Modern Vespa

I did a search, but didn't seem to come up with a whole lot.

My MSF instructor suggested I look for handlebar muffs for the winter. I dislike wearing gloves (althought I deal with it), but I also dislike frozen hands, and he said he's always seen muffs and covers as the perfect solution. Also seems easier than heated grips or gloves, and I'm going to guess possibly cheaper.

I don't know what to look for at all. No clue what materials or prices are decent, or even what qualifications I should look for (if any) to make sure they'd fit my scoot.

GTV is on the way, but it's cold enough in the mornings here (and occasionally a few dreary days) lately that I'm already thinking of how to keep warmer while riding. I do plan on installing a bigger windscreen, but only the mid-sized one--so no hand protection from that.

So... anyone got any? Recommendations? Reviews? Pictures?

http://www.wheelup.it/ has 5 types. Good luck navigating on the site to find them though...

1. Go to main page
2. select the British flag for English language
3. select Tucano Urbano under Brands to the left of the page
4. select clothing accessories
5. click on forward to get to the next page(bottom right)
6. choice of 5 to select.

The names of them may give you something to google. Good luck.

cheers

Get bagster muffs if you can - they are more expensive, but each model is made precisely for each bike, so they fit. They all come with straps that prevent the muffs from fouling the brake levers at speed, and those for the faster bikes have re-inforced holes for the bar-end bolts to add extra stability. Fur-lined inside. They work very well in conjunction with heated grips so you can wear thin gloves all year round.

How about something like this?

Tucano Urbano makes handle bar muffs for Vespas.

Dang Benito - that looks COLD!!! Yikes!

I have Hippo Hands.
www.hippohands.com

i like 'em, work well. Not the most attractive but they do the job.

Yes that was one of the few days last winter I think in January where I was able to haul my scooter safely out of the garage and go for a ride. It was well below freezing that day, but the muffs really help.

They are getting 15cm of snow today in Ottawa, Canada's capital city.

Si,le ho anche io(per lo Scarabeo),ciao Benito!
Yes,i have also they(for Scarabeo).
You go also with the snow? Here from me they are 30 years that not snow....

I use these and they are great. If it's really cold I also wear heated gloves.

Yup.
Generally it is those and a pair of lined sheepskin gloves.

For me, if it's really cold it's the Hippo Hands and my Tourmaster winter gloves don't own own heated apparel as of yet)

We get lots of snow in the winter so we have to ride whenever there isn't any snow or ice on the roads which for last winter was a handful of days. You're lucky where you live that there is little snow, I hate snow.

Thanks for the info, and the photos really help! I'll see about ordering something soon.

Yesterday I installed a pair of muffs found in my parents' garage and presumably the former property of my late father. They're feeeelthy and must be a decade old, but they're keeping the wind off nicely!

It can take me a couple of tries to find the indicator switch, mind...

MAPLINS, (UK)..had a pair of heated gloves in today..maybe of use to someone... 8)

i recently installed a set of tucano urbano compact neoprene muffs - much smaller than standard muffs, and mitten-shaped, so that you actually operate the ignition, horn, and indicator switch from inside the muff.

i absolutely love them - they're much warmer than the larger muffs, i suppose because they're smaller and allow the (extremely limited) heat from my hands to warm them up inside. they also soak up a significant amount of warmth from the sun. i've only today bothered to install my heated grips, and usually i've got those on by mid-september.

they're a bit of a fiddle to install on handlebars without bar ends - it involves groping blindly inside the muff to position zip ties and little bits of plastic - but once on, they stay in place just fine.

THEY HAVE ONE WITH PAWPADS!!! Oh my.

*confirms RoverEric's suspicions about teh furriez*

Would those Tucano Urbano mitten-style ones work well on a GTV? That's one of those accessories that I'd think may or may not be interchangable from GTS to GTV, because of the handlebar style.

i can't think why they wouldn't - they're meant to be suitable for pretty much any scooter.

i've got paws

That's true, but with my luck, it'll be the one thing I spend a decent chunk of money on without verifying the fit. I'm breaking the bank to get my dream Vespa, so I'm not about to get some fancy Italian hand muffs if they don't fit, ya know? I can't think of any other modern scooter, off the top of my head, that has GTV-style handlebars other than the LXV.

[quote="Witch"]I do plan on installing a bigger windscreen, but only the mid-sized one--so no hand protection from that.

/quote]

The Vespa tall windscreen does extend out to shield the brake levers, so your hands would be out of the wind. I installed a tall screen and cut it down with a jigsaw so I could see over rather than through the screen. In effect, it is now a mid-size screen with hand protectors. It's not as difficult as it seems. You can purchase new windscreen trim from Cycle Gear or Lockhart-Phillips in different colors. I used black. Adhesive is already impregnated in the slot of the trim so you just pop it on the perimeter of the screen and it seals itself. The trim comes in 36" lengths, so you'll need 3 of them. Center one full length one on the top of the screen, then cut down the others to fit the sides and bottom. The seams are hardly noticeable

@ genie:

I also bought the same but I still have to install these.....

...any special recommendation ?

Tony

you've got different handlebar ends on your 300 (*envy*) than i do on my ET4 .... i suspect the installation on yours will be easier. If i'm not mistaken, the model that screws into the bar end (as in the illustration) also includes some kind of anti-theft device.

oops ..that's right I have a 300 super..oops....indeed, there should be some kind of anti-theft device...I will check when I will mount these.....

Tony

i just wanted to report on the unprecedented levels of hand coziness i achieved this morning, thanks to a combination of neoprene handlebar muffs, and oxford 'hot hands' grip heaters. i've been using the hot hands for two years now, but combining them with the muffs ... well, that's an absolute masterstroke. muffs and heated grips should be standard issue for all scooters sold in the northern hemisphere.

jim, you were right - i had my summer gloves on this morning and arrived at work with WARM HANDS.

That's great Genie, now if we could just do something about the freezing cold brake levers during the winter.....

I have the Givi TM416 muffs/Hand protectors with mirror holes

This is available at Thibault in Canada,
Note: The link will take you to a site in the U.K.
(That site is being used for information purposes only)

genie, where did you order the muffs from, and are they a pfaff to put on and take off? I have to leave the scoot outside and don't want them liberated by the local chavnescenti.

I would like to buy the Tucano Urbano R361 "nero" handgrip to use on my LX (modified with GTS grips and barends)
Anyone who knows a (ebay) webshop that sells these and ships to Netherlands?

I did find a shop in a corner of my country that will ship these for 37 Euro....sounds fair to me.

Worth trying as winter is comming to town and cold hands are a major issue for me. They look universal so they should fit on the GTS/LX combo
I will accept the 'less' looks for these steering thingy's

Me likey!

Anyone know of a US distributor?

Yes, I'd like to know if there's a US distributor for the Tucano Urbano muffs as well.
I rode in 20 degree weather last night with 2 pairs of gloves and it just didn't cut it.
I guess, worst case scenario, we would have to order from a UK distributor?

Mine arrived by mail today for less than 50 euro!
Very nice now that outside temperature is around zero degrees Celcius

They fit fine, not fully 'out-of-the-box' but with some tweaking 8)

Snowy days are comming...

Ok, I'm a big wuss and don't ride when it's that cold anymore but I'm wondering why you'd go with the muffs and not just some big snowmobile gloves?

Oh and a cold weather helmet suggestion:
http://www.helmetcity.com/page/HC/PROD/clmaxsnow/07-870

When I am wearing wintergloves for motorbikes, I still got cold fingers.
With the gloves I can wear plain woolen gloves underneath and the combi is much warmer.
The space inside with isolating 'still' air is making the comfort