wanted: warm hands

[Drive Jehu]

this winter. Or at least hands that don't need to be thawed.

Anyone try hand guards like this that were heated or not? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Barkbusters-Blizzard-Quad-Motorbike-Brush-Hand-Guards-almost-heated-grips-warmer-/271520290584?pt=AU_Motorcycle_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f37ded718

Bulky gloves or heated gloves are not a good option for me. Maybe heated grips? I added heated grips to my 92 Old Wing and they were ok. Only dislike was at full heat the glue would turn loose and the grips would...not grip...the bars. Also I like the feel of my stock 6 grips so I'm not inclined to go with after market heated grips.

Thoughts/ideas about the hand guards?

[XKnight]

Baker Hand Wings or the National Cycle version.

[Cool Hand Luke]

I have to ask why not heated gloves? I live relatively close to you (near Augusta GA) so the weather is the same. I bought heated gloves from Cycle Gear store. Seem like great quality. They are so well insulate that I rarely even use the heated option, just having them on is enough in our climate most of the time.

I had heated grips on several bikes, not on F6B. Although nice I prefer heated gloves. If it's really cold outside and I do decide to ride I have to have some kind of gloves on too, as using just heated gripes is not enough. Grips do heat the palms of your hands but the top part of your hands will be still exposed to elements and be very cold. In fact, in the past I used heated grips on highest setting due to not having gloves, and I even have gotten blisters on my palms from them while I didn't feel them being so hot while riding.

I also have Baker Wings under mirrors and to my mind they are a must on F6B. They allow more focused air flow on you in summer and keep more cold air from you in the winter.

I also use Shark Super Skinz over stock grips. They make grips wider and are much more comfortable while riding. They also are not as cold in the winter as stock grips.

If you like the 'handlebar mittens' by all means get them. I don't like the looks of them, I think they are more meant for scooters and ATV's and snowmobiles. Also, the link you posted they cost about the same as what I paid for the heatd gloves, which can be used year round without the heat, too.

I hope this helps you decide.

[Mrf13]

The OEM heated grips work amazing on the F6.

[Steve 0080]

The OEM heated grips work amazing on the F6.



+1

[Drive Jehu]

XKnight, Cool Hand Luke,

2 votes for Baker Wings, I'll look at those further as they also have summer time benefit. Looks a lot better than the mittens. Dang! "Mittens"..."Bad to the bone F-6B"... man. Can a thread be deleted?

Good question on why not heated gloves Cool Hand. Never tried them. Guess it's just the idea of being tethered to the bike. I'll think about that option some more. Also interesting idea on the Super Shark Skins, I find my hands on the outside of the grips often.

Appreciate the thoughts.

[Drive Jehu]

Mrf13, Steve0080,

I had not looked at OEM grips, looks like $237 from ebay. Is that about the right price?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HONDA-OEM-GENUINE-2013-GOLD-WING-F6B-HEATED-GRIPS-GOLDWING-/271217873608?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f25d852c8

I take your comments to mean there are no hot spots and grip problems with OEM.

Thanks

[Mrf13]

Haven't noticed hot spots. They will get very hot. Then I turn them down. I believe they have 6 levels of adjustment. I haven't used them in quite some time. I live in Louisiana.

[fxdl2051]

[QUOTE=Drive Jehu;45728][SIZE=4]Mrf13, Steve0080,

I had not looked at OEM grips, looks like $237 from ebay. Is that about the right price?

Sounds about right, when the dealer upgraded my standard he put in the OEM heated grips. Just had a chance to use them yesterday at about 5K feet, really work great! From what the dealer told me, they were more difficult to install then he anticipated.

[Fla_rider]

Move to Florida :moon::yikes:

[d-shark]

I left Central IL Christmas Day for Sarasota FL (30 degrees). Pulled back in my drive 5 days later (19 degrees). I used Powerlet heated glove liners, you can get a simple glove liner kit for 125 bucks: http://www.powerlet.com/product/rapidfire-heated-glove-liner-kit/543

The powerlet heated glove liners worked great inside of my Klim PowerXross Gloves which are waterproof Gor-Tex (not too bulky, windproof, waterproof & $100): http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/klim-powerxross-gloves So if you want to avoid frozen fingers heated liners & gloves are about the same price as the grips but much more effective IMO.

As a side note, at fuel stops I would remove the Klim gloves and leave the heated liners on while I was refueling. The liners are pretty thin providing good tactile feedback yet they keep your hands warm during fuel stops (especially if you remain plugged in as I do). The Klim PowerXross gloves are great Spring / Summer / Fall gloves (without heat, and provide decent tactile feedback). This summer a group of us rode 4 hours in 60 degree rain and I was the only one with warm dry hands (everyone else was miserable).

My F6B has heated grips which are nice in the spring & fall but once it starts getting below 50 degrees for extended periods you will want to put gloves on which somewhat defeats the purpose of heated grips. Certainly if you are going to put insulated gloves on then heated grips are of very limited use.

[Drive Jehu]

Fla_rider, Thanks for the invite, I'll stay in GA for now. I ride L Ala and the Panhandle often, P-Cola down to Mexico Beach to see family.

d-shark, Appreciate the links. Enjoyed the review on the Klim, they must be real warm without heat. The combo in the wind at 19 deg. is impressive.

I appreciate all the feedback to chew on.

[Drive Jehu]

OEM heated grips should be in second week of Nov. The Honda install instructions posted by F6B1911 look straight forward:

http://powersports.honda.com/documentum/MW01/08T70-MJG-670.pdf

Not included in the kit:
1) spray bottle of isopropyl alcohol. This helps in removal of the left grip.
2) fine sand paper to clean old glue off left bar.
3) type A glue. Should I order Honda glue or just go with super glue?
4) beautiful assistant to steady the 6 while I push the left grip on.
5) other?
[/B]
The instructions for the install will have me pulling parts off the bike left and right. Experienced grippers, is all of the removal needed?
If so I'll do it according to Hoyle. If not how did you do it?

Other things I should do while I'm there:
1) time for an air filter, OEM replacement in hand.
2) other?

Thanks.

[badpapi]

i got this and they not bulky at all .
actually they are leaner then my last pair of non heated gloves .

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gerbings-G3-heated-Motorcycle-gloves-/320991226080?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Gloves&var=&hash=item4abc9168e0

[Drive Jehu]

I appreciate the input on this warm hands thread. I have $240 in OEM heated grips and installed them yesterday with the help of my son and a friend in about 2 1/2 hours. I'm very pleased with the purchase. There are no hot spots. The directions posted by Honda were good.

If you tackle this project consider an air filter change at the same time. I also upgraded my seat bolts to the tapered type. These are much easier for me to get started with little worry over cross threading. I got them used on e-bay for about $10.

Removal of the left hand grip; compressed air was applied to the end of the grip and it popped it right off. Cool trick, thanks son. Brake cleaner on a rag quickly cleaned the old glue off. Installation of the new grip required 2 people. We had a small tube of motorcycle grip glue from another project. We spread the glue on the bar only. In hind site I wonder if applying some glue on the inside of the grip would have helped it slide on. The new grip was tight so shoving took place on one end and the second person held the bike.

The rest of the project went per the Honda directions posted earlier in this thread. Wiring was plug and play. Removal and replacement of the plastic requires attention throughout. Also in hind site I would have searched for a pictorial or a youtube on removal of the plastics. I'm very satisfied with the project and hope yours goes smoothly.

Happy cold weather riding...