Hand protection for winter riding?

[Ducati Scotty]

You were on the LIE today?  My mom and brother just got their street plowed yesterday.  They were snowed in since Friday.

Scott

[mattsz]

This guy's hard core, Scott!

I hope you have some protection against the road salt, Rich.  Just one "application" on my bike definitely showed its effects...

[Rich Mintz]

Scotty - I made it as far as Exit 37 in Roslyn. There was some plowed stuff in the road margin, but the roadbed is completely clear. Same for the side roads. It's hard to believe Long Island got socked in at all.

Matt -- I haven't done anything special for road salt. I'm going to wash the bike this weekend, then do some research re: protection (probably on this forum).

[Ducati Scotty]

My family is out at Exit 62.  They got around 3'.  After my brother shoveled the driveway the piles on the side were taller than his Honda Fit!  I heard there was much less near the city.

Scott

[Royalista]

Scotty - I made it as far as Exit 37 in Roslyn. There was some plowed stuff in the road margin, but the roadbed is completely clear. Same for the side roads. It's hard to believe Long Island got socked in at all.

Matt -- I haven't done anything special for road salt. I'm going to wash the bike this weekend, then do some research re: protection (probably on this forum).

Hard core winter riders in Germany put lard on their bike. Then happily thump through the winter. Comes spring from under the hard compacted mass erupts triumphantly a shining untarnished motorcycle, as a phoenix, but out of snow and ice iso fire.
 

[Ducati Scotty]

And it seasons cast iron pans!  Hooray lard!

[gremlin]

but, do they use salt on the roads in Germany ?  and, if so, what happens to all that aged bacon ?  Do they scrape it off in spring and use it for Bockwurst ?

[Royalista]

und zwei Bier
ein für dir
und ein für mir
 

[motorat]

Bier und Speck .... mmmmm

[yogi bear]

Has anybody used either handlebar "mits" that gloved hands slip into? Or maybe hand protection shields, like on dirt bikes or duo-sports, that would act as a wind deflector?

I bought Tourmaster winter gloves, which feel good, but don't do a damn thing for keeping my fingers warm - and I hasn't been that cold yet.  I'm trying to stay away from anything electrically heated for the moment.

I have bar-end mirrors, which might preclude the mit concept - and anyway I think I would worry about having my hands "stuck" inside something...

[Rich Mintz]

Yesterday I saw a pair of "Moose Mitts" on a motorcycle parked on the street in NYC.

Item pictured here:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IH0ciN6r5Lw/TrLhKoA26tI/AAAAAAAACg8/9xJP0F3VtFw/s400/P10008181164858267.jpg

Full page:
http://troubadourtriumph.blogspot.com/2011/11/cold-weather-riding-gear.html

They appeared to be roomy enough to accommodate the levers properly and to fit the bike, and I'm going to look into a pair.

[Ducati Scotty]

It would be pretty easy to make a small hole and mount your bar end mirrors outside.  It's much less frightening having your hands in them than you think.

Scott

[mattsz]

Update, just for fun...

I was out and about down the coast to New Hampshire, and I stopped at all the motosport shops I could find on the way, and tried on gloves.  Most of them had the same fit problems for me as the Tourmaster - the fingers are too short for my hands.  They feel ok when slipped on, but when I tried them on a bike in riding position, the drawback was obvious - the grip pushing the body of the glove into my palm, and into the "valley" between my thumb and forefinger, drove my fingertips hard into the ends of the glove fingers, especially when I extend my fingers to grab the clutch or brake.

I finally found two pairs which felt nice, look nice, and with long enough fingers that no matter how I grip or stretch on the bars, there's still some air space left for my fingers.  They are Olympia 4150 gloves - US$95 retail, but the best price I found online is $70 including shipping, from speedaddictcycles.com.  But I won't buy gloves, or shoes, without trying them on, so I bought them from the Maine dealer where I sampled them; when I asked, he gave me enough of a discount and I'm happy to support them with a couple of extra bucks.

We'll see if they're warm on a ride...

Oh yeah, the second pair were heated gloves - very comfortable, and they seemed to heat all the way to my fingertips.  I think they were Gerbing's G3, but at about $160, I wasn't buying.  The specs claim 2.2 amps, 27 watt power draw - I think that would just about cancel out my incandescent-to-LED swap savings...

[Rich Mintz]

Matt, for whatever it's worth, these are my everyday riding gloves, and they run long in the fingers, so long that I am occasionally annoyed by them:

http://www.bearwallowgloves.com/proddetail.php?prod=MC-GT-LD

[mattsz]

Well, Rich, the price certainly is right!  But, didn't you also take a (admittedly epic) ride with the gloves and hand guards (well, one hand guard) and suffer cold hands?

I'm looking forward to trying these new ones out.  But you know, if the heated ones would work without hand guards, I'd still save money...