Triumphrat

twin · 02-23-2006

i know the thruxton is not your typical tourer but i still would like to ride it in cold weather. has anyone experimented with heated grips/ heated gloves on the thurx? most of the stuff i see comes with monsterous controls and lots of cable that completly mess up the looks. any ideas?

Pete_Twizz · 02-23-2006

I had some experience with heated grips on a Suzuki VX800 some years back:

1) They don't keep your fingertips warm.
2) If you connect them with the supplied wires/fuse/switch and forget to switch them off, you have to try to bump start your bike in cold (possibly icy) weather in the morning, setting a poor impression for your new girlfriend.

You can't beat a good pair of winter gloves. I have a pair of Haveba two-fingered gloves. These look slightly odd, but are seriously warmer than any other gloves I have used. As a bonus, ther is no wiring and I can use them with any bike.

Pete.

Tarmac · 02-23-2006

My 1st piece of advice would be.... Move to Arizona!

Since your not going to do that, I'll give some real world advice.

Back when I was a motorcycle messanger in Washington D.C., and had to ride 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year regardless of the weather, , I used "Hippo Hands" on the bike in winter. Yes, they do spoil the looks of the bike, but they keep your hands warm and dry. And you can wear a regular leather glove under them, no need for big bulky gloves that make working the controlls difficult. Plus you can take them off in like 15 seconds.

I found some here... scroll down below the switchblade comb and pomade...

Hippo hands

Im certain if you look around you can find a real high quality set for a good price.

[ This message was edited by: Tarmac on 2006-02-23 08:54 ]

twin · 02-23-2006

hmm, all correct, but coming from a beamer (gs1150) i really liked the heated grips especially when you're riding in the spring / fall and suddenly get caugh in a temperature drop or rain with summer gloves. yes, the fingertips are not warmed directly but if you turn up the grips radiate enough heat to keep the hand warm. plus they usually turn off automatically after you stop the engine. btw, the starting issue in the morning could be solved by a kickstart (got them on my older bikes) but that issue would probably start annother thread.

Caffeinated · 02-23-2006

I recently bought the Aerostich Warm Wrap Grips. They are fairly cheap and velcro right onto your handgrips and connect to the battery. They get pretty warm and work well. You have to remember to switch them off. they don't keep the backs of your hands warm, so I use them with regular winter riding gloves.
My (new) wife bought the heated gloves from Gerbing. They are very hot, so get the adjustable thermostat if you get these. Also, I don't like haveing to deal with the wires running through the coat, but she doesn't mind. So keep that in mind too.

Steve

TonUpMike · 02-23-2006

I wear the Widder electric gloves, love them, even warm not plugged in, but in real cold weather, did about 60 miles in 23 degrees the other night, nothing beats the vest and the gloves plugged in, I have hippo hands but I always seem to forget about them and leave them in the garage

crosstie · 02-23-2006

I recently put a set of these on my Legend. I'm pretty happy with them... the tops of my hands still get cold on long/chilly rides, but no more numb/cramped fingers. I like it much better than big, bulky gloves...

The included switch is big and clunky - I replaced it with a 3-position mini-switch from Radio Shack, that I actually managed to mount inside my switchgear. With some careful drilling and cable routing, the extra wires aren't too obvious, although it's definitely not as clean as without the extra stuff.

BTW, if you connect the grips to the headlight wire, they will switch off when the ignition is off, so they won't drain your battery even if you forget and leave the grips on.

I found these instructions quite helpful. It wasn't too difficult as long as you can solder, and puzzle out the wiring diagrams in the haynes manual. It was pretty time-consuming though.

I have photos... one of these days I'll post 'em :-D

HTH.

TBSstunta · 02-23-2006

Ive been using the Gerbing stuff for a long time and I love it. If you are worried about it drawing too much from the Thrux just put it on a battery tender more frequently. Gerbing and BT use the same style connectors so your bike will already set up for the BT.

If you also get the Gerbing jacket liner then the gloves lug into it so there are no wires running through the sleeves.

[ This message was edited by: TBSstunta on 2006-02-23 11:20 ]

Sam56 · 02-23-2006

gloves are over rated, whiskey is the key to warm hands

twin · 02-24-2006

[quote]
On 2006-02-23 10:55, crosstie wrote:
I recently put a set of these on my Legend. I'm pretty happy with them... the tops of my hands still get cold on long/chilly rides, but no more numb/cramped fingers. I like it much better than big, bulky gloves...

Hey, thank you for that tip. i read through the instructions and it looks like you've got the solution. it allows for keeping the original grips and hiding the switches.
looks like i got some garage time coming up