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/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> 17 F this morning, warm hands /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1228478908 Message started by firetruckredbike on 12/05/08 at 04:08:28 |
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Title: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by firetruckredbike on 12/05/08 at 04:08:28 Ahhhh, warm hands make such a difference. This morning it was 17 F when I left the house. The Hippo Hands are installed on the handlebars, and on my hands I wore a combination of cotton liners, leather mittens, and a "Hottie Hands" handwarmer between the two, on top of my fingers. Ahhh sweet bliss, one hour total ride time, warm hands the whole way. Amy |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by redwolf on 12/06/08 at 19:24:42 Sounds like a need to get myself a pair! Do they press against your brake or clutch lever at highway speed? How much room do you have inside them to grab your brake or clutch? Red |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by justin_o_guy2 on 12/06/08 at 19:50:00 Be careful. Such low temps have been known to cause the formation of relatively "Low TRaction" elements on the roads. Some call it Ice & most refer to it as "treacherous" or "Slick as ( here there are variables, snot, owl poop, & occasionally, people even say ICE)" Glad to see someone with the guts & gumption to ride in that weather. I guess you & Digger( I Hope thats right, he's from Colorado, has no car) are about the hardiest among us. Anyone want to pitch in here? Is there someone else who rides when most peoples blood would stop in their veins? I'll ride cold, but I sure do hate being cold. Never liked it, even as a kid. Throwing snowballs only lasted a few minutes, my hands would hurt more than the fun made me grin. Roughnecking in negative 10 F, with wind blowing in the teens & gusting to what felt like 40 but was most likely 20 to 25MPH finished me off for not ever wanting to be cold again. I am STill not "warm" at 30 degrees & wearing everything I have for cold weather. Underarmor, jeans, leather chaps, Insulated coveralls with an aditional layer of vinyl cloth( Remember Naugahyde?) on the torso. & another set of chaps on the outside.OHHH yea, & a leather jacket fits inside the coveralls. If it was all white I could do a Michellin comercial. |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by firetruckredbike on 12/07/08 at 10:16:00 Justin, you are too much. ;D I have actually heard of this phenomenon called "ice" and avoid it like the plague. That and wet leaves are my two dealbreakers. Thanks for the kind words! "You know you love your bike when...." Redwolf, the Hippo Hands have to have a bracket of some sort added inside to keep them off the controls. When I first put them on without brackets, they sure did push against the controls at higher speeds - when I heard the familiar "sqweeeeeeeeek" of my front brake coming on, it scared me half to death and I stopped my bike and removed the Hands. At the good advice of several people on this board, Justin among them, my husband and I fashioned brackets out of aluminum bar and fastened them onto the handlebars with hose clamps. This pushes the Hands outwards and no more wind problems. I also had a more simple/ugly solution before the aluminum bar - I put a metal rod inside each Hand, sewed it against the outside wall, and slipped three key rings through the fabric of each Hand and around the metal rod. Using leather cord, I pulled the Hands taut away from the handlebars and fastened the cord around the turn signal stems. It looked pretty rough, but it kept the Hands from pushing against the controls and that was the intent. I can tell you that the Hippo Hands made a step-change of difference in the warmth of my hands, and my husband reports the same improvement. Until we had those, our hands were the limiting factor - everything else was warm, but you can't ride with your hands hurting from the cold. The leather mittens and cotton liners are working really well, because you can get the little hand heater or gel pack inside the mitten and still have good dexerity with the controls. There is plenty of room inside the Hands for gloves with a gel pack or chemical heat pack inside. I was trying ski gloves there for awhile, which are heavily padded against the back of the fingers, but that did get a little crowded between the grip and the clutch/brake levers and it could be a safety issue. A little bit thinner solution is better, like the leather mitten (Pro Bass Shop). All in all I am really happy with the results. I have a beautiful commute through the countryside, but it takes a good hour and I had to have a hands solution that would last that long. Good luck to you. If you order the Hippo Hands from Dan in Canada, I would recommend foregoing his standard brackets, which in my opinion aren't well suited for the Savage. You need a longer piece of metal and can easily do it yourself with aluminum bar. Best wishes and stay warm! Amy |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by Toymaker on 12/07/08 at 11:11:19 Well I just came it from a ride. BRRRRR twas cold. I normally can handle the cold, but I guess I am getting a little too old. Came in and ran the fuel out of the carb. I think I'll let it sit and do all the work that could be done. IO can honestly say I have ridden in all 12 months, so maybe I qualify for the polar bear riding club. The mrs and I have a deal...I don't ride when it is 32 or below...I saw 15 this week and was glad I was in the cage... Toymaker |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by Digger on 12/07/08 at 19:49:10 312627342C2F25430 wrote:
Red, I put my Hippo Hands on my Savage every Fall and take them back off every Spring. I don't seem to have the same control lever interference issues as does Fire. And, I have sufficient room inside them to operate said control levers. Note that there are several different versions of these things on the road. It is a bit of a squeeze to operate the starter button with the Hippo Hands in place while wearing thick gloves. I like 'em and have learned the hard way that I need them for winter riding around here. And, lest anyone get any ideas, my Savage riding (warm weather or cold) consists of short, urban trips. I very rarely ever get on the interstate. No, most of my cold weather riding is done on one of my big street burners. With an electric vest, electric gloves, and great wind protection, cold weather riding can be downright enjoyable at times. BTW, I am a casual acquaintance of Craig Vetter and his wife, Carol. He is the original inventor of Hippo Hands (I will be forever grateful). Check this out: http://www.craigvetter.com/pages/470MPG/Last%20Vetter%20Fairing%20P19.html Scroll down to near the bottom. Craig is an interesting and brilliant man. A Great American. |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by serowbot on 12/07/08 at 23:20:27 Firetruck, you are a tuffy,...I give out at 45'f...thin desert blood. Be careful out there... Serowbot |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by firetruckredbike on 12/08/08 at 03:44:38 Serowbot, you are too kind. I envy you, living out there in the desert - so beautiful. I went to Tucson about ten years ago and fell in love with it, and it must be great to ride in those rugged open spaces. Digger, I wonder if our handle bars are making the difference in the wind effect on the Hippo Hands. I have an '06 S40 with the straight bars - do you have the buckhorn Savage style? With my straight bars, the wind hits the Hippo Hands head on, hence the need for brackets. In any case, I completely agree with you on how great an invention these things are. We had an inch of snow here in lower Ohio over the weekend, which this morning has packed into ice in many places. So, Hippo Hands or not, we are grounded today. :'( Be safe everybody, Amy |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by photojoe on 12/08/08 at 05:53:54 Even without ice, snow or rain, the traction on frozen asphalt, along with cold tires is a dangerous mix. Seems like the tires don't grab the way they do in warm conditions. Found that out the other day when I had to hit the brakes hard to avoid a car coming at me. I was only going around 30MPH, but slid a good 20 feet. Kept upright, but still reminded me that I need to allow more then enough space between me and everyone else when it's freezing. I was only five minutes into my ride when that happened. |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by MMRanch on 12/08/08 at 07:50:14 Would someone post a picture of a hippo hand. I have a problem with temps. below 40 (even with full leather) Thanks |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by Moofed on 12/08/08 at 07:54:36 Plenty of pics at http://www.hippohands.com/ |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by T Mack 1 on 12/08/08 at 08:59:06 17F :o :o :o :o I use to stop at 50F but I learned I can do 40F. One question for you (or the forum). At 17 F, does the rubber in the tires get stiffer / harder??? And if it does, do you take the turns slower, since the harder tire will slip out sooner? EDIT: I see PhotoJoe alrady answered...... |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by firetruckredbike on 12/08/08 at 09:10:42 I have been taking turns a little easier anyway because the roads around here need some attention. There are some creases in the asphalt and one morning my tire chattered a bit as I took a turn. That was all the encouragement I needed to slow down, not that I am a big speed demon at any time. Now that you folks have told me about the cold tires / cold asphalt, I will take it even more carefully, but the Thumpster seems to hug the road pretty well. I can also tell you that my bike far prefers the cold to the heat when there is stop-and-go traffic. As I write this, there is freezing rain outside. Bummer, big time bummer. Anybody tried these? http://www.mv-motorrad.de/lshop,showdetail,2004g,e,,,10107,,,.htm Ride safe, Amy |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by T Mack 1 on 12/08/08 at 09:20:37 7E716A7D6C6A6D7B736A7D7C7A71737D180 wrote:
Keep the freezing rain on that side of the PA border... ;D ;D As for the "chains"...... basically what they are. You have to like vibrations when using them. You go bump bump bump down the road. Also, on asphalt, they tend to slip a tiny bit more. Remember back to school days.... those science classes that were boring.... "coefficient of friction" .... hard materials tend to slip more.... |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by firetruckredbike on 12/08/08 at 10:24:32 T Mack - yes, I reluctantly remember friction loss calculations - had to do those both for ventilation class and also for fire hose...so they're going to rear their ugly head again for my beloved bike and its tires?! There is just no avoiding some things... Hope you don't get this freezing rain...some of the roads here have shut down... I think I could live with the bump bump bump of those chains if it added more riding days! Amy |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by serowbot on 12/08/08 at 12:32:42 I don't even like to go out in my car at the temps you guys are talking about. Just to rub it in,...I went for a 175 mile ride on Saturday...temps in the low 70's,..had to wear a jacket!... and I really should have wore gloves with fingers, but I survived without.... Yeah,...I'm tough... |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by Digger on 12/08/08 at 20:18:15 2E213A2D3C3A3D2B233A2D2C2A21232D480 wrote:
Fire, I think you are correct. My handlebars are the buckhorn bars. I was wondering why you were having that problem! |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by Digger on 12/08/08 at 20:20:54 535C4750414740565E475051575C5E50350 wrote:
Fire, If conditions dictated the use of those things, I think I'd be on the bus! I'm a sissy! |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by firetruckredbike on 12/09/08 at 03:34:08 Serowbot wrote: Quote:
You made me laugh with that! Your ride sounds beautiful - and my question for you desert dweller is this: do you also have a dirt bike, or does your Savage take you everywhere you want to go out there in Arizona? Digger, so you have the buckhorn handlebars, that makes sense now. And I was the sissy this morning...it was warm overnight and the roads are clear...but my driveway is steep and still has packed ice on it, so I wimped out. "So close, and yet so far away..." Amy |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by redwolf on 12/10/08 at 08:21:07 Thanks Amy and Digger! Looks like I'll be gettiing a set of Hippo Hands! I made the trip from Cedar Creek NC to Charleston SC (226 miles) Sunday night. It was 33f when I left and by the time I was in Charleston it was 26F! My electric heated gloves(battery) crapped out around the 50 mile mark....only cold spots were my lips(from the helment vent ) and my finger tips...had to stop every 50 miles or so so my hands could thaw! |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by serowbot on 12/10/08 at 10:47:44 39362D3A2B2D2A3C342D3A3B3D36343A5F0 wrote:
I used to have a DP bike...Yamaha xt225 Serow,...get it?...Serowbot?..., but I needed something with a bit more legs to keep up with my buddies. The Savage fit the bill, and it can do a dirt road o.k. if I watch wheelspin. If the belt ever goes, I'm gonna' switch it to a chain drive, put on some DP tires, and have a full on 60's scrambler... Me posing with my Serow at the curve I crashed my Ninja on, going about 85mph...I flew!...didn't stick the landing though... http://w4.bikepics.com/pics/2008%5C12%5C10%5Cbikepics-1506210-full.jpg |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by srinath on 12/10/08 at 11:55:26 I do a 85 mile 1 way commute on a bike. Yes NC has been unseasonally cold this year. And humid too. Anyway, I wired my joe rocket pants, have electric tourmaster gloves, am wiring up my joe rocket jacket liner soon, and I have those ATV mitts as they call them - hippo hands but these are fabric, not vinyl and its freaking cold, but I been doing fine ... these electric things are good. The problem with buying electric stuff though ... that is an extra layer, which all by itself is plenty sufficient to get it warm, electricity not required ... and its a lot of bulk. I had to wire up my riding suit ... and not buy a wired thing that goes under it. Cool. Srinath. |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by flcruzr on 12/10/08 at 16:27:17 505F4453424443555D445352545F5D53360 wrote:
Well Amy, you put me to shame :( I wont go on the bike once it goes under 50 degrees. :-[ Please be careful out in that kind of weather. |
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Title: Re: 17 F this morning, warm hands Post by firetruckredbike on 12/11/08 at 03:52:13 Serowbot - great pic and I love your xt225. I wondered about your name - I thought Serows were nimble sorts of antelopes, but didn't know until recently that there was a bike by the same name. Glad to know your Savage can serve as a DP! I am longing for a DP ever since I rode the DR200SE in MSF class - what a zippy little bike that was, and it just hugged the ground. You are fortunate, my friend, to still be among the living, after crashing your Ninja at 85 mph! and then to be t-boned earlier this year! Clearly someone is watching out for you...you must have built up a great deal of good karma. Redwolf, sorry your electric gloves failed you on a long trip - that's hard, when you have to stop frequently to warm up. I used to sit at red lights and put my hands on Thump's big cylinder. ;D Good luck with the Hippo Hands! Srinath, that sounds like the Ultimate Solution, that you have - sounds very toasty! I admire that you have the wiring figured out - a fellow here at work gave up, fighting with his wires every morning. He got a big BMW with all the fairings and is cocooned now. Flcruzr, I promise to be careful. It is maddening right now because it keeps raining and then freezing at night, so there is a thin sheen over everything. The cage is getting an unaccustomed workout. Maybe tomorrow! What a great bunch you all are! Happy Winter Riding - and happy desert riding to the lucky Serows among us. Amy |
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