Modern Buddy

Hello All,

So i got my first scooter back in July this year, SOOO much fun in Summer... not so much fun now its 28 Degrees and my fingers almost fell off whilst wearing cheap snowboarding gloves this evening. Its an 8 Mile trek to work, so not to far... but enough to be uncomfortable.

So heres the question. Been researching gloves, but can anyone here who rides in Chilly Temps really recommend something? Been looking at the RevZilla site and admiring bikes that have heated handlebars.....

I am a big believer of tried and tested / word of mouth.

Anyone out there recommend a glove for extreme cold weather?

Not a glove per se, but my solution is to use Tucano Urbano's grip muffs, basically they are big wind and waterproof overgloves that fit to your scoot and you put your hands in them
I found that no matter how fancy a glove is, it will let through enough water/wind to chill your hands off

Thanks for that Lokky, they look really interesting. I had never come across them before.

What temperature do you ride in? Do you need to wear an inner glove or gloves themselves inside those muffs? Are they 100% water proof (not that my bike is ever really in the rain) but good to know.

I just watched the installation video on youtube, seems like its a semi permanent fixture for Winter months.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROwGfGOeVTQ

Riverroad TAOS riding gloves.

I have ridden under freezing several times and they are a great glove for me.

Supple, all-leather construction
Waterproof, breathable and windproof Hipora glove insert
Thinsulate insulation for warmth
Rubber shield wiper on left glove
Zippered gauntlet closure
1 year manufacturers warranty

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/3/ ... loves.aspx

Men and Women specific sizing glove

FREE shippping from several online stores

heated liners

http://www.warmnsafe.com/index.php?main ... cts_id=279

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/ ... iners.aspx

i was given the second as a gift and they fit and work well in mid 30 degree temps. not many of those nights where i live, though

more just in case

http://www.sharperimage.com/si/view/pro ... ers/200070

and of course you can look to non heated

ScootWellington wrote:Thanks for that Lokky, they look really interesting. I had never come across them before.

What temperature do you ride in? Do you need to wear an inner glove or gloves themselves inside those muffs? Are they 100% water proof (not that my bike is ever really in the rain) but good to know.

I just watched the installation video on youtube, seems like its a semi permanent fixture for Winter months.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROwGfGOeVTQ

They are 100% waterproof from my experience. I ride all the way through winter, we had temperature drop to the low 40s so far and I was wearing my summer mesh gloves under them and doing just fine.
I actually forego the inner ring mounting, I just keep them on the handlebar with the sealing ring (one of which I lost previous to installation but it still functions well without it) and the little mirror clamp. That way I can quickly take them on and off depending on the weather.

I also pair them with a great tucano urbano termoscud

ScootWellington wrote:...not so much fun now its 28 Degrees and my fingers almost fell off whilst wearing cheap snowboarding gloves this evening. Its an 8 Mile trek to work, so not to far... but enough to be uncomfortable.

Here's a friendly reminder about what scooterists face in the winter time. I've highlighted the zone of temperature indexes that ScootWellington would likely have encountered in his ride. Not quite cold enough to cause frostbite, but look how cold the indexes are. And that's pretty typical of what many of us experience on a daily basis while riding in the winter, not to mention what some of us will endure occasionally as a matter of necessity. So think hard about keeping your favorite body parts from freezing this winter. And we now return you to your regularly scheduled thread in progress about cold weather gloves...

I have Scorpions. It has only dipped down to 40 (maybe 35 after wind chill) here since I've gotten them, but I have ridden in the rain and they has proven thus far to be fantastically waterproof. They are decently warm and pleasantly windproof, although I did buy myself some silk liners because I know in January-February it usually gets down to the teens after wind chill.

Many people are please with Aplinestars Drystars- we have a pair (by we I mean Lokky- they were his winter gloves last year and he passed them to me, I hate them too) and do not like them. They keep dry but not anywhere near as warm as everybody else seems to say. I do not think they are at all worth the $70 or so he says he paid for them, maybe if they were half that price. However- there are some people that sing the praises of AStars... so I think you really have to try them yourself and see how you like it.

If you're pretty certain of your glove size, surf the online superstores and ebay. I paid good attention to customer reviews on motorcyclesuperstore.com, and everything I have purchased has been pretty much consistent with them (for better or worse).

And yes, if you are riding in EXTREME cold weather all winter, I sincerely recommend not only the mitts Lokky is point out but the Tucano brand lap covers. I am not sure what scoot you have, but we know which model Tucano fit the Stella, and we know the R-151 fits the Buddy. World of difference.

Thanks everyone for your replies. I need to find some gloves fast! I swear my fingers were about too fall of tonight.. the most odd feeling ever. Sprinted in the door and kept them under hot water for 10 mins.

I read somewhere about these mits... apparently not to shabby given the price. Some reviews that they keep warm on 30-40min trips @70MPH in 27F weather... could be worth a check.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/ ... loves.aspx

ScootWellington wrote:Thanks everyone for your replies. I need to find some gloves fast! I swear my fingers were about too fall of tonight.. the most odd feeling ever. Sprinted in the door and kept them under hot water for 10 mins.

I read somewhere about these mits... apparently not to shabby given the price. Some reviews that they keep warm on 30-40min trips @70MPH in 27F weather... could be worth a check.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/ ... loves.aspx

Warning about the hot water: be careful not to burn yourself or shock your skin with water that is hotter than you think because your hands are freezing. I did this to myself slowly over the course of a winter where I could not afford oil to heat the house... gave myself terrible rash on my legs and such.

What I can tell about those gloves: waterproof- probably. Windproof... you'll have to try it. Everybody who is reviewing them loves them 'for the price' (which may mean they know they could have gotten better but would have had to pay more, so just as long as you know you may not be getting top notch here) and all but I think one said they were riding in mid 30's and 40's- which is warmer than what you are complaining about. I suggest if you get these you back yourself up with some thin glove liners just in case- you can order them from the same site. The only other thing I'd caution is that some were complaining that the glove is bulky- that bothers some people, others aren't bothered at all. Up to you.

I personally would not go for those soley based on the fact that the most it says about armoring is 'reinforced palm and thumb'. BUT... I kind of just broke my hand, so... that made me care more than most people about glove armoring. To each his own.

Overall, I don't think they are a bad choice- just ponder one or two things to make sure you know what you are buying (as much as you can without actually being able to try it on, anyway)

You also may want to keep this very old piece of advice in your thoughts:
"You get what you pay for".
When I was younger I never followed this advice and usually ended up dissatisfied with a lot of things. Now its a matter of cost versus comfort, which is one of the reasons I do not ride in the winter.

First I want to say that if I ever decided to ride in the super cold temps again I'd by some battery operated heated gloves. They are pricey but none of the none-heated gloves I've ever used kept me warm below 35 degrees or so.

That being said, I bought these lobster mits

http://www.rei.com/product/802392/swix- ... ttens-mens

I wore them over these

http://www.rei.com/product/758401/seiru ... her-gloves

This combo allowed me to do my five mile commute in the teens and twenties without losing feeling in my fingers although I did still get cold. I'm sure if your a warm blooded person then it might actually keep you warm but I'm rather cold blooded and so just didn't produce enough heat to say warm.

This is encouraging. I'm trying to figure out in the next few months how to make the scooter a serious mode of transportation and not get a car. I did this with the bicycle over a decade ago.

My hands are always cold, period end of story...... Even sitting here in my kitchen at 10:00am.

What I've worn riding this time of year, the same thing I've been wearing the last umpteen winters when working outdoors &etc are military issue D-3A gloves, (leather shells with wool liners) Depending on your tolerance usually do the trick and can be had from many sources, even at your local Army-Navy store usually about $20

I ride with thinsulate gloves, rode in 18 degrees this morning, got a little cold but not bad at all.
here they are:
http://www.amazon.com/Raider-Leather-Mo ... pd_sbs_a_3

yup, thats $11.00 for price

Ty BigBenlor, I'll defenitly give them a try. I currently use leather workgloves with cotton liner and they don't work when the temp drops below 40. Yesterday morning it was 32 and although I was only riding for 25min. (@50mph) my fingers were so cold I had a seriously hard time getting my atm card out of my wallet.

Do you use a liner with them?

Cotton is literally worse than nothing for insulating purposes. It's holds moisture next to your skin and makes things even colder. Try something that wicks instead -- something like these:

http://mwsafety.com/Merchant2/merchant. ... ct_Count=3

2wheelNsanity wrote:Ty BigBenlor, I'll defenitly give them a try. I currently use leather workgloves with cotton liner and they don't work when the temp drops below 40. Yesterday morning it was 32 and although I was only riding for 25min. (@50mph) my fingers were so cold I had a seriously hard time getting my atm card out of my wallet.

Do you use a liner with them?

Nope no need for a liner with these ones. They are thick padded and very comfortable. the sleve on them even comes up over my coat sleves so no air gets in there, and with the strap @ the wrist I can make sure they feel tight. The only thing is, when riding in a lot of rain they tend to soak in the moisture a little.

My $0.02 worth:

The best gloves will not cut it in very cold temps for prolonged periods without something to block the air flow.
Keep in mind this is relative to a long-ish commute of 20+ miles which takes me about 45 minutes in traffic. The length of time you are exposed matters quite a bit.

I live in Denver and have been scootering for three years. I have never put my scooter away for more than a month which was due to a long cold spell where the ice just wouldn't melt enough for me to be comfortable riding.
The only thing I have an issue with is keeping my fingers from getting so cold that it hurts too much to even be safe. I made my own bar muffs from clearance priced ($0.75!) insulated lunch bags because I couldn't find any that would accommodate the Buddy's bar-mounted DOT turn signals.

I currently have FirstGear TPG Glacier gloves which have thinner insulation in the palms so they work better with heated grips (which I also have). When its really cold, the heated grips and good gloves just aren't enough. By really cold, I mean less than about 28 Fahrenheit (that's cold when you are moving at 50 mph!).
The only way for the gloves to do their job and retain heat is to block the wind flowing over your hands by using muffs or a windshield with extensions (or ????).
I rode a short distance on Wednesday at 19 degrees and it was not comfortable with my gloves exposed. Even with glove liners added.
Last night, I threw on my bar muffs and rode my usual long commute. It was warmer; 26 degrees, but my hands get really cold in those temps anyway. With my bar muffs, my hands were just fine and I was able to feel the heat from my grips more even with them on a lower setting.

Last night I sent an email to Hippo Hands explaining that the Buddy has bar-mounted DOT turn signals and asked if they had something that would work. This morning, they had already responded and they do have muffs they have designed for a Vespa that has the same turn signals (http://www.hippohands.com/Vespa.htm). But, they are $65.
The scooter on the web site doesn't actually have them installed though so I have asked for another picture.

(OK, more like $0.04 worth. or $2. sorry it went so long)

Hey HeatherKay, I got my buddy 170i from ScooterWorld in KC.
Ty for the info.

I do a lot of cold weather riding have been for years...FIRST rule of cold weather gear COTTON KILLS, avoid it! I love cotten but not in the cold

Some ideas:
1) Get some GOOD glove liners, an extra layer and a small air barrier help. I prefer silk, but get something NOW, cheap and easy and they can ride around in a coat pocket all year. These help...a little

2) Heated gloves and grips are out there, but many scooters do NOT have the charging systems to keep up. There are battery powered gloves coming onto the market, but they are pricey (close to $200)

3.) One of the best winter gloves out there are Tourmaster winter elites, pricey, butthey work well. Tourmaster also makes the silk glove liners I like

4.) Covering your hands with a barrier really helps. Hippo hands etc. there are some decent ones out there, they all work. One my winter bike I use woods hand covers, as my winter bike is a dual sport. These keep the branches off in the woods, AND keep the wind off in winter

With heated grips, the gloves and liners I was riding my KLR650 in single digit temps for a 18 miles commute.

BigBenlor wrote:I ride with thinsulate gloves, rode in 18 degrees this morning, got a little cold but not bad at all.
here they are:
http://www.amazon.com/Raider-Leather-Mo ... pd_sbs_a_3

yup, thats $11.00 for price

i forgot to mention thinsulate. good stuff apparently as i came across a pair of thinsulate "work" gloves late last year that i thought would be good for riding. one spill later and a hard hit of both hands proved me right

anyway they are "line" gloves of the sort guys wear to work electrical cables, steel cables, and heavy machinery. cut, saw, and shred resistant. however they are also very warm. nothing penetrates them so far as wind or chill. and they aren't real bulky

they cost $30+ normally but i got 'em for $8. now i just wish i had gotten a few more pair

but yeah thinsulate is warm stuff

For the Buddy, I'd go with the Tucano Urbano's grip muffs. It's a no power draw solution that hard mounts to the handlebar. It'll block the wind and it'll keep heat in.

For a larger scooter (mainly better electrical capacity) you absolutely cannot beat a good pair of heated gloves. I resisted for years, but I gave in last year, got a pair and I could ride to work on my Scarabeo (no wind protection for the handlebars) at 75+mph in <30 degree weather (gloves were on high, mind you) without a second thought. The downside to heated gloves it the gear up time. You quickly work this into your morning routine and get over it, but it's still a little annoying.

If you have the money, look into the Gerbings hybrid heated gloves that use a battery pack. If they work as they say they do, I doubt you could find a better solution. Gerbings have a REALLY solid reputation (and they damned well better for the price!).

When I read the thread title i envisaged someone with dirty fingernails with their fingers trapped as they tried to replace a belt.

I think I need to go out a socialize to night.

Lostmycage wrote:For the Buddy, I'd go with the Tucano Urbano's grip muffs. It's a no power draw solution that hard mounts to the handlebar. It'll block the wind and it'll keep heat in.

^^^ I had to look those up. Nice piece, and no where near as ugly as the old hippo hands. ( Yes, I've been riding that long)...

I am really curious about these new battery powered electric gloves that are using lipo batteries , but I haven't tried them yet.

viney266 wrote:

Lostmycage wrote:For the Buddy, I'd go with the Tucano Urbano's grip muffs. It's a no power draw solution that hard mounts to the handlebar. It'll block the wind and it'll keep heat in.

^^^ I had to look those up. Nice piece, and no where near as ugly as the old hippo hands. ( Yes, I've been riding that long)...

I am really curious about these new battery powered electric gloves that are using lipo batteries , but I haven't tried them yet.

I think the problem with the Tucano's (and most others) is that they will cover the Buddy's DOT turn signals. Even the new Hippo Hands may not work due to how the Buddy's turn signals are mounted.

No problem if you have removed the DOT signals and are using the stock deadlights as turn signals.

I have Reynauds syndrome, and the only thing I have found that works for me is Gerbings hybrid heated gloves. At $199 (plus $99 for the batteries) they are not cheap, but I've had them for two winters now, and am glad I 'bit the bullet" and bought them. I've easily spent well over that in the multitude of other gloves I have purchased (then gave away because they didn't keep my hands warm) in the past.

You do have to water proof them with Nikwax when you first get them, but then you're good to go. I ride 10 miles to work, plug them in to recharge at my desk, then they're ready for the ride back. Probably they'd make it round trip, but I don't take chances with my hands.

Tocsik wrote:

viney266 wrote:

Lostmycage wrote:For the Buddy, I'd go with the Tucano Urbano's grip muffs. It's a no power draw solution that hard mounts to the handlebar. It'll block the wind and it'll keep heat in.

^^^ I had to look those up. Nice piece, and no where near as ugly as the old hippo hands. ( Yes, I've been riding that long)...

I am really curious about these new battery powered electric gloves that are using lipo batteries , but I haven't tried them yet.

I think the problem with the Tucano's (and most others) is that they will cover the Buddy's DOT turn signals. Even the new Hippo Hands may not work due to how the Buddy's turn signals are mounted.

No problem if you have removed the DOT signals and are using the stock deadlights as turn signals.

Ahh, that's a good point! I've never had a pair of the Tucanos myself, but I've looked at them for a few years and I have never heard anything bad about them. I thought they made a set specific for the Buddy, though.

I've got a pair of Hippo Hands that do the same basic thing, but without the hard mounting option, so I know the design works well.

Perhaps they have a cut out for the stalks to go through. If not, it wouldn't be hard to modify them to work, if you know someone handy with a sewing machine.

I have done well with some good gloves with liners but I am going for some handguards too after reading this MB post

topic13993.html

Tocsik wrote:

viney266 wrote:

Lostmycage wrote:For the Buddy, I'd go with the Tucano Urbano's grip muffs. It's a no power draw solution that hard mounts to the handlebar. It'll block the wind and it'll keep heat in.

^^^ I had to look those up. Nice piece, and no where near as ugly as the old hippo hands. ( Yes, I've been riding that long)...

I am really curious about these new battery powered electric gloves that are using lipo batteries , but I haven't tried them yet.

I think the problem with the Tucano's (and most others) is that they will cover the Buddy's DOT turn signals. Even the new Hippo Hands may not work due to how the Buddy's turn signals are mounted.

No problem if you have removed the DOT signals and are using the stock deadlights as turn signals.

Uhmm I have used my Tucano muffs on Leyna's buddy and they do not cover up the signals

Ok, so just to confirm, the Tucano muffs did not cover up the DOT signals? Because if that truly is the case I'm ordering a pair immediately. I'm done toughing it out through the winter with frozen fingers.

Lokky wrote: Uhmm I have used my Tucano muffs on Leyna's buddy and they do not cover up the signals

Cool! Can you post a picture?


These are my ghetto/home-made/El Cheapo bar muffs. They're pretty goofy lookin' but they work and hardly cost anything to make.



I wanted the back of the muffs to be wide open for easy access. I have some thick, clear plastic hot-glued over cut-outs for the blinkers.
Even though they work and I'm not too concerned about looks, I still want something a little nicer. $60 seems unreasonable, though.

Anyone thinking about those Army gloves with wool liner, I have a word of advice. MOISTURIZE. I remember how dry my hands would get when wearing them in the field. Splitting open whenever you bump them into just about anything. But yes, they do work well.

Anyone think Held gloves are worth the money? I have some spendy friends that ride BMW motorcycles and they swear by them. Paying $200 - $300 for a pair of gloves is out of my budget but they say "you get what you pay for."

I just bought these today

http://www.rei.com/product/819769/black ... ttens-mens

haven't had a chance to ride with them though. They may be too thick to use for riding.

I think about the best way to keep ones hands half way warm is either buy high priced heated gloves or use a windscreen,bar muffs and good quality gloves used together.

Either way it's going to cost some dollars for warm fingers.

Yeah, I'm swinging a few ways on this. Handguards to cut the wind and my regular winter mc gloves with liner. In case it is crazy cold, I have heated fleece gloves (fleece ones are cheaper) covered with my fancy cordura ski gloves. Some ski gloves have very heavy liners along with leather palms. Take out the liner and the heated fleece glove just might fit perfectly. I haven't actually worn the heated glove ensemble outside on the bike yet, but it was über cozy when I tested it out.

rondothemidget wrote:Anyone think Held gloves are worth the money? I have some spendy friends that ride BMW motorcycles and they swear by them. Paying $200 - $300 for a pair of gloves is out of my budget but they say "you get what you pay for."

I've got a pair of Held Steves (first iteration on closeout for $70) and I absolutely love them. These are for 3-season riding. I know plenty of folks who have the Warm 'n' Dry (this link is to purchase from Germany...where you can subtract the 19% VAT...cheapest place I know) and swear by them for winter/cold/rain. For me, I chose heated Gerbings for winter riding. My b/f has the Held Steve IIs (that I got him for Christmas last year) and he loves them. We both ride every day, including commuting and touring, (scooters and motobikes including one old '71 BMW, haha!), and neither set of gloves is showing wear. They've worn in very nicely. I absolutely love my Steves. They've gotten rained on, been worn for 15 days straight for 10 hours a day, and have gotten squished into my helmet in the pet carrier. Worth every penny.

You may also want to check out Helimot if you're ready to start spending. I was originally going to get them (he custom sizes for you and replaces fingers as needed), but the Steves went on closeout when the Steve IIs came out. Also, the Steve IIs come in short - average - long length fingers which may be important to you.

I seriously cannot crow enough about the Held gloves. I've never worn a more comfortable pair of gloves. I prefer gauntlet style as I can put them over my jacket cuffs. I've had plenty of sunburned wrists from wearing shorties; no longer.