I live in Louisiana, so it doesn't get that cold down here on a regular basis. I take long rides, and some days it gets down to low 30's upper 20's. I have thick gloves, but after an hour of riding, my fingertips get cold, and start to numb. So, my question is this, should I buy heated gloves that plug in, or should I get heated hand grips. Which one works better?

Thanks

 

It depends on who you talk to. Some like grips others the gloves. I personally went with the gloves because they heat my whole hand, not just the palms. Also they were cheaper than heated grips. If you go the glove route, I highly recommend ordering with Gerbing ( who makes HD gloves) but will be cheaper without HD Logo. They also have a life time warranty & I can tell you that they honor that warranty with no questions asked. Great company, excellent products & outstanding customer service.

 

I have the heated gloves for 15 years and only had to have one repaired for like the shipping cost. I think for really cold long rides they are worth the trouble of the wires, I have a newer heated jacket with the coax type wire so my gloves won't plug into that so I just run two wires off my battery. I've heard several people that have had problems w the heated grips. Also if you change rides you have your gloves vs buying new grips.

I have the anti-freeze glove linners that Cycle Gear sells and they work great when I don't have to plug in, usually above 40. You may want to try them, like $25 first.

 

I use snowmobile gloves on cold days.
Also heard of some problems with the grip heaters going kaputi.

 

Heated Gloves are an upgrade that you can take with you when you change bikes.

 

I live in New England where it is very cold. I find the heated gloves (I own Gerbings) are too hot during the transition in the fall and spring. That's when I use the heated grips which are just enough to remove the chill. When it is really cold, 35 and below, the gloves come on and I can ride for hours without a problem.

 

Until my present ride, I used the Gerbing gloves & jacket liner. The good things that everyone says about them is true. Our local HOG group schedules a winter ride to the Gerbing plant each year.

My FLHTK came with heated grips, and I love 'em. They are all I need for most temps; nice to not mess with the wires, and my hands stay warm. I'm also guaranteed at least 2 years of service from the grips. When they fail, past warranty, I'll be back in the gloves. I'm going to take a look at the new microfiber models at the Seattle MC show next month.

To restate, you can't go wrong with Gerbing.

 

Heated gloves all the way with a temp controll in line. Keeps the finger tips real toasty unlike the grips. Have heated grips on a couple Beemers, while they are good, the glove are better. Gerbing btw.

 

+1 I have HeatDemons installed to heat the grips and I find them much more flexible and usable than gloves but once you get to riding below 30-35 deg then the gloves are better. I find myself using the heated grips much more often than I expected.

 

Here in the Seattle area, our temps usually don't require the heated gloves, but when it drops into the low 30s or into the 20s, they feel pretty good. I doubt I'd ever have installed the heated grips, but it's nice to have them on the bike, with a factory warranty. If it gets real cold, I have the gloves in the saddlebag, and I can always go to them if needed. I seldom run the grips above the "2" setting -- I can't imagine needing the higher temp settings.