Oxford heated grips and Shinkos 009 upgrades

I thought I would share my last for now winter upgrades with you all. I installed a set of Oxford heated grips and needed to install new tires so decided to try the Shinko 009s. I also ordered a set of mirror extenders but they are on back order so have to wait a while on them.

So here's my thoughts on both -

Oxford grips get a solid A - TwistedThrottle.com : Oxford Heaterz Heated Motorcycle Handlebar Grips for 7/8-inch Diameter Handlebars (Sports Style) - OXF.26.0696

These things flat out and completely ROCK!! After a week of riding with them I really like them a lot, winter riding will be much better this year. I think that once the really cold weather gets here I will be kicking myself in the ass for not getting these years ago. Unlike most heated grips that have a flexible plate that goes under your existing grip, and maybe two temp settings if that, most are just an on\off, these completely replace your grip, they are a bit bigger which is nice and they have a really nice textured grip which will be great for wet weather, which will be anytime now. Four temp settings plus an on\off switch easily accesible and easy to use with gloves. Used in conjunction with my Gerbings and my fingers should be nice and toasty warm all winter long. Two kind of nits - They bolt directly to the battery so if you forget and leave them on, your battery will be dead This happened to me twice in a week, luckily I remembered before the battery completely died at work and it did die at home. So I rewired them to a switched connection, I used the wire for the light bulb wire over the license plate as the power source for them. I have a bit of a concern that I should have run them through a relay and might be running too much current through the wire, so I dropped the fuse down 5 amps, if it blows I'll add another relay or patch them into the horn relay.

Shinkos - Too soon to really to tell, the main reason I went with them was the price and the rave reviews on their performance, especially wet weather which is one of the main features I look for in a street tire. I spent a couple of hours scrubbing in the new Shinkos today and so far I like them a whole bunch. Very very pleased with them at this point. They felt a lot like Q2s or BT016s, they held a straight line very nice, they handled the decreasing distance slalom test excellent, and turn in was also excellent. Time will tell about longevity and the main feature I am hopeful for, wet weather use. I had no problem at all hitting the pegs with them and didn't once feel even a little bit of slip. If they hold up well in wet weather and get 6k min for longevity. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another set. For $165.00 shipped to the door, a no brainer.

And for a quick honerable mention - Bilt Hurricane boots from Cycle Gear

Cycle Gear - BILT: Hurricane Waterproof Motorcycle Boots, BLACK

I pre-ordered a set on sale for $60.00, great boots, very comfortable, they fit very well and are pretty close to size. I strongly suspect they are Tour Master rebranded, they have the same feel, I'm still waiting to see if the waterproof claims hold up, if they do turn out to be waterproof I would give them a solid B+, I'm deducting some because they don't come in half sizes or wide sizes. i generally get a 10 1/2 wide, the 11 fits great but is a bit snug, but the more I wear them the more they loosen up so I think once they get broken in a bit more they should fit pretty close to perfect. They have a (wow!!!) 5 year warranty through Cycle Gear so if they do wear out prematurely or start leaking, I can get my money refunded at the local store or get a replacement set so no return shipping hassles, virtually a no risk deal and again the price is really decent!

 

Great review on the grips. I'll put those on my list of things to consider when I go that route.

I just bought the same boots as well. I normally wear an 8.5 in running shoes and went with a 9. Fit great, easy on, easy off. The sole needs to be trained to keep from getting a wrinkle on mine, but it's easy to get them fitted for my feet. I feel much more secure in these on the bike than my milspec desert Altama's with ripple soles. I wear those at work and tried a ride with them. These are much better.

Steve, have you considered installing the power distribution block from the canyon chasers website? I'm definitely going forth with that mod and am actively searching for advice on the best place to put it.

Check my other post.

Cheers.