Nothing beats warm hands on cold days when riding your bike. Although some bikes come with heated grips such as the BMW R nineT Scrambler not everyone has the luxury of warm hands on a cold day's ride. Suffering with cold hands might build character, but having numb, undexterous digits is unsafe. You forfeit control feel, reaction time, and strength due to deadened nerves and reduced blood flow.
Heated grips are subject to the same criticisms as quick shifters and traction control. It’s true, you don’t need warm hands, clutch-less full-throttle upshifts, or an electronic safety net to enjoy a motorcycle ride, but if you’re a staunch opponent of any of these things, it’s probably because you haven’t tried them.
If your ride didn’t come with heated grips, don’t fret. There are plenty of aftermarket options out there that’ll push plenty of BTU into your palms. You can slip a $40 set of Heat Demon elements under your existing grips if you want, but I’m not a fan of that style since they tend to make your grips rotate and the heat output is always uneven because the handlebar acts as a heat sink. (The plastic throttle tube acts as an insulator on the right grip). For more warmth, you’re better off replacing your grips with integrated units like Oxford’s Heaterz grips.
Whatever you decide to do, know that you’re not a wuss for wanting warm hands. Between comfort, safety, and just being able to ride more when it’s cold out, heated grips are a great thing to have.