Handlebar Muffs for Winter Riding

tt48

tt48

Joined
Jul 13, 2013
Messages
255
Location
Newalla, OK
Bike
97 ST1100
Without going into brand names, has anyone tried any handlebar muffs, and if so, what was your experience?

I recently added the "Ears" from the company in CA that specializes in laminar flow, and they weren't enough. My hands froze on a ride to work.
 
I've never used them, as I prefer gauntlets, but Vetter's Hippo-Hands were around for a long time, and still pop up on eBay, etc.
 
If you can’t source them, have you considered battery powered winter gloves (I also have TourMaster gloves that are plug ins to the bike, but I don’t use them as putting the wires down my sleeves is a bit of a pain)? Amazon sells them and they have a push button for 3 heat settings- the batteries last for I think maximally 6 hrs on the lowest setting. I have a pair I use in the cold months. Heated grips could be good as well or a combo of the heated gloves, grips, and laminar flow pieces.

These are the gloves I purchased in 2019: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H6JDLWX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
I've used handlebar muffs in winter for the last 40 years and find that not only do they keep your hands warm, they also keep your gloves dry in the rain. They do take a bit of getting used to though as you can't see the switches etc. The ST needs the biggest ones you can get.
 
If you're going to ride in cold weather, spend the $$ on an electric jacket and gloves. You'll be asking yourself, why didn't I do this sooner.

Another thing that helps (a lot) is mounting wind deflectors on top of the mirror covers.
 
I use Barkbusters Blizzard hand guards on my ST13 they are "soft." They are a little spendy but well worth it. They keep the wind and rain off my hands and when paired with heated grips allow me to wear liter weight gloves until it gets really cold and then I wear heated gear.
 
Warm n Safe jackets (at least my older 90 watt jacket does) are prewired for gloves. There is a small zipper pocket on each sleeve just above your wrist with a wire and connector for the gloves. IIRC, there are two connections in the left large pocket so you can run the gloves on a separate heater control if you wish.

Heated grips have done all I need for heat, and I've been out on the bike when it has been in the very low 40's. Tolerance for cold however, is a personal thing, and you might very well need more than regular gloves and heated grips.
 
Just a point of clarification...

The original "Hippo Hands" by Vetter are rare to find, but worth the money if you find a good pair. There are "Hippo Hands" on the market now that are based off that design, but are not made by Craig Vetter or anyone related. The new Hippo Hands owners simply asked Craig for permission to use the name for recognition, and he granted it to them.

It may be a distinction without a difference to most people, but it'll explain the differences if you ever see examples of both.
 
These guys call their product "The original motorcycle hand covers", but the only thing "original" about the current product is the name.

www.hippohands.com

Hippo Hands: motorcycle hand covers for warm dry hands in any weather

Hippo Hands are the original motorcycle hand cover. They keep hands warm and dry while riding in inclement weather by shedding wind, rain, sleet and snow. Ride with warm hands on cold days. Extend your riding season!
www.hippohands.com www.hippohands.com

From where I sit, the second version of Craig's design was the best of any hand covers, as it sealed better around the arms and had a stiffening panel in the front to keep wind pressure from pushing against the brake or clutch lever.

Time marches on...
 
I ride in the Seattle region all year, and getting muffs were the biggest comfort change that I was able to make. The slow down the airflow over my hands to and keep my hands dry in the winter and through the downpours. This allows me to wear my summer gloves in the early part of the winter and spring. During the mid winter I will wear my heavy winter gloves and my hands will be nice and warm for my 40 minute 60 MPH ride to work. The ones I have are Oxford. They have a nice wide opening and easy to put my hands into.

Cheers,

Craig
 
I used muffs on two of my bikes. I had a KLR650 and used muffs that worked well because the bark busters held the muffs away from the levers. These were muffs I got at Sportsman's Warehouse that were designed for 4 wheelers. After I sold my KLR, I purchased a NT700 and put the muffs on that bike as well. I found that at highway speeds the wind pushed the muffs back into the clutch and brake levers. This was a problem, but I solved it by crafting a metal bracket that attached to the handlebars and held the muffs out. This could be solved with brush busters as well.

I really liked the muffs. They keep your hands warm and dry and you can wear regular riding gloves instead of thick winter gloves. As mentioned by some others, you get used to not being able to look down and see your controls, but we do that all the time anyway. But with the muffs you cannot see the controls at all. You need to be aware of the need to have a mechanism for holding the muffs away from the controls at highway speeds.
 
Like CELarson, I ride year long in the Seattle area. Temperatures will get down into the 20's, and are often in the 30's when commuting. Handlebar muffs were one of the major factors in making that comfortable for a 74 mile round-trip commute that was about an hour each way.

I first tried installing hand guards. They didn't work worth beans. The cold air and rain just went over and around to chill the hands. I found some Duck's Unlimited snowmobile muffs for $25. If you look for ATV or snowmobile muffs, you'll save a lot of money since they don't say they are for "motorcycles". ;) But the handlebars and controls are the same.

The way to get the muffs to work well, is to seal any gaps where air can get through. I installed them on a Suzuki Burgman that had a plastic cover over the handlebars. Air would come through in the center and run out to the handlebar ends. What I did was to stuff rags into those gaps and then I used duct tape to seal off the outside openings. Your bike will be different, but the principle applies. Stop air from running through the openings and create a warm dry environment for your hands.

An issue you may find with the muffs you buy, is making the opening ...well, open. Muffs are usually made of some kind of textile material. Mine were a little floppy and so the opening wasn't easy to get your hands inside when riding. Also, the windflow on the outside would push the muffs against the clutch and brake levers. The solution for me, was to MacGyver an "L" shaped bracket that attached at the handlebar weight screw and went forward of the clutch and brake levers. It wasn't pretty, but you couldn't see it because the muffs covered it. The important thing was that it worked.

Chris
 
I haven't seen any mention of it in this thread but there might be one caveat someone said about handlebar muffs. Some of them aren't easy to get your hand into so if you're riding and remove a hand to adjust your visor or flip off a cop getting your hand back on the grip might take a tick or two longer than you'd like.

Probably not a big deal and the mention may have been only about that brand whatever it was. If you don't ride for long periods of time in really cool/cold weather muffs could be better than heated gloves and grips. Cheaper easier installation remove in the summer etc.
 
I use muffs for winter riding. I consider them indispensable when the weather gets below upper 30's Got used to them when I had Vetter Fairings and Hippo Hands back in the 70's. Wish I had had a heated jacket liner and grips back then, With heated grips it makes a little heated cave in there which allows me to wear my thin deerskin gloves all year long which really helps with finger dexterity for switches and throttle and clutch and brake levers compared to the thick winter gloves. Along with a heated jacket liner it makes for pretty comfortable riding no matter the temp.

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Going down to freezing in the morning so I've already put them on my FJR

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I used lined muffs made by Oxford Products during the winter-time when I had an FJ1200. They were so good at keeping heat in I used to ride without gloves if traffic was light and I was on a motorway. Having a good jacket kept the heat in my arms and therefore hands too. Carried winter gloves but hardly ever used them. When I did wear gloves I used summer ones. The muffs had stiffening at the entrance so they stayed open when you took your hand out. I did find that occasionally the wind pressure pushed them back enough to push the brake lever back and illuminate the brake light. Planned to install an ally strip inside them in front of the lever but never got around to it. In cold wet weather they are brilliant.
 
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