Gadget of the Week III

Week of 04 Sep 2005

Formerly known as Tool of the Week.

This is for the all season riders out there. The cold months are upon us and nothing spoils a good ride in the frigid (ha-ha) south more than numb fingers.





From Aerostitch

Aerostich Warm Wrap Grips #103

These thin, electrically heated grip pads are made of heat and moisture resistant material and securely wrap over your grips with Velcro. Enjoy riding with warm hands on even the coldest days, without having to install replacement electric grips. Current draw is only 1.6 amps and they pack away easily when not needed. Heated grip pads let you wear lighter gloves for greater control feel on cold days. You can leave them on all winter if you want to. 22 watts. Standard for handlebars up to 36" width, Long for handlebars up to 44" width.

This is Aerostitch's mid-priced heated grip option. I like it since it is a snap to install and remove as the seasons dictate. My third winter with this particular mod is just around the corner. It was an easy install and I really do enjoy having them to use. I did take the easy way out and just wired it up to the battery. I will have to fix that this year. Besides that, installation only requires wrapping the warmers around the grips with the attatched velcro and safely routing the cable from the attachment at the battery (or wiring harness for the less lazy out there) to the handlebars. Be sure to check for an uninhibited range of motion from steering lock to lock.

When it dips into the low 50's and on a trip, on go the warmers. They do a reasonable job down into the 30's. You probably won't want to stay out all day, but a couple of hours can be made more bearable in the 20's.