Want to keep your hands warm? Buy bar mitts.

[schleppy]

In the never ending quest for warm hands come winter time, I decided to give handlebar mitts a try. These guys came out to around $25 shipped:
Amazon.com: Black Handlebar Mitts for Snowmobiles, Motorcycles or ATV's: Automotive: Reviews, Prices & more


Tonight I went out for a spin with them on and man, they work REALLY well. Granted it wasn't very cold tonight, but with my perforated summer gloves on my hands were SWEATING. That's pretty impressive (my hands are almost always cold). There are a few downsides though.

1.) Slipping your hands in and out isn't a quick process, so if you find yourself one-handing the bars or farting around with your helmet, etc, these may not be for you. This could also be because the fake sheep lining in mine just happened to grab my jacket/gloves particularly well.

2.) At highway speeds the bar mitts tend to push themselves back onto the brake and clutch levers. Not so hard that they make the brake or clutch drag, but enough so that they felt a little odd at 60+

If I didn't commute on the highway for such a long time, I'd probably stick with these, they work amazingly well. Sadly my commute is a lot of highway, so I think I'm going to stick with my bulky, feeling-less winter gloves + heated grips for now.

If anyone wants to buy these mitts off my and give them a shot, $20 and they're yours.

[Stromper]

in 1970 they were called hippo hands

[Rossco]

in 1970 they were called hippo hands

They still are.

[theothersean]

fab up a frame for them that will screw into the bar end and clamp onto the clip on / handle bar similar to having bark busters on a dirt bike, , but you can use much lighter bendable material like aluminum or mild steel flat stock just enough to keep their shape so they don;t "flop


I have had the tusk version on the wifes old ninja 650 , my sprint RS and all of the dirty bikes they work awesome you can wear a much lighter pair of gloves .

I spent the money and went with the hippo hands ( yes they still make them ) for the KLR's but still have the cheaper ones on the 250ies, the 70ies and a set on the 4 wheeler for plowing

[Rossco]

There's a guide on how to build them here.

[whynot]

The pair of mitts I got from MM are easy on/off with lots of velcro, and they hold their shape, so getting in and out is easy.

These bagster mitts look good, too.
http://www.bagster.com/en/showroom.php?id=131

[KB]

Must have for Ice Racing.

KB

[dankatz]

For the long rides in the cold weather I have Gerbing heated gloves which work very well. For short city rides, Held Freezer gloves work well, but are a little bulky. For the heated grips you want a non insulated palm like the Held Warm and Dry or some of the BMW gloves. Also, Firstgear makes some winter gloves specifically for heated grips which are less expensive (well under $100)

[Rossco]

The pair of mitts I got from MM are easy on/off with lots of velcro, and they hold their shape, so getting in and out is easy.

How much they set you back?

[darkduc7]

These bagster mitts look good, too.
http://www.bagster.com/en/showroom.php?id=131

i want those! on the list for next year. i hate wearing thick gloves, so i end up cutting my riding season shorter than i should. this looks like a good solution

[Garandman]

they work well as long as you stay away from the fashion police.

If you ride an SV650, DL650 hand giards fit right on. About $50.

[whynot]

How much they set you back?

The mitts from MM were $50. I looked a lot of mitts on line, but it's hard to see just how they'll work from the little pics and various reviews. Some are ATV mitts that you have to cut for mirror stalks, for example. Paul let me fit them on the bike before buying. The part that goes over your forearm have stiffeners so they hold their shape, but they're not too rigid, and they're smooth on the inside so you slide in & out just fine. I use some thick winter gloves over a bulky winter jacket, and have no problem. The part of the mitts that goes over the bars are split lengthwise top and bottom with velcro closures, then a velcro strap to secure them. "Polar Hands" by Go-Pro.

I'm using them on my '82 KZ550 crappy weather bike. I have heated gear that I use on the '07 Guzzi and the '10 Triumph, but I didn't want to tax the charging system on the ol' KZ.

I buy some gear and parts on line, but I also like to check out gear in person, and buy more than a cuppa coffee from the guy.

i want those! on the list for next year. i hate wearing thick gloves, so i end up cutting my riding season shorter than i should. this looks like a good solution

Yeah, the Bagster "muffs" look like hard luggage!

Kurt