Heated gloves or grips ?

Joined
May 17, 2007
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Ontario
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2003 ST1300
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6907
It's more expensive for heated gloves than grips but what works best?

Will heated gloves work alone without heated grips?

I am fairly far north near Michigan.

I am considering purchase of either the heated grips, liner, vest, gloves or combination.

Who has the best setup for this?

I saw some liners that integrate wires for gloves. Can anyone recommend one that has the wires.
 
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Papa Ritch

Ritch Davis
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Go for the grips & Gloves. Do not get a vest, save for the jacket liner. The heated grips are good but what do you for the top of your hand. If cost is what you are looking at, put more clothes under your jacket until you can get a heated jacket liner. Ritch :03biker:
 
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If it came down to grips or gloves I would choose gloves. The problem with grips is that it only heats the grip side. The outside is not heated and that is the part exposed to the wind. If you add hand guards then it would probably be about equal.
 
Joined
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Garland, Tx
The first thing you want to get is the jacket liner, not the vest. The extra warmth on the arms makes a lot of difference.

I had a Widder vest but due to weight loss (you want it to fit snug for better heat transfer to the body) I sold it and ended up buying a jacket liner (Warm and Safe). I'm sooo glad I did. Also the liner has the connections for the gloves sewn into the cuffs of the liner should you decide to go that route. Also the liner is not bulky like the vest. I think most riders get either the Gerbings or Warm and Safe (or Powerlet, same liner as Warm and Safe, just different name tag). If you get a vest and you want electric gloves also you will have to run the wires for the gloves down your jacket sleeves every time you put your jacket and gloves on. I've heard that is a pain in the ***.

For electric gloves I bought the thin, armored Warm and Safe gloves. They are not very warm. I wished I had bought Gerbing's G3s. If you get the gloves and liner or vest be sure and get the dual control because you will probably always want the gloves turned up hotter than the liner.

Since I bought the W&S gloves I think this winter I am going to go with the heated grips to augment the gloves instead of spending the extra money on the Gerbing's G3 gloves. I may go with both, who knows, beings warm on a bike in the middle of winter is heaven. :smile:

Larry
 

slo~ride

Ride, Eat, Sleep, Repeat.
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I ride heavily all winter long and the Gerbing heated gear is the only way to go. I have the thin gel heated gloves and they work great. My hands never get cold even in -8 degree weather + windchill factor. The gloves heat your whole hand and fingers, unlike heated grips that only heat the palm of your hand and leave your finger tips freezing. The gloves plug directly into the sleeves of the heated jacket liner (dont get the vest) and the jacket plugs into your bike via a thermostat controller (get the duel controller). With the Gerbing heated gear you can also purchase heated pants and socks if you wish, though I've never seen the need for them.
I hope this helps with your decision.
Slo~Ride :rolleyes:
 

Rich R

GLMC-127 TS-671 IBA-37479
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Here is my $0.02

The heated grips are great down to around 45 degrees. Due to the fact they are installed on the bike, you will NEVER forget them.
I have used my grips in temps even in the low 60s when I felt a little cool or there was a little cold rain. They are always there when I need them.

In the cold weather I use a set of Klim winter gloves with no issues.

In REALLY cold weather, 45 down to below zero, the grips and heated gloves are needed.

On my bike I do run a Cal-Sci large (winter windscreen) and fairing and mirror deflectors which keeps a lot of the wind off my hands, legs and upper torso.

Choose whatever liner you want, in the cold, you want arm coverage. Socks are nice.....pants if the budget will allow......Let your body consume energy keeping you safe, not all tied up in the sleepy cold duldrums and the pain that frostbite can impart.

<climbs off soapbox> :D

Rich
 

nm6r

Blue is faster!!!
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Start with heated grips. They are always there and you will be amazed at how much and when you use them.

The heated gloves work well when it's really cold. Otherwise they are relatively bulky and don't offer the crash protection found in better riding gloves.

As for clothing, we have been using the Widder vests for several years. They give us the versatility of carrying them on long trips where we will experience hot and cold temps. We use them in the winter with the arm chaps and of course the gloves except on short, local rides/errands, the heated grips alone are fine.

Ray
 

Blue STreak

Bob Meyer
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For electric gloves I bought the thin, armored Warm and Safe gloves. They are not very warm. I wished I had bought Gerbing's G3s. If you get the gloves and liner or vest be sure and get the dual control because you will probably always want the gloves turned up hotter than the liner.

Larry
Warm'n'Safe made it pretty clear that those particular gloves were uninsulated, but apparently a lot of people had trouble figuring out the consequences of that fact. So Warm'n'safe no longer makes them. The warm'n'safe gloves currently available are insulated similarly to the Gerbing's gloves.

As others have said, gloves will keep your hands warmer, but grips heaters are always there. I have both, and find the grip heaters to be great on chilly mornings. And when it's really cold, the combination of both is wonderful.

Hands or chest first? My thought is hands. You can always add layers to your upper body as it gets colder, but you really can't add too many layers of gloves. Some will say that keeping your trunk warm will keep your entire body warm, and there's some truth to that, but winter wind blowing over your hands will sooner of later leave your hands frozen, no matter how warm the rest of you is.

If you do decide to buy a liner (I have one of those, too) Warm'n'Safe is the superior choice. The sides are elasticized to keep the liner pressed close to your body, which greatly improves heat transfer compared to the looser fitting Gerbing line. Note that Warm'n'Safe has two versions of the liner now. The 2nd gen is not windproof, and breathes better, which makes it more comfortable in many situations. The 2rd gen is windproof, which makes it more suitable for wear under something like a mesh jacket.
 
Joined
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When I bought my Warm'n'Safe gloves I knew they were going to be uninsulated, but from the description on the web site they claimed to be good down to alot lower temp. than they turned out to be. I don't recall the exact temp. or phrasing they used, but a month or so after I bought mine Mike change the phrasing and stated that they weren't meant for really cold temps.

With that said, I really love my W&S jacket liner.

I just went to the W&S web site and see that the "Ultimate" gloves, which is the ones I bought, now have a layer of Thinsulate AND are waterproof at the same price as I paid for mine. I remember now that the "Ultimates" had some insulation in them at first, then Mike began to make them without. When I bought mine I called Mike and asked if he had any with the insulation left and he said he had a few but didn't really recommend those and that he found the ones without to be more than adequate. He said he had sent most all of the ones he had left with insulation to Powerlet. So I took his recommendation and bought the ones without insulation.
 
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Joined
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I have BOTH. The heated grips are from Dual Star (reading on the KLR650.net forum, it sounds like Dual Star service is going down hill). The Dual Star heated grips work VERY well, and the price is GREEAATTT. What I like about the grips is that they are there ALL THE TIME when I need 'em. I remember riding home when it was 90 degrees when the sky opened up, the temp. dropped down to 70, my hands were soaking wet, not to mention I didn't have any rain gear with me (never again will that happen). I was freezing cold except for my hands.

When I leave for work and the temp is 25 degrees (far and few between here in SC), the grips do not work near as well as the Gloves, which is why I bought 'em, they are toasty as soon as I turn them on, whereas the grips take a little bit (not long).
 

Jefro

I ride to Sturgis
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I have found that the arms and hands are the critical areas. You can always add sweaters and shirts to the torso, but when your limbs are cold, it becomes a miserable ride.
I have a Gerbing jacket liner (not a vest) that I run on about 3, and Gerbing Classic Gloves that I run on 10.
I have the Dual controller which is a must if you run the Liner and Gloves at the same time.
In the fall, I run just the Gloves using the inconvenient y-cord down the inside of my regular jacket directly to the Dual Powerlet outlet near the Shock adjuster knob.
Jefro.
 
Joined
Feb 16, 2007
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Olympia, WA
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I ride heavily all winter long and the Gerbing heated gear is the only way to go. I have the thin gel heated gloves and they work great. My hands never get cold even in -8 degree weather + windchill factor. The gloves heat your whole hand and fingers, unlike heated grips that only heat the palm of your hand and leave your finger tips freezing. The gloves plug directly into the sleeves of the heated jacket liner (dont get the vest) and the jacket plugs into your bike via a thermostat controller (get the duel controller). With the Gerbing heated gear you can also purchase heated pants and socks if you wish, though I've never seen the need for them.
I hope this helps with your decision.
Slo~Ride :rolleyes:
Ditto the above advice. Your body core --the area of heated jacket--is huge compared to your hands. The body core, where you will lose heat, will eventually contribute to dull thinking as your body cools down. After 1-2 hrs, cold has the same effect as drinking; poor judgement. Get the jacket and gloves, you spent the money on the bike, don't blow it for the $200 needed for a good jacket
 
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Blrfl

Natural Rider Enhancement
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Ditto the above advice. Your body core --the area of heated jacket--is huge compared to your hands. The body core, where you will lose heat, will eventually contribute to dull thinking as your body cools down.
...Not to mention the fact that as your core cools, your body reduces circulation to your extremities, which makes the problem worse more quickly. Keeping your core warm means more warm blood will end up in your hands.

--Mark
 
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OP
Smokey1300
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Thanks for all the replies.

I think most are saying to get heated liner and gloves so this is my plan, thanks everyone for you input.

Wing
 
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