Best aftermarket heated grips for 30 st1300.

Peeler

Joined
Jan 13, 2025
Messages
3
Age
70
Location
Lakeview, Oregon
Bike
2003 Honda St1300
Hi all,
My stock heated grips that came on the bike quit working. They have the heat selector on the left side fairing.
What are the best aftermarket heated grips to replace them with?
Also is there a fuse somewhere that might have given out?
I have looked in the manual for something but don't notice anything.
Thanks for any help<
Danny
 
I've got Oxford Hotgrips on all of my bikes; never had a problem with them, preferably I wire them direct to the battery with an inline fuse, and a relay powered off the tail-lights to stop and start the flow. They do have an "intelligent" controller that should shut them down when the engine is off if you don't use a relay.
 
There is a fuse near the connection to the quartet harness. I also find that every 2-3 years I feel like mine have stopped working and I have to go in and clean off the corrosion on the bullet connectors on each of the handlebars. Once cleaned they are actually working fine. In this case the lights on the controller are working fine just no noticeable heat. If the fuse is blown the lights would not be working.
 
If I remember correctly, the OEM heated grips are each 6v units wired in series, so the entire loop must be intact for any heat to be developed. Check every inch of the wiring between sides, especially where the two sides join in the middle.
 
If you can fix yours, as Tony suggested, that is the preferred route. I've used Oxford grips on my ST, VStrom and NC750. If you have to replace your grips, the Oxfords come in 3 lengths that can be trimmed about 1/4". Installation can be interesting with the glue setting up a bit fast and if you use something else (like suggested hair spray) that might fail (mine did).
 
Thanks everyone for the input. I ohm'd the left grip and nothing.
So, I am guessing that grip is bad and that is why they will not heat up.
The lights on the controller all light up from low to high.
Looks like I will be getting Oxfords or maybe just put heat demons under new grips.
I wonder if they are wired in series and I can use the original heat controller.
Thanks again.
Danny
 
Peeler said:
Thanks everyone for the input. I ohm'd the left grip and nothing.
So, I am guessing that grip is bad and that is why they will not heat up.
Click to expand...
I would check the right side just to see if the measurements match or not.

Peeler said:
I wonder if they are wired in series and I can use the original heat controller.
Click to expand...
Aftermarket ones will almost certainly not be in series, but the original controller should work. 12 volts is 12 volts.
 
Peeler said:
Thanks everyone for the input. I ohm'd the left grip and nothing.
So, I am guessing that grip is bad and that is why they will not heat up.
The lights on the controller all light up from low to high.
Looks like I will be getting Oxfords or maybe just put heat demons under new grips.
I wonder if they are wired in series and I can use the original heat controller.
Thanks again.
Danny
Click to expand...
Oxfords are in parallel; if there is a plug issue, one side will stop but the other keeps going. They make a number of different versions but AFAIK the main difference is in the lead and grip length, so get Tourer and you should be good to go on the ST. The Hotgrips come with a tube of cyanoacrylate glue (Superglue) and this is needed when the grips are hot as other fixatives can get mushy when hot. The Superglue can be broken loose when needed so the grips can be removed when you need to. Just have a good think about the cable orientation on the grip and avoid clashes e.g. with the clutch lever pulled in, BEFORE you glue them on. The glue can drip off as the grips are slid home, so protect your paintwork with a towel when you do this.
 
Heat Demons are parallel and they don't care what kind of 'switch' you use.
They have a High setting and a low setting so if I was going to connect them to a controller I would use the high 'circuitry'.
There are two power wires - white and blue and I can't remember which one is high and which one is low.
 
I found these to be the best and they are a reasonable price. If you’re creative you can wire them into your current controller.
They heat up fast! No heat is lost to the bar. They easily wrap around your current grips. I put them in my tank bag when not in use.
In my mind much better than Oxford.
I got mine off of AliExpress for around $20.
 

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If you go Oxford and use their glue, have a mallet handy. If the grip gets stuck half way on, the mallet will come in hand to persuade it all the way on. Just whack it on the end (I did this twice). Once you spread the glue, you have to work quickly, so plan where the cable will exit before you apply the glue. Don't plan on twisting the grip once it is all the way on - it will probably not budge at all. Oxford provides a bracket that uses the clutch or brake clamp bolts and the controller screws to this bracket.
 
www.revzilla.com

Koso Apollo Heated Grips - RevZilla

When it's cold enough to use heated grips the roads probably aren't in the best shape. The last thing you want to do is take a hand off to adjust a he…
www.revzilla.com www.revzilla.com

I have these on all three bikes and I’m very happy with them. They get nice and warm and there is no separate controller. The controller is a push button on the left grip that controls both grips-they have five heat settings. Had them for several years and they’ve always worked flawlessly.
 
koso-apollo-heated-grips-switch-on.jpg


Erdoc48 said:
The controller is a push button on the left grip that controls both grips-they have five heat settings.
Click to expand...

Cue the Stones. They can also be wired directly to the battery as they're auto-off with the IGN off and the battery drops below 11.5V. Or wired to a relay that off with the IGN off. Choice is good.

This is how I'd roll if I were adding heated grips. Very clean design.

https://www.webbikeworld.com/koso-apollo-heated-grips-review/
 
BTW, I read several reviews of the very expensive Oxford grips with a pushbutton on one grip to control the temp. A number of them stated this model (w/ integral controller) did not produce as much heat as the older models. If you want the Oxford, check out the reviews.
 
One reason I like the Heat Demons is you get to chose what grip you want to use.
They are 'grip agnostic'. ;)
With my hand 'issues' I need one that is 'fat' in the middle and not straight across as most integrated heated grips are.
Since the 'heaters' are under the grips, you never notice them til you need them.
Also, be aware of giving the throttle side wire plenty of 'wiggle' room when the throttle operates.
 
I'll echo the Koso grips, they work great for me. Been installed for 3 years. Only fault is operator error, I occasionally turn them on when I honk the horn due to proximity.
 
I'm using the koso grips. They install really clean (look oem), have 4 different heat levels and will shutdown automatically if the battery level gets too low.
 
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