Motocross handguards - stop hands getting cold in winter?

[five50]

It is not that cold yet, but I can feel the temperature dropping and my hands starting to get a bit chilly on a ride - even in my new gloves...!

I think I will need something more - the handguards seem a compromise not as far as full handlebar muffs.

This is for use on the road. Any experience / thoughts?

[Rubin215]

Properly fitted they will keep some of the wind off your hands but they are still a compromise.

Heated grips, heated gloves, bar-end muffs will all make a difference but ultimately nothing beats turning the heater up a bit and listening to radio two in the car...

[MrGman]

My advice would be muffs, they’re the best thing for keeping your hands warm, but yeah you’re not going to be scoring much street cred!!

I’ve never found hand guards to be all that beneficial for keeping your digits warm.

[66mpg]

I have heated grips on my bike but I’m still going to add hand guards. I’m new to biking but my instructor recommended them both. He has them both on his GS. My hand guards are due to arrive next Tuesday. Even with heated grips my fingertips were still getting cold on Wednesday when I rode to Sammy Miller’s Motorcycle Museum.

[CoolHands]

They make no difference

[itcaptainslow]

I’m considering handing in my man card and ordering some heated gloves soon-the heated grips I have only just cut the mustard in 8 degree chill, so when it dips down to freezing my hands will be ready to fall off!

Any recommendations for heated gloves?

[five50]

Thanks - ok will man up and get some muffs.
The other downside of a lot of handguards is that they seem to have quite a big profile that might make narrow filtering / dodging car mirrors an issue - whereas muffs seem a bit lower profile.
Hmmm - just love a British winter...

[PorkInsider]

CoolHands said:

They make no difference

Username checks out.

[CoolHands]

Haha good point, but in all seriousness I only ever found them useful for helping to retain the shape of bar muffs (for anyone that doesn’t know, at high speed they often push back onto the brake lever due to wind pressure). So they are great for that. But on there own, despite the ‘theory’ and what some people claim, they do not appear to do anything useful in terms of warmth.

[CoolHands]

The last ones I bought & had on a Ducati were Givi TM421. They are huge when you open the packet! I also had those neoprene ones “Tucano Urbano R363 Scooter Handlebar Muffs” previously which were ok on a tmax

[CoolHands]

The luxury though is on an old zzr1100 when I had heated grips AND handlebar muffs (& a heated vest). I was commuting along the M40 in London daily.

[Zedboy]

Keis heated gloves and sleeveless underjacket. Toasty for anything down to freezing temps (below which I take the car!).

[Krikkit]

itcaptainslow said:

Any recommendations for heated gloves?

Had some of the RST battery heated ones they were lovely. Sold them on as I'm too soft for cold riding.

[dibblecorse]

Handguards make no difference at all.

Muffs and heated grips work well.

I had to move to heated gloves as my Hyper has indicators in the handguards so can't use muffs.

I have the Gerbing gloves a gloves and no complaints

[outnumbered]

dibblecorse said:

Handguards make no difference at all.

Muffs and heated grips work well.

I had to move to heated gloves as my Hyper has indicators in the handguards so can't use muffs.

I have the Gerbing gloves a gloves and no complaints

I disagree somewhat on the handguards. I think they can help, for example the Givi extensions I had on my R12GS handguards reduced windchill a lot when doing winter commuting. I used to take them off in the summer because my hands got too hot with them on.

That said, clearly heated grips/gloves are much more effective.

[carinaman]

I quite like the idea of the ones with a bright led DRL in them. I noticed a bike passing in the opposite direction with them on a Missenden Flyer review.

[Pothole]

Krikkit said:

itcaptainslow said:

Any recommendations for heated gloves?

Had some of the RST battery heated ones they were lovely. Sold them on as I'm too soft for cold riding.

RST or Gerbing seem to get the good reviews

[jjones]

the order of effectiveness (open to debate):

muffs
heated gloves
heated grips
handguards

can be used in combinations.

[Bob_Defly]

They definitely take some of the wind chill off. Paired with heated grips they stop your hands getting freezing. I can get down to about 5C with that pairing.

[KTMsm]

The big ones help a lot

I get cold hands and didn't think they did much until I rode in summer and my hands got really hot so I removed the guards and there was a huge difference (and vise versa)

However when it's really cold even guards and grips can't keep my hands warm, I'm not bothered about image but muffs - no way

I'm buying KEIS heated gloves or liners this year