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Keep your hands warm in cold weather - It's possible!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Hoomgar
  • Start date Start date
H

Hoomgar

Guest
Please feel free to add any of your proven cold weather riding tips.


Get a nice fitting Thinsulate(TM) or Fleece glove (not too tight but not to loose either) and then cover it with a thin rubber glove that fits over it correctly. In a pinch you can use a plastic glove. Even those cheap thin plastic gloves that come with ladies hair dyes will work but are not near as good as a rubber glove.

Then find a pair of Thinsulate(TM) or Fleece outer gloves that fit over that snugly but not too tight. You want it all to be a little loose to allow breathing as you move your hands around. The combination ends up no thicker than a thick insulated glove like a traditional snowmobile glove or what have you but is actually less restrictive I think. The outer glove should be made to insulate and protect against winds like a good hunting glove.

The rubber glove between that outer glove and the even thinner inside glove completely blocks the wind from blowing through your inner glove which is lastly the one that holds in your hand heat. The outer glove keeps the wind from chilling your rubber glove which can make it like a chunk of ice on your hand.

The combination works surprisingly well. In fact, if you make sure your hands are warm before you put them on and pull out onto the road you may even find that your hands will start to get too warm if you do not move them occasionally to help them breathe. The rubber glove restricts air so you do need to occasionally move your hands a bit. Not a big deal. But with the severity of the cold the wind restricting rubber glove is the key of this setup.

The inner most glove should be really comfortable and one like you would buy to use to drive your car in the Winter.

Give it a try if you like, I think you will be surprised. I've been using this principle in different configurations for 23 years now and it really works well for me. Even when it is in the teens outside and the wind is blowing. I can ride in weather that is colder than what my GS can run correctly in.


Hope that helps someone! :D

Edited to removed/correct an unseemly amount of typos and omissions.
 
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I was given a pair of these for Christmas. Grip is pretty good, and the build quality in combination with the warmth and waterproof liner for the price is unbeatable. As usual, great service from NewEnough as well.
 
dpep said:
Now you want to get serious about warm hands.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=36360


Here's a little lighter protection along the same lines.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=36359
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I had bought a set of hippo hands :arrow:
d8_1.JPG

off of ebay a few years back and didn't care for the feel.
Maybe I just need to see my hands while riding :?
Now I just go with a good pair of snowmobile gloves
 
I use snowboarders gloves.
pretty much water resistant, not waterproof.
A real long gauntlet so it covers my jacket sleev.
Frippy tsuff on the fingers and palms.
And they were cheap, $10 at BJ wholesale club.
 
Especially on mornings like today huh guys? :lol:

Those gauntlets, my one riding buddy needed to get his hand off the grip fast one time while maneuvering his bike into the garage because he stepped on a riding toy and started falling over. He needed to simply put his hand out to the wall to catch his fall and regain control but because he couldn't get his hand out in time he dropped the bike on it's side and into the wall smashing the left mirror and breaking the front turn signal as well as a scratch on the fairing and his helmet. He also scuffed the shoulder of his riding jacket. I always rib him about what ride he should be getting onto (the riding toy instead of his bike) and that he should pad his garage walls :lol:

He said they are supposed to allow your hands to slip out quickly and in a worst case scenario they should pull off the grip but when push came to shove he found that his locked his hand onto the bar like he was handcuffed to it. As of such, I am always a little leery about those things. Nothing like a good glove setup I say :)

If you try this method I mentioned be sure that the inner glove is one of comfort like I pointed out. You don't want a hard leather riding glove for the inner glove. In my case, I have a very thin, slightly snug fitting hunting glove that is Thinsulate lined and made of fleece. The rubber glove I use is actually just a plastic glove that comes with ladies hair die. And then the outer glove is my protective leather riding glove. Sounds like a lot but it is no thicker than a pair of insulated snowmobile gloves and IMHO works way better. I find that other parts of my body get cold now faster than my hands do. That is saying something :)
 
Keep your hands warm in cold weather - It's possible!

8O I just knew this thread was gonna be about riding pillion behind Pam Anderson! :wink:
 
Desolation Angel said:
Keep your hands warm in cold weather - It's possible!

8O I just knew this thread was gonna be about riding pillion behind Pam Anderson! :wink:
Click to expand...

I wouldn't have expected anything less from you Herb :mrgreen:
 
I wanted to add that I have been experimenting with this even more. I find that although the plastic gloves make it really easy to slip the outer gloves on they also make your grip then feel greasy. It works OK but you can feel your hand slipping around inside the glove. My original rubber gloves work much better but are a bit harder to get the outer glove on with. I just take the whole unit off and on now so no worries. My Hands are warm now in the coldest weather, sweet :)
 
Hoomgar said:
Desolation Angel said:
Keep your hands warm in cold weather - It's possible!

8O I just knew this thread was gonna be about riding pillion behind Pam Anderson! :wink:
Click to expand...

I wouldn't have expected anything less from you Herb :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

And you'd be right not to, sir. 8)
 
In cold weather I use a National Cycle Plexistar windshield in combination with hand covers similar to Hippo-Hands. The windshield extends out to the handgrips and is tall and wide enough to keep the wind off the upper body and hands. The covers are the final touch. Although they can be a little awkward until you get used to them, once the proper techniques are learned they become indispensible when used with the windshield. I wouldn't use them without the windshield because at speed the full force of the wind is on the covers, and if you take your hands out of them for any reason they tend to flap around causing difficulty to reinsert the hand. This isn't as dangerous as it sounds, because they are so flexible you can just put your hand over them if required to operate the clutch or front brake.

I don't like the feel of bulky gloves. Not only do they reduce control feeling, but the bulk can tend to cut off circulation to the hands when gripping the bars. With the windshield and hand covers, I use a pair of deerskin gauntlets with thinsulate lining. Normally, these would not be extreme cold weather gloves, but with no wind my hands are comfortable in below freezing temperatures. As a bonus, the covers are good rain protection, helping to prevent gloves from getting soaked.
 
I just use resonable winter gloves and heated grips. Mmmm toasty warm.
I have an old set of hand shields from a dirt bike I plan on modifying for my GS too. That should have my hands as warm as they will ever need to be!
 
Bucko said:
I just use resonable winter gloves and heated grips. Mmmm toasty warm.
I have an old set of hand shields from a dirt bike I plan on modifying for my GS too. That should have my hands as warm as they will ever need to be!
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I have been seriously thinking about this for winter riding myself as well. The glove combo I mentioned here works and works well. The problem I have with it after using it off and on for many years is that it is cumbersome. I don't mean bulky, just cumbersome to deal with when putting on and taking off because you have to pull the layers apart to get them back on correctly. Due to having the plastic or rubber between the two other gloves you'll find when you pull them off they just come apart. There seems now way around it so you are effectively taking off and putting back on 6 pieces total each time. You get used to it and as I said after having done it for several years you get quite quick at it but it is still cumbersome.

The other issue I have had with it is not as big and is simply that if it is not really sub-zero cold out, your hands will sweat in them. Then you have to pull over and remove the middle layer (plastic or rubber whichever you used) and now your hands are sweaty and get cold right away. It has no happy medium. It is used only for the coldest weather. Anything that is not completely sub zero cold and you would be better off with a pair of snowmobile gloves.

I am not crazy about the idea of grip warmers on these bikes due to their electrical history but I have heard of others who have done it and liked it.

I really am thinking now that the wind deflectors may be the best way to go for the cold months. Then a regular pair of winter riding gloves should be enough.

All that said, if you are going to ride in really freezing cold weather and want to keep your hands warm, this tip really works. It's tried and proven ;)
 
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On a ride last year that turned wet and a bit cool a few of us picked up some water skiing gloves. They are some sort of rubber foam type material that blocked the wind and kept the hands warm. They cost less than $20. I take them on all trips.
 
pano said:
On a ride last year that turned wet and a bit cool a few of us picked up some water skiing gloves. They are some sort of rubber foam type material that blocked the wind and kept the hands warm. They cost less than $20. I take them on all trips.
Click to expand...

Did you use them in combination with other gloves or just by themselves?
 
Just by themselves...I will try to post an image later
 
I'll have to check them out. So they are really warm then? Or would you recommend these only for cooler weather?
 
Geez you guys can beat a thread to death :lol:

If ya want warm hands just use Snowmobile gauntlets/mitts..end of pharking story :lol:
 
I would recommend them for cool weather and especially cool wet weather if you don't want to soak your good leather gloves.They won't have the abraision resistance of a leather glove if you go down however.
 
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