It’s getting to be my favorite time to ride. Zipping in the liner to my motorcycle jacket is the start to a great fall riding season. Heated vest tucked in the side pannier? Check. Windproof neck gator? Check. Heated grips? I can now say, CHECK!
Two years ago was my first time owning a motorcycle that could be taken on the street. I got it late in the season and didn’t get many warm days. Riding in the cool weather was fun too, though. I still rode about 2000 miles with some new-to-me gear, some brand new gear, and some loaner gear. I lucked out and a good friend gave me a heated vest. The bike was already wired for it so that was an easy plug-in upgrade. Wow, what a difference! I’ll never be without one again.
Next on the list, he told me heated grips would be helpful. I looked around on the web and it seemed that the ones to get were the Oxford Heaterz Adventure Grips, they should work on my KLR650 very well. Multiple settings, waterproof controller, and it won’t kill the battery if left on: perfect!
Everything comes in the box for an easy install. First, lay everything out and see what you have. Two grips pre-wired, a few screws and double sided sticky foam to hold the controller to the bracket, some zip ties to hold the wiring in place, and a little tube of super glue to keep the grips on the bar.
I cut off the old grips and prepared the bar where
the new grips will go. I had to do some sanding of the bar so they would slide on with just a snug fit. I also trimmed the end of each grip so they fit better, especially on the throttle side so the rubber wouldn’t drag on the bar weight. Once I had the grips cut to size, I did a dry trial fit and glued them in place. You get one shot at this so don’t hesitate, get them in place before the glue dries!
The wiring was very simple with a ground and one ring terminal going to the battery. And the water proof controller, I mounted it on the left so I could work the heat level while still on the throttle. These are wired to the battery and you can turn them on anytime, whether the bike is running or not. However, the brains of the unit monitors the battery level so it’ll never run your battery completely flat.
There are five different heat settings on the grips. Right off the bat I’ll put it on 100% heat for a few minutes to get them warm quickly then back to either 25% or 50% depending on which gloves I have on. So far only once I’ve had to have them on 75% because it was so cold. They work fantastic, though.
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