Cold out this morning for ride to work. Traction? Gear? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Cold out this morning for ride to work. Traction? Gear?

chingo

chingo

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As the temperature dips the roads lose grip, and being up north of the cities even more so.
Any other riders still commuting, if so any cold weather gear you find useful etc...
Have heated grips and good gear, but shrouds for handlebars to block wind from hands etc.. (like dirt bikes use)
Mfg's that make stuff that fits variety of bikes, any other new things i might not of heard of.
Well off to work.
 
Oxford is pretty much the standard and go to for heated grips
The only downside to Oxford is the external temperature control module vs being built into the grips like some of the OEM models.
The upside of that is that should the control module fail you can react that by itself without replacing the grips.

I talked to the rep for Oxford for north America a couple of years ago and he said they actually make the OEM grips for Yamaha and I would think other brands as well.
 
Soulcatcher668 said:
That looks really dangerous and uncomfortable.

Get the Oxfords. They are easy to install and well worth the money.
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Buy once and usually do not have to replace again.
Great product
 
danp said:
Not sure how effective they'll be but I just ordered these: IZTOSS Motorcycle Electric Heating Handlebar Warmer, Scooter USB Heated S9J7 | eBay

Anybody tried them or anything similar?
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The link I posted is similar to that. Not a clean install, and you have some play b/w the grips and the heated elements as they're not integrated...just kind of sitting on top of the handlebars. It's the reason I don't like them.

Plus they make the grips much more bulkier and, for a person like me with smaller hands, uncomfortable.
 
mimico_polak said:
Honestly I'm at the stage now, where below 15C and I'm seriously reconsidering riding.
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Aside from day long low temps early and late season morning temperatures can be 15C or less in May - mid June and then again late August - September.

I carry my heated liner and gloves in my side case and use them all season long when temperatures are low + I have OEM heated grips. A liner, gloves and a proper 2 channel controller will set you back $600+ but they are indispensable IMO. You're going to hear people say layer up or that heated gear is not necessary, but ignore them. You'll get years of use out of the gear and when you look at what you pay for the bike, insurance, tires, etc.... heated gear is a minor expense. I've yet to hear anyone who has purchased heated gear say it was a waste of money, most say they waited too long and were rode uncomfortable needlessly.

If $$ is an issue, skip the heated grips and spend your money on heated gloves. Better bang for the buck IMO.
 
ReSTored said:
If $$ is an issue, skip the heated grips and spend your money on heated gloves. Better bang for the buck IMO.
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I actually have the Velocity heated grips. My problem is I lose the charger and need to find it as now I have warm gloves that don't heat up at all as the battery is dead.

Plus the fact that a part of them fell apart where the leather is thinner. They're still functional and good...just need to find that damn charger.
 
The handlebar muffs are by far the best bang-for-the-buck. Get ones with a plastic/wire hoop around the cuff, or add a wire if yours doesn't have them. The wire prevents the cuff from collapsing shut in the wind if you pull your hand out at speed to adjust your visor or scratch your nose. Also look for motorcycle-specific ones, because the ATV type often don't have enough internal space to be able to easily operate the turn signals/etc. And if you're riding on the highway, be aware that the wind can push the muff back and activate your clutch lever, so ones that have an internal stiffening rib and/or ones that attach to the bar end can prevent this.

Heated grips are the next most useful. The Oxford grips pull 4A and are twice as hot as most others. I also have Koso Apollo heated grips on a different bike. The Apollos have a nice control button integrated into the left grip, but they are not nearly as warm as the Oxfords.

I also have heated gloves, but I don't ride in cold enough weather to need them any more. They're bulky and connecting all of the wires is not convenient. Self-contained battery gloves would be an improvement in this regard. But in general, it's a pain in the butt to get all geared up when things are that cold anyway. It's always a race to get geared up and moving fast enough that you don't start sweating.

I'll also suggest that Pinlock visor inserts are a great addition to the cold-weather arsenal to prevent fogging.
 
oioioi said:
Buy once and usually do not have to replace again.
Great product
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And if for whatever reason you do need to replace one, Oxford sells individual replacement grips without the controller. They also happen to work with bikes that have factory onboard heat controllers if you're willing to do some splicing or replace connectors.
 
canuckwr250 said:
I have oem heated grips but your fingertips still get cold,so I also use heated gloves. I ride until there is a chance of ice on the roads.
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I've never understood heated grips. It's the back of your hands and fingers that get cold, which is what my heated gloves warm up. So well, I can never run them at full heat.
 
Relax said:
I've never understood heated grips. It's the back of your hands and fingers that get cold, which is what my heated gloves warm up. So well, I can never run them at full heat.
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Grips are convenient and always ready to go. Gloves require planning (you need to be wearing the right gloves and some need charging). Also, if someone borrows your bike, you don't need to worry about incompatible plugs to power their gloves.

I agree, gloves are better but grips are relatively cheap and welcome on a cool/cold day (even on days like today, heated gloves turned off can be pretty warm but when the sun sets, some heat would be nice). Not much downside to heaters installed in the grips. I'm not sure about those over grip heaters, they look big and like they have the potential to move.
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