Honda OEM Heated Grips

Joined
Mar 28, 2012
Messages
205
Location
SW Michigan
Bike
Sprint GT, 2010 NT, MS950
I'm a huge fan of the R&G Racing heated grips available at Twisted Throttle for about $60.00. It has the 5 heat settings of the Honda setup and - bonus - it remembers your setting from the last time you used it. I have been using them on the Sprint for about 3 years with no problems or issues yet. If my NT hadn't already had the Honda units I would have already put a set of the R&Gs on.

Cheers,
 

Bab

Joined
Oct 10, 2012
Messages
19
Location
Fergus On. Cdn.
Bike
2010 NT Silver
I've run early morning commutes, 40 minutes in 34 deg. temps with heated grips and light weight gloves on a regular basis. I added the air deflectors, and was amazed at the difference they made, and would call them essential. My gloves stay dry in the wet and the wind doesn't suck the heat out of my hands. I like the grip / feel of the light gloves, and the heated grips and deflector is my winning combo.
 

Phil Tarman

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Greeley, CO
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I've run early morning commutes, 40 minutes in 34 deg. temps with heated grips and light weight gloves on a regular basis. I added the air deflectors, and was amazed at the difference they made, and would call them essential. My gloves stay dry in the wet and the wind doesn't suck the heat out of my hands. I like the grip / feel of the light gloves, and the heated grips and deflector is my winning combo.
Plus 1 to what Bab says. The air deflectors are an amazing addition to the heated grips.
 

karl

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Dec 13, 2010
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1,477
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Hampden, MA
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2010 Silver NT700VAA
grip heat is the difference between a fun day and pain. No brainier. go for it any flavor. Very happy with my Honda set well worth the $.
 
Joined
Mar 2, 2016
Messages
114
Location
Silicon Valley
I searched for this topic because this evening I noticed an odd behavior in my OEM heated grips. A couple times it was mentioned here that the Honda controller has a low voltage function indicator. I'm wondering if what I observed is this low voltage function. After I start the engine, unless I wait at least about 10 seconds before pressing the power button on the controller, pressing it will cause all of the LEDs to flash 3 or 4 times per second for about 5 Seconds. Then the grips will turn on, and the heat can be reduced. the grips are heating up fine. This is very repeatable. Is this the low voltage indicator that is spoken about? If so, it is odd because I actually have a dedicated voltmeter on my dashboard, and voltage at the battery is just dandy. So if it's a low voltage problem it's not the battery. Where else would I look for a voltage problem if this odd flashing behavior of the controller is indeed the low voltage indicator spoken of here? I should also mention that after I start the engine, if I wait 10 seconds or more to attempt to turn on the grips, the controller functions normally, with no flashing LEDs.
 
Joined
Jan 25, 2012
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NSW, Australia
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2013 DL650/A & CX500 Euro
I do not know the answer to your specific question but could it be that starting the engine drops the voltage enough that the heated grip controller thinks the voltage is out of spec?

Then once the engine is running the voltage quickly rises and all is OK.

Just a thought.

Seagrass
 
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Mar 2, 2016
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Silicon Valley
But I can see on the dedicated voltmeter that as soon as I start the engine, the voltage of the properly charging system jumps instantly to 14 volts.
 
Joined
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62
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NSW, Australia
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2013 DL650/A & CX500 Euro
The voltmeter may not react quick enough to show a dip in the voltage and controller modules can react very quickly.

You may need to check the voltage with a fast acting digital multimeter that has a function to "hold" the lowest voltage or maybe a CRO as this will visually show you what happens.

I am no electrical engineer but someone else with better knowledge will hopefully contribute some ideas.

Seagrass
 
Joined
Nov 7, 2017
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50
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Sun Valley, CA
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NT700V, NC700X, XL600R
I found the Honda OEM Heated Grips to be quite costly (over $300) after you have to purchase all the required components separately. Also, the unsightly appearance of the controller module box out in space was not appealing to me either.

I migrated a set of Koso Apollo Heated Grips from my Zero SR. I like these cause of the pushbutton selection and color-coded heat settings via of an LED Indicator. I can know what heat setting I'm on at a glance. The installation was a breeze with the use of the Honda OEM Accessory harness.
 
Joined
Mar 2, 2016
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Silicon Valley
I will check it out in the next couple of days. So, the way I described that flashing, is that pretty much the low voltage indicator code that I've read about here?
 

DirtFlier

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Dec 13, 2010
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3,341
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Troy, OH
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2010 Silver NT700V/ABS
[...a friend is riding Merlot to the dealer to have the rear end rebuilt. It leaks...]

Besides oil seals and O-rings, what are they going to replace? My NT has around 65k miles and is still leak-free.
 
Joined
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Yes, it sounds like it... That is part of the control module letting you know you have a low voltage condition.
This is a standard feature on many manufacturer's heated grips these days. Mine has a multicolor LED that goes purple and blinks when the voltage is too low.

The Hot Grips of days of ole did not and would drain the battery if you were not careful or did not connect them to the ignition switch.

 

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