Had the ironside heated hand grips installed last week on my 08 Street Glide. Here in the SF bay area it doesn't get as cold as some of the other areas of the country, so bear that in mind as you read.
part number 56049-08

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Heat:

I have never used heated grips before and have Thinsulate lined leather gloves.
Wife and I took the bike to Monterey Bay over the weekend with the average temp being 42, cool coastal wind, and humidity with the low about 36 in the early morning and sundown.

The grips seemed to take about 10 minutes to become noticeably warmer. I kept the setting at about 3 which kept me toasty. While it is true that the palm of the hands are warmer than the tops, due to grip/hand position, I found that my hands were kept warm just fine at '3' with the heat circulating sufficiently in the gloves. My thumbs, where they wrap around the grip, remained a bit cold, but more than bearable.

Occasionally I would take my left hand off the grip to wave, stretch etc. and the difference in temperature was instantaneously noticeable.

My wife said her hands were very cold for much of the trip, until she stuck them in the sides of my chaps, but that is another story.

Grips:

They look to be the same width as the stock grips that came with the bike, though they ‘feel’ a bit wider. The nubs that are on the steel parts took a few minutes to get used to, but seem to help stay gripped, as does the rubber. I think I actually like the feel of the stock or the rubber chrome laced grips I used to have better, but will likely get used to the feel of these.

They look great with the Black Pearl bike and I got chrome radio trim and the chrome switch caps, leaving the black housing. Makes a cool, flowing effect.

Summary:

If you live in a cold/cool area, get some kind of heated grips if you don’t already have them. Extends the mileage and fun. Ironsides look cool, but may take a few rides to get used to the feel.