Winter riding - below 40* when still - gloves or hand guards

[garthw]

I think Hippo Hands are out of business- not sure if it was the crrazzee thread on ADV that did it
Another version of the handle bar hand warmers are available from places like Rocky Mountain ATV.....

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/962/15583/Tusk-Hand-Mitts

OM

PS- I'll probably roll this over to Gear when my hands thaw

That is the kind i have for the KLR and about the same price. They will do the trick. Lots of guys use them on ATVs hunting down below freezing all the time.

If you already have brush guards here you go. Make them yourself or I can sell them with the rondel on them for $100 a pair ha ha

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[weschmann]

First Gear Warm & Safe heated glove inserts. Hook to MC battery, buy a good over-glove from a hunting place like Cabala's and you will be in business down to about 5 degrees. The rest of you will get cold, but your pinkies will thank you immensely. I found them for 70 bucks last year, and don't think they have gone up that much in price this year, but have not done any research on price yet as I expect last years gloves to still be good this year. Replaced a set of Gerbing heated gloves that only lasted 1.5 years and had to fight Gerbing to honor their warranty. Found the Gerbing to be too bulky, unreliable, and not as warm as the inserts, plus the inserts are easier to store for high altitude summer riding when you just need a little something better than the heated grips on my 700 GS. From a cost perspective, probably the least expensive way to go, and my experience has been great so far concerning quality.....

 

[WalterK75]

I have some inexpensive Thinsulate gloves and they are surprisingly warm. I have a fairing on my bike so there is some protection from wind, but the temperatures can get close to freezing and these gloves work reasonably well. At these temperatures my feet are colder than my hands.

 

[26667]

exzctly-o-mento

Be very interested in how the $16 ones work out. Didn't see any opening for a mirror stalk which might be an issue, but there was only the one photo that really didn't show much at all.

PLEASE keep us informed when they arrive.

No opening for a bar mounted mirror, which is ok on my R11RT, and a lot thinner (only 1/8" thick) top to bottom than HH, but for me, and the actual amount of cold weather riding I'm likely to do, I think they'll be good. There's a metal strap? band? built inside the fabric surrounding the hand opening that would allow for maintaining the shape necessary to easily put your hand into the opening. I believe HH is built with more of a 3D kind of shape. (I remember my old HH as being leather...or leather-ette, with a wire surround to maintain the box-y shape) The $16 jobs are almost flat, and if memory serves not as thick a fleece liner, but still a fleece lining. ...And $16.

I suppose the flat-osity of the these would make them much more packable than HH. about 1/8" x 11"x12" Like the Sunday NYT Magazine.

IMHO if I were a more dedicated Rounder, or ADV rider, I'd spring the extra $65 on Hippo Hands. But for a guy like me, with heated grips and silk glove liners, who's only gonna ride in temps below 40 as a sort of one-day lark, these are way-just-fine ...and $16

 

[TerryMo]

I think Hippo Hands are out of business- not sure if it was the crrazzee thread on ADV that did it
Another version of the handle bar hand warmers are available from places like Rocky Mountain ATV.....

I thought the original Hippo Hands guy retired. What is the crrazzee thread you refer to?

 

[pete4638]

Gerbing switched to micro-wires years ago. You can't feel them. That said, I agree that heated liners, Gerbing or other reputable brands is probably the best way to go. Using a heated liner lets you select a glove with more armor than Gerbing offers.

Without heated gear, long, winter rides are much more of a challenge than they need to be.

Put me strongly in the camp for a hippo-hands like solution.

I'm using Wunderlich's - which don't fit the R1200R quite as well as I'd like due to where the mirror stems come out of the hippo-hand. I own Gerbing heated gloves, never liked wearing them - the wiring can be felt - and the gloves weren't particularly comfortable, nor was the wiring harness needed to hook them up (same problem with their heated socks which I also own and never wear.)

With the Wunderlich muffs - I have to turn off my heated grips - even in 30F temps - after about 5 minutes or my hands get too hot. I wear summer weight gloves to get the best heat transfer (and control feel) with the muffs. Since they come up on the sleeve of my Aerostich - they also block wind coming up the sleeve. Nice thing - they also provide dry hands when it gets wet out.

Only thing with muffs - don't take your hand out at speed to wave to someone as a traffic light is coming up (DAMHIK, I just do..) The ends will tend to close up leading to fumbling to get to the clutch as the light changes. I'm thinking of adding some bailing wire to the openings in mine to help keep them open when I forget that rule.

BTW - you also DO want brush-guards or GS hand-guards for using these, otherwise they will tend to move back at speed, and could press on your clutch/brake lever. The brush/hand-guards are a good idea anyway - besides keeping bugs from going up your sleeve in the summer, they provide significant weather protection even without the Hippo-hand like muff.

 

[jamesevans]

If you have room in your gloves try a pair of thin polypropylene glove liners. They make a huge difference, way more than you'd think to look at them. Available for $9 CAD from Mountain Equipment Co-op.

 

[WalterK75]

Silk is also supposed to be good for warmth.
http://www.aerostich.com/silk-glove-liners.html