Heated Grips - 2011 V7 Classic

[mthydro]

I've seen a few threads on heated grips already, but I was curious as to what most are using on their V7?

I'm leaning towards the Oxford Heaterz Premium Sport

[Moto Fugazzi]

I've been using Oxford's for over 10 years now. They get very hot on the high setting, and they have the automatic turn off feature, so if you accidentally leave them on, they'll shut off when voltage drops to about 12V. You won't have enough power to start your bike in most cases, but it won't totally drain your battery.
Ken

[flangeman_70]

I run these on both my bikes.
Flawless  ;-T

[malik]

I run the Oxford Premium Sports on the 1100 Sport & the Aerostich Warm Wraps on the V7C. I prefer the Oxfords - more robust & more convenient, the wraps tend to be a little delicate where the wires join the wrap after about 3 seasons. Both work well & neither get above the lower settings. While they still work, there's no incentive to change the wraps for the grips.

I do prefer the heated glove liners. Much more effective - keep the finger tips & back of the hands warm. The glove liners though need more preparation - can't be just switched on while riding. In an ideal world you'd have both the liners & the grips. I've had no battery problems running either or both.

If you are going to get grips, I'd recommend the Oxfords.

Mal

[zokn]

I had the Oxford Heaterz Premiums on my '75 R90/6. Never had a battery problem, but I watched it closely and put the bike on a trickle charger weekly or so to keep it topped up. Enjoyed the grips very much and they lengthened my riding and commuting season significantly.

When I bought my V7 Stone last year, I bought the wrap on version of the Oxford grips. They can be installed and uninstalled in a few minutes and provide plenty of heat to the palms of my hands. There is no heat level control, just on and off, so I use that to regulate the heat for comfort.

Both types of gri.ps have one big drawback: they do not warm the back of your hands, which is the part that faces the wind and gets cold quickly when riding at speed, even with well insulated gloves. Heavily insulated gloves will also restrict the amount of heat getting from heated grips through to your palms, but it wil make it through (like heated car seats warm you through your winter coat).

Having cold hands is a major health problem for me, so I need to watch out for them all the time. This winter my wife bought me heated glove liners. The wiring that heats up in the liners is over the back of the hands, which is a big plus, keeping the hands warm while adding hardly any thickness or bulk and enabling easy working with tools, etc. out of doors. Since they are glove liners, you can wear any glove or mitten over them, depending on what you like or need. This keeps the expensive liners from excessive wear, too.

The ones she bought use 12 volt batteries, so can easily be bike powered. I have been using these gloves all winter and really, really like them. My hands are warm and the liners are thin enough that I can work outdoors with equipment, or just moving snow or walking the dog, with ease, safety, and warm hands. I just got cables to wire in the gloves to the bike. As soon as the ice and snow retreat here, I'll be trying out the glove liners along and with the Oxford grip wraps on the bike.

The glove liners were developed for bicyclists, but are used in industry and by lots of others. They can be found at:

http://powerinmotion.ca/Products/HeatedWear/Heated_Gloves_Calgary_Toronto_Vancouver_Canada

I have no connection with the company. I'm just a very happy, warm-handed user.

Stephen