Hola mi amigos. Caca pasa, taco bell.

Anyway I'm getting ready to order a set of grip heaters to install before hunting season this year. I've found ones made by Kimpex, and by moose utility. They differ in price by only $4, so I was wondering if anyone had any experience with either one, or could recomend a better set. I'm planning on using them with a set of the over the handlebar type mitts, so I'm not installing a thumb warmer.

I've never used grip heaters before, so how much of a difference do they make? How long do they take to heat up? Do they get too hot to use w/o a pair of gloves to act as insulators? And lastly, as I think I'll need replacement grips, does the prairie 650 use 7/8" grips, or another size?


Thanks,
AJ

the stock grips are VERY hard to get off. I don't know of one person that was able to do this with out replacing the grips. I run kimpex I don't know about the moose utility. I use my thumb warmer more than grips. In Nova Scotia the heated handle bars are a must from Sept to June expecially at night. I don't know the size of the grips but your dealer should, if not just order the kawi ones.

I've gotten the grips off in one piece on 2 different machines by shoving a small screwdriver in between the grip and the bar. I keep working the screwdriver all the way around the grip until it breaks free. ATV's with thumb throttles take a 7/8" grip.
If I were only going to get one unit and were using mitts, I would get the thumb warmer and not the hand warmer.
Some people have told me that the handwarmers that come as one unit(grip with the element molded in) will last longer than the type that you slide your old grips on over the top, but I find that the grips with the built in element are uncomfortable. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

AJ650
there is no doubt that handwarmers are worth their weight in gold in a cold climate, In alberta we use hand warmers all year round, and a thumb warmer would be a good investment as in cold weather the blood doesnt circulate in your thumb from the pressure on the thumb lever. the type that installs under the grip works fine and artic cat sleds have a type that insert into the handle bars but probably would be a pain to install.
Raymond

AJ, check THESE out. I have the soft grip Hotgrips on mine and they work great. They are a little pricey but what are warm hands worth? A couple of my friends have the Kimpex ones and have had a lot of trouble with them. I have had my gloves completely soaked and with my heaters on, my hands were still nice and warm. They don't take too long to heat up, maybe 5 minutes or so, and you don't need to wear mitts if you don't want too as they don't get that hot. If you install them as per the instructions, you won't have any trouble. I put on the variable heat controller as well, but I wouldn't recommend it as it is another $40 or so. I find I usually have them maxed out or off, so the controller is not worth the extra $$$.

The hot grips I've had have a high and a low heat setting. I wouldn't worry about how long it takes to heat up, because it would take longer for your hands to get cold than it would for the grips to heat up.
BTW... I just noticed there are a lot of Canadians posting on this board.... almost all of you in this thread! When I was on the Yamaha forum, I found very few. It's good to see.