Ducati Monster Forum

OK folks, I need some help. My GF is upset that my BMW has heated grips and her 696 doesn't. Has anyone out there added them? THKS

Here ya go...heated grips for <$40.

http://www.dual-star.com/index2/Rider/heated_grip_kit.htm (http://www.dual-star.com/index2/Rider/heated_grip_kit.htm)

You don't have to add them permanently. Aerostich offers grip wraps.

http://www.aerostich.com/a-to-b-utilities/heated-grips-accessories (http://www.aerostich.com/a-to-b-utilities/heated-grips-accessories)

grip warmers are very fat, they feel awkard, but if your okay with them, then its not that big of a deal. I dont think your GF has large hands like most women ,so its probably out of the question.

I have the dualstar heated grips..eh. your finger gets cold and the back of your hands get cold. If you are going to get heated grips, youll need a glove that has a thin layer on the palm to absorb that heat, and a handguards to block the wind.

If you dont mind it, id go with heated gloves instead.

That's only if you're riding in really cold temps. You can ride comfortably with heated grips into the low-mid 40s in my experience. Olympia also makes a nice pair of gloves that have thinsulate on the backside of the hands, and normal weight leather on the palms...perfect for heated grips. Handguards are nice, but not required with good gloves. Below about 40 though and it's tough to keep your hands warm with grips...below 30 damn near impossible.

The issue I've heard with heated gloves is the clutch one tends to wear out quickly...probably due to the repeated motion of operating the clutch causing the wires to eventually break. Ask Knight...I believe he's gone through quite a few pairs of heated gloves.

your right about the 40 degree thing. My experience in 40s is fine with just gloves and heater on low. I rode last year down to the mid 20s and my hands just couldnt take it with gloves and heat grips, you HAD to have handguards at that point and even then ,your fingers got cold REALLY fast.

This year, i am looking to go down to the teens, ~5-10 degrees. [evil]. My heated grips broke after 2 seasons. probably cause i was running them on high all the time in 20 degree weather. If you are going to order dual stars order them NOW. they always have a huge waiting list as you get closer to the cold weather.

For this winter im rocking the Scorpion XDR Shock and Awe line up with Oakley Snow Boots. 

You're crazy! The coldest I've ever ridden was about 20 degrees a couple winters ago for about a 1 week stretch (usually doesn't get that cold here). It was miserable...even with a heated jacket. My torso, feet, and legs were fine...but my face (even in full face helmet) and hands (with handguards) were miserable. Add to that the fact that I had to really watch for ice on the road...no thanks!  :P

Thanks for the replies. Yes she does have small hands but we have not been able to find heated gloves she likes. Very picky about gloves(current Rev'its). As far as hand guards go, we don't ride in that cold of conditions and I never go above low on mine without hand guards.(BMW K1200S). Its more for first thing in the morning or on the way home in the evening. For those who have heated grips are you OK with the Hi/Lo switch or did you go with a controller? Also do you switch to after market grips? If so what brand ? THKS...

I have run Dualstars on my Monster for 4 years, and just installed a set of Oxford HotGrips on my ST3 last winter.  Between the 2 I'd recommend the Oxfords.

They come complete with a variable heat controller (4 different settings) rather than the Hi/Lo Dualstar swtich (optional variable controller, though for a bit more $) and the grips are balanced right/left perfecty when on. With the Dualstars, you'll need to insulate the 2 grips equally or you'll lose plenty of heat directly thruogh the aluminum bar on the clutch side making them uneven at temp. I tried to insulate the heater pad from the aluminum bar using hockey tape as per instructions but they're not even close. Quite irritating really when one side is blisteringly hot and the other is on moderately warm.

The Oxfords run directly off the battery, but when a low-amperage is detected by the Oxford system (like if you shut your bike off and forget to turn off the heated grips) the system shuts the heater off so your battery isn't run down. The Dualstars will need to either be patched into your bike's harness so they'll run only with the ignition "on", or run directly off the battery (with no auto-shutoff - potential for draining the battery).

The only issue you may have given that your girlfriend has smaller hands is that the Oxfords are of a larger diameter than the stock grips. I preferred this for myself and have no problem with them. She may not be comfortable with them.

If in the end you opt for the Dualstars try fitting an aftermarket gel pad grip for comfort. Pro Grips sells gel grips for $15 - they feel really nice and will take some of the buzz out of the bars.
 :)

I run Pro Grips like Markus said.

The Hi/Low switch set-up is fine for me, but Markus is also spot on about the temp difference. I find my self toggling between low and high a lot, as high can get too hot, and low not hot enough. A variable controller would be better.

The clutch side tends to lose heat into the bar since it doesn't have the plastic throttle tube under the grip. You need to insulate the bar before installing the grip...but easier said than done to get something really effective. I just use electrical tape...and it works "OK".

The Oxfords actually sound better...I'll have to look into them.  :)

It's tough to ignore the inexpensive $35 Dualstars - they're great value for the money. But add a set of replacement grips ($15) and the optional variable heat dial ($50-60) you start getting close to the price of the Oxford HotGrips ($140).

The Oxfords also seem to be a more robust kit with heavier weatherproof wiring that doesn't require any heatshrink or splicing to do a neat install.
 :)

You have a link to anyone that sells them on-line?

Sure thing Triple J:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Hot-Oxford-Heated-Grips-Heaterz-Epoxy-controller-7-8_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem53dd00a58dQQitemZ360190092685QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Hot-Oxford-Heated-Grips-Heaterz-Epoxy-controller-7-8_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem53dd00a58dQQitemZ360190092685QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories)

BTW you Americans have to so good.... I just found the kit I paid $140CDN for on eBay USA for $70US. Lucky...

Thanks!  [thumbsup] I saw the ebay link when I googled it...but I usually skip ebay. Guess I'll have to get over that.  :)

No problem. Can't vouch for the vendor but the price is right.
 ;D

I have the Dual-stars, and have been happy with them except my switch just recently went bad and we have to replace it.   I haven't had issues with uneven heating that Triple J mentions.  I got aftermarket grips from Dual-star.

I'm ok with the high-off-low switch.  We live in the SF bay area and the coldest weather I get is in the 30's.  High is good for any speed when the weather is in the 30's-40's or for the freeway when it is in the 50's; low is good for lower speeds in the 50's.

As He Man says, they are not sufficient, they won't warm the fingers, but they are certainly better than nothing and it's nice to have a warming solution that is always there (in case the weather suddenly changes).  I have poor circulation to my extremities (as do many women) and these temps cause me severe pain in my hands without the grips, even if I have a heated jacket liner on.

I would love to have heated gloves but haven't found any that are small enough for me. :(


Sorry to say, but this probably will be an issue.   I know I wouldn't be comfortable with larger grips. :-\

Warm N Safe do have womens heated gloves size small...but Golden Child is steering people away from them because they dont have any customer support for their items.

Great feedback, now to find out if the Oxfords fit her hands........Where do you folks mount the switch?

Check out the tutorial, there's pictures of mine in there:
http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=2520.0 (http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=2520.0)

Good to know.

Gerbing's XS Women's gloves were too big for me.

you have pretty small hands! Maybe you can buy a heated pair of gloves and have a tailor make it smaller?

We asked about it on TOB but the consensus was that it would be risky with all the wiring in there. :-\

Interesting comment. We're using Warm-n-Safe jackets, heat trollers, grip kits, and have not had any problems with their Customer Support. Had to send a heat-troller back due to a defect and it was handled promptly. And then recently the grips stopped working and Mike had me check a possible short where the wires contact the element....which a layer of tape over the bar fixed.

All in all, Warm-n-Safe has been good to us.

I've had DualStars on my S4R for probably 2 years. They are ok down to maybe 50's. Just don't seem to get warm enough. I installed Aerostich's version on my GasGas and they seemed better, but the wire broke on the throttle side. Whether due to defect or crash I'll never know.

I picked up a pair of A* cold blockers (or whatever the name is) with GoreTex cold block stuff. It's got a leather palm which transmits heat better, and it's ok for rides in the 45 range to/from work. But the thumb is always the coldest on any ride and no heated grip will fix that.

I'm using these heated grips from HEAT GRIPS that work well.  Made in the US also. 

http://www.hotgrips.com/store.php?rn=121&action=show_detail (http://www.hotgrips.com/store.php?rn=121&action=show_detail) 

I have a '97 M900.

I'll bet her hand size would be an issue but I have one bike with heated grips and one I ride with heated gloves so I figured I'd weigh in. 

Like a few others have said, the heated grips are great down to a certain temperature and even then you HAVE to have wind protection.  It doesn't matter how ridiculously hot the grips get (and they do get hot) the wind just carries the heat away from the top of your hands too fast.  I have the grips on my BMW which also has a full fairing and I've ridden it 140 miles at 70mph at 20 degrees before with little discomfort.  I can also tell you though that the entire ride I was thinking how absolutely unbearable the same trip would have been on the Ducati without all the wind protection. 

I have the wiring harness for my Gerbings run into the Ducati and I gotta say they work like a charm.  I don't have the body protection for my legs or torso that I'd need for long trips though so I only take her around town (20 minutes one way) so I guess you  have to decide whether or not you want to get heated gloves AND pants AND a vest to make her bike rideable at highway speeds for long periods of time or whether you just want her to be able to do 30 minute stints with really comfy hands.  I chose just the gloves for the Duc because I don't get cold easily at all with the exception of my hands (not to mention my front brake fingers are the last thing I want to fail on me). 

Aside from the cost of Gerbings gloves, wiring, and temp adjuster, the only real beef I have with the gloves is the fit, though YMMV.  I've found that the leather on the palm (which has a small amount of thinsulate underneath it) has a tendency to walk along the trips causing me to have to grip a lot more firmly than I normally would, causing fatigue and cramping.  I'm sure there are a lot of other quality gloves on the market for better price, but you can pry my Gerbings from my cold (zing!!) dead hands.  Oh, and I can assure you that you will NEVER have to turn them all the way up unless you want to remove a layer or two of skin. 

Recap:
Grips - cheap. only good to a certain temp, require extra wind protection
Gloves - not cheap, good on their own, but only with the right fit