How hot are your grips?

[pdes]

Thought I would post this to see whether my heated grips are "normal". I have a 2008 R1200RT. On the low setting, they are mildly warm and fairly comfortable. However, having had to turn them up to "high" as the cold mornings kick in, I am concerned that they are too hot. Within about 10 minutes, and with gloves on, I have to turn them down as the heat becomes uncomfortable. Today, I had to take my gloves off to drive round a car park and the grips were literally too hot to hold. are these extremes of heating normal?

[TheTick]

I have an 05' and I would say they get pretty damn hot. I have a question as well (no hijack intended here..). The right grip is hotter than the left. Is that normal?

[RoadJunkie]

On "high", my grips are too hot to handle for very long. I end up toggling between the two settings when my fingerprints start to sizzle.

[motoguy128]

Sounds about normal for both BMW's I've owned. High is good for getting heat quickly and when wearing heavier winter riding gloves or when you get caught in the rain without waterproof gloves.

 

The right grip may feel warmer because you are usually gripping the hrottle tighter than the non-throttle grip and the tube of the throttle crates an insulative gap allowing less heat to be transferred to the bar underneith.

 

I would probably prefer a lower High or 3 settings. But it's not that hard to cycle from high to low occasionally.

 

I suppose form a German Engineer's point of view, it's not TOO hot if it doesn't melt the rubber.

[Semper_Fi]

I concur with motoguy128's comments

 

When i put them on high it is only for a little bit and then knock it down to low.

 

I think a mid level temperature option would be nice.

 

They do however work very well and are much appreciated!

 

 

[Mister Tee]

I suppose from a German Engineer's point of view, they also have to be able to work in subzero temperatures, such as in the mountainous regions in Bavaria.

[Bradley_Gillie]

Same here. High setting is very hot. Like motoguy128 said, a lower high or 3 settings would be nice.

 

Also, it seems like the grips warm up instantly, but my seat seems to take a little while before it starts heating up good.

[Semper_Fi]

Also, it seems like the grips warm up instantly, but my seat seems to take a little while before it starts heating up good.

 

Me too - but it think it is because of my fat a$$

[Redbrick]

I have an 05' and I would say they get pretty damn hot. I have a question as well (no hijack intended here..). The right grip is hotter than the left. Is that normal?

 

I'd describe my '05 just as you did; right hotter than left....

[Beaky]

 

I'd describe my '05 just as you did; right hotter than left....

Same with my 08 RT but I think that maybe because the right hand stays wrapped around the bar whilst the left can be taken off more easily(e.g. to open/close visor, fiddle with sat nav etc). The resulting cold air will soon chill down the left grip.

 

The seat seems to heat up more slowly and seems to turn it self on and off when in the high setting but I haven't worked out if this really happens or whether the sensation is due to rain collecting in the seat and making it feel cold. Maybe there is a safety cutout- or maybe the canbus is shedding some load when on the high setting. Anyone else experience this seat going cold sort of feeling?

[Dan B.]

On my 08 RT the right grip also stays hotter than the left under the low setting. On the high setting its pretty hot on both grips. However I have noticed that the longer the grip heat is on the more both grips seem to become equal. Or maybe my right had has just gotten use to the extra heat.

Dan B.

[Pictou]

Your grips sound normal. On cool days (temperatures below freezing say about -5C) I find I need the high temperature. Even then heat losses due to wind make the tops of my hand cool. When it is not as cool I have to switch back and forth between high and low. Like others have said a medium setting would be nice.

 

The right is hotter than the left because it is insulated by the throttle tube. The left grip is right on the metal of the bar which acts like a heat sink and therefore is cooler than the other.

[bakerzdosen]

Sounds normal to me. I figure it's pretty easy to relax my grip and cool my gloves off in the wind for a few seconds if it's really cold enough to need the high setting.

 

But yes, the medium setting would be nice. There have been times where I loved having the high as high as it is, so I wouldn't give that up very easily.

[FrankBrown]

All three of my BMW's are/were the same, low is too low and high is tooooooo hot. Never noticed a difference in temp from right to left grip.

[Jack90210]

When my grips are on HIGH, I could almost swear that I can smell the faint aroma of frying bacon.

[roadhome]

My 05 doeshing everything everyine has described as well. I've also noticed the grips starting to break down a bit. Is this from heat? TIme? Too much California death grip in the twisties? I was hoping thses would hold up a bit longer,

[Deek]

When my grips are on HIGH, I could almost swear that I can smell the faint aroma of frying bacon.

 

I have only turned my stock grips once on high to verify they work. Wow, do they ever! Even with summer weight gloves I could not stand it more more than a minutes. On the lower setting the grips are comfortably warm. However, I have not owned the bike in temperatures under 55°F so maybe the warmer setting will be good when it's much colder.

[VinnyR11]

My '98 has the same shtick. IMO "high" is normally too high but helpful on really cold days. The "low" setting is almost always too low.

 

If BMW would listen, I'd love to see a high as presently set and a low that's only slightly cooler than high.

 

Re: TheTick...Also, no difference right to left.

[Penforhire]

My '08's heated grips feel fairly even side-to-side. Of course I haven't had any need for more than the Low setting, which is mighty warm, down to 52 degrees so far.

 

I'm sure your sense of the heat depends on your gloves. I'm using 'roo-palm Held Sprints. Transfers heat pretty well.