EuroKClub

Things Bikers Love (or Hate) => Kit Reviews => Topic started by: Phmode on December 05, 2018, 11:45:18 pm

Title: Oxford HotGrips
Post by: Phmode on December 05, 2018, 11:45:18 pm
Not the sort of thing to adorn your K but for those other bikes lurking in your man-shed these might just be the best thing you could ever fit.

My wee Honda has many endearing features, go anywhere plodability, reasonable speed for a 250, good weather protection with the screen and the handguards and of course, legendary Honda reliability.

However, those handguards were made of ticky-tacky and were rapidly binned to be replaced by Barkbuster Jets with a solid, two-point fixing, aluminium backbone that will probably withstand a nuclear attack but they are not big enough to force the icy winter blast over the back of your hands, rather letting it hit them. Not cool; in fact bloody chilly. So, the first thing was to fit plastic spoilers to the top of the guards to effect better air-flow.

This was much better in the grim and grime but it is only when you sit behind a different set of bars that you realise just how amazing is the fairing on the K as it manages to chuck all that blast away from your pinkies, at least, on the S and GT.

I don't do wet and I don't do cold so I decided I needed some heated grips on the Honda, bearing in mind that I don't really know how to turn them on on the K.

I could have spent £80 on the latest Oxford UK-spec HotGrips with 9 heat settings(?) and waterproof, screw-together plugs and sockets. Or, I could spend £50 on the original grips with a mere(?) 5 settings and boring old non-weatherproof jobbies as found on old-fashioned Optimates.

So, I just spent a happy hour or so freezing my nuts off in my fog-bound man-cave ripping off the old, brand new grips and fitting the Oxfords. It was all going so well until that inevitable 'oh shit' moment but more of that anon...

The old grips came off with a Stanley knife and a quick tug and the left bar grip went on with the help of a few well aimed blows from my mallet. The twistgrip was another thing altogether.

Sure enough, just as the included Polish and German instructions warned, the twistgrip slider was replete with blobs and bobbles moulded into the outer surface. So, having spent an hour slicing and chiselling them all off, the right grip was ready to slip on. I slipped it half way on and then drizzled a little of the supplied Superglue on the inner end of the slider and inside the outer end of the HotGrip.

And here is the 'oh shit' moment...as I reached for the mallet to tap it into place, I realised that the superglue in the grip was, (because I am a twonk and had the bars on full left lock, meaning that the right bar was pointing UP) now dripping inexorably DOWN and to my horror coating not only the grip and the outer of the slider, but also oozing between the inside of the slider and the bar itself.

This was not a good thing!

In a second or two the grip was going to be welded half on and half off and the twistgrip would never, well, twist again. One hand grabbed the grip and began to work it open and closed manically while t'other bashed the grip on with the mallet. Open-closed-open-closed-open-closed etc. etc.

My third hand managed to unbolt the switch block and get the twistgrip off before the Superglue set like concrete, open-closed-open-closed etc. etc.

Another pot of tea and an hour with a half-round file inside the slider and some very rough sandpaper round the bar and it was all back to being a twisty twistgrip.

A handful of cable ties and bolting the fused leads across the battery (so, so simple) had the installation complete and ready for testing.

Wow! Wow, wow, wow! These heated grips are HOT.

They are thicker than the originals, by about the few millimetres thickness of the Grip Puppies I had on there before and so I haven't bothered to re-fit the foam padded covers but even so, there is a serious amount of heat coming from the Oxfords. My infra-red thermometer measured the lowest setting, marked as 30%, giving off 20 degrees of warmth and the maximum setting (100%, doh) being a pinkie-toasting 40 degrees, more than enough for me I am sure.

The totally sealed, bar-mounted controller has two raised buttons (so easy to find with cold fingers with gloves on in the dark), marked + and - . A single press of the + button makes the grips spring into life on the lowest setting with a green LED showing. A long press on the + button from 'off' brings the grips on at full with a nice warm red LED showing. The three mid-positions are 40, 50 and 75% respectively. A long press on the - button switches the unit off.

This controller has a couple of neat tricks up its insulated cable sleeve. Firstly, it has a second, separate, green LED in the centre of the unit which denotes when the controller is in Battery Saving Mode. This mode is user selectable (with a permanent memory so it stays in the mode you select even when off) and when it is ON it will turn the heat off if the battery voltage falls below 11.5v and back on again when it rises.

AND, miraculously, it also turns the unit off (well, into standby where it draws 76 micro-amps) after 2 minutes when there is no 'noise' on the 12v line; so, if you turn the bike off and forget to turn off the grips of if you leave the bike running to warm up the grips and it happens to stall. So, you either come back to an idling motor and toasty grips or cold grips but with your battery still in one piece.

Overall I am very pleased with the quality, fit and operation of the whole set up and am blown away by the heat produced.

Now I need to start carrying a fire extinguisher as well as the kitchen sink... ::)
Title: Re: Oxford HotGrips
Post by: sudolea on December 06, 2018, 09:06:16 am
My English isn't all that colourful as yours (who'd blaim me), but I understood it just well enough to realise that the middle part of that post of yours wouldn't mismatch in the "Humour" part of the site, Brian  ;)
Title: Re: Oxford HotGrips
Post by: Costas on December 06, 2018, 10:30:38 am
Another narration from our sofisticated English scholar.
Title: Re: Oxford HotGrips
Post by: farmer on December 06, 2018, 12:21:56 pm
there were no heated grips on my k1200rs so i got a set of oxford heated grips for the job. can't remember how much 'coz 'twas ages ago but they were as cheap a set as i could get, just velcroed around standard grip. two settings, low was ok just about feel the heat, high was hot...real hot good for a short burst to dry out your wet gloves so not completely useless but very nearly. what i did like about them was the unforeseen effect of making the grips much bigger, i could ride for hours without the hand/wrist cramp enjoyed by my riding buddies.
they also had a bonus feature of running down the battery if you forgot about them and missed the tiny green "on" light on the switch. so the "vss" on your new ones is a great feature. i got caught out a couple of times and disconnected them but left the covers on for the comfort factor, boy did they look not pretty.
k13 has heated grips and i now get cramp on long runs...but i guess that shows i'm not getting away enough!! 
Title: Re: Oxford HotGrips
Post by: Coully on December 06, 2018, 01:47:12 pm
had a set on my vfr 800 untill they conked out, replaced them with the newer version earlier in the year, they're the dogs danglies
Title: Re: Oxford HotGrips
Post by: TomL on December 06, 2018, 02:57:59 pm
My CCM450 GP Adventure has Oxford heated grips and they are great. The bike has Acerbis handguards with very little wind protection. Consequently the first cold day and despite the handguards and heated grips my hands were frozen.

I have since fitted Barkbuster Blizzard universal handguards which should do the trick although I haven't had a real cold day to try them out yet. I'm told that they are also good at keeping my gloves dry which is a bonus.
Title: Re: Oxford HotGrips
Post by: sudolea on December 06, 2018, 06:38:49 pm
Another narration from our sofisticated English scholar.

You're saying something there  :-X

I'm still figuring out the meanings of ...

adorn
man-shed
my wee Honda
endearing
plodability
ticky-tacky
not cool; in fact bloody chilly
in the grim and grime
to chuck away
your pinkies - in Dutch, a "pink" is the smallest of a hand's fingers, so I gues Brits have small hands   8)
non-weatherproof jobbies
my fog-bound man-cave
anon
tug
mallet
the twistgrip slider was replete with blobs and bobbles moulded
chiselling ... off
drizzled
to tap it into place
I am a twonk
now dripping inexorably DOWN
oozing between x and y
welded half on and half
manically
foam padded covers
pinkie-toasting

But to be honest : I don't think I'll find EVERY word in a dictionary. In fact, seeing that long list, I'm surprised I understood even what is was all about  ;D
Title: Re: Oxford HotGrips
Post by: Phmode on December 06, 2018, 06:52:43 pm
k13 has heated grips and i now get cramp on long runs...but i guess that shows i'm not getting away enough!!

Grip Puppies are what you need my friend. I have them on my K13S and had hem on the K12S.

I hate thin grips and the extra 4 or 5mm thickness not only helps with bad vibes but also helps to stop you over-gripping the bars and also makes the twistgrip 'gearing' slightly slower which I find extremely useful.

These Oxford grips are as far from the old wrap-round types as it is possible to get. They are built on a steel tube with the heating elephants in the rubber. The steel tube is split longitudinally so that it can expand slightly to take bar tolerances into account. They look way more classy than the OEM ones on the K and despite buying the 'Sports' model (they also do Adventure and Touring grips) Postman Pat was more than impressed and rushed off to buy a set for his KTM and he is very picky about his grips.
Title: Re: Oxford HotGrips
Post by: Matt on December 06, 2018, 07:12:42 pm
Because i'm bored and avoiding actually doing something genuinely useful:


Another narration from our sofisticated English scholar.

You're saying something there  :-X

I'm still figuring out the meanings of ...

adorn
man-shed - the garage, or an actual outbuilding
my wee Honda - my little Honda/Pony
endearing
plodability - sedately motoring along
ticky-tacky - dunno, i translate it to cheap and rubbish, possibly referring to bad material properties
not cool; in fact bloody chilly - not moderate, but very cold!
in the grim and grime - in the filth and dirt
to chuck away - put it in a bin!
your pinkies - in Dutch, a "pink" is the smallest of a hand's fingers, so I gues Brits have small hands   8)
non-weatherproof jobbies
my fog-bound man-cave - I think the fog came down from the high field and shrouded the outbuilding. Sounds dead romantic.
anon
tug - pull. Or a tug boat used for helping big ships in and out of port.
mallet - rubber or wooden hammer thing. Possibly Timmy.
the twistgrip slider was replete with blobs and bobbles moulded - Sometimes I wonder if unicorns are real. I hope they are.
chiselling ... off
drizzled - rained a bit
to tap it into place - People do things for people, I try to build positive working relationships.
I am a twonk - I'm far better than you.
now dripping inexorably DOWN
oozing between x and y - my method of commuting
welded half on and half
manically - like a crazy person
foam padded covers
pinkie-toasting - it's hot yeah.
Title: Re: Oxford HotGrips
Post by: sudolea on December 06, 2018, 07:16:56 pm
...
I hate thin grips and the extra 4 or 5mm thickness not only helps with bad vibes but also helps to stop you over-gripping the bars and also makes the twistgrip 'gearing' slightly slower which I find extremely useful.
...

Colours and tastes, Brian.

On my GSX-S1000, I happen to have Oxford heated grips too. And I, on the other hand, hate that couple of millimeters of extra thickness compared to the slim and nicely finished stock heated grips of my K did. As a surplus, the K's heated grips didn't appear at all "after-market", whereas the Oxford grips exactly did that. Maybe I'm talking of some older version than the high-tech version you're talking of, but mine were mounted in 2016 on my then-new GSX, so they're not ages old either ...
Title: Re: Oxford HotGrips
Post by: sudolea on December 06, 2018, 07:18:52 pm
Because i'm bored and avoiding actually doing something genuinely useful:
...

Thank you, Matt, you saved me from working late tonight  ;D
Title: Re: Oxford HotGrips
Post by: Phmode on December 06, 2018, 07:26:52 pm
But he clearly doesn't know what 'Adorn' means...
Title: Re: Oxford HotGrips
Post by: sudolea on December 06, 2018, 09:07:23 pm
But he clearly doesn't know what 'Adorn' means...

According to google translate, and litterally extrapolating the Dutch translated word, one could say, in English, that you could 'adorn' a Christmas tree. Don't know if this would be done in the UK, though... But I guess we're gradually getting off-topic ... unless the association of both the Christmas tree as well as the heated grips with "cold weather" is still OK ...
Title: Re: Oxford HotGrips
Post by: Phmode on December 06, 2018, 10:16:47 pm
We do indeed adorn Christmas trees although these days we have probably regressed to 'decorating' or 'dressing' the tree.

Normally, adorn is used to suggest that the decoration or the dressing leads to a more 'attractive' (to the beholder) subject. Traditionally, women adorn themselves with jewellery and make-up (to make themselves more atteactive to others). These days anything, by anyone and anything.

So, putting Oxford gripe on your K would not 'adorn' it although, if it didn,t have heated grips and you had cold hands, then it would sure make it more attractive.

Also, I am rather confused by your use of the term 'off topic'. We have topics?
Title: Re: Oxford HotGrips
Post by: richtea on December 07, 2018, 07:53:45 am

They are built on a steel tube with the heating elephants in the rubber.


Was that a genuine auto-correct, or are you just teasing Philippe?  :P
Title: Re: Oxford HotGrips
Post by: sudolea on December 07, 2018, 08:09:48 am
...
Was that a genuine auto-correct, or are you just teasing Philippe?  :P

"heating elephants". Don't the words explain themselves, Richard ? Are you being rude to Brian ?    :)   ;)
Title: Re: Oxford HotGrips
Post by: Phmode on December 07, 2018, 10:11:02 am
You may find many elephants in previous posts, 'battling the elephants', 'against the elephants', 'no fairing to keep the elephants at bay'...

It was a genuine Malapropism ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malapropism ) by a colleague many years ago and it just kind of stuck. Especially appropriate for the sort of elephants we had on the Wrinklies Trip two years ago on our way down to Swansea.

Doesn't do much for the Periodic Table of Elephants though  ::)
Title: Re: Oxford HotGrips
Post by: Phmode on December 13, 2018, 10:11:45 pm
So, how are the Hot Grips faring?

Well, there is only one word - HOT!

The weather has been a little nippy of late (and as I tripe this, getting a lot more nippy) and so on the regular'ish gym run I have been starting the bike before I don the jacket and helmet and turning the grips up to max.

It's only three miles of fast lanes (allowing for the 35 mph brigade) into town but before I was parking the bike I had to turn the grips down; waaaay down.so far down that they were off. But still bloody hot!

I was wearing my 3 season(!) Alpinestars 365's which seem to have more of a thermal 'leak' in the index finger side of the wrist fold than I am used to experiencing on the K, even with the 'fairing' flip on top of the hamdguards. Just shows what fairing design does for you...

These gloves have a relatively thin palm and I couldn't cope with the uber-heat on my hands on max.

The temptation on a cold day is to hit the HOT button. My experience says that I would need my BMW Winter gloves (with padded, insulated palms) to tolerate the heat on 5! So, I shall engage 5 to get then hot and then turn them down to 3 as soon as I get on and ride off.

However, grips that are too hot is something most riders would love to be complaining about  8)