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Darthane
| Posted on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 09:53 am: |
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Wondering if anyone's got recommendations on brands and/or where to get them. October's rolling in here in MI and I'd like to have some before I really need them! |
Josh_
| Posted on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 10:00 am: |
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After having Widder gloves and vest for 5+ years I would not recommend them. I think the gloves fell apart too early (and easily) and the connectors are poor quality and proprietary. I'm going to change the connector on the vest and then get Gerbing gloves. |
Henrik
| Posted on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 10:07 am: |
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How about heated grips? Best $$ I ever spent on aftermarket parts. Haven't tried the Widder gloves, but their System vest works wonders. Doesn't look too bad either Henrik |
Newfie_buell
| Posted on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 10:10 am: |
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A company called Kimpex makes a heated hand grip kit for about $30.00 Canadian. I put a set on my S1 back in 2001 and love them. A bit of wiring but not too difficult, they also have three settings, off, warm and HOLY I can't hold on. I use the HOLY setting to warm them up quickly then put it on warm. They consist of two very thin elements that wrap around the handle bars, the left fits under the grip while the right will fit under the throttle barrell. You do need to take a round file and shave the inside of the barrell slightly to make sure it doesn't stick. |
Josh_
| Posted on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 10:18 am: |
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My FJR will get Dual-Star's and a heat-troller. like this with the second 'troller working the vest/gloves but he only asked about gloves |
Reepicheep
| Posted on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 10:20 am: |
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I would like to see some pictures of the heated grip setups. I worry about them being wear prone, invasive, and problematic. I hate to run wires to my bars, much less into the throttle. It's one thing to melt a GPS wire on an exhaust header, it's another to jam a throttle on And don't forget the CityX air deflectors folks. They won't generate heat, but they made a huge difference in comfort for me. The frame pucks helped as well, there is a pretty nice air pocket to sit in on my 9sx, I was very suprised. It is a remarkably comfortable naked bike. Some folks must have spent a BUNCH of the time in a wind tunnel for this thing I expect, even taking into account the aftermarket stuff. Thank God for $$Harley$$ testing budgets and facilities... |
Josh_
| Posted on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 10:30 am: |
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http://www.fjr1300.info/mods/heatedgrips.html http://www.fjr1300.info/mods/tom3.html These do not go under the throttle. The clutch side has a rubber pad underneath to keep it away from the metal bar which makes the two sides "balance" better. |
Bomber
| Posted on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 11:31 am: |
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aerostich sells some over-grip heaters that fasten with velcro -- on and off pretty easily, without the grip removal necessary --- I don't have them, but I see many of them in this neck of the woods (N Ill, S WI) -- |
Fly
| Posted on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 01:43 pm: |
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Darth, I own a newer pair of Gerbings heated gloves and they work well. I've tried various gloves over the years, but prefer the new Gerbings best because they are supple leather (doubled in critical areas) that isn't too thick yet keeps you warm. The relative thinness means better feel on hand controls, especially brake lever. Many other gloves seem overstuffed or harden-up when extremely cold and do not offer the tactile feel of the Gerbings. Plus gloves are easier to move from bike-to-bike compared to heated grips (you do own more than one bike, don't you????) |
Darthane
| Posted on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 02:04 pm: |
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Yes, I do, though most of my cold-weather riding is on the Blast (the Firebolt goes in the garage with the first snow until the last of the salt is gone). I would prefer gloves over grips just on general principle...I'll check out the Gerbings, at least. How are they powered? Battery in the pocket, or connected to the wiring on the bike? You'd think they'd make rechargeable ones with the battery pack on the back of the hand...then there wouldn't be any wires... ...anyhow, thanks! |
Newfie_buell
| Posted on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 02:16 pm: |
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The heated grip elements I used were thinner and only two wire. I was going to order the Hardly Ableson heated grips but at $400.00 Canadian I thought I'd try the $30.00 elements which have worked since day one. I did have one problem earlier this year when one of the wires rubbed off the element but all I did was re-solder the connection. |
Fly
| Posted on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 02:30 pm: |
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Darth, Gerbings sells various wiring to connect direct to cycle electrics or other heated apparel, and they also sell portable batteries that are worn like a fanny pack. I have separate heated jacket, pants, socks and gloves that can all be interconnected using built-in connections. Then a single external connection to motorcycle battery. All connectors are common quick-connect type, so battery connection is also used to attach my Battery-Tender when not riding. I also use a variable thermostat and highly recommend it to control heat and/or reduce battery load. Gerbings sells all this stuff, check out their website. The portable fanny pack battery might be a good idea if you do much outdoor activities like hunting, ice fishing, Vikings games, snowmobile, etc. |
Tim
| Posted on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 08:16 pm: |
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On the Gerbing gloves the heating elements are on the back of your hands where the source of the cold air is hitting, I think thats better than having them on the grips. I have the jacket, gloves and electronic thermostat. Overall I have been satisfied with the durability and performance. The wires are a pain, especially on short trips. When I get off the bike I usually forget to un-plug myself until I've already yanked the plug out of the thermostat. |
Whodom
| Posted on Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 06:35 am: |
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I got a set of Widder gloves for Christmas last year. They work well, but like Tim said about the Gerbings, the wiring is a pain in the butt. You have to remember grab the wiring harness before you put on your jacket, thread it through the sleeves of your jacket, get on the bike, plug in the connector, THEN put on the gloves, and plug them into the harness. Seemed like it always added a good 10 minutes to the time required to suit up for a ride. If it's not THAT cold, I'm always debating if it's worth the trouble to put on the gloves or not. I don't know that they'd work as well, but I can see where heated grips would be MUCH more convenient. I got my gloves mail order from Widder, and they were very good to deal with. I had to return the first set (they run VERY big) and they exchanged them with no problems. I know Gerbing usually has a booth at the Cycle World show in Atlanta (and probably at the others). |
Henrik
| Posted on Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 10:39 am: |
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Actually, the new Widder System II Lectric vest with Lectric arm chaps makes hooking up gloves etc. a snap (pun intended ) One big advantage to Widder's stuff, is the Wire connector type they use. It can be disassembled and repaired roadside. A good thing if you tour long distance. Henrik |
Josh_
| Posted on Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 12:23 pm: |
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>It can be disassembled and repaired roadside Do you know why they made it repairable? They had to - it constantly breaks! Any given winter I find myself constantly without heat for one reason or another. I've bummed nail clippers off people at gas stations so I could repair the switch or connectors somewhere so I don't freeze on the way home. I finally took to carrying a small electrical repair kit plus most of another harness just in case. Don't get me started... |
Henrik
| Posted on Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 12:30 pm: |
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I haven't had any issues with those connectors in over 4 years of use Granted, it's only the bike to controller lead, and the controller to vest leads. But still - I've had my share of walking away from the bike, only to yank connectors apart because I forgot to unplug Henrik |
Sfarson
| Posted on Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 12:49 pm: |
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No issues with Widder after five years. Once had a arm chap malfunction and they sent me a new one. |
Richieg150
| Posted on Saturday, October 16, 2004 - 10:12 pm: |
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Ive had the Widder set up:chapps,vest,gloves,and thermostst,for 3 years now.I havent had any problems what so ever.I looked at the Gerbing stuff before I bought the set up I have,the Gerbing stuff was way more than I wanted to spend at the time.If Im remembering correctly,I paid 475$ for the complete set up. |
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