Bar muffs

[garry]

just paid to much for 03 @.... but got it in time for winter anyway...can't afford heated grips can anybody reccomend bar muffs that fit an @ oxford appear to small

[Lord Stig]

I'm refitting mine at the weekend - I think they are Motrax ones. They came in two sizes and I went for the larger size. With some tape and modification they fit nicely over the stone deflectors, which in turn keep the muffs away from the levers. I'm glad to hear you will be riding through the winter! It's about now that the boys-in-rompersuits put theirs away (bikes that is; they'd get frostbite otherwise) but we, we blave few, we insane idiots grind on......

Stig

[ogri wannabe]

Can't afford heated grips( £35) but can afford bar muffs(£20). Spend the extra you will be thankful in the long run.
Ogri

[Lord Stig]

I hate to be contentious, but I'd have to disagree there. In an ideal world I'd have (and do have) both, but apart from obviously making you look like a prat, muffs (do they have to be called something so naff?!?) have the following advantages:
1) They work
2) They keep working even when water has corroded the electrics of your heated grips/the insulation has worn away and the wires have shorted to the frame/the heating element has burned out/the fuse has gone (I have experienced all of these having had many cheapo heated grips over the years. Aparently good ones like those from BMW aren't that much better, despite the almost seven-fold price difference).
3) They keep your hands dry
4) They are easy to fit
5) They don't cook the inside of your hand while the outside has ice on it

I love heated grips, but if you do long journeys in sub-zero temperatures, you'll need muffs too. If you can afford one of the other, go for the muffs. I currently have overwrap Oxford heated grips, given to me by a good friend. They are great - they lose less heat to the bars because the original grips are still there - but they are wide and caused big problems with my hands. Initially I thought the problems were RSI from sitting typing inane twaddle on bike-related forums, but removing the overwraps over the summer cured the problem in two months.

Stig

[ogri wannabe]

[DM]

Lord Stig - I took my hand guards off, so i could fit my oxford muffs, but they are too small and pull on the levers when you go at motorway speeds. can you confirm that the Motrax ones work over the hand guards, then i'll get some and kill two birds etc. Don't suppose you have a part number or ref for your Motarx ones?

[YEN_POWELL]

Mine are from M&P and are designed for Dakar style bikes. They definitely fit over the leverguards. The only downside is that they are lined with Bet Lynch type nylon tiger fur (oh the shame!!). I only use them when it is very very very wet and I'm going a long way. I'm normally an electric glove man for the few weeks of the year when it's properly cold.

[DaveS]

I'm normally an electric glove man for the few weeks of the year when it's properly cold.

Ahhh I thought there must be someone. What make of glove do you use? Is it an internal or external glove?

[YEN_POWELL]

My gloves are Widder, I've got a vest as well. The gloves are external. They are not overly waterproof, which is why I use the barmuffs on long wet journeys. Having sad that, they still work when wet and I've not arrived anywhere with my hair standing on end yet.

The vest is used all the time, usually not plugged in. It's so slim that it doesn't feel bulky but still keeps your chest warm. When switched on, it's like going to work in front of a log fire. Luvverly feeling........ I've had the vest 7 years and I'm on my second pair of gloves. The plug for the whole shebang sits just above the front peak of my seat and I've got matching plugs on an airbed inflator for camping. I also use the plug to see how much charge is in my battery without taking the seat off. It's never flattened my battery even when run with my rear fog light+plus all lights blazing. Before you ask, I can't remember what I paid for them. The shop is in Puckeridge I think, nice chap.

[DM]

So what's the verdict then Stiggy, do you reckon the Motrax ones fit over the stone deflectors?:

http://www.motrax.co.uk/Index_pages/...ries/muffs.htm