Heated grips or heated gloves?

Grips warm the palm and let you wear a thinner, more dexterous glove — which is the real constraint in winter riding. Gloves warm the whole hand, including the backs and fingertips where cold actually arrives, and they move between machines.

Why the constraint is dexterity, not warmth

Every millimetre between finger and control costs feel. A glove thick enough to be warm on its own is a glove that makes the indicator switch hard to find, and riders answer by taking it off at junctions — which defeats it. Heat at the hand removes the reason for thickness.

What grips do and do not reach

They warm the palm, which is in contact. The backs of the hands and the fingertips are in the airflow and are not warmed, which is why grips are usually paired with a windproof glove rather than replacing one. They also need wiring to the machine, and they stay with it.

What heated gloves do

Warm the whole hand, including where the cold arrives. They need power — a battery in the cuff, or a lead to the machine — and both arrangements are published. A battery is self-contained and finite; a lead ties you to one machine and does not run out.

The third option people forget

Handguards. They move the airflow off the hands entirely, cost nothing to run, and make a moderate glove usable in conditions that would otherwise need a heated one. On machines where they fit, they are the cheapest of the three.

How to decide

If you ride one machine and want the simplest answer, grips. If you ride several, or want fingertips warm, gloves. If your machine takes handguards and you have not tried them, start there.