Heated grips or heated clothing?

Lutin

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So, which is more effective?

Who has which and why?

Off you go.
 

Rubberchicken

Well-Known Member
Effective at what? :)

Heated grips are pretty good at keeping your hands warm when it's a bit nippy, but even at the nuclear meltdown setting they'll at best warm you up to your elbows.

A heated jacket keeps your body warm. If your body is cold you get cold everything, so keeping the rump warm usually has an effect on various appendages as well. Doubly so if it has heated sleeves. But you won't be riding in summer gloves as if it's july.

But the sensible answer is obviously to get both. :)
 

DaveS

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Heated gear is fantastic and I've had all the variations over the years.
I do use heated grips but they aren't that effective in real cold, just nice for taking the chill off.
My best thing at the moment is wireless RST heated gloves that work off batteries. The batteries last a week of use on low, and the gloves are so warm you don't always need them on anyway.
I also have a fully sleeved wired jacket for the really cold times.
Stay with the top brands of heated gear as well as it can break in repeated use.
 

Hamster

Active Member
Heated grips were factory fitted and are ok. In winter I also use handlebar muffs ( yes I know )
but when your riding to work at 5am in winter you need to keep your hands warm just for control.
Now got heated waistcoat ( cheers Dave ) which will be great. No point being frozen.
 

Rubberchicken

Well-Known Member
Oh, do check whether your bike can handle the electrical load. Probably not a problem with GSes and other modern stuff but elderly bikes like the old AT or my airhead, or the more budget stuff, may well struggle with it.

Example, my GS comes stock with a 280W alternator (meaning it'll put out 280W at the optimum rpm and a whole lot less at idle) and a decent heated jacket pulls anything between 50 and 100W. Compare, the aftermarket uprated alternator I've got now does 450W, and a modern GS might as well have an electric cooker on board.

I've got a Warm&Safe jacket. Happy with it. Unless there's a proper deep freeze, it replaces the thermal liner in my jacket, keeping the bulk down and keeping me from boiling in my shell when it's time to get off the bike. :D Didn't like the exo2 vest, being sleeveless it's no use to replace the thermal liner and it's too bulky to wear with the thermal liner. And it's a bit lightweight on how much heat it puts out.
 

austin

Well-Known Member
Piguglyshandydrinker will be along shortly to show of his £10 heated car seat adapted jacket liner.

Me....powerlet full sleeve heated jacket and heated grips. My 2011 GSA powers two jackets, heated grips, all the lights etc no bother although the jackets have never been on full. I think the alternator is rated at something like 750w :).
 

Philwhiskeydrinker

Well-Known Member
Heated grips are good as they are always 'there', muffs in winter are a godsend too but for decent, cold winter runs any extra warmth helps.

Heated clothing is great - if you have it with you.....
Which is where a heated car seat seat cover fixed inside your jacket comes in [emoji2]

Presumably this is for the blood running?
 

outrunner

Well-Known Member
Just fitted a set of Oxford heated grips to the NC750 and they are great, much better than the factory fitted ones on my previous BMW. I also have an Exo heated waistcoat for really cold days as it keeps your core warm. Really depends on how much cold driving you are going to do, and how much you are willing to spend. :confusedicon:


Andy.
 

Lutin

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Heated grips are good as they are always 'there', muffs in winter are a godsend too but for decent, cold winter runs any extra warmth helps.

Heated clothing is great - if you have it with you.....
Which is where a heated car seat seat cover fixed inside your jacket comes in [emoji2]

Presumably this is for the blood running?

Well, it's sort of for the Blood Biking. The bikes are all fitted with heated grips and I was considering whether to fit them to my own bike. Still thinking along the lines of a heated waistcoat though - there would be less to install on my Transalp and I could use it, as well as the heated grips, on the Blood Bikes.

Mind you, for really bad weather, ie snow and ice, we do have the use of a van for Blood Biking.
 
I have rode through winter plenty including the big snow/freeze of 08/09 on my old Drz with some decent thermals??
Is really worth investing serious ££ in heated gear???

Edit- finally going to dragon rally this yr so maybe that will change my mind
 

austin

Well-Known Member
Is it worth investing in heated gear?, Yes if you do a lot of winter riding or some longer trips. Of you only go out on nice sunny dry days and not too far then a decent insulated/down jacket and gloves will be fine.

However I do worry about electric stuff failing in some way so always carry something with me to supplement the heated stuff (just a T shirt under a full heated jacket is perfectly feasible even a very cold very long trip), And when you stop and switch off the electricity it don't half feel cold quickly.
 

Rubberchicken

Well-Known Member
And when you stop and switch off the electricity it don't half feel cold quickly.

That is a feature if you dress sensibly underneath the bike gear. As in, get off the bike and turn off the heat and you won't immediately boil to death as you would in the number of non-heated layers needed to cope with, say, 70 mph @ -5 deg C. That and you're able to move, you're not dressed like the Michelin man. :lol:

I used this stuff a lot on my commute, which was about half an hour. I'd dress for the weather when off the bike and if the electric stuff failed, half an hour is survivable (if not comfortable) with just a bike jacket (without liner) and a half-decent sweater. For longer runs, packing the liner just to be sure isn't too much of a bother.
 

Lutin

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Staff member
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Is it worth investing in heated gear?, Yes if you do a lot of winter riding or some longer trips. Of you only go out on nice sunny dry days and not too far then a decent insulated/down jacket and gloves will be fine.

However I do worry about electric stuff failing in some way so always carry something with me to supplement the heated stuff (just a T shirt under a full heated jacket is perfectly feasible even a very cold very long trip), And when you stop and switch off the electricity it don't half feel cold quickly.

The problem that I have is that my hands get very cold - and this is with the hands guards on the Transalp. Still not decided what to do. Since the top-box almost never comes off, then carrying extra clothing is never going to be a problem. Decisions, decisions......
 

DaveS

Administrator
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Is it worth investing in heated gear?, Yes if you do a lot of winter riding or some longer trips. Of you only go out on nice sunny dry days and not too far then a decent insulated/down jacket and gloves will be fine.

However I do worry about electric stuff failing in some way so always carry something with me to supplement the heated stuff (just a T shirt under a full heated jacket is perfectly feasible even a very cold very long trip), And when you stop and switch off the electricity it don't half feel cold quickly.

The problem that I have is that my hands get very cold - and this is with the hands guards on the Transalp. Still not decided what to do. Since the top-box almost never comes off, then carrying extra clothing is never going to be a problem. Decisions, decisions......
Heated gloves with batteries in them.
Dead easy to use, have them on low, forget everything else.
When I get a proper review section going I'll do a review of them.
Product Reviews - RST Thermotech Heated Glove - Black
 
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