Modern Vespa

I'm quitting my job and going back to school. This means I am going from a 3 mile commute to 20-30 mile commute depending on route, but most of that is at 65+mph. So, I am going to ask Santa/my girlfriend for something to keep my hands warm. Cheap and removable are better. Georgia winters may get cold for a little while, but not for long.
Suggestions?
Leaning towards the Oxford Hot Hands. But might could just go with some muffs.

Check out the post going right now about my "adventure" with heated grips. I'm basically going to Oxford as well after a good review from Fuzzy who is the ultimate road tester of stuff. I think he should start a webbikeworld review type site of his own that says "If aint' Fuzzy, it ain't worth it."

After looking at the two leading items, Hot Grips and Oxford's, I like the price of the Oxford's and the way their control looks and sits. Plus, like I said, it's got a lot of road tests.

I can definitely recommend NOT getting the Cycle Gear Track Masters.

Also, OAD told me that currently at Bass Pro Shops(at Discover Mills in your neck of the woods), they have some ATV hand muffs that are similar to hippo hands for $25.

Warm hands make such a difference when riding in cold weather... I bought and imported a set of hippo hands and didn't find them as well fitted, practical or comfortable as I expected, and then bought a set of bagster muffs specifically for the Mp3 (Fuoco) as recommended by jimc. I got lucky and acquired those from another MV'er. They fit and work very well and I am quite pleased with them. My colder rides (say 45-ish) were a challenge if they lasted more than fifteen minutes, and now I am OK for two or three times that before stopping. I will add hotgrips eventually, and go back to just hand protectors (PowerMadd) when the temps are up a little more.

If you are considering the handlebar muffs, I can certainly recommend the bagsters. I also heard really good things about the Tucano Urbana muffs and nearly bought those as well, but according to what I read on the forum here, they are tighter fitting and you have to manipulate the tilt-lock and turn signals thru them instead of inside them.

Simple searches here will bring up a lot more info on these different handlebar muff options, and there are others out there as well. There's a current thread on heated handgrips in progress as well and should prove very useful.

Good luck with school and stay warm!

There are two Oxford products. One goes over existing grips and are easily removed. The ones I have replace the existing grips and are a more permanent installation. I do not see a problem with them still on in the summer.

I love mine but if you want to take them off they are the wrong purchase for you.

Just got my oxford 699 touring styles. May put them on by the months end. Will add a relay to light the circuit, to kick battery power to them. The bike is becoming a "transformer"! Pretty soon I will light up the street lamps in daytime, as I drive by!

Then you need to work on a mod that dims street lights at night as you suck power from them.

Would just have to add a "Fluxcapacitor"!

Make sure you post pictures and a link to where to buy.

Want the best? Want to stay warm and dry?

Don't "buy cheap, buy twice".

Bagster muffs, Oxford heated grips - but try to find some old stock of the continuously variable type. The later 'digital' ones are shit.

Ok...

So here is the question, if you had to choose between muffs or heated grips, which would you prefer? Keeping in mind we see snow maybe a couple days a year but I am riding everyday, rain or shine, cold or hot.

Edit: JimC, I am especially interested in knowing if you have ridden in cold with one and not the other and which one you may have "missed" more

They only have a few left and they're a tad costly...

http://kalecoauto.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=28

But they got plenty of blinker fluid and Kuhneutsen valves available!!

here is a good alternative to hot grips http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?i=411420&pdesc=Kolpin_Geartector_Mitts_Black&aID=507A4&merchID=4006

Muffs missed more, every time. At least with muffs you can use summer gloves and still have no wind-chill.

The heated grips merely allow fully vented summer gloves to be used to temps below freezing, and summer gloves give the best feel and feedback when riding.

I do admit that when below freezing temps are out there, and I have a long ride, I will also take some winter gloves as a back-up, just in case.

Thanks Jim. That pushes me towards muffs. Looking at the Bagsters vs. Tucano Urbano. Why do you like the Bagster so much.

I am having difficulty trying to find a website that will show me a good picture and a price for either one. I can't seem to find any US distributors.

Turcano Urbano thread, with photos, here: Tucano Urbano Muffs Put To The Test

Took some determined searching, but here are some Bagsters (not MP3 version, tho):





SA Bagster (France) doesn't seem very interested in the U.S. market.

Rideaddict.com of Calif. advertises Bagster products, but not muffs.

866-466-7609
2121 W. Imperial Hwy.
Suite E105
La Habra, CA 90631


Posters on other sites say the U.S. distributor is Cima International Inc. (Nolan helmets), at either

1585 Beverly Court # 118
Aurora IL 60502
630-701-1601
866-243-5638 (866-2helmet)
Fax: 630-701-1606
helmets@aol.com

-or-

399 Wall St.
Unit L
Glendale Heights, IL 60139
630-671-9710


Good luck!

The Bagster ones, though more expensive, will be tailored to the exact model you have. They will also allow you to access all switches etc. Plus they are nice and fluffy inside - though technically that makes eff-all difference.

I've posted the US distributor many times here before, sorry, can't be arsed to do the ten-second Google for you.

You will have to email them to get the correct part number and price though - and I understand why - there are too many variations out there.

Found it Jim. Thanks.

Bagster USA distributor:

CIMA INTERNATIONAL
399 Wall Street
Unit L
Glendale Heights, IL 60139
Ph: 630-671-9710

I'll give them a call tomorrow. Appreciate the help and advice.

Thanks RamblerDan. Really appreciate those pics. I had read that thread you posted but hadn't seen a link to a website where he got them from. Scanned it again slower and saw the mention of ScooterCrazy, which I had got to via Google search.

I was happy with my digital ones. Guess I should remove them and go back to cold hands on the way to work.

here are some more mitt choices

http://www.farmandfleet.com/catalog/product.aspx?i=357629

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

http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/product_catalog/Product.jsp?skuId=619352&store=Main&catId=&productId=p619352&leafCatId=&mmyId=

prices vary . dennis kirk has them for $17

For those interested. The price is $95 for the muffs + $15 for shipping. They are ordered from France, so expect 3 weeks for shipping.

email: bagster@cimaint.com

Edit: For comparison Tucano Urbano Hand Grip Covers £31.90 = ~$52
Plus shipping and custom, $25 + $14 per Tucano Urbano Muffs Put To The Test#535577
Total ~$91

Not much of a price difference, but way over the price of other US muffs or heated grips. But still under the price of heated gloves.

Of course my girlfriend last night reminded me of one of my geek items that I already have, a set of reusable liquid hand warmers that use a supersaturated sodium acetate solution. It is a liquid until you flex a little metal button inside of it, which starts a crystallization process that releases heat for about 15-20 minutes. Then put them in some boiling water and they return to liquid.

Glowguy, reading thru this thread now I get to the end and I am envisioning handlebar muffs on your scoot that have these neat glowing patterns on them...

Seriously, the bagsters will be a good choice. Mine fit my 500 well but they don't look like the pictures posted above; they require removing the mirror post and reinserting thru the muff, and then using a string tie as part of the internal bar-wrap closure. Note sure if they are styled differently for the 400, likely so. And the bagsters are well made.

I was little concerned with what the muffs would do at higher speeds (pressing back in the wind) but they work well with the securing straps cinched up tightly, and I adjusted quickly to reaching forward in to them to the handgrips instead of forward and down.

I also have the PowerMadd handguards but removed them with the exception of the support rod to install the bagsters. That rod helps a bit in supporting the bagsters, but not a lot. I know that PowerMadd makes muffs to go over the handguards that might work but look a little flimsy, and they would need some special mod to fit the mirror post. There's good pictures of them by bohemian on this thread: Powermadd Hand Guards?

Fuzzy:
I haven't seen a review of your grips other than a few short reply posts. Since we are dealing with practically the same weather and same rides, what are your impressions? Price seems more reasonable than the prices for "exotic foreign muffs" (but that always seems to be the case ).

Can you push my decision back towards grips?

Bravo:The Bagsters do sound like the way to go for England or The Great NorthWet but maybe overkill for the South. I am somewhat tempted to either get a pair of cheaper muffs and modify them (with consideration of lighting them up) or making my own.

I appreciate all the input. I like to get as much info. as I can before I make a decision.

You might then consider handguards (as a windbreak) and heated grips as the best solution. Many choices out there!

Several threads in progress and can't remember what was said where.

I have the Oxford Heated Grips purchased at Twisted Throttel and installed by Bobby at MidTown. They have the digital controler Jimc doesn't like but I have been very happy with them.

They get hot quick within a couple minutes. There are 4 heat settings and the on/up button must be held 2 seconds to turn on. They will turn themselves off at 11.5 volts which does not leave enough to start the MP3 but will not wreck the battery. I will be adding a relay as it is easy for me to forget to turn them off. I tend to get cold hands easy but with these grips and standard Icon leather gloves can comfortably ride at 40F. I have not yet had on 4th setting and on third setting they get to hot to grip tight with regular gloves. They can reach a point that the palms are burning and the knuckles in the wind freezing so below some temperature (40F for me) insulated gloves are still needed. My insulagtged glovves had had very little use so far this year except for days like today in the rain as they are also waterproof.

A big plus is how much the whole body is warmed with warm hands. I believe the grips alone with no other gear change allow at least another 10F drop in temperature without affecting ride comfort.

The ideal would be to find some gloves insulated on the back side for wind, but thin on the palm side for better feel and receiving heat from the grips.

Based on my experience I recommend them.

Got a few more questions about muffs.

How do the Bagster muffs stay dry? What keeps them from getting water inside? Also, how do they do with variable temps like if temps jump up over 40F? And are they theft proof (reasonably)?
Can you see the controls?
Are they easy to add or remove?

Thanks.

They just do. How can they get wet inside anyway? They are water-proof. Wear ventilated summer gloves (as I do all year round) and there's no problem Yes, on the 500 at least. No - but you know where these are anyway...
(The GP800 ones have translucent windows sewn in) Reasonably. A few minutes at most, I've only taken them off for maintenance or track-day purposes.

In our Boston neck of the woods, better have both : heated grips and hand muffs (I have the Tucano Urbano ones and love them!)... Make sure you have a solid battery for the Oxford grips since controller is fussy and won't stay on if not enough "juice" (particularly when it is in the low 30s at start)... My next purchase is a solid battery and open for suggestions on this front ???....

What I can also share is that this is a very time consuming operation since so many panels have to be removed to pass the harness directly to the battery....

At least I now know how to get to it next time...

I would essentially second jimc's responses above. We get a lot of rain here but I haven't been out on the scoot in it much. The few times I was caught in it I only noticed water shedding off the bagsters, and some dampness around the edges once I was home. Dried quickly. Seemed to not be a big deal, but I wasn't in one of those Georgia cloudbursts either... ymmv.

I was mildly apprehensive the first time I used them because you reach inside and have to feel your way around for control... and that turned out to be nothing since your hands know what to do without your eyes needing to see them. Once you ride with them you will see.

One last thing that concerned me was being able to extricate my hands quickly if I needed to - like some unhappy event kind of thing. I have no fear of that now, they are easy to work and ride with.

Hope that helps.

Some pics of the Bagsters I posted in an earlier thread




They keep out the rain when you are moving but the edges can get a bit wet if left sitting out in the rain for a while. Heated grips would be a very nice addition but something I can live without. If I had your commute and had to take the scoot each day it's something I would consider. Still gets chilly even with winter gloves and the muffs alone.

I installed my Bagsters with the mirror mounts and rubber cover inside the muffs - this gives far more room inside and also makes the profile on top more slanted to avoid rain puddles.

Thanks for the pics Alba. It is hard to find actual pictures of these muffs outside of MV. I can't find any on a MP3 400 or 250. CIMA International, the US distributor doesn't have a website, and the Bagster website is fairly useless and doesn't show up anything under muffs. That kind of thing really irks me in this day and age.

My concern about the rain is not so much how it handles it while riding, but what do I come back to after it has been sitting in the parking lot during a Georgia downpour. It just seemed like the openings were such that they might catch a lot of water during a heavy rain and then you are having to put your hands in to something cold and wet for the ride home. I am just asking if this is an unreasonable fear because these muffs are really that good. The price would indicate that they are, along with Jim's well experienced endorsement, but the lack of good info and pics outside of MV makes me cautious.

I've had them sitting out in the pouring rain for 2 to 3 hours and it was not as bad as I feared. Like I said, the outside was a little wet but not too bad. Admittedly this was not a Georgia downpour. If I was really concerned then some plastic bags might help. Would look like crap but would do the job.

I was also frustrated by the lack of information online but I did have a good experience ordering from CIMA. The goods arrived after only 2 weeks, not the 3 they said it would take.

Good idea! When I remove mine to install the hot hands I will try reassembling the way you suggest. Here's a (busy) photo of mine installed, taken this morning. And another showing the outside temp at a whopping 12F AGAIN this morning, rather unusual for us here in the Willamette valley... and WAY too cold to ride, particularly with eyeglasses that frost up...

Gloguy, alba's suggestion of extra plastic bags to use for thwarting rain when parked is excellent - more than that really not needed. In any case, if you are not happy with the bagsters when you buy them, methinks they will easily sell on the forum or craigslist.

Thanks for the excellent pics Bravo & Alba. Those are a big help.

A local rider has offered to show me in person his Tucano Urbano muffs this weekend. So I might as well take a look at those.

Might even take up Luthor's suggestion and ride up to the Bass Pro Shop, just to see.

BTW, I was in a Polaris ATV shop today and they had them as well for $25. He said they couldn't keep them because all the bike riders were using ATV muffs. I woulda bought a pair but they only had them in camo and the black ones will be back in on Friday.

you can get one of those at Think Geek



on sale for $250
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/collectibles/9fc6/
now where would one install that? Best be on a 400 or 500 cause my 250 cant get up to 88 miles per hour unless going down hill with the wind at my back ..

Man, now I feel so shortchanged on our weather conditions here..........not much rain and not that cold. When I go for groceries on the MP3 @ 40 deg. with my Gerbing electric gloves and don't even need the electric part......what can I say ?

Randy, please tell us more about your gloves. I am still trying to figure out what to go with. What model, what sort of setup? I already have a 12 volt fused line that I run to my light up vest, so going an electric glove route would kinda work for me. Do you have any issues like the heated grips, hot on one side-cold on the other? Do you have a heated jacker liner too? Just curious if the gloves alone would work.

Glow Guy, fwiw, I've been using First Gear heated gloves as my only heated gear for year-round commuting in temps down to freezing (and on rare occasions in the 20's F / -3 or -4 C).  It's worked well for me on the whole, though I do occasionally have issues with hot spots or one side being hotter than the other.  The most significant problem I've had is one or two fingers being painfully cold while the back of the palm is near to burning, but it's unusual and only occurs in sincerely cold conditions.

Though I like my gloves, if I had it to do over now, I would probably buy the new Gerbing T5 heated gloves for the much better gauntlet cuff.

Randy, I'm also interested to hear about how balanced the heat is in your gloves (left-to-right, palm to fingers).  Are they new enough to sport the "microwire" design that Gerbing is crowing about these days?