Im really thinking of heated grips.. not sure if they are worth the trouble..??

Ill probably change the bars to renthals.. unsure yet

I've just done a lot of research on this topic and I've come to the clear conclusion that heated gloves are more effective. The key is having heating fillements on top of your fingers. The harness I have also requires no cutting into the stock wiring harness.

Simply hook it up to the battery, positive to positive, neg to neg, then find a place to route the wires. Or, hook it to a remote batterypack that you ware around your waste.

I have to agree with Steve.

After trying several different winter gloves and freezing my fingers in ALL cases, I have decided that electric gloves will be the only way to keep my fingers warm. I think Gerbings will be on my list next fall.

hey, Steve.

what made you decide that heated gloves were better than heated grips? i just ask because my experience is almost the opposite:

i have oxford wrap-around grips: ugly, but easy to install, cheap, and i've never had a problem with them. i also have the widder vest, arm & leg chaps and gloves. expensive stuff that needed to be repaired four months after i got it (widder did it under warranty, no problem at all, but still annoying and potentially dangerous).

the grips are nice because they are so damned convenient. if you're using gloves, you have to connect sometime to a pigtail from the battery (for me it's the vest to the battery) and then the gloves to the connectors. with the grips you ... get on the bike. there's something that always bothered me about getting gas and having the gloves hanging off of their connectors when i removed them, like those mittens little kids have connected by a string that runs up their sleeves.

as far as heat goes, it *seems* like the grips are better, at least for me, at least with the gauntlets. when it gets really cold, it's nice to have both. the widder sizing is ridiculous. i normally wear a small glove. i sent them a tracing of my hand and ended up with an XXS that is too large. this probably inhibits the ability of the glove to heat my hand, but it seems like the glove does a good job of heating the back of my hand and a bad job of heating my fingers--to me, the most important. add to this the fact that you have to shell out more money (and deal with more wires) if you want to turn the gloves and vest on and off separately, and the widder system just seems a bit silly. when it's cold enough to use the vest, i often am sweating before my hands get toasty with the gloves. the grips solve this problem completely.

doubtless the gauntlets improve the performance of the grips markedly, but i'm extremely happy with the setup i've got now; i was not particularly happy with just the gloves.

you pays your money, you takes your pick.
.cyb
________
Lovely Wendie (http://www.lovelywendie99.com/)

Cybil, I don't have much experiance with heated gloves. I'm only going on all the posts I could find on other sites. What you're saying is very interesting. Maybe the gauntlets work well in combination with the grips.

I've had some experiance with heated grips on an ATV but the speeds were mostly very low so they worked great.

The brand of glove I bought has heating elements all along the length of the finger on both the top and bottom. I even tested them out at the last International Motorcycle Show (not on the road however).

What brand glove did you use?

i have oxford wrap-around grips: ugly, but easy to install, cheap, and i've never had a problem with them. i also have the widder vest, arm & leg chaps and gloves. expensive stuff that needed to be repaired four months after i got it (widder did it under warranty, no problem at all, but still annoying and potentially dangerous).
.cyb

I have the oxford heated over-grips (http://www.bikebitzuk.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1171) for sale as well. $40 shipped. pm me (http://www.honda599.com/phpBB2/privmsg.php?mode=post&u=37) if you want them. They work great.

super sneaky, the probleme is all those forum you looked at are from CA so they dont have a bad weather like me (quebec canada) headed gloves ,Idont think so.I have a lot of friends who does snowmobile ,and never use headed gloves ,headed grip yes ,they have the big gloves till the middle of there arms ,to cover the big huge jacket and that it .I have the headed grip as well and very happy with it ,I have a dimmer and I dont loose the feeling at wearing big gloves (headed gloves) ,or the winter ones here's a pic
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q95/morceaudechien/pics%20divers/newheated.jpg

I think the differance is with the wind speed. On a sled or ATV you dont' get the same high speeds as you would on the interstate. A gauntlet would cut down on the wind but without it I'm not sure.

Hey, cybil, why don't you go for a spin without your gauntlets so we know what effect just the grips would have.

Has anybody tried using muffs? Kind of like hand guards, but they wrap around. Kind of ugly, too. No crazier than riding in winter, I suppose.

I think the differance is with the wind speed. On a sled or ATV you dont' get the same high speeds as you would on the interstate. A gauntlet would cut down on the wind but without it I'm not sure.

Hey, cybil, why don't you go for a spin without your gauntlets so we know what effect just the grips would have.

um, my hands would get cold? <grin>

i pretty much agree with Morceau, only more so. (god, i kill me this morning).

gauntlets are windproof. it absolutely has to do with speed. my widder gloves do have wiring in the fingers, but it seems like they have to fit pretty perfectly for that to actually work. plus, they're clumsy.

plain ol' midweight gloves to 50
heated grips to 40
grips & gauntlets to 25
grips, gauntlets & heated gloves to something less than 15 (15's the coldest i've ridden with them, and i've never gotten cold.)

each is nice, and i'm glad i have all three. my preferences as far as convenience and ease of use are gauntlets, grips then the gloves. so i don't take the gauntlets off until it gets fairly warm.

cheers!
.cyb
________
ZOLOFT WITHDRAW (http://www.classactionsettlements.org/lawsuit/zoloft/)

Cybil,
I haven't seen gauntlets in the local shops. Are they separate from any gloves? I have a pair of winter gloves that come up over my jacket sleeves about 3 or 4 inches. They keep the wind out, but are pretty bulky.

I've been interested in a pair of gloves BMW makes that has more padding/insulation over the back of the hand and the palm area is much thinner and precurved. These are supposed to be especially good with heated grips and cost about $90. Not outrageous.

On a sled or ATV you dont' get the same high speeds as you would on the interstate.

Are you kidding? I hit 70mph+ indicated on my 81 Polaris with more to go, and the new hardware- were talking 140mph sleds out of the box these days! :shock:

...I hit 70mph+ indicated on my 81 Polaris with more to go, and the new hardware- were talking 140mph sleds out of the box these days! :shock:
Two bad experiences: a small branch covered by snow (4" diameter) and then some train tracks...I'm paranoid about things hiding under snow... Both hurt and that was at like 30 mph! Saw on TV where they are doing motocross type stuff now...crazy...

Cybil,
I haven't seen gauntlets in the local shops. Are they separate from any gloves? I have a pair of winter gloves that come up over my jacket sleeves about 3 or 4 inches. They keep the wind out, but are pretty bulky.

I've been interested in a pair of gloves BMW makes that has more padding/insulation over the back of the hand and the palm area is much thinner and precurved. These are supposed to be especially good with heated grips and cost about $90. Not outrageous.

jfeagin,

i'm sorry--gauntlet isn't the right word, but i don't know what is. what i'm talking about can be more or less seen in the picture in my avatar--it's covers for the grips. they close with velcro over the handlebars so you can fit them around the mirrors and tighten them around the bars. to me, they do a wonderful job of blocking wind without decreasing dexterity.

the widder heated gloves are selling right now on their website for $93, plus $15 or so for hookups. i think i would rather have $100 heated gloves than $90 unheated gloves. does BMW make the gloves, or are they rebranded?

the thing i love about my setup is that it allows me to ride with non-winter gloves to fairly low temperatures. i just rode back from school in 37 degrees and rain, non-winter gloves, and my hands were not cold in the least. i really dig that. (my engine, on the other hand, was at 128 when i got off the parkway. bummer.)

cheers!
.cyb
________
MERCURY VOYAGER (http://www.ford-wiki.com/wiki/Mercury_Voyager)

Do a search for "handlebar gauntlets" and you'll find lots of stuff.

Also look in places that sell snowmobile stuff.

Good thread steve,

the other side to changing the grips is that I wonder if it makes them bigger!? Are the grips as good/grippy/comfort.

I'm asking this from a Mountain Bike point of view, since grips make a big difference.

Gstuff guys, and how do people feel riding with the Gauntlets? Do you feel stuck with your hands? Or are htey fairly loose.

I liked the gauntlets I had. I had no issues getting my hands in or out.

The one issue I did have was if I wasn't careful it would touch my brake leaver just enough to make my brake light come on.

Mine weren't desiged for my bike specifically so other brands might fit better.

As far as the heated grips. There are the kind that have the heater built into the grip. These make an easy install and removal but might not look cool and may be a little bulkier.

Another option is the dual star unit which goes under you existing grips. This adds no bulk. It involves gluing some wires to your bar.

I'd like to resurrect this thread if possible. Has anyone had any other experiences with heated gloves and grips?

With this damn cold spell hitting California and my total lack of a car, I went out and bought heated grips from Cyclegear. They only carry the Trackside (http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=&L2=&L3=&L4=&item=PRC_A99-00010) version. I've used them for the past three days, and while they have kept my hands warmer than before, I still find that the ends of my fingers are totally numb after my 30 minute commute.

The temperatures have been dipping into the 20s in the mornings, so is it too much to ask that my grips keep my hands nice and toasty? I'm thinking maybe I should get a different pair of regular riding gloves without so much air-flow for the winter. Instead, I'm wearing small fleece liners inside my riding gloves.

Thoughts? Opinions?

Well, I just bought some blingy grips to go on my bike so I'll probably be going with gloves or glove liners. Not that it gets all that cold here, but my fingers are the first thing to freeze, since I think the Givi windshield diverts cold air right at my hands.

Also have thought about handguards for wind blocking. If I get either, I'll let people know how they work.

Mitch - My opinion is that something that actually blocks wind is the real answer. I have wonderful purpose-built insulated gloves and, after awhile, the cold breaks on through. Not much better than your current solution. Heated gloves would be an improvement. I just can't help but think that not having the wind hit them is an easier and potentially less complex solution.

I´m very pleased with my heated gloves. I tried the best gloves at my CycleGear and I only kept them in case I carry a passenger. Electric FTW.

Mitch - My opinion is that something that actually blocks wind is the real answer. I have wonderful purpose-built insulated gloves and, after awhile, the cold breaks on through. Not much better than your current solution. Heated gloves would be an improvement. I just can't help but think that not having the wind hit them is an easier and potentially less complex solution.

Have you felt whether this is actually the case or is it just a gut feeling? I agree with you that the wind is the real culprit, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the hand guards will still allow wind to pass by because of the turbulence.

I really just don't want hand guards on the bike because of the looks of them, and I'd be more inclined to get heated gloves + heated grips than put guards on. The aesthetics are too much to overcome for me in this situation. Not sure why though... it's not that big of a deal.

With this damn cold spell hitting California and my total lack of a car, I went out and bought heated grips from Cyclegear. They only carry the Trackside (http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=&L2=&L3=&L4=&item=PRC_A99-00010) version. I've used them for the past three days, and while they have kept my hands warmer than before, I still find that the ends of my fingers are totally numb after my 30 minute commute.

Thoughts? Opinions?

You know, Mitchy, normally my smartass suggestion for frozen fingers would be "Move to California," but your situation basically derails that one. My fallback is "buy a car." How about a 2002tii? :mrgreen:

OTOH, I feel your pain: it was 23F when I went to work today.

No, that is not normal for us. And no, I did not ride.

I agree with Tranny's "wind theory," and that is based on my casual experience on mornings in the 40's. I have never had heated anything, and in those cases, I always wound up totally iced-over.

I think if you are asking a bike to be a sole vehicle in an active adult life, you might have just to settle for looking goofy sometimes - whether it's wind guards, rain gear, luggage, whatever the case may be...

You know, Mitchy, normally my smartass suggestion for frozen fingers would be "Move to California," but your situation basically derails that one. My fallback is "buy a car." How about a 2002tii? :mrgreen:

OTOH, I feel your pain: it was 23F when I went to work today.

No, that is not normal for us. And no, I did not ride.

I agree with Tranny's "wind theory," and that is based on my casual experience on mornings in the 40's. I have never had heated anything, and in those cases, I always wound up totally iced-over.

I think if you are asking a bike to be a sole vehicle in an active adult life, you might have just to settle for looking goofy sometimes - whether it's wind guards, rain gear, luggage, whatever the case may be...

Hopefully I'm not de-railing the topic, but how does riding in cold weather with fairings feel compared to the 599? Better leg/chest protection overall? Freezing winds hitting you in the helmet?

Hopefully I'm not de-railing the topic, but how does riding in cold weather with fairings feel compared to the 599? Better leg/chest protection overall? Freezing winds hitting you in the helmet?

Don't feel too bad about de-railing... it's only Steve's thread. :mrgreen:

The fairing absolutely helps head-on wind. The last time I rode to work, it was the coldest I've ever ridden, and it didn't bother me. It was about 40F or a little below, and I didn't even realize it at the time. That applies to the chest and legs only, though...

The hands still get 100% of the wind they used to (at least on the bike that I have - there may be some other fairing designs out there that block those areas).

I notice a little more wind cutting right at the neck, but it's not constant, and it's manageable, anyway. I can duck out of it if i want to, also.

The downside is that crosswinds catch the bike a lot more. On one hand, the heavier bike is a lot more stable - but the shape/surface area of a full fairing is like a sail and offsets almost all the stability gains.

I think if you are asking a bike to be a sole vehicle in an active adult life, you might have just to settle for looking goofy sometimes - whether it's wind guards, rain gear, luggage, whatever the case may be...

Yeahhhhhh... if I could afford a car, then I might get one. I even went to several places and priced out a rebuild of a 2002tii! But as with all my good ideas, the political will was not there (politics = money). Right now, most of my money is going toward trying to marry the girl with the car.

The hands still get 100% of the wind they used to (at least on the bike that I have - there may be some other fairing designs out there that block those areas).

Having a BMW touring bike would be nice. Not the duck-billed version, but the 1200LT or RT (I always forget what those letters stand for) might actually cover up the hands and make the world a more hospitable place for a motorcyclist.

For now, I must suffer through the cold with my heated grips/better gloves.

Currently I'm using Gerbing heated gloves and kicking myself for not doing it from the get go. Last winter I was using Hippo Hands, they were okay but my hands still did get cold but not nearly as much. Prior to that I just used winter glove with goretex. With the heated gloves my hands aren't toasty when doing 70+ in the 40*s or less but they never get cold just stays comfortable with the tips of my fingers being the coldest part which don't feel cold but feel cool. When going under the speed limit my hands will start to feel toasty and on city streets they kinda get too hot..but that is why I have the temp controller. If set to highest temp even above freeway limit and in the 40*s they can get uncomfortably hot and have burnt me on my knuckle where the microwire was directly over my middle knuckle.

What I don't like about heated glove is that you do have the extra wires to contend with which isn't bad on a longer ride but for going less then 15-20minutes it is kinda of a pain in the ass.

The thing with the hippo hands is what SSS mentioned about the over mitts will push on your levers. I'm not sure if they ever pushed enough to trigger the brake light but it is annoying when you reach for the levers and have to push the mitts away first.

A combination of glove (electric or not), over mitts, heated grips can be used to really keep your hands nice and warm.

I have heated grips and they are ok with suitable gloves on "chilly" rides. But in my experience with them, once it gets around or below 40, the fingers are uncomfortably numb and frozen. I also have a Powerlet adapter installed so i can hook up heated gear if i choose, but that shit is quite expensive and i just rather ride in more comfortable climes, so once the winter hits, i park the bike and cage it to work.

Maybe one day i'll splurge on all that gear if i really get a bug up my ass to ride thru the winter but for now...

The guy i bought my bike off of was a BMW geek type with all that cool gear and weird trinkets and shit attached to his other 2 BMW bikes. So if i were to get some stuff i would prolly go all out and get it at the BMW dealer because those riders, though weird, seem to be the best prepared for any kind of ride.

The new gerbings "microwire" gloves are supposedly the cat's ass - I haven't got a pair yet but that's all you would need down to REAL COLD for your hands. With the inner liner you are set for winter. Except we've had two days of snow back to back and now the roads are full o' slop. Hopefully it'll rain before it snows again but by mid December things are usually bleak riding-wise for awhile.

The new gerbings "microwire" gloves are supposedly the cat's ass.

Dude. No way would I put my fists into something called "the cat's ass." :lol2:

Dude. No way would I put my fists into something called "the cat's ass." :lol2:


Hey, don't knock it until you've tried it!! :mrgreen:

Dude. No way would I put my fists into something called "the cat's ass." :lol2:

but dogs bollocks... :shock: :mrgreen:

You might sacrifice a bit on the safety side (i.e. armor), but snowmobile gloves are a good option. During some of the colder days in September and October here I threw on a pair of Polaris Avenger gloves, and had absolutely NO problems riding around in below freezing temperatures.

If you can't find a pair of gloves online for a decent price let me know. There's a snowmobile shop next door to my wife's work.

Thanks for all of that. I think right now, the heated grips I have from Cycle Gear are doing the trick. It was still a little cold at 80 mph at 25 F, but I was satisfied. Now that they're installed and I paid the bill, I think I'll stick with these for the time being.

I guess ski-doo gloves would look a little stupid in Cali.

Hey, hey, HEY! You mean much of SOUTHERN Cali (AKA: "here"). Much of the rest of the state is cold as many other US places this time of year, with snow and the like. Like about an hour from "here"--still SoCal (yes, Virginia, we have snow within spitting distance…frozen spitting distance). Actually, it was also about 25 degrees the other day in San Bernardino, not far from here. Yes, we also have more pockets of "reasonable" riding weather for more of the year. But remember the Donner party? Sierras? Mammoth?

Geez…I guess that whole beach/surfing PR has blanketed the entire state. I know, I know. Not fair to expect you all to know, but that is why I'm here. To point these annoying things out.:thumbsup

So, no, those gloves would not look stupid (any more than a down jacket does). Mitch is in NoCal, which is also quite cold about now. It's no Canada, but just sayin'. Especially since it is his ONLY mode of transport during this season. Stay warm, guys, no matter where you can manage to ride!

You guys can toss these ideas around, but you'll just be wasting your money if you don't follow my advise in the first post.

Gloves are the way!

Mine are the 3G without the new microwave stuff. I leave them on and I never get cold, never get burnt.

The extra 5 minutes it takes to get ready is well worth it on cold days.

Now, if they only made heated jock straps....

Now, if they only made heated jock straps....

No need for me. I just drape mine close to the radiator for extra warmth. You guys can't do that?

Mine are the 3G without the new microwave stuff.

Is that from Gerbing?

You guys can toss these ideas around, but you'll just be wasting your money if you don't follow my advise in the first post.

Gloves are the way!

Mine are the 3G without the new microwave stuff. I leave them on and I never get cold, never get burnt.

The extra 5 minutes it takes to get ready is well worth it on cold days.

Now, if they only made heated jock straps....

I also have the 3G w/microwire...but if I turn the thing to max I get burnt on one little spot on my middle nuckle, plus it gets too warm to the point where my hands sweat. So I only turn it up about 2/3-3/4 to max.

On the vest I turn the thing to max, but my leathers allow air thru so my arms get cold so I do lose some heat. Now I switched to a liner it keeps me really warm, no more cold arms. If you had a wind proof jacket then a vest is fine.

I ride all winter long in New Mexico, where winter morning temps are often around 20F. I like my heated grips, but my hands still got cold until I got some hand guards, which yeah, look goofy (more like Mickey Mouse than Goofy), but I like to ride so I don't care. My guards are simple nylon things that velcro to the handlebars. They make a huge difference. What other kinds of guards do people have? Are there any that are actually made for the bike? Mine were from an ATV store.

If you go to my blog, you'll see pictures of the hand guards on my bike in Mexico last winter.