Yamaha Ténéré World Raid

Winter warmers and width worries

It's been said before in these pages, but it bears repeating. Riding in inclement weather is vastly improved by choice of clothing, none more so than by using gloves that keep your hands warm. There is clearly an alternative here, that of heated grips, but if you want to absolutely guarantee digits that still respond to your wants and needs, then the combination of both is something of a no-brainer.

So, while the World Raid is fitted with heated grips, they're Yamaha's aftermarket items rather than standard fitment, with the result that they're not quite as neat (there's some extra cabling around the bars), and nor do they seem quite as warm as some factory-fitted heated grips (those on the Harley Pan America, as an example, feel like they get hot enough to melt lead). But they are still far better than having no heated grips!

And I've now got into the habit of plugging in my Keis jacket and gloves (connected together and using the bike's electricity, rather than using the gloves' batteries) and turning it all on straightaway, including the heated grips. I often do this before I even start the bike, although a little bit of flat battery paranoia will often mean I start the bike first, especially when it's really cold. I've found that doing it this way, I get warm and cosy before I've even turned a wheel, and the heated kit tends to keep me that way.