Heated Gloves vs. Handgrips

[Questions]

Well I would like some input from anyone that has tried heated gloves or handgrips for an RS. It seems that even with the best gloves, complete with glove liners and hand warmer in a back pocket of the gloves, my fingers get frozen when riding in temps in the low 40s. So it seems like I either try gloves or replace the hand grips. I guess it's due to bad circulation from diabetes that makes it a problem for me, everything else stays warm enough for me.

I've seen battery operated gloves that say they will keep your hands warm, and they have two settings, plus they are a lot cheaper than handgrips, plus no mod needed to the bike then. Anyone have any experience with either of them???

[gimpygary62]

I recently purchased Gerbings Jacket and Gloves. I chose the leather gloves and picked up a can of aerosol waterproofing. The gloves are comfortable and keep my hands warm. Since the gloves plug into the jacket the I don't have a lot of wiring to contend with which is nice. There are a lot of very knowledgable folks on this site (I aint one of em!) that have posted some info on the subject.

[Arr MiHardies]

I find the even with my heated handgrips and my leather winter can am gauntlets, the outside (wind facing) edge still can get quite code. Heated gloves might help that.

[NancysToy]

I have used heated gloves on the RS...the plug-in variety, and they work fine down to at least 20 degrees, but maybe less for you, since I can wear regular gloves and liners down to about freezing without difficulty. I prefer heated grips, which I have on my RT and my BMW. There are some issues with either. Heated grips warm the inside of your hands, so the backs of the fingers and the thumbs get colder...sometimes quite fast at high speeds or in the wind. Thicker gloves help that problem, but insulate your hands from the heated grips, so they don't get as warm. Heated gloves warm the outside of your hands, and the individual fingers pretty well, and they are often better insulated, but they don't warm the insides on most gloves, so in real cold weather the handlebars can feel real cold. I suppose having both would be the best of both worlds, but the electric draw would be fierce. Handlebar "muffs" or brushguards help a lot, since they shield your hands from the wind. Some folks have adapted Ski-doo muffs to the Spyder, but I haven't seen any brushguards fitted. If you do not have a Throttlemeister on the bar end, the Triumph grip guards look like they might work on an SM5. I haven't tried to fit them, though.

[Wattsmyname]

I installed Oxford Heated Grips, best $80 you will ever spend and the install is not bad at all. Once you put these on, you will be suprised at how often you use them, even on days when it is not really that cold. I got mine at Twisted Throttle, good luck

[Sarge707]

http://lockitt.com/AccessoriesGrips3.htm
I use the Oxford "Hot Hands".
They attach for the winter to the battery and while the wiring remains in place-
the Wrap Around grips CAN be taken off for the warm season and My grip Puppies put back on.
I have used them a Lot at 40-42 degrees and their great- Have used down to 32 Degrees.
To compliment these I have the Tourmaster "Winter Elite " glove that has a 3 finger Nylon
(WIND PROOF) mitten that comes out of a pouch and gives you the effect of Handlebar muffs
without the bulk. This 3 finger Windproof mitten is a Life Saver to help keep the warmth in the glove
at highway speeds.
(You Tube- Winter Elite Glove to see a video of them.)

[rnet]

Most of my experience with heated hand grips come from riding snowmobiles and have ridden in temps down to -40 on several occasions, like Scotty said your hands will have cold spots, mine was my fingertips. This last fall I purchased Powerlets glove liners and was riding in 30 degree weather with no hand grip warmers and they were great at a 2 setting (1 to 5). Next week i will try them out in Northern Ontario were I am expecting ) 0 degree weather and I will let you know how they perform with and without the hand grip warmers. If you go with grip warmer they make gloves that are thinner in the palm area so you can feel he heat. Most snowmobile gloves are like this.

[Questions]

Most of my experience with heated hand grips come from riding snowmobiles and have ridden in temps down to -40 on several occasions, like Scotty said your hands will have cold spots, mine was my fingertips. This last fall I purchased Powerlets glove liners and was riding in 30 degree weather with no hand grip warmers and they were great at a 2 setting (1 to 5). Next week i will try them out in Northern Ontario were I am expecting ) 0 degree weather and I will let you know how they perform with and without the hand grip warmers. If you go with grip warmer they make gloves that are thinner in the palm area so you can feel he heat. Most snowmobile gloves are like this.

I forgot to mention my other problem... BIG hands... LOL I get into a good glove that's XL, but cheap gloves don't usually fit at that size. I'll check and see what comes in my size too but the Powerlets may be the answer I'll be anxious to get an update from you on them, thanks

[CWilber]

Hubby and I gave each other heated gloves Christmas 2010. They plug into the connection that we have for the battery tender so no extra wiring. We went with the gloves instead of the grips as they keep your entire hand warm rather than just the bottom.

[Questions]

Hubby and I gave each other heated gloves Christmas 2010. They plug into the connection that we have for the battery tender so no extra wiring. We went with the gloves instead of the grips as they keep your entire hand warm rather than just the bottom.

I was thinking about going with heated gloves that run on batteries so no wiring, plus I can recharge the batteries, I think they were under $30 a pair, might be worth the try with them

[rnet]

I forgot to mention my other problem... BIG hands... LOL I get into a good glove that's XL, but cheap gloves don't usually fit at that size. I'll check and see what comes in my size too but the Powerlets may be the answer I'll be anxious to get an update from you on them, thanks

I will be back on the 26th and post an update.

[r1100rider]

Well I would like some input from anyone that has tried heated gloves or handgrips for an RS. It seems that even with the best gloves, complete with glove liners and hand warmer in a back pocket of the gloves, my fingers get frozen when riding in temps in the low 40s. So it seems like I either try gloves or replace the hand grips. I guess it's due to bad circulation from diabetes that makes it a problem for me, everything else stays warm enough for me.

I've seen battery operated gloves that say they will keep your hands warm, and they have two settings, plus they are a lot cheaper than handgrips, plus no mod needed to the bike then. Anyone have any experience with either of them???

I just put both on my RS I went with the element style grip heaters Because the element in grip style are hard plastic and I can replace grips if they wear out ,I was able to get the stock grips off and reuse by working a small Phillips screwdriver under then using rubbing achocal they work great and only cost 40 bucks I figured that the grip heaters would be nice anytime even cool summer eve with summer gloves, I choose gerbling glove liners so I could Use them inside other gloves since I seem to wear out my gloves and I can use them with my quad if you have big hands I just used some of my old winter gloves that the liner was packed down on and pulled out the wore liner and used the shell with the electrics,As far. as power draw.goes don't worry I have a full electric suit and the grips it runs it all no problem if you were 2 up with 2 suits it may be different the grips are 2 watts

[eagle]

i just got a pair of battery opperated leather gloves made by "CASTLE". they make a line of motorcycle gear for dirt bikes, racing bikes etc. will be trying out very shortly, as temps below zero last couple nights. the best advice i can offer is to use whatever means you preffer to stop the wind from blowing on hands. this allows gloves or whatever to do their thing to keep us warm.

[TuckMiddle]

http://lockitt.com/AccessoriesGrips3.htm
I use the Oxford "Hot Hands".
They attach for the winter to the battery and while the wiring remains in place-
the Wrap Around grips CAN be taken off for the warm season and My grip Puppies put back on.
I have used them a Lot at 40-42 degrees and their great- Have used down to 32 Degrees.
To compliment these I have the Tourmaster "Winter Elite " glove that has a 3 finger Nylon
(WIND PROOF) mitten that comes out of a pouch and gives you the effect of Handlebar muffs
without the bulk. This 3 finger Windproof mitten is a Life Saver to help keep the warmth in the glove
at highway speeds.
(You Tube- Winter Elite Glove to see a video of them.)

I've had a pair of those Tourmasters fir many years and they are the best in the world in my opinion. Just a little hard to pick your nose with, but, I've learned to adjust. I wish someone made the same system for summer with cover for rains and T'Storms. If you've seen em, let us know, ok?

I rode today and I've just been using my summer gloves with the heated grips on the RT. It was a balmy 42 this morning, but 28 tonight after I attended a retirement party for a great friend from the Guard. My thumbs got a little cold, but were ok. Ride with a Gerbing jacket and fleece lined Harley blue jeans and a pair of long johns instead of chaps. Boy, I hate those things, too heavy for me. I do have summer rain chaps that are really great on 30 degree mornings when it's going to warm up to 50 or more. Normally. "low" works great on the heated grips; if you have thick gloves, then you need high to get the heat through the thick gloves, per a comment above.

Everyone has his own heat/cold tolerance and believe me it changes as you approach retirement and "the senior years."

Best to all and hope you're peachy warm, it's a little chilly in GA tonight. I did wear the hood on my sweatshirt tonight, back part of my neck hates anything below 65 - radiation many years ago. No, I never smoked, but had some of my larnyx out, followed by the treatments. That's why I sound like I'm 200 years old, and I'm only 518 in dog years. Holy Toledo, that sounds awful

Tuck

[NancysToy]

I've had a pair of those Tourmasters fir many years and they are the best in the world in my opinion. Just a little hard to pick your nose with, but, I've learned to adjust. I wish someone made the same system for summer with cover for rains and T'Storms. If you've seen em, let us know, ok?

I rode today and I've just been using my summer gloves with the heated grips on the RT. It was a balmy 42 this morning, but 28 tonight after I attended a retirement party for a great friend from the Guard. My thumbs got a little cold, but were ok. Ride with a Gerbing jacket and fleece lined Harley blue jeans and a pair of long johns instead of chaps. Boy, I hate those things, too heavy for me. I do have summer rain chaps that are really great on 30 degree mornings when it's going to warm up to 50 or more. Normally. "low" works great on the heated grips; if you have thick gloves, then you need high to get the heat through the thick gloves, per a comment above.

Everyone has his own heat/cold tolerance and believe me it changes as you approach retirement and "the senior years."

Best to all and hope you're peachy warm, it's a little chilly in GA tonight. I did wear the hood on my sweatshirt tonight, back part of my neck hates anything below 65 - radiation many years ago. No, I never smoked, but had some of my larnyx out, followed by the treatments. That's why I sound like I'm 200 years old, and I'm only 518 in dog years. Holy Toledo, that sounds awful

Tuck

Aerostitch sells glove rain covers, and I think FirstGear has them, too...or use a pair of large rubber gloves. The ones from the home improvement store are the biggest.

[TuckMiddle]

Ya mean Ron has been holding back> I've got a top bag for a luggage rack that is full of gloves, neck things, rubber surgical gloves, etc. Guess the rubber work gloves are too obvious a solution for me. I bought a pair of HD rain proof gloves 3 years ago and in 5 minutes my hands were soaked and I still carry them, never worn them since. I think a good cleaning out of that bag is due and I'll have to hunt some Aerostitch or First Gear gloves. Are you listening, Ron??
Thanks
Tuck

[Chazzman]

If your gonna ride a lot in cold weather, then I would recommend Garmin heated gear. The gloves are great, I used them along with a heated vest on my GL1800 a few years back. The gloves are pretty light, not big and bulky. My nephew has around 200,000 miles on a GL1800 in 5 years with Garmin gear allowing year round riding. Some gloves out there take away your ability to feel the controls due to sise and bulkiness.

[SpyderLady]

When I had my RS I was using Heated Gloves that plugged in, left over from my Harley Days. My only complaints were trying to adjust the temperature.... I did get gloves with adjustable temp... the gloves were bulky and uncomfortable. Yes my hands stayed warm, but it was a hassle ever time I got off to unplug myself before I stepped too far My new RT has heated grips and I have found they work quite well with a good glove liner and then my winter gauntlets over the liner. Hope this helps... we all have our own preferences and styles. Do what you feel best doing.

[daveinva]

My Gerbing gloves stay "warm" down to about 20 degrees, but to be honest, they're only "hot" above 40 (and I don't need them above 40-- I can get by with regular insulated gloves), so I don't think they're ideal, just "good enough."

One thing that I did add for the winter that helps a little bit were the Madstad hand deflectors:

http://www.madstad.com/s.nl/it.A/id.540/.f

Combined with a larger (24") windshield, the deflectors help a bit to keep the wind off of you. I'll definitely take them off once it warms up, but for winter riding every little bit helps!

[rnet]

Well after riding in Ontario this my post back on the powerlet glove liners. Did not have as cold of temperatures as I had wished, but at 20 degrees the liners performed as expected at a 2 setting. The best part is the even heating throughout the hand, better than the handlebar heaters, cause of the uneven heat. I did use the handlebar heaters mostly cause of the inconvience of being wired, but if it had gotten colder they definitely would have been on.

[Bob Denman]

[QUOTE=kenthierfelder;416112]Well I would like some input from anyone that has tried heated gloves or handgrips for an RS. It seems that even with the best gloves, complete with glove liners and hand warmer in a back pocket of the gloves, my fingers get frozen when riding in temps in the low 40s. So it seems like I either try gloves or replace the hand grips. I guess it's due to bad circulation from diabetes that makes it a problem for me, everything else stays warm enough for me.

QUOTE]
Type I or Type !!? I've been a Type I for 47 years and know fully what you're dealing with. I might suggest that you get a Dennis Kirk snowmobile catalog; they probably sell heated grips in there that are designed for snowmobiles, but would of course work on any motorcycle as well...
It's worth a look!

www.denniskirk.com

[Lamonster]

I find the even with my heated handgrips and my leather winter can am gauntlets, the outside (wind facing) edge still can get quite code. Heated gloves might help that.

Well take this for what it's worth.

I've used Gerbings for years and they are better than no heated glove at all but I still found the tips of my fingers would get so cold they would hurt. I had to buy some waterproof mitt's to cover them because they would get so soaked in the rain that they weren't much good at all. I never even considered heated grips because I thought the wind on the front of your hand would be so cold it would be pointless.

Then I got a RT with heated grips and that changed everything.
The tips of my fingers no longer get cold and I find when my hands are nice and toasty the rest of my body stays pretty warm. How that was explained to me was the blood is being heated from the grips and circulating through out your body, that's why the front of your hands in the wind still stay warm. I'm not sure why this isn't working like that for you but it works great for me. I wear a light pair of gloves now even in the low 20's and my hands are nice and warm.