seem to be the big thing on a lot of bikes now, is anyone using them, riding in the cold ?
which ones are good... ?
what are you using to fight the cold and keep on riding through the colder weather ?
-Ron
One of the bike magazines did a comparitave road test of a BMW and a Vstrom 650. the BMW came with heated grips but no hand guards, and the Vstrom was fitted with hand guards but no heated grips. It seems the consensus of the testing riders was the hand guards were more effective than the heated grips for cold weather riding.
The main idea is to keep the blast of cold air from your hands, and if you have a windshield or fairing that does this there is probably no need for the hand guards.
I put a set of Moose Racing guards on my SV650, the ones with the aluminum bars the plastic covers fit over. It is much less expensive to get the all plastic guards, and they might do a better job of keeping the wind off your hands. Bigger is better.
This is something I'm interested in as I'd like to extend my riding season a bit into the cooler weather. Note I didn't say "cold" weather! ;D My cousin has an SV and I think has put V Strom hand guards (fist fairings LOL) on his as well as heated grips. I think he used a plug that fits inside the tubular bar end (Polly Heater maybe?) rather than an under-grip mat or heated grip itself.
With the addition of an '83 upper fairing I'm not sure the hand guard method would work for me now. :( Has anyone done this? It seems they would interfere with the fairing at full lock.
Quote from: admin on December 07, 2012, 10:23:10 PM
what are you using to fight the cold and keep on riding through the colder weather ?
Not hand but knee cap related... :o I didn't get lowers with my '83 fairing purchase and didn't think I wanted them til the weather got cool. I had some left over polycarbonate from a failed windscreen project :-[ and made a set of wind deflectors. The leading edge grabs the radiator shroud. The top utilizes the existing 6mm fairing lowers mounting points and the bottom clamps to the engine guards. In the bottom picture (protective film removed) I've heated and bent the trailing edge to deflect wind away from my knees. In addition there is active heating by virtue of the air passing through the radiator being funnelled back over your legs.
They are super fast on and off with power tools and not much time by hand. Come spring when I paint the fairing I'll spray these to match. I've tried them a few times this fall on rides from 40 to 60 degrees and they do help. Anything over mid 60's you're better off them leaving off. The heated air from the radiator is too much at those temps. The next weakest link is my hands which brings us back to the thread topic. ;)
There is a less permanent method. There are the little mittens that you can fit over your handlebars and hands. I use the same thing at work except for a bicycle. They work well on a bike, but I only ever go 20mph at most. This link shows them, they are fairly cheap too.http://motorcycle-superstore.com/3/13/121/55801/ITEM/BikeMaster-Hand-Mitts.aspx (http://motorcycle-superstore.com/3/13/121/55801/ITEM/BikeMaster-Hand-Mitts.aspx)
hmmm, Interesting.... I've not seen that one but have looked at others like it. Thanks for the link! :D
Hippo Hands used to be the only game in town. http://www.hippohands.com/ (http://www.hippohands.com/)
I've had a"Hippo hands " type of protector for 10 years . They were intended to be used on an ATV , but are super on the Vision. They work better than heated grips , by far.
Thanks for the comment Rick. That's a strong endorsement.
It's starting to sound like heated grips may not be the best choice or maybe your first choice?? I wonder if maybe they are more effective at moderate temps?
I have owned a set of Vetter Hippohands since '84 and think very highly of them. In cold weather I can ride without gloves, a major plus. In bitter weather, only light gloves are needed. Since Hippohands provide protection all the way to my elbows, when combined with the outstanding factory V fairing with its' heat diverting lowers, I can ride comfortably and longer with lighter clothing. A factory fairing equipped V with Hippohands makes one of the very best cold weather touring bikes of all time. I'm sure that the addition of grip warmers would probably eliminate the need for gloves altogether. Twenty years ago I received a grip warmer kit as a gift from friends at my
local Yamadealer and have never felt the need to install it.
However, Hippohands do have some drawbacks. They hurt gas consumption and sometimes impart undesirable steering imputes. They also inhibit quick hand movements to and away from the controls if necessary. Since you can't see the controls under the "hands" it really helps to know the controls very well by Braille.
For me, the pluses greatly outweight the minuses. I can definitely work around the problems.
I appreciate hearing the drawbacks too, thanks QBS. Something to consider.
I have several sets of gloves and having had the opportunity to crash test a few pairs and will never ride with out hand protection. I have a pair of winter gloves that cost me about 80 to 120 (I don't remember exactly) bucks or so but it was money well spent and held up to my last crash well. I have a set of triumph heated grips from my triumph st on my vision that work really well.
Quote from: QBS on December 09, 2012, 08:49:31 PM
I have owned a set of Vetter Hippohands since '84 and think very highly of them. In cold weather I can ride without gloves, a major plus. In bitter weather, only light gloves are needed. Since Hippohands provide protection all the way to my elbows, when combined with the outstanding factory V fairing with its' heat diverting lowers, I can ride comfortably and longer with lighter clothing. A factory fairing equipped V with Hippohands makes one of the very best cold weather touring bikes of all time. I'm sure that the addition of grip warmers would probably eliminate the need for gloves altogether. Twenty years ago I received a grip warmer kit as a gift from friends at my
local Yamadealer and have never felt the need to install it.
However, Hippohands do have some drawbacks. They hurt gas consumption and sometimes impart undesirable steering imputes. They also inhibit quick hand movements to and away from the controls if necessary. Since you can't see the controls under the "hands" it really helps to know the controls very well by Braille.
For me, the pluses greatly outweight the minuses. I can definitely work around the problems.
I rode my 83 from Atlanta to Daytona for bike week one time when it was snowing when I left Atlanta and snowed all the way to the Fla. line. Had my Hippo Hands, snowmobile suit, and "heat diverting lowers" and was very comfortable. I rode into Robling Road Race Track outside Savannah and the racers got out of their vans and clapped for me. It was cool! In more ways than one.
well, apparently stock on some models, along with heated handgrips.
maybe it's just time to just steal some from an unsuspecting beemer owner... ;) :angel:
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/garryjirvine/R5-D3bSXlVI/AAAAAAAAYhs/qk19sbbdT7A/s800/P1270312.JPG)
I'll bet that zip tie in the picture is worth a hundred bucks all by itself.
milk jugs baby!
(http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt13/jflthumper/0418091542.jpg)
wow, how awesome is that !!!
Casa-depot and the local dumpster.
Those mirror extenders are priceless
what a gr8t picture !! LOL :o :laugh: :laugh:
What's with the "windshield"? Reminds me of a sky light cover.
Hopefully that doesn't get ridden above say, 20 mph. The aerodynamics may get a bit squirrely.....
Thanks for posting. That is in the "you couldn't make that up" category.
Quote from: fret nut on December 23, 2012, 12:44:26 AM
What's with the "windshield"? Reminds me of a sky light cover.
It's a window well basement window cover, LOL
Yes and they are quite flimsy. As pullshocks mentioned I'll bet it's a handfull at speed. I almost wonder if it's just a mock-up? I hope it is... ??? :)
I have a BMW with heated grips and agree the guards are the most effective, but the heated grips do keep you're fingers warm.
Quote from: Night Vision on December 22, 2012, 12:00:34 PM
milk jugs baby!
(http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt13/jflthumper/0418091542.jpg)
I know some guys down here that are gonna love that picture. You made my day!
I got a pair of these: http://www.cyclegear.com/eng/product/bilt_demon_waterproof_motorcycle_gloves/web1008621
Still breaking in, and not fully tested yet, but so far so good for commuting in the low 40's. Not sure I would pay $80 for them, but OK at the sale price.
If you order them, go up a size. I usually get a large, and needed XL for these.
Update 2 hour ride in the 30's is asking too much from these gloves. Brrrr
:laugh: Love the DR farkles... I guess he has a discount at the home improvement place, but not at a motorpickle shop. Necessity (and price point) are the mothers of invention.
Ron,
Most "adventure" type bikes like in the beem pic come with hand guards std or as an option. They originally were roost and branch protection for dirt riders way back in the day. The tough part for putting them on the Vee bars is no threaded on bar end weights which is how the plastic ones, like on the Beem, Vstrom, etc mount. One can of course drill and tap the stock Vbars to provide an end mount point. The grips will need a little modding and a spacer as well for the throttle side to eliminate interference.
For a cheap and stowable solution, I bought these a couple of years back and they work great. http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/5/18/173/21047/ITEM/Kwik-Tek-ScootR-Logic-Hand-Mitts.aspx They do have the name Scooter Logic in white on the top side and for the '83 with no handlebar mirrors they can be put on upside down for an all black look. I like that I can use them for cold Spring and Fall mornings and easily remove and stow them as the day warms up... repeat in reverse on the cool down. They're not water proof but work fine for light stuff and they keep off the worst of the wind.
Rich