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

Justin, you are too much.    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

redwolf wrote on 12/06/08 at 19:24:42:


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.

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

Would someone post a picture of a hippo hand.  I have a problem with temps. below 40 (even with full leather)
Thanks

17F  

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......

firetruckredbike wrote on 12/08/08 at 09:10:42:


Keep the freezing rain on that side of the PA border...    

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....