Factory heated Grips vs Aftermarket, plus a few questions about the Yamaha grip parts

[Tazmool]

Howdy Everyone, 

One of the accessories that will for sure be going onto my T7 is a set of hand grip warmers. 

The cost of the OEM ones seems a tad high though, the grip kit + connector cable + spacer, together, after taxes here is $307
Why does this setup come in 3 separate pieces? 
Are all 3 pieces necessary? 

The connector cable is self explanatory... but
What is the spacer for?  looking at the non heated oem grips, there is no spacer there? 
Also, does anyone know the overall length of the oem heated and std grips? 

A set of aftermarket grips I've used in the past (and which are installed on my current street bike) are the Koso Apollo heated grips (I've found these to be much better than the grips on my VFR-X that I had, toasty warm, 5 settings, easy install)

They come in a variety of sizes, I'm assuming for the T7 they would be the 7/8" bars, and 130mm long?  (optionally they come in 120mm long, which was right right size for my current bike) 

New, they are $106-116usd depending where you get them, so about $160cnd.  Are the Yamaha ones worth it? 
 

Any ideas and experiences welcome!

Tazmool  

[Aleksandar13]

I was going for the yamaha ones but changed my mind due to cost... Spacer is needed as they are not long enough. 

People are happy with them once they have been programmed for a higher cc bike. 

I've fitted Oxford ones and I'm happy with my choice. Bought glue separately as I don't trust superglue that much and fitted them myself. 

They are good and cost less than £50 in UK. 

You could buy from here are as some companies ship worldwide. Attached a picture to see how they look. 

Aleks 

[WalterT]

Spacers are necessary as Aleksandar indicated.

 

The thing I like is that they have a nicely integrated controller and I do not have to clutter up my handlebar with yet another bolted-on button. For me that was one of the main decision arguments. As I bought them with the bike, they were installed by the dealer.

DIY is not a big thing, but it does take time, you can't use the standard Yamaha power connectors wich are there already. And if you want to do it properly, you'll need to add a fuse/relay box which only supplies power when the bike is running etc.

 

I went with the Yamaha's.  If you don't mind the DIY and want to save money: an aftermarket set will work just as well. 

 

 

[T700]

I have the Yamaha heated grips and cable ready to go but I didn’t know anything about a spacer as I have not seen anything on Yamaha’s accessories list for it , do I have a part No for it so I can order it please 

Edited December 15, 2019 by T700

[Aleksandar13]

2 minutes ago, T700 said:

I have the Yamaha heated grips and cable ready to go but I didn’t know anything about a spacer as I have not seen anything on Yamaha’s accessories list for it , do I have a part No for it so I can order it please 

Here is a screen shoot for the spacers!

[WalterT]

The Yamaha part number for the spacer is:

 

YMEF296E0000

[Koos]

Do we really need the spacers? They are 120mm long, that's as long as the ones I have already on other bikes.

[Totti]

8 hours ago, WalterT said:

Spacers are necessary as Aleksandar indicated.

 

The thing I like is that they have a nicely integrated controller and I do not have to clutter up my handlebar with yet another bolted-on button. For me that was one of the main decision arguments. As I bought them with the bike, they were installed by the dealer.

DIY is not a big thing, but it does take time, you can't use the standard Yamaha power connectors wich are there already. And if you want to do it properly, you'll need to add a fuse/relay box which only supplies power when the bike is running etc.

 

I went with the Yamaha's.  If you don't mind the DIY and want to save money: an aftermarket set will work just as well. 

 

 

The power connectors on the bike have a fuse already and they supply power only when the bike is running. So no need for extra fuses on relay boxes.

[Totti]

The oem warmers are pricy. I ordered a set of Oxford warmers from Poland. If I remember correctly, they were 68€ with taxes and postage. Installation takes half a day, but at the same time you familiarize yourself with the bike.

[Murska]

I also have an Oxford Adventure, more grip, cheap and easy to install.

I do not like Yamaha grips because it is slippery and expensive.

 

Edited December 15, 2019 by Murska

[Tazmool]

Excellent Info!

 

As I understand it:
It appears the oem grips are 120mm and to fit properly they should be 130mm, thus that is why a spacer is needed (odd choice by yamaha) 

 

The T7 electrical is already setup to accept grip warmers, which should allow plugging in aftermarket warmers into the oem wiring harness.  An adapter cable will need to be made up, but that too should be not too bad to make.  This will beat having to use a triggered relay system.

 

The Plan:
I think I will go with another set of the Koso Apollo grip warmers, they get plenty hot, and the controller is integrated into the grips, so no extra buttons or controls need to be mounted elsewhere, very similar to the oem setup on the T7 and my ex-VFR-X .

 

The Koso grips also come in 120mm and 130mm, so with the 130s no spacer should be needed.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

Tazmool

[Motoadventure]

Interesting, I fitted the Yam ones and not that impressive. I am OK riding above 5 deg but any lower and for more than an hour it becomes unpleasant with my hands getting cold. I did several hours in the Pyrenees in freezing temperatures and was not impressed. I posted a few questions and was told that I had to hold down the on button for maximum heat but this was only a bit warmer. 

 

The big question is am I expecting to much from any grips or are other grips warmer??? 

 

Cheers Mick      

[hombacher]

On 12/18/2019 at 8:17 AM, Tazmool said:

[..]

The Plan:

I think I will go with another set of the Koso Apollo grip warmers, they get plenty hot, and the controller is integrated into the grips, so no extra buttons or controls need to be mounted elsewhere, very similar to the oem setup on the T7 and my ex-VFR-X .

 

The Koso grips also come in 120mm and 130mm, so with the 130s no spacer should be needed.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

Tazmool

 

@Tazmool,

 

do you have a link, an article number or product description for those 130 mm Koso grip warmers, please?

[Tazmool]

Sure, 

 

These come in 120mm and 130mm options
https://kosonorthamerica.com/product/apollo-heated-grips-twist-throttle/

The same manufacturer has other models as well.
 

I bought mine on eBay for $106usd

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Koso-North-America-AM111030-Apollo-Heated-Grips/333431312292

 

Hope it helps!

 

Tazmool

[Tazmool]

Motoadventure, 
From what I read on here, the OEM ones have to be set for max (600+ I think) CC range for them to go to full heat, you may want to check yours and set them accordingly (whomever installed them, may have left them in their default scooter setting).

 
If they still don't get hot enough, an aftermarket set may be for you.   I've had very weak oem heated grips before (Honda VFR-X) that could not keep up in 5C weather.   The best ones I've had (oem) were on a Yamaha FJR1300, they had 10 settings and got super hot, could keep you toasty in any weather.   

The Kosos I have, I did not test in very cool weather yet, but they seemed to get plenty hot in their high setting, hot enough that they got very uncomfortable and had to be turned down on a cool evening ride.   I generally use them in their lowest settings.

 

Tazmool

[Motoadventure]

31 minutes ago, Tazmool said:

Motoadventure, 
From what I read on here, the OEM ones have to be set for max (600+ I think) CC range for them to go to full heat, you may want to check yours and set them accordingly (whomever installed them, may have left them in their default scooter setting).

 
If they still don't get hot enough, an aftermarket set may be for you.   I've had very weak oem heated grips before (Honda VFR-X) that could not keep up in 5C weather.   The best ones I've had (oem) were on a Yamaha FJR1300, they had 10 settings and got super hot, could keep you toasty in any weather.   

The Kosos I have, I did not test in very cool weather yet, but they seemed to get plenty hot in their high setting, hot enough that they got very uncomfortable and had to be turned down on a cool evening ride.   I generally use them in their lowest settings.

 

Tazmool

Cheers Tazmool. been told they are adjustable and to press the on button for 5 seconds to set them to the larger output for bigger bikes. I assume i have this correct??? 

 

Thanks Mick 

[Tazmool]

I'm trying to find the original post, but can't see it at the moment. 
From what I remember, when in the settings mode, the indicator light also shows the mode its in, so make sure that all 3 lights are on when setting it to the max setting.  

 

Tazmool

[Tazmool]

[Rich TT]

1 hour ago, Tazmool said:

That's it and good man. I've posted that a few times. Be good to get it on top by cruzin somewhere as it's so valuable to all.

 

Cheers

Rich

[Tazmool]

I agree, it would be a good idea to get that on a sticky, I'm sure eventually there will be a good repository of documents and helpful posts on here.  

I did find that image posted on this forum a while ago, great forum!

Tazmool