I have not ridden much in the past 20 months because of Covid. Much of my riding is commuting and I have been working from home.
I am now back to 2 days a week in the office and as such, my first ride in was 2 weeks ago and while it was still not super cold and I was still using my normal leather gloves with some perforations, I did notice my fingers were chilly by the time I got to work.
Knowing I would be riding a decent amount during this fall/winter/spring and not liking the winter thinsulate gloves all that much, I decided to bite the bullet and get some heated grips since my 2009 didn't come with them standard (started with 2010 if I remember correctly).
I didn't find a whole lot of info on here about these, so I figured I would post about them.
Link on Amazon (current price is $103):
https://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Heaterz-Premium-Touring-Grips/dp/B07N12ZYR9/ref=sr_1_2?crid=11LSKW10QOQIH&keywords=oxford+heaterz+premium+touring+heated+grips&qid=1636641730&sprefix=oxford+heaterz%2Caps%2C205&sr=8-2These grips are made very well and installation wasn't bad.
1. Start by inspecting the new grips and turning them on to verify that they heat.
2. Remove the bar weights and cut off the old grips, ensuring you don't apply too much cutting pressure to the throttle side as you can cut through the throttle tube fairly easily if you are not careful.
3. Hook up the wiring harness to the battery terminals and run the cables (they automatically turn off when the controller doesn't sense any vibration from the motor, but I will still turn them off on my own every time anyway.
4. Dry fit as needed to ensure wires fit properly.
5. Install either using the superglue they provide or whatever your choice of glue may be (more about that later) and re-install the bar weights. Ensure the molded cables don't interfere with the clutch and brake levers.
6. Find a place to mount the controller.
7. Plug everything in and clean up all the wiring.
8. Ride.
For the Concours, there are no modifications needed to the throttle tube at all, it is a good fit. I chose the clutch reservoir clamp for installing the controller. I had to bend it slightly to clear the reservoir, but that was a simple task. The spacers and proper mounting bolts all come with the grips.
Finished picture is attached.
I listened to an old post on here which said to us WD40 to install as when it dried it would be like glue. Nope. Didn't work.
I then removed, cleaned and tried using haispray. That didn't work either and the grips would spin.
I removed and cleaned up again and actually used some grip tape for golf grips, since I had it and had already thrown out the superglue that comes with the package. That worked well, but I would have preferred to use a glue. I am not sure about super glue though, as the working time is very limited for that. I am sure others have good suggestions for this.
Today was my first ride in with them and they work great. I had them on medium power and it was 48° out when I left. They were plenty warm and did their job well. I could surely feel the difference and a few times when lifting my left hand off the grip during the ride in, you could feel the grip was cooler when my hand went back on there, but it recovered quickly. I have never had a bike with heated grips, so this is a first for me, but I am a believer already. I would recommend them for anyone who has an older model and would like to add heat as it is a pretty easy install and for the cost, it is hard to beat.
Edit to add: These grips are a little larger diameter than stock grips and shorter in length.