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Handlebar muffs

12K views 21 replies 17 participants last post by  davidg 
#1 ·
#4 ·
Consider the Moose Racing foam wind deflectors, if you are looking for wind blockage, more than total warmth. Universal fit, not to expensive. They need support, however(barkbusters, for example). The wind will push them onto the levers at speed, otherwise. Then your friends will wonder why you ride with the brakes on all the time. You can surmize how I know this. :D
 
#5 ·
Thanks guys. I had also been considering Barkbuster Storms of Acerbis Storms. I guess that for more warmth I could take the plastic off the handguards and put these over the backbone. On my KLR the stock handguards did pretty well with winter gloves.
 
#10 ·
Thanks guys. I had also been considering Barkbuster Storms of Acerbis Storms. I guess that for more warmth I could take the plastic off the handguards and put these over the backbone.
You could even make a simple partial frame for them from a bit of coathanger. Bolting them into place through the bar end might work too.

I've tried the Oxford muffs on two bikes without handguards, and the muffs pushing on the levers at speed wasn't quite acceptable, Big difference in keeping hands warm & dry though. Muffs plus heated grips should be cozy in cold weather, even with light gloves.

I use heated gloves + heated grips instead.
 
#7 ·
I had them without any hand guards. They didn't work so well as far as controls etc. go. I was afraid the right side one would accidently hit my kill switch. Not what I want to have happen at 70mph. They also didn't work so well for keeping my hands warm enough, even with lined gloves and glove liners. My commute temps were mostly in the low to mid 40s. I went with heated gloves instead and that was a way better option for me.
 
#8 ·
My experience is hand guards have a negligible effect on warmth. They look nice and are great for crash protection though.

Insulated winter motorcycle gloves are a lot better investment if warmth is the goal. Even Oxford heated grips which are only about $70 for the complete kit including controller.
 
#9 ·
My experience is hand guards have a negligible effect on warmth. They look nice and are great for crash protection though....
Seems a PDG reason to have them to me...! (Though I find that removing the plastic pieces from the aluminum bar in warm weather increases the cooling, while the reverse in cold weather is also true.)
 
#12 ·
Heated grips!

I've tried almost everything type of package to stay warm, heated grips and gloves are the best ticket.:)
 
#13 ·
Inelegant, inexpensive, effective cold-weather handguards

Knees, knuckles, what's the difference?

Someday, perhaps, I will find a way to justify the expense of an actual set of handguards and/or heated handgrips for my Versys. Spending winters in usually warm locales, however, I rarely need more than Thinsulate-lined waterproof winter gloves from such trendy suppliers as ... oh ... say ... Cycle Gear. It was 37 degrees this morning when I left White Springs, Florida; by the time I reached the outskirts of Jacksonville, my fingertips were numb and creeping toward downright painful.

In desperation, I stopped at a Tractor Supply store and found a pair of $9 CLC (Custom Leather Craft) "Durable Foam Kneepads." In a parking-lot re-invention session, I removed the lower hook-and-loop straps from the kneepads and used only the upper mounting straps. Wrapping one strap around the brake-fluid reservoir at the throttle-end of the bars, and around Speedy's mirror extender at the clutch-end, I was able to secure the kneepads, now knucklepads, and complete the ride under conditions vastly improved. Even at 70 mph, my temporary cold-weather handguards did not flutter or crowd the brake and clutch levers. The straps did not interfere with other controls at the stems.

Inelegant, to be sure, but sufficient for the rare times I need such protection. Oh! I did remove the tag. Just left it there for anyone seeking same item.

Toasty!
 

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#16 ·
Knees, knuckles, what's the difference?

In desperation, I stopped at a Tractor Supply store and found a pair of $9 CLC (Custom Leather Craft) "Durable Foam Kneepads." In a parking-lot re-invention session, I removed the lower hook-and-loop straps from the kneepads and used only the upper mounting straps. Wrapping one strap around the brake-fluid reservoir at the throttle-end of the bars, and around Speedy's mirror extender at the clutch-end, I was able to secure the kneepads, now knucklepads, and complete the ride under conditions vastly improved. Even at 70 mph, my temporary cold-weather handguards did not flutter or crowd the brake and clutch levers. The straps did not interfere with other controls at the stems.

Inelegant, to be sure, but sufficient for the rare times I need such protection. Oh! I did remove the tag. Just left it there for anyone seeking same item.

Toasty!
Desperation is the mother of invention. I love that McGiver approach, or would that be Walter Mitty? Whatever it takes. I hate cold and my hands suffer the worst. I have Gerbing heated gloves and my hands still need more protection in really cold weather (near freezing). Heated grips are useless with Grip Puppies, which I will not give up.
 
#14 ·
#18 · (Edited)
2. Hindrance to some controls on the handle bars.

My solution was to get handguards, and good pair of winter gloves.
I never noticed that issue but they wouldn't stay in place and off the levers without hand guards. And neither of the bikes I tried them on had hand guards. Thought about bolting them to the bar ends (like Throttled did) but wanted to be able to remove them quickly. Now that I have hand guards on the Versys I may try them again, if the cold weather returns. Especially since my heated jacket liner's power to my gloves has failed again.
 
#19 ·
I rode from Phoenix to Denver in January and used a pair of Ducks Unlimited hand muffs. I didn't have any bark busters and they didn't light up my tail light even at more than highway speed. I did ride with my left hand covering the clutch just in case though. I don't think I could have made the trip without them, it got down to 14 degrees a few times. I also had a heated vest under layers of warm gear. YMMV.
 
#22 ·
If I lived up there or somewhere even colder I might make them work. Here they aren't the right tool for me

The only time I've tried mine with handguards, they made it difficult to operate the turn signals. Bolting them (or at least the left one) to the bar ends would have solved that, but at least for my riding conditions I want them to come off easily for warmer conditions later in the day. E.g. morning commute in the 30s F, evening commute in the 50s.

Bar muffs + heated grips aren't as warm as heated gloves + grips for me. Maybe some are warmer. I've read claims you can be comfortable below freezing with summer gloves. I can't.

Also, you can't use a Go Cruise with them. I don't use it often, but I've gotten used to having it available on the throttle grip. I have to remove it for the bar muffs.

Hope those work for you.
 
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