NOT SO
REVIEW
COLD KIWI
WORDS & PHOTOS: Ben Wilkins
The run up to this year ' s Cold Kiwi got me looking at the weather forecast, like the majority of those keen to hit the Central Plateau over Fathers ' Day weekend. It was looking to be sub-10 degrees all weekend, with the possibility of sub-zero overnights, which got me thinking about the heated grips on my old BMW R80GS I was looking to take for the trip. Those grips were fitted before I bought the bike some five years ago. A pair of Oxford HotGrips that had given good service, but one of them was only getting to ' tepid ' despite my efforts with the connectors and wires. With the ' Kiwi ' only a few weeks away it was time to fit a new set. Having been happy with the old HotGrips Premium( the base model of three- Premium, Evo and Pro) I decided to go for another set, but upping to the mid-point model, the Evo with v9 heat switch. There are three types- Sports, Touring and Adventure- which have different grip patterns, diameters and widths. I fitted the Adventure as that ' s the riding I do.
FITTING The hardest part of fitting the new grips was getting the old grips off. I ' d used a two-part epoxy to stop them turning, which turned out
KIWI RIDER 43