working against you without one. I'll explain. What typically happens to me is I put my stuff on and initially my hands are nice and toasty. Next thing you know, my hands are sweating which obviously leads to your hands getting cold. I've learned to turn my switch off and on to avoid this situation however a controller would probably serve me well. I've been stubborn and haven't bought one. 5 years now and I still don't have one. Turning the switch off really isn't an issue until the temps get really cold like in the 40's because at that point, your torso suffers from lack of heat.

Bulk? Sure they're bulky but nothing a quick lever adjustment can't cure. I find I can't extend my fingers as far as normal so I bring the levers in a tad. I find the bulky gloves to be an excellent reminder that you shouldn't be gripping the clip-ons so darn tight. That also helps keep your hands from sweating.

Wiring: My jacket and gloves are perfectly routed as a system, there is no issue there. Regardless of what jacket I wear, the gloves and wiring route in a way that isn't an obstruction.

Durability: I sent my gloves and jacket back to Gerbing's in early September to have them checked and repaired. I've had them 5 years and I'm not easy on my stuff. I tend to yank the wires and not be careful with the connections. Gerbing's customer service was phenomenal. Everything was repaired and returned to me, only cost being my shipping charge to get them there.

Overall I would still go with the gloves over the grips.

[derstuka]

I have oxford heated grips, but they are only good to a certain degree (cold)...as far as keeping your hands "warm." I think heated gloves would work better because the backside of your hand is heated, but I don't feel like hooking up the wires each time I need them just in case.

My oxfords are not uncomfortable, and seem to be wearing decently. You mentioned the one thing that I really dislike....once they wear our (the rubber grip) you cannot just buy the grips separately and replace them.

I think if a person rides in really cold weather, you might need both, or if only one, the gloves.

[nozzle]

Having only the grips, I can only comment that they keep the hands toasty down to the mid thirties (F). Key point is do they keep you warm, not hot. Once you start sweating, that moisture makes things damp and then cold.

The grips keep the digits warm as the Honda system has six different settings. I don't like the bulk of my insulated winter gloves - the heater's make my 3 season gloves work when it is "cold"

The "always there" point SCraig made can't be over stressed in my experience.

Personnally, I hate being wired to the bike as I will always forget.

Bottom line is how much coin do you have to spend and how cold are you riding in for how long?

[Action]

I have the grips and like them for all the reasons people have already stated. The always there part is probably the major one. Here in the high desert it can get chilly at night even in the summer so its nice to have heat whenever you want. On days like today I'll ride to work with my summer gloves on (getting ready to leave and it's in the mid 40's). Tonight I'll wear my heavier gloves on the way home (low 30's). If you have some wind proof gloves the grip heaters will keep your whole hand warm. Last thing was the price. I got my grips for about $40.00 and they are holding up fine after two years of use. At that price I could buy almost 2 more sets for the price of a pair heated gloves (most of the ones I was looking at were around 120).

Action

[emptyskull]

what about handguards with thermostats installed with the extra battery power? or route air tubes from radiators to the bar ends and it would blow warm air on your hands total sweetness..

[Lgn001]

Thanks for your input, everybody. I'm still undecided over which makes more sense for me. Nozzle pointed something out that I should have mentioned in the original text; how cold for how long?

The coldest I ever PLAN on is low 30's for a few hours. Due to inexperience and piss-poor planning on my part, I was lucky enough to ride in 18 degrees for about 40 miles last winter. Hands AND feet took a beating on that trip... Anyway, it sounds like gloves might be a better choice for several hours in low 30's to upper 20's.

[vfrchick]

I have never used heated grips or gloves and have never had a need for them. My suggestion is to get a heated jacket liner. Gerbing's makes them, as do a couple other companies.

Due to scuba diving in 35 degree water, and mountain climbing in snowy conditions, and of course riding bikes in 30 degree and below weather, I have had to learn how our body stays warm. If you don't know, here's a little lesson:

The purpose of our body's "heating" system is to keep our core and all vital organs warm. Digestion and reproduction are mandatory for survival... arms and legs are not. So, when our core gets cold, the body keeps the heat close to the core and doesn't allow as much out to our extremities. If our core is warm, the body lets the warmth flow freely to our extremities. We may not even feel cold, but if your hands or feet are cold, trust me, it's because your core is cold and your body is holding onto the heat. I have ridden in 30 degree and lower temps on the bike for extended hours and not been cold. My "winter" gloves are just leather gauntlet style gloves with some lambskin lining. Nothing spectacular at all. Yet, my hands and feet NEVER get cold when riding the bike, as long as I have the heated jacket liner on. I have a temp control so I can crank it up to high when it's freezing cold, but turn the temp down when it's in the 50s or 60s, and completely off when it gets into higher temps. And, I have spent many days where I've started out in 30 degrees, hit over 100, then gone back to 30s. If it's REALLY cold or REALLY windy, I put a polypropylene shirt OVER the jacket liner under the jacket and that helps seal in the heat too.

While scuba diving, we used to take "hot packs" and place them in our wetsuits by our kidneys and that would keep our core warm so we could dive in the cold water for more than 15 minutes.

You don't have to believe me, and many people don't. But, I have learned from experience that a heated jacket liner is all one needs to keep hands and feet warm. My opinion is that heated grips and heated gloves are a waste of time and money. Oh, and BTW, I am a typical woman and I am cold ALL THE TIME... except when riding in 30 degree weather with my heated jacket liner!! If you DO decide to get a jacket liner, you wear a long-sleeve t-shirt under it so the heat is against your body, so you don't have to layer up and be the Michelen man, it's you, your thin shirt, jacket liner and jacket.

Good luck on whatever you decide.

[airwalk]

I've been pretty happy with the expensive (gerbings) gloves, others have listed all the considerations so this is just personal preference(s). No controller, the switch is fine but I have it mounted on the bike where it's easy to reach. Used one of the large in-line types for a few yrs & found it annoying. Gloves plug into the arm outlets of a gerbings jacket liner, takes some practice to remember to leave those out so you can get ahold of them.Nothing is perfect & unless you make an effort to use a "condom" of some kind they aren't too great after getting soaked by the rain. Most large rubber gloves I've found just barely fit over them & are a royal pain to deal with.
If you do any significant amount of cold weather riding it's my hunch you'll be getting a pair.....heated grips or not.

[Spike]

the nice thing about grips, is you don't have to pack them, or remember to pack them. So if you go out for a ride, and it is colder than you thought, there is no "crap, should have worn the electric gloves." You merely flip the switch or turn the knob. It is also nice on a Spring or Fall ride where you start in the morning, and it is a little cool, but you know it will warm up, so you don't want winter gloves. Simply turn ont he grips, and lower them or turn them off when it warms up. This also works when your ride goes longer than you planned, and all sudden it is much cooler than you thought.
Another big thing is if you are covering a larger area on a ride, even if it is all during the day, you could see a 20 degree change in temp. I used to ride to Tahoe a lot (best friend lived there for a while) and in the Spring and fall, or even some summer days, there was a big temperature change from Corte Madera, CA to Minden, NV. You can simply turn the grips up and down as needed, and not have to change them out. On when I left in the morning, off or down as I crossed the Sac area a hour or so later, up/on again as I went up the mountain. Perfectly comfy the whole time, don't have to stop and change out anything.

[Action]

You could always try the grips first since they are cheap ($40 ish) and if they don't do what you want go with the gloves. I've ridden in to work (45 min trip) in the high teens and grip heaters/winter gloves worked well. Either way you are going to be wearing a heavy glove when the temp goes down below the low 30's. If you have multipule bikes the gloves may be the way to go. The advantage of grip heaters is they extend your temp. range for wearing lighter gloves.

Action

[dogFM]

I've had bikes where I've had both on and used both simultaneously ... I'd go with the grips first- they are always there. The Gerbings stuff & customer service is first rate but I 've had it fail on me twice now. Replaced free of charge so no problem either time but it was chilly riding home!

[ewryly]

I just came home from a 110 mile ride with the temps 20-25 degrees the whole time. I was out for three hours. I have the gerbing sleeved liner and the G3 gloves. The gloves are actually very nice gloves even if they were not heated, but they are not cheap. By the time I got home I was chilly but all right. I need a better jacket to wear over the liner, but for now it is fine. I don't see myself going out when it is this cold very often, but I hate not riding while there is still no snow.

I haven't tried the grips, but having to be wired in is a bit of a pain. If I wasn't already wired for the jacket, I would probably consider heated grips, but since I already have the jacket and it is wired for gloves, the gloves seem to be the way to go.

[B.Craig]

I purchased the First Gear heated Gloves and the Dual Portable Heat-Troller a few weeks ago, and here is my early review.

The Good -

:: They will keep your hands warm. I'm in Denver and have ridden in temp's as low as 24 Degrees since the purchase. The gloves have done a great job keeping my hands nice and warm. In fact, I've learned that they actually get too hot at the highest temperature setting. My commute is 25 minutes with some highway riding, and the gloves are warm within the first 30 seconds.

:: The install was simple. Just hook up to the battery and you're in business.

:: No permanent modifications to the bike necessary. I purchased the Portable controller and it just goes in the pocket while I ride, and in the saddlebags when not in use. Plug one end into the connection attached to the bike, and the other into the wire going to the gloves.

:: Upgrade Options - the "Dual" controller will allow me to add a jacket or pants at a later date if I find that necessary. This will also enable me to independently adjust the temperature for the gloves and a jacket or pants. For now the gloves are working great just by themselves, but at some point it will be nice to be able to add on the jacket. I just didn't want to invest so much all up front.

The Not so Good -

:: Bulk - the gloves are bulky...at least to a degree. I'm a new rider, so it doesn't bother me too much, but they are definitely not summer gloves. That said, I am not using them for canyon carving or technical riding, so they do just fine for lane changing and traffic maneuvering on the way to work.

:: Protection and Style - Although they are leather and will provide some protection in the event of an emergency, the gloves I purchased do not have any armor on them. First Gear does make a heated glove with Carbon knuckle protection, but it is $40 more retail. The Carbon glove also has a much better look and style to it. This might be an upgrade I look at down the road, but for now these gloves will have to do.

:: The Wires - since I have not purchased the jacket, I had to buy the wires to connect the gloves to the controller. These run easily through the jacket liner, and I have left them in on days when I know the temp's are going to be colder. There is some inconvenience to getting the wires in the jacket and hooking up the gloves. However, for me, it is well worth the extra 1-minute to get plugged in and enjoy the next 25 minutes riding two wheels to work instead of four.

Overall - for me, these gloves have done their job quite well. You just have to plan an extra minute to get set up and going in the morning. The VFR Saddlebags also make this option more feasible because it is easy to store the gloves on the bike so that I am prepared when the weather gets cold.

Here's a link to the First Gear website -

Heated Gloves