Hippo Hands

Hippo Hands were mentioned in another thread and I am curious as to whether the original ones are still being sold. Great product in the ‘70’s. The standard which other manufacturers aimed to achieve and improve upon.

What type of this protection are y’all using this winter ? Would love to hear first hand experiences.

I’m in the market. I’m using a $20 pair now and it proved that I would like to have better ones. Much better ones.

Charlie

72r60/7 said:

Hippo Hands were mentioned in another thread and I am curious as to whether the original ones are still being sold. Great product in the ‘70’s. The standard which other manufacturers aimed to achieve and improve upon.

What type of this protection are y’all using this winter ? Would love to hear first hand experiences.

I’m in the market. I’m using a $20 pair now and it proved that I would like to have better ones. Much better ones.

Charlie

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The pair of Hippo Hands I have were purchased about ten (10) years ago, so I don't know if they are still sold. I still use them, but less than I used to. Now that I have more experience (an old man), I find I ride in cold weather less each year. They were always the best weather protectors for a rider's hands, I think. The heated grips on my BMW are pretty useless below about 30 degrees; all they keep sorta warm are the palms of my hands, but the backs of the hands are the parts that get cold. FWIW, the same "sorta warm" comment applies to that almost-useless heated seat; my parts that do get cold do not include my butt.

Good luck.

URL for HippoHands

Here's the URL: https://www.hippohands.com/?gclid=C...IJQprI5bvpir_37vQGTI3XH4EEUmyJmxoCBNcQAvD_BwE

Hippo hands, bar none, are the best protection there is, as far as I am concerned. Had a pair of the original lace up and when they came out with the Velcro closures I got and used those. Dont know if they are still made by the original outfit but they are still out there. Dont let anyone tell you that they get in your way turning or stopping. NOT TRUE. They just rotate with the bars and anyway, when you turn, do you actually turn those bars????...…...Get em and RIDE......Dennis

Been using these for a few years. Can switch to other bikes in 2 minutes. Hand guards are required for this particular model. They are awesome !


https://obradvgear.com/enduro-grip-mitt/

When I was commuting to work, 20° was my go/no-go temp for the bike. 19° and I wimped out and took the cage. I used a pair of Hippo Hands, low heat on the grips and light gloves. There was no need for heavy winter gloves. I had no problems reaching any of the controls either. Great product!


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Wunderlich

I use the Wunderlich ones because they have the transparent window to enable seeing the many handlebar switches. They seem to raise your hand temperature 30 degrees in cool weather. I could probably ride down to about 20 degrees F with these (with the grip heaters, and I also have heated gloves.)

http://www.wunderlichamerica.com/motorcycle/8110360.html

Even with the transparent window I still have trouble with some of the switches.

Kolpin makes a snowmobile/atv muff that fits on my bike. I wouldn't suggest high speed rides, but in a pinch, they work.

Price is ~$36 on Amazon.

ExGMan said:

Here's the URL: https://www.hippohands.com/?gclid=C...IJQprI5bvpir_37vQGTI3XH4EEUmyJmxoCBNcQAvD_BwE

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I bought these last year. Work great especially in conjunction with the grip brush guards on the GS. I usually keep the grip heaters on low and wear summer gloves.

craigjv4 said:

I bought these last year. Work great especially in conjunction with the grip brush guards on the GS. I usually keep the grip heaters on low and wear summer gloves.

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jkjohnson said:

I use the Wunderlich ones because they have the transparent window to enable seeing the many handlebar switches. They seem to raise your hand temperature 30 degrees in cool weather. I could probably ride down to about 20 degrees F with these (with the grip heaters, and I also have heated gloves.)

http://www.wunderlichamerica.com/motorcycle/8110360.html

Even with the transparent window I still have trouble with some of the switches.

Click to expand...

I tried the Wunderlich version on my F800GS. They were excellent quality but the Velcro attachment straps ran across the starter button. It was an easy return with Wunderlich.
OM

I purchased my first pair of Hippo Hands in the early 80s during my winter college commutes on my trusty Honda 350. They did a good job of keeping my hands protected from the winter wind chills. I remember that they had a strapping system and were not particularly easy to get on and off. They always presented a bit of a challenge in operating the handlebar controls and didn't maintain their shape with speed.

Fast forward to 2018, I purchased the current generation of Hippo Hands for a winter trip from New Jersey to South Carolina. The morning temps were in the 20s and with the wind chills at interstate highway speeds it had to be below zero. The Hippo Hands worked great. I wore mid season gloves with the heated bar grips at the low setting, and was comfortable all day. They mount using velcro that attaches to the GS hand guards (velcro hadn't been invented back in the day of the originals) and my hands were easily able to manipulate the controls and move freely without restriction. They also maintained shape at speed, are easy to take on and off and they have added a reflective strip on the front of the covers. I just used them on a similar trip this year with similar success.

IMHO, worth the money.

Hippo Hands have been worth every penny for me. But now I'm having a first world problem. The Hippo Hands allow me to wear my summer weight gloves, which give me much more comfort and feel. But with the thin gloves, even though on their low setting, my heated grips are too hot. I keep having to toggle back and forth from off to low. At 25 F my hands are too cold with no heat and sweating or burning with the low setting on.

Does anyone know if it's possible to decrease wattage (volts? Amps?) supplied to the grips to lower the heat? Maybe with GS-911?

ewilson said:

Hippo Hands have been worth every penny for me. But now I'm having a first world problem. The Hippo Hands allow me to wear my summer weight gloves, which give me much more comfort and feel. But with the thin gloves, even though on their low setting, my heated grips are too hot. I keep having to toggle back and forth from off to low. At 25 F my hands are too cold with no heat and sweating or burning with the low setting on.

Does anyone know if it's possible to decrease wattage (volts? Amps?) supplied to the grips to lower the heat? Maybe with GS-911?

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My approach would be to add Grip Puppies or their equivalent to add a layer of insulation between the grip and the glove.

What PGlaves said about Grip Puppies. I have some on the RT and they do work with the heat, but now that I think about it, it is not as intense as the OEM grips alone and I find my self leaving the heat level alone, most of the time. The Grip Puppies are not all that expensive, so it can be worth a shot trying them out first before any mechanical mods are done.

ewilson said:

Hippo Hands have been worth every penny for me.

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wow, 12,000 pennies seems a lot of money for what you're getting. But of course the cheapest thing on my bike is the rider....


Ski

skibumwi said:

wow, 12,000 pennies seems a lot of money for what you're getting. But of course the cheapest thing on my bike is the rider....


Ski

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well, 18495 pennies for the Wonderlich makes the Hippos seem downright bargainish.

Yeah, I'm not real impressed with the Wunderlich design, regardless of the pennies involved.
Ski