Modern Buddy

MY $1.50 SOLUTION!!!

I wanted to ride again today but did not want to wait on ordering/shipping for some sort of muff or heated handgrips, so I stared at my Buddy's handlebars for a bit and came up with an idea. After looking around the house, I discovered we did not have what I needed so I headed off to WalMart.
I was looking for insulated vinyl lunch bags and found them on clearance for $0.75! I spent about a half-hour in the garage and came up with the solution in the pics.
It's a little rough right now so I may work on some refinements. Maybe even pick up a coupla more of those lunch bags while they are almost free!
I cut slits for the DOT blinkers and the mirror stems then cut large openings in the side facing the rider. I just have them attached with velcro straps so they come right off when I want.
I found this morning that I need to trim a bit of material away for my thumb to move freely to the turn signal button.
Today, it was ~34 degrees so not the 28 degrees of yesterday so the comparison is not great yet. But my hands were just fine in my insulated gloves with these "bar bags" in place! They create the dead air space around your hands so your gloves can do their job.

I plan on asking Santa for heated grips to complete the package; With some extra heat inside the bags, things should be downright tropical .

I have been reading about the Oxford Hot Hands which I like for their easy installation and removal. I have seem them on the internets for less than $60.

These

http://www.scooterworks.com/Hand_Covers ... 59C291.cfm

They come in 4 different colors, so dont think, "eww pink, no way"

Otherwise, the most similar but name brand item is hippo hands.

Check out Farm&Fleet or a snowmobile store, they make these things, I dunno what they're called, but it's basically a pair of L-shaped down-filled cozies that cover the handlebars and up your forearm.

Dunno how safe they are for M/Cs (or snowmobiles, for that matter) but I've seen people using them.

I imagine you could hit a thrift store and buy an old down coat and cut the sleeves off and have pretty much the same thing, and you'd get a down vest out of the deal, too.

In the cold weather, I use a Ford F-150 to keep my hands warm.

Orange Guy wrote:In the cold weather, I use a Ford F-150 to keep my hands warm.

Yeah, I hear ya! But I went 4 days without riding my scooter and my mood was noticably dark

Does anybody have info on these hand protectors?

http://www.scooterworks.com/Hand_Covers ... 59C291.cfm


How easy do they go on and off?
Do they work?
Is there anything better?

Again, heated grips.

Tocsik wrote:Does anybody have info on these hand protectors?

http://www.scooterworks.com/Hand_Covers ... 59C291.cfm


How easy do they go on and off?
Do they work?
Is there anything better?

I was hoping to hear more about these too... I'd love to see more photos of them both off and on the grips.

The universal hand covers from Scooterworks.

I ordered a pair of them and used them for the first times yesterday and today.

They are like mittens, with 2 cut out openings in each glove . The brake lever and the handlebar peg fit through the openings and the elastic ties around the handlebar to hold it on.

They cut the wind off from your hand. It creates a dead air space for your hands. I was riding with my mesh back gloves, and they were toasty in cool. The problem I had is that the thumb doesn't move as easily as just wearing a pair of gloves. I can use it to turn the turn signal and hit the horn, but it is stiffer than what I'm used to. its easy to get your hand out of the cover, but since I'm not used to it, its a bit fiddly to get my hand back in and positioned correctly. As with everything else, YMMV.

They aren't really expensive, so if you want to try a pair out and see, it isn't a huge chunk of change.

thanks for the info, ageekgirl. do they have any sort of lining inside?

i just found <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MIGHTY-M ... ">these</a> on ebay...might email them about whether they could make a nice red pair to fit my buddy.

esk wrote:thanks for the info, ageekgirl. do they have any sort of lining inside?

i just found <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MIGHTY-M ... ">these</a> on ebay...might email them about whether they could make a nice red pair to fit my buddy.

This looks like another good cold weather craft project for some industrious MB member!

esk wrote:thanks for the info, ageekgirl. do they have any sort of lining inside?

Nope, just the vinyl itself. Good luck with the search for warm hands!

Last year I got some inexpensive silk glove liners from newenough.com that I wore inside my spring/summer/fall riding gloves. I think the layers worked better for my fingers than my old Joe Rocket winter gloves, which I find too thick & cumbersome to feel safe.

ericalm wrote:This looks like another good cold weather craft project for some industrious MB member!

if someone does it, Scootmoto will buy some wholesale!

Bb.

I just got a pair of Moto Muffs here: http://www.mybabyjo.com/tshirts/hippo.html

Havent installed them yet but with the temps dipping into the 30s here they may see action next week. for $28 they look a little more robust than the Scooterworks covers. Last year on my 50 I used Dry Hands (I think they were called but couldnt find them easily in Google) they are bike messanger hand covers - wind/waterproof but not insulated (kinda like what the Scooterworks ones look like) They helped block the frigid windchill but I still had to wear insulated gloves & liners - I rode down to 20f. Of course most outdoor outfitters sell similar ATV/ MC mitts that will work the same way.

Tocsik wrote:MY $1.50 SOLUTION!!!

That looks pretty acceptable to me! I spent $5 on marine vinyl but have yet figured out a pattern I want to sew to... your new pictures have given me lots of new ideas. Thanks for posting them!

Tocsik wrote:MY $1.50 SOLUTION!!!

That is hilarious! Absolutely brilliant!

I have a pair of the muffs from scooterworks and been using them pretty regularly. I ride to work in the evening and home in themorning so even down here in Texas it has dropped into the high 30's in the morning the past couple of mornings. The muffs slide on and off very easily and secure to the mirrors via a couple elstic bands you tie together. There is a very thin lining inside but it isn't anything that will keep your hands warm by themselves. (And I wouldn't personally ride without protective gloves anyway. There are thumb appendages that go over to your thumb controls and at first they are stiff. After getting used to them and they broke in I find it easy to use all my controls even wearing my heavy very stiff still Corazzo winter gauntlets. They muffs work great at making a dead air space and my hands stay very toasty in my gloves riding home in the morning with no sun up and 34 degrees out.

I love the $1.50 solution. It's even color co-ordinated!

Dude!

I've been using the black muffs from Scooterworks for around a month now, and they are terrific wind blockers, and they are waterproof! Such an important thing here in the rainy part of the world However, I have to sort of twist them so the opening faces down, otherwise the rain can enter that way. I love em!

Have to say though, those homemade warmers the OP created are great! I love the fact that they match your scoot

broke wrote:Dude!

Forehead? It's at least five- or six-head! Maybe even a nine-head!

Thanks, man.

Back about 100 years ago when I started riding, these were the ticket.

http://www.hippohands.com/vespa_scooters.htm

I see they have them in Vespa size now. $75 including shipping etc.

I used a pair of those hand covers from scooterworks last winter. They work, but are cumbersome in a number of ways. First is the thumb issue. I really want that entire area including the turn signal to be enclosed so you can freely get to the turn signal and horn. Instead when using the covers I find myself holding my left hand in an awkeard position, continuous jamming my left thumb into the thumb hole to make sure it's always available. Second I have to keep my hands on the bars at all times to be sure the covers won't block me from accessing the brakes. Normally I take my left hand off the handlebar whenever I want to, maybe to adjust my helmets vents to avoid fogging for example, but with the covers on I would only ever take my hand off the bars when at a complete stop.

I haven't decided exactly what I'm going to do this winter, but if I use the covers again, it'll only be after taking a pair of scissors and trying to modify them into something less cumbersome.

- Mark

Tonight, my lovely wife broke out her sewing machine and we made some modifications to the "bar bags". They now have velcro closures/adjusters and reinforced edges for the places I had to slit to accomodate the mirror stems and the right hand brake cable. Plus, I no longer need to use straps!
I plan on adding some heavy duty clear plastic in the front for the DOT turn signals to show through so I don't have the little bit of air flow that comes around the slits.

The universal hand covers at Scooterworks and the Hippo Hands look like they would be very warm . But what I don't think I would like is having my thumb in an oven mitt-like appendage when it is already in a motion-restricting Winter glove. My home-made covers leave my hands free to move on and off the handlebars easily and there is no restriction to operating the horn or turn signals.

In colder weather, I often raise my visor at stop lights a bit to keep fogging to a minimum and lower it again once I get moving. I did not want anything stopping my hands from getting back on the grips quickly and easily. I guess they wouldn't keep rain from running in but if it is cold enough for me to use these, it would be snowing, not raining!
Since the back is very open, they are not completely insulated but rather just a good way to block wind off of your hands and let your gloves keep you warm.
My favorite detail is still the cost .

The morning before I made these, I rode in 28 degree temps and my fingers were in some serious pain even with my Winter gloves on.
Tomorrow morning will be ~25 degrees so we'll see how they work!

BTW, I went to WalMart Saturday and they had pink lunch bags that would perfectly match the pink Buddy! You can probably get these with your favorite sports team logo or a lot of other patterns if you look around.

illnoise! Scootmoto needs to sell lunch bags now! I need some good tangerine ones!