For next winter, I'm planning new heated grips and perhaps new handlebars for my 2007 Vee. It would be easiest to install heated grips on new bars, and I'm not in love with the stock bars anyway. Aluminum handlebars have some benefits, but apparently there is a problem with heated grips on aluminum handlebars.
The problem is that aluminum conducts heat much better than steel. The handlebars act as a heat sink, especially on the left grip, as it is in direct contact with the bar.
Some manufacturers simply state that their heated grips are not to be used with aluminum handlebars, due to unsatisfactory results:
Hotgrips also state that stuffing insulation inside the bars will not fix the issue. That seems reasonable. Doing so wouldn't stop the bars acting as a heat sink.
Surely a fix does exist? Have other heated grip manufactureres addressed the issue? All the threads I found that mentioned the problem are at least a few years old, but nobody seems to have a solution.
Has anyone tried heat-reflective, metal foil tape under the grips? I'm not sure that would work, for a number of reasons. Chiefly, it's that the primary thing we're trying to stop is heat conduction, where foil tape is really only effective against radiation.
I have read about using dish soap as an alternative to grip adhesive. Supposedly the soap, plus a little water, makes an excellent lubricant when installing the grips. Then when it dries, acts enough like glue to do the job. If you ever want to remove the grips, force some water in there and the soap again acts as a lubricant (supposedly, rain won't cause the soap to re-activate by itself).
Not sure what handlebars I'm going to get, though adding some rise and reducing sweepback would not hurt. For the grips, I'll probably get Oxford Heaterz Adventure.
Not sure what the benefits are of Al bars. They do not dampen vibration as much as steel bars with bar end weights. I actually switched back to steel from Al for that reason.
A crude workaround is making your own heated grips by placing a pair of snowmobile heating elements (https://www.denniskirk.com/sports-p...grip-heater-sm-12474.p5903656.prd/5903656.sku or something similar, same type for left and right side) on top of the regular grips and securing them with self fusing silicone tape. That setup is amazingly effective. You need a heat troller or similar to control the temperature or else it gets too hot. I have that setup and it held up well for many miles. Need to renew that tape every now and then, it gradually wears off a little.
I second this solution, by far the best idea. The grip heaters I bought came with heat shrink for over the grips. I installed them under the grips but I actually regret this.
The downside is that after you install them, the grips are smooth, so not the best when things get wet, but there could be other solutions for that as well. The bang for your buck is incredible, they are so cheap it's worth it just to experiment, and the heat is thrown directly at your hands so it's very quick and you get a lot of adjustment range if you use a controller. There are cheap options for controllers as well, DC motor controllers work well.
Aluminum vs. steel bars may come down to availability. I'm having a hard time finding some of the bars I've read about in older threads. Perhaps some/all were discontinued.
Steel bars with a cross member could be OK. I need to look at my setup & see if the cross member would get in the way at all. I don't hate the stock bars as much as some, but stronger bars wouldn't hurt.
That's a thought. I could milk more mileage out of my stock bars and save all the work of swapping bars & installing the Oxfords. I'm all set up for wiring projects & it wouldn't be that tough to hook up.
I don't really need the "smart" controller on the Oxford Heaterz anyway. I was planning to use the factory heated grips power plug, which draws from a switched circuit (Signals).
The OEM grips are now worn a bit smooth, but a little self-amalgamating tape could fix that up. Wouldn't be as pretty as the Heaterz, but meh.
2 levels of heat with the toggle switch. Usually low is plenty, high if you need to bake your hands!
The clutch side is warmer but you still need to insulate the bar. A layer or 2 of electrical tape is sufficient. You'll need to insulate the throttle also if you changed out the plastic one to metal.
If I don't change the throttle tube, any problem with warping from heat?
I've read about those G2 aluminum replacement throttle tubes, but I'm not about spending $80 on one if it's not needed. The OEM plastic one has been just peachy for >25k miles.
I've used those heaters on a variety of bikes for years, never had a plastic throttle tube warp. I don't run the heaters on high very much though they get seriously hot.
Look for a set of stock bars from BMW R1200GS. Steel no crossbar and great ergos. You will probably have to fat bar adapters as they taper from 1-1/8" to 7/8" at the grips.
Steel bars are cheap for a reason, they bend easily compared to aluminum.
Aluminum bars have a much better selection of bends than steel. 7/8" bars require a crossbar for support. You have to get triple clamp adapters to run 1 1/8" aluminum bars (that don't need a crossbar).
Tusk aluminum bars are good quality at half the price of name brands. They come in the most popular bends too.
I think the Oxford/Koso/Bikemaster type grips would work better than the symtec type heating grip elements, in regards to conducting heat directly to the bars.
What I have done before is take an extra throttle tube, cut off the part where the cable sits, and epoxied it to the clutch side, then used a throttle side grip over that.
Finally, Matt came up with what I've been thinking as I read this whole thread.
First. This might be a moot point. Earlier you said there seem to not be many alum. bars available. Later on in this thread Spec mentioned and linked some. Look them over and price them and decide if you like aluminum bars. Then, if they are going to be larger, do some research and see if you can find grip heaters to fit1 1/8" bars (I don't know if they are available or not). I think the bigger problem is going to be finding a left grip heater that fits over a throttle tube you have glued to the bars. I have noticed that right grip heaters tend to be larger in internal diameter than left ones. (Solution might be to find a left hand drive motorcycle (that's a joke)).
Plenty of guys use steel bars off road. If you expect to crash, I'd suggest an off road bike dedicated to the purpose. Any crash severe enough to bend steel handlebars is going to do damage to the bike that might make walking out your only option. Would a bike with a lunched master cylinder, broken mirrors, a tweaked front end, or a broken clutch lever BUT unbent aluminum handlebars be that much more rideable? Another thread elsewhere here discussed the kind of riding for which V STroms were designed. Hard core off roading was not the consensus.
Overall, it seems that aluminum bars and heated grips might not be the match made in heaven.
I didn't know this until I started handlebar-shopping, but many "1-1/8" bars are only that diameter in the middle. They taper to 7/8" at some point, so you can still mount the original controls, brake and clutch cylinders, and grips. It would create a whole set of headaches to try to use bars with a constant 1-1/8" section. Basically no one does that on Vstroms, from what I can tell.
Bar strength is not a concern, and I'm pretty sure it's not as simple as "aluminum vs. steel" anyway. I went down on dirt last fall but didn't bend the steel OEM bars. My Rox risers pivoted a little, which may have helped save the bars. You know what did bend? My aluminum skidplate. It also prevented engine damage, which was the point. Skid plate was easy enough to beat back into shape with a hammer.
Many of the Rox risers have inserts, so you can use either 7/8" or 1-1/8" bars. Such is the case with the 3.5" Rox's I use now. This adds some choices.
Another benefit of steel, besides better vib dampening, you can actually bend them a little if you don't like the pullback for example. I did adjust mine and even moved them to my V2 from the WEE because I did not want to go through the trial and error again finding bars that don't hurt my wrists. Clamped to a sturdy steel circular saw table, put a pipe over the end and voila I got the pullback I was after.
All handlebars are 7/8" on the end.
1 1/8" are thicker walled but still 7/8" on the end.
Steel bars are mild steel. You can bend them just tipping the bike over.
No dirt bike comes with steel bars anymore because they are weak compared to aluminum.
Really there's no need to go to all the trouble for the left grip with the Symtec elements. A layer of electrical tape or heat shrink is all that is needed even on aluminum bars. The left element is warmer (than the right) to compensate.
All steel handlebars are not the same. The cheap ones are cheap for a reason. Sometimes the expensive ones are the same as the cheap ones but with a better marketing plan.
Look at what they are made of.
Like: "...constructed with seamless CNC mandrel bent 0.120” wall 4130 chromoly tubes."
Chances are if a company doesn't specify the material its because they don't consider it an attribute.
The best solution to heated grips on aluminum bars is just to sidestep the issue and just get a good pair of heated gloves. Match it up with a heated jacket and you will have a wide range of comfort. The company called "Warm n Safe" make great heated gear.
I do have heated gloves. The heated grips are for both those super duper cold days (rare), and those "in between" days in the fall and spring. I mean rides around 50-60°F, when I don't want to deal with the bulk and wiring of the heated gloves, yet it's too cold for my summer gloves.
Yeah I might one day put my heated grips on my DL1000 (I have had them since my 2012 DL650 but once getting heated gloves I haven't really felt the need for the grips.)
As far as 50-60°f that is my commute into work this time of year. (It may be in the 80's on the way home.) It will gradually get cooler int the morning and has dipped down in the low 40's a few times.
I have a set of intermediate gloves that are in my tank bag and can easily switch to them (I wore this morning since it was about 53°f when I left home.)
I will also start wearing my heated jacket in the lower part of the 50's, usually under my soft shell. (I don't necessarily add heat as the layers are usually enough over my cotton dress shirt.) But since I am wearing the heated jacket it is absolutely no hassle to put on the heated gloves it is starts getting below the 50's and usually I don't need to add heat to them until down into the lower 40's.
FWIW, I have Tusk T-10 ATV Sport Bend aluminum bars + Oxford OF692 Sport heated grips. (I originally ordered the Tour version, but the seller shipped the wrong set; differences were too small to warrant hassle of return.) I have no problems with aluminum bars + heated grips.
I don't notice any differences in temp between left and right. And they're plenty hot, too hot at full power unless it's seriously cold.
For genuinely cold weather riding, IME heated grips alone are insufficient -- you'll need some way to block the wind. A bit more info on my setup, which I've since modified for easier muff install / removal.
Absolutely, heated grips on their own won't do the job when it's truly cold. I can't really even feel them through my heated gloves (Warm'n'Safe Ultimate Touring). Not only because the gloves are well-insulated, also because the existing heated grips are very sad. :/
I am very interested in your thoughts on those Tusk bars vs. the original handlebars. The Tusks don't look like they have as much sweepback as the factory bars. That could be a Good Thing, I think. If they also have more rise than factory, that would be even better.
DB -- The Tusk T-10 ATV Sport Bend, I believe, are wider, higher, and less sweep back than stock. Unfortunately, I no longer have the stock bars to compare detailed specs. But I can say that my cables and lines are just about maxed out. I'd like to install risers, too, and can't do so until I sort out longer lines and cables. Not a priority at the moment, so not sure when I'll get to it.
If you can find or take measurements for the stock bars, the Tusk specs are listed on the Sizing Chart tab of the product page to which I linked previously.
Kimpex is another option for heating elements. They are a three wire design that can be hi/low or if used with a Heat-Troller you can wire both the hi and low together and have infinite control over your heat setting. I've done this in the past on aluminum bars and with some industrial shrink tube, (electrician grade), they work very well.
IMHO, you're over thinking the aluminum Vs Steel and heat sink effect. On a very cold day you will notice the left grip takes a little longer to warm up with either steel or aluminum bars. Just natural convection occurring.
And hair spray works well for installing grips too. Dries and usually keeps them stuck. FWIW, I rarely used any adhesive or hair spray and just use compressed air to get the new grips on clean bars and haven't had them move around. If you don't have compressed air available, then hair spray is the next quick and easy option.
FWIW the "Adventure" Heaterz are way too long. You want the "Touring" size for a 2007 DL1000. No trimming required - perfect fit.
Decided to wait on new bars.
Getting old grips off was not bad. There are zillions of methods, but I happened to have a bunch of bamboo BBQ skewers, so I used those.
I pushed or tapped the skewers in with a hammer, several places around the bar circumference. The pointy end slips easily between grip and handlebar, then you can push it all the way under. Drove 5 or 6 of them in, roughly equally spaced. Then it was not hard to slide the old grip off, because the skewers had broken the grip of the old glue.
Same thing on throttle side, except it was a little tougher, due to the ridge at the end of the throttle tube.
Broke a few skewers, but oh well.
Cleaned up rest of old glue on the clutch side using one of those plastic scrubby pad things.
Throttle tube was pretty clean to start with. I don't think the old grips were on with any glue at all - just used the ridges built into the tube for traction. I trimmed the rest of that pesky flange/ridge thingy with a box cutter, then coarse sandpaper to smooth it further.
Oxfords went on both sides easily for a test fit. Barkbusters went back on, no problem.
Once I had everything just right, Barkbusters came off again, and I used the old hairspray trick to stick the Oxfords on "permanently," and let it sit overnight. It sure looks like it worked. We'll see whether it lasts.
Barkbusters went back on, and I finished buttoning everything up. Test ride this afternoon/evening.
The overall setup looks better than ever. Pictures eventually!
I am going to have to get creative to make my Universal Vista Cruise work with the new throttle-side grip, but it's do-able. Previous owner simply cut off material on the inner end of the throttle grip to make room for the Vista Cruise's traction ring. That explains why the throttle grip was always shorter than clutch side.
If you use the alloy spacer on the end of your bars between the bark busters as I have the adventure gips can be cut longer to cover that spacer if you wish.
If you clean up the cut with a 4" grinder they look factory.
I have no proof but believe the touring grips are harder than the adventure ones and the sports are even softer again.
Going with the tougher touring is not a bad thing, after 55000ks the "OXFORD" stamped on the left grip of my "adventure grips" is almost totally worn off, the right is worn but not as bad.
After 20000ks my mates sports gips are looking very shabby too.
Almost forgot: I found out why my old heated grips never worked very well.
The reason is that I didn't actually have heated grips. At least, not in any kind of reasonable, recognizable setup.
Once I got the old grips off, I was surprised to find no heating elements. Not so much as a wire, anywhere under or within the old grips.
The old heating elements must be down inside the handlebars somewhere. There are wires going inside the bars at the bottom, so I guess that explains that.
That's crazy. I can't imagine a less-efficient and -effective way of heating the grips, than heating the metal of the entire handlebar. But that seems to be what was happening.
No wonder the old heated grips never got very warm.
So unless physic ceases to exist where you are at heat rises. When we install a thermostatic mixing valve on a plumbing system the hot water line is dropped down then back up into the bottom of the mixing valve. This is a "heat" trap. Since heat rises it cannot heat the valve body. If you were to pipe the hot water line directly into the bottom of the mixing valve as the heat rises it will carry into the valve throwing things off.
Aluminum handle bars will act the sale way. The heat cannot travel downs towards the triple clamp. It would probably help filling the ends of the aluminum handle bars with silicone caulk to help hold the heat as aluminum dissipate heats very well.
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