Gloves Bar muffs, hippo hands, handlebar mitts e.t.c.

SMASH,

My son runs Hippo Hands on his '04ST without heated grips when we go tripping in SD, WY and MT in Oct and Nov and he reports being comfortable.

I have borrowed his Hippo Hands and they go up the arm a few inches more than the Cabela's ATV Mittens which I would say is a negligible benefit, and not worth the extra beyond Cabela's 35.00.

That style pictured earlier in this thread looked to me to be somewhat shorter and perhaps wider than the ones I use. I would avoid the shorter and wider part, thinking that could let some cold air seep in.

The key factor seems to be in keeping ALL the wind off the hands, heated grips are just a bonus.

Jim

I wonder how these would work:Skinz hand guards I might get a set of these for snowmobiling and it looks like they might work ok on the ST too.

I have a set of generic muffs for the snowmobile but find it cumbersome to get my hands in and out, and they block access to some of the control switches.

The gold Hippo ones are a bit shorter than the blue Hippo ones. Seems to be a mood point really as both are the bomb.

Hmm, I was looking at Hippo Hands website and only saw black ones. ???

Hi there 2wheeler......dern, living in LaVeta area, should have something warm...lol. Think on that small a profile bike you will have mirror visibility problems with the Vetter Hippo Hands. Watch ebay for some of the Vetter Bagman series as they are smaller, easier to stow-away. I leave a set of these on whatever bike goes on long hauls, summer or winter. Keeps gloves dry, hands warm when raining here in these hills. Be ready to pay some 50-120 to win a set though as the HippoHands or the Bagmans ARE a classic not made for some 25+yrs. and bring a premium. On the Bay, just type in Vetter and set to all catagories. Decide the most U will pay and bid last 10sec. to win, not before as it just kicks up the bid. I have one set still new, never used and others are like new. Bagman's are nice as I will just throw them in the washer/dryer and Scotch gaurd. Have even done that with the Hippos, keeps the fleece clean and new looking. For now, gonna hang onto pairs I have.

indypup said:

Hmm, I was looking at Hippo Hands website and only saw black ones. ???

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I guess I am showing my age...I didn't know there was an old style and a new style of "Hippo Hands". So the Vetter ones are the old style. Can you still buy them? Or just the new style?

Looked at that site..................those are NOT even close to what the REAL Vetter HippoHands are! Heck, I could even knock out a set of those on a good sewing machine. And no, the real deal hasn't been made for a few decades. That's why they are a classic and somewhat hard to come by. I say gold label and blue label as the cute little pic of a hippo was either gold color or blue color on the REAL Hippos. The hard side ones had blue piping around them. The real deal was still 80-100 bucks even back then! If I can use Photo Bucket on here, see if I can get my better half help me with a few pics of the real ones. The original Vetter HippoHands also were not the heavy nylon on outside. they were a heavy waterproof marine grade vinyl, fleece inside

Also thought my wife's comment the first time I was putting them on in the man cave was hilarious: "Oh look, the motorcycle has to wear mittons."

Smash said:

A few people have recommended the muffs from Cabela's, but there website doesn't have any information about the dimensions. Cause I've got the hand guards, I need to know how big they are to see if they will fit. I'm assuming these are the ones people were talking about: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat21412-cat20147&id=0059849523247a&navCount=1&podId=0059849&parentId=cat20147&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=XK&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat601233&hasJS=true

Anyone who has them, mind taking a few basic measurements for me?

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I can't help with the dimensions you need, but noticed these: HANDGUARD GAUNTLET

Once again, I've posted a link to a snowmobile product. I can't help it. It's that time of year and the ST is tucked away in the back of the barn.

Smash said:

A few people have recommended the muffs from Cabela's, but there website doesn't have any information about the dimensions. Cause I've got the hand guards, I need to know how big they are to see if they will fit. I'm assuming these are the ones people were talking about: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat21412-cat20147&id=0059849523247a&navCount=1&podId=0059849&parentId=cat20147&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=XK&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat601233&hasJS=true

Anyone who has them, mind taking a few basic measurements for me?

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SMASH,

Yes, that URL shows the product.

The're made like a right angle, each leg being 16" long and 8" wide.

OR

Wait till Sun or Mon when streets are dry, ride over to my house and try them on your setup.

Jim

Monument, Co

I finally bought some Hippo-hands and now I can ride without heated gloves down to temps in 20's with just the Honda heated grips on. I've been wearing some medium duty gloves with gauntlets (Harley leather) and grip heaters on low setting and hands are nice and toasty. Blocking the wind really makes a huge difference.

Wow! Just installed the DL1000 hand guards on my ST... took a 1/2 hour ride at 40 degrees out.... in SUMMER gloves. Woohoo, great farkle!

My thanks :bow1::bow1: (again) to this forum for all the great time and effort that members have put in making their bikes work and then sharing it with the rest of us!

fnmag said:

:worthless

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I have the DL1000 hand guards plus Hippo Hands. I'll take some pics for you sir.

Here's another set.
http://www.rockymountainatv.com/productDetail.do?navType=type&webTypeId=191&navTitle=Handlebars-Control&webCatId=12&prodFamilyId=9651

fnmag said:

You are indeed a gentleman. Thankyou.

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Thanks! I posted the pics.

Here's the link to the pics in case you missed it.

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showpost.php?p=887447&postcount=46

I just put a set of the Parts Unlimited covers on this morning. Temps were in the mid 20's and I used summer gloves with the heated grips and my hands were warm and toasty, even at 100+ on the highway. Only drawaback is the mirrors are mostly blocked now.
http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/product_catalog/Product.jsp;jsessionid=1JL0P02ULTVMNLA0WTKSM4VMDK0NCIV0?skuId=&store=Main&catId=305&productId=p391777&leafCatId=30504&mmyId=

Ash, have you sprung for any mitts yet? I'm running about the same setup as Jim, works well. I'd like the mitts to be more stiff but for the price it's hard to beat. My Cabellas are on their third (or fourth?) season and work pretty good. Do block the mirrors some but not a big deal.

I had the original Vetter HippoHands many years ago. Loaned'em to a neighbor in Cincinnati and never got'em back before moving on to Chicago.

Tried the newer version Hippo-Hands. The only day I did was the first time it was minus 5 F with no electric heat. Had a Burgman 650 then and they did block most of the mirrors and did not keep my hands any warmer than if I was sitting still. They only keep the temp at ambient, and at -5F that is still cold with my "warm" gloves. Returned them next day and ordered a pair of Gerbing heated gloves. Used the Gerbing on many cold mornings to work since (even 3 mornings at minus 5 F just this year) and most of the time I don't have the variable control turned up more than half. At below zero I do turn it up all the way and my fingers are toasty warm. No hand guards, just the Gerbings.

I bought a pair of the Moose ATV control covers and the difference was impressive. When you eliminate the wind, you eliminate a large portion of the cold. I turned on the heated grips with my summer gloves and was thrilled during the late night cruise home in 30* weather. The MAJOR downside was the lack of stiffness. When I pulled my (clutch) hand out while riding to adjust my shield, the wind closed the opening. To make matters worst, traffic ahead of me suddenly came to a stop. I couldn't get my hand back in and hand to work the clutch lever from outside the cover. Talk about pucker factor. Strike One! A nice feature in theory is the fleece lining. Unfortunately, it grabs at my gloves when taking my hands in and out, causing the cover to bunch up. Strike Two!! The final thing is that there's not a whole lot of room inside and some of the controls (buttons) are hard to access. Strike Three!!!

A few months back, I saw a set of the $30 Quadboss covers and was very impressed. They were very stiff and held their shape while riding, making it easy to get my hands in and out. They have extra fabric sewed on to allow a larger interior which makes accessing controls and levers very easy. And lastly, the insides are lined with nylon which prevents any binding or getting hung up on gloves/jackets. These are my personal choice and recommendation for anyone looking for a set of control covers.

Oh....and the mirrors were equally blocked with both set-ups. I just learned to lean a bit more to check my mirrors.