View Full Version : Heat Grips Failure Poll
curmudgeon
04-27-2007, 08:58 PM
Seems to me there are more failures of Honda's heated grips then any other brand. So let's have a poll and see.
Phil
kakalika
04-27-2007, 09:34 PM
My left grip failed, honda do not sell the grips individually, luckily I have one coming from David Silver UK soon.
ToroGuy
04-27-2007, 09:46 PM
I have Hot Grips on my '03. They work great. Hauled the bike about 300 miles in a pickup using a Canyon Dancer bar strap...was worried about damaging the Hot Grips. No problem.
newbornst1300
04-28-2007, 09:52 AM
No problems with the Symtecs and they get a lot of use up here in the GWN.
coldoughboy
04-28-2007, 01:29 PM
I have the honda heated grips and have had no problems.
snowmoer
04-28-2007, 02:36 PM
I have the honda heated grips and have had no problems.
Yet:D
curmudgeon
04-29-2007, 09:35 PM
So far the results look pathetic. Honda grips cost about 3 times as much as Symtec and are less reliable. Also you don't get a choice of grips with the Honda grips. If you've been considering the Honda grips you may want to reconsider that choice.
Phil
Imrubicon
04-29-2007, 10:33 PM
So far the results look pathetic. Honda grips cost about 3 times as much as Symtec and are less reliable. Also you don't get a choice of grips with the Honda grips. If you've been considering the Honda grips you may want to reconsider that choice.
Phil
I have the honda grips and worked great since the beginning of Dec. worked fine .
As far as them failing more than other brands could be because there are more of them on the St riders you are polling ?
Not trying to knock your poll just bringing to light another way of looking atit ?
I fig if the grips fail then I have a really pricey temp controller LOL:eek:
rdfeatherstone
04-29-2007, 10:41 PM
Imrubicon, you could be right. Still, the simpex grip heaters that I bought in '98 are still running fine. I paid the princely sum of $28 for them and $15 for Gel grips. Some 60K miles later still too hot unless its a real cold day on high setting.
How long have the Honda grips been in use?
Ralph
Imrubicon
04-29-2007, 11:01 PM
Imrubicon, you could be right. Still, the simpex grip heaters that I bought in '98 are still running fine. I paid the princely sum of $28 for them and $15 for Gel grips. Some 60K miles later still too hot unless its a real cold day on high setting.
How long have the Honda grips been in use?
Ralph
Dont get me wrong I was looking at the same thing with different grips for my ST but I was at the dealers eating free Sat lunch andhesaid he would match the onlineprice I had found and I had too much money in my pocket as I had worked about 50 hoursovertime the month before ECT. ECT. and just liked the looks as they fit for me .
Dealer even said they hewould warranty them with the bike ,
I like this dealer so I geve him the biz.
Would I do different now . Maybe yes maybe no .
curmudgeon
04-30-2007, 12:06 AM
Actually this is really way too small of a sample to make any difinitive judgement. It's interesting none the less. Maybe I should have a poll to see which grip heaters the majority of riders are using. Symtec/Dualstars have been used by many ST1100 owners and I haven't heard of many failures.
Phil
hojo in sc
10-10-2007, 01:02 PM
Dual Stars on my wing, and on my ST, no problems.
AzDesertRider
10-10-2007, 01:47 PM
Symtec w/no failure... course I don't use em much here in Arizona.
AVJohn
10-10-2007, 02:07 PM
No problem since installation Two Years.
wjbertrand
10-10-2007, 02:27 PM
Symtec heaters here for almost 3 years. I just recently had to replace the round rocker switch though as it would not engage the high heat setting any more due to corrosion. Symtec sent me a new switch for free so maybe that doesn't count? The heaters themselves and the circuitry have given no cause for grief.
At about $40 total, it was a no-brainer to install these instead of the Hondaline ones. Hell, I could replace the whole kit 3 or 4 times and still be way ahead on cost. Additional advantages to the Symtec kit are; the components are individually available and you can place your grip of choice over them. Heat levels seem very similar to BMW and Honda OEM units I've tried. I never even looked at the Honda ones once I saw the price.
Actually this is really way too small of a sample to make any difinitive judgement. It's interesting none the less. Maybe I should have a poll to see which grip heaters the majority of riders are using. Symtec/Dualstars have been used by many ST1100 owners and I haven't heard of many failures.
Phil
Without knowing what % of total units failed, the #'s in this poll don't really mean anything... 3 of brand X failed, while 9 of brand Y failed, but brand Y has a market share = to 8X of brand X...
For what it's worth, my brand Y's are doing fine after quite a few hours of use up yonder in the last 3 years. That doesn't mean squat either! :D :rolleyes:
No failure on my Symtecs...
Mark
cpsseals
10-10-2007, 10:07 PM
Ya have to listen closely to the Canadians in the group. Who else uses their heated grips as often and long?
No failure on my Symtecs unless being too hot half the time is a failure.
John Anthony
10-10-2007, 11:36 PM
Problem free Symtecs for me.
John
Maura
10-11-2007, 12:56 AM
No problem with mine. 38,000 km. Used them lots! One reason I have the honda grips is that when installed on a new bike by the dealer they are under warranty, in my case 3 years.
Maura
BILLP117
10-11-2007, 03:11 AM
My ST1300 Honda grips work fine. No problems yet. If they do fail...are they covered by the Honda Extended Warranty? :)
My ST1100 and KLR650 had Simpex installed with foam grips...total investment was about $30 for the heaters and grips. I never had a failure with this setup. I did have my portable Heat-Troller fail as I used it to control the grips.
Kempo-STer
10-11-2007, 07:13 AM
Honda heated grips failed on me within 6 months.
Fixed under warranty by my dealer. No problems with second set so far.
STPaulK
10-11-2007, 12:37 PM
Without knowing what % of total units failed, the #'s in this poll don't really mean anything... 3 of brand X failed, while 9 of brand Y failed, but brand Y has a market share = to 8X of brand X... :rolleyes:
Yes, well, I'm a believer that when a problem rises to a level of someone making it a poll, there is a strong possibility that there is something there. I have also seen posts in the past of people complaining about having to replace their expensive Honda grips, but have yet to see a similar post about people replacing their brand-Y grips.
This situation is not unlike Yamaha FJR ticking valves or BMW final drive issues. Nobody can claim statistical proof of a problem that exists in those cases either and yet, there are dozens of tales of failures out there which does point to a real problem.
I think the internet is actually a good way to amplify, or clue the community to a problem without requiring statistical compilations. I sure wouldn't buy Honda grips based on what I've seen.
fredz43
10-11-2007, 01:01 PM
I am on my second set of Honda heated grips on my second ST1300 and will put them on my third ST1300 when it gets here. I have the Symtecs on my Superhawk and have used them on a KLR, ST1100 and a couple VFR's. Had one failure of the Symtecs where the leads connect to the heat pads. After that I used some extrra tape at the end where the leads connect to the pads.
I had one failure on the first ST1300 with Honda heated grips when a well meaning friend showed me how he removes grips with compressed air. That is not a good idea with grips that have the elements embedded in the grip, as it will stretch and break the small wires of heating element. No fault of the grip, just operator error.
I prefer the Honda grips because they offer me 4 levels of heat and I can always find one that is just right. They also have a larger diameter than the OEM grips, which I find more comfortable. I like the controller and the fact that they will shut off (the LED's will blink) if you are idling too long with other things drawing a load, such as a heated vest.
Also, I think that a wonderful $15,000 bike deserves something better than some $28 cheapo heaters, hah, hah.
Oh, the fact that I work part time at a dealer and get them at cost helps a bit too. :)
STPaulK
10-11-2007, 01:23 PM
Also, I think that a wonderful $15,000 bike deserves something better than some $28 cheapo heaters, hah, hah.
Those cheapo heaters are enough to burn my hands if I wanted. At the end of the day, it's all about wires and elements anyway (in other words, Honda probably has cheap elements in their grips too.) :rolleyes:
Kempo-STer
10-11-2007, 01:49 PM
Good reason to get them when you first purchase your bike. They are automatically covered under the manufacturer's warranty if they fail.
Yes, well, I'm a believer that when a problem rises to a level of someone making it a poll, there is a strong possibility that there is something there. I have also seen posts in the past of people complaining about having to replace their expensive Honda grips, but have yet to see a similar post about people replacing their brand-Y grips.
I don't think so... this place has been poll central (go for it kempo...) lately, not uncommon to check in and have 6-7 of 10 current theads on home page be polls. We are trodden with polls that don't mean a bloody thing. 25 responses is about 0.4% of the membership... guess you haven't driven a Ford lately :rolleyes:
This situation is not unlike Yamaha FJR ticking valves or BMW final drive issues. Nobody can claim statistical proof of a problem that exists in those cases either and yet, there are dozens of tales of failures out there which does point to a real problem. What? Something tells me that most folks are gonna be a bit more concerned with engine and final drive issues, than with heated grips.
I think the internet is actually a good way to amplify, or clue the community to a problem without requiring statistical compilations. I sure wouldn't buy Honda grips based on what I've seen. I have this great piece of real estate to send you some pictures of... right on the beach, it's really neat!
;)
STPaulK
10-11-2007, 02:39 PM
I don't think so... this place has been poll central (go for it kempo...) lately, not uncommon to check in and have 6-7 of 10 current theads on home page be polls. We are trodden with polls that don't mean a bloody thing. 25 responses is about 0.4% of the membership... guess you haven't driven a Ford lately :rolleyes:
What? Something tells me that most folks are gonna be a bit more concerned with engine and final drive issues, than with heated grips.
I have this great piece of real estate to send you some pictures of... right on the beach, it's really neat!
;)
I'm not sure if you didn't read my message, didn't understand my message, or just don't care. But you seemed to completely miss my point. Whatever....
fredz43
10-11-2007, 02:48 PM
Those cheapo heaters are enough to burn my hands if I wanted. At the end of the day, it's all about wires and elements anyway (in other words, Honda probably has cheap elements in their grips too.) :rolleyes:
That's right, the cheapo heaters have 2 settings:
1. Not quite warm enough
2. Hot enough to burn your hands.
Neither seem like a good choice. My first class high dollar Honda heaters and controller has 4 settings, including:
"Ah, that's just right." :)
Bones
10-11-2007, 03:40 PM
FWIW, my Hondaline grips died after two years, were replaced under warranty, and the second set has worked fine the past three years. Four heat settings (warm, hot, roast, incinerate), but only the first three are useful.
If I were to do it again, I'd go with the Symtech/DualStar variety and wire them through a Heatroller so I can dial in my preferred toastiness factor. Much more useful than a hi/lo switch, and still more useful than the Honda 4 level switch.
FL-STRIDER
10-11-2007, 04:40 PM
I have the Honda grips on my 04 ST. No Problems so far however I'm in Florida and they only see use for about 2 months out of the YEAR LONG riding season. :04biker: I seldom set them higher then the second temperature setting. Perhaps that explains my luck.
I'm not sure if you didn't read my message, didn't understand my message, or just don't care. But you seemed to completely miss my point. Whatever....
No 'miss', just lots of 'don't agree'... maybe it was you who didn't get was I was saying? :rolleyes: Ride safe :D
Georg H. Georgs
10-14-2007, 05:47 AM
I have Honda heat grips and the work fine here in Iceland,but the right grip always give more heat than the left. It was like that with my Oxford grips I had on my Magna 1997
:07biker:
It's been that way on every bike I have ridden with heated grips... I believe it's because it's you're throttle hand and we tend to stay in tighter, more regular contact with the right grip.
fredz43
10-15-2007, 07:08 AM
I think it is mostly because the left grip is on the metal bar, which acts as a heat sink and takes longer to radiate heat to your hand. The right grip is on the plastic sleeve, so no heat sink. A neat trick is to apply either a bit of heat shrink or as I use, some fiberglass electrical tape to the left bar before installing the grip. This helps to insulate the metal bar from the heater, so it warms up a bit quicker.
dmulk
11-17-2007, 02:32 PM
I think it is mostly because the left grip is on the metal bar, which acts as a heat sink and takes longer to radiate heat to your hand.
Very good point, Fred!!!
I have had my honda grips for about a year now and No problems. Used them quite a bit, on weSTOC trip as well as CreSTOC. I can't go over 2 bars as my hands really cook!
<D>
TRICKYRIC5474
11-19-2007, 01:41 PM
Had the Hondaline heated grips on my 2001 GL1800A. More than two choices of heat level setting and worked very well right up until the controller failed. No problem though, the entire kit replaced for free by dealer under original warranty. Then last winter the second controller failed. Guess what, original warranty expired and Honda Protection Plan does not cover the heated grips !
Dealer (owner is a personal friend) and a call to Mother Honda: They tell me I can't buy individual parts, have to buy whole new kit for $300+ to get a new controller that is the same design as those that have already failed twice.
Traded in the Wing with inoperative heated grips on a new ST1300A this Spring. I LOVE heated grips, especially for the most likely use scenario of riding in the rain. Great for the cold but I ride in the rain on trips or long rides more than the cold. As much as I love heated grips I would never get the Hondaline heated grips after the Wing experience.
I did the research and got Dual-Star grips heaters with the Heat Troller. Cost only $80 total. I have infinite control of the heat setting, not just three or four stepped settings. If a component of the system fails, I can buy just that component. The heater kit for $30+ or just a new Heat Troller for under $50. I could use my choice of grips with these heaters. I use BMW grips.
A no brainer as far as I'm concerned, but each of us should make our own choices for our own reasons and I can respect that. It hurts me none at all if you choose to go in a different direction.
curmudgeon
11-19-2007, 05:20 PM
I did the research and got Dual-Star grips heaters with the Heat Troller. Cost only $80 total. I have infinite control of the heat setting, not just three or four stepped settings. If a component of the system fails, I can buy just that component. The heater kit for $30+ or just a new Heat Troller for under $50. I could use my choice of grips with these heaters. I use BMW grips.
A no brainer as far as I'm concerned, but each of us should make our own choices for our own reasons and I can respect that. It hurts me none at all if you choose to go in a different direction.
Exactly why I started this poll. I had been noticing all the failure reports for the Hondaline grips and wondered why anybody buys them when a cheaper and more reliable system is available.
Phil
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