How to: Fit heated grips over Christmas and keep extra toasty this winter

Having the ability to vary the amount of heat with a controller is top of my agenda when I am selecting heated grips.

But more important than that is having some sort of battery-saving mode. This feature is a must have, as without it the battery will discharge if you park your bike and forget to turn the grips off.

Battery-saving mode monitors the battery’s condition and switches the grips off if the voltage drops.

Most kits require you to glue the new grips in place, but be careful about what type of adhesive you use. These Oxford
Hotgrips come with a tube of super glue which does exactly what you would expect, it sticks things together really well and super fast – but perhaps a little too fast!

It’s all too easy to fit a handlebar grip and by the time it’s only halfway on the glue does its thing and sets it solid on the bar.

You then have to get really aggressive with it and pull off and start again. I now use my own glue for these sort of tasks, which is Loctite Super Glue ‘Extra Time’, it gives you more time before it goes off to re-position things, and is ideal for handlebar grips.

So, here’s your step-by-step guide to fitting heated grips:

1. Meet the kit

There are many different types of aftermarket heated grips available, but key features you need to look for are a set with a remote off/on button, and selectable heat settings. This kit has a low voltage cut out to prevent the battery discharging if you forget to turn off the grips. Before you start, unpack the contents and check the instructions…