Cold levers

[rondob4]

I find that riding in cold weather, especially when in traffic and doing a lot of shifting and braking, my fingers get cold from operating the clutch and brake levers. This happens even with heated gloves.

 

Perhaps covering the levers with something like the leather one often sees stitched onto cruiser bikes would do the trick? Appreciate any suggestions.

[BMWRich58]

I find that riding in cold weather, especially when in traffic and doing a lot of shifting and braking, my fingers get cold from operating the clutch and brake levers. This happens even with heated gloves.

 

Perhaps covering the levers with something like the leather one often sees stitched onto cruiser bikes would do the trick? Appreciate any suggestions.

 

...might just be the lack of blood to the extremities through constriction as in "tight gloves" or your grip on the bars.

[HexHead]

I find that riding in cold weather, especially when in traffic and doing a lot of shifting and braking, my fingers get cold from operating the clutch and brake levers. This happens even with heated gloves.

 

Perhaps covering the levers with something like the leather one often sees stitched onto cruiser bikes would do the trick? Appreciate any suggestions.

 

Be sure to leave the tassles on.

[Quinn]

Hippo hands.

 

http://www.hippohands.com/

[mfbeemer]

I used shrink tubing on my clutch and brake levers. A local electronics store (which sadly has gone under) used to stock sizes large enough where I could put two layers on (one at a time) which helped. Cheap too!

[Perlova]

I find that riding in cold weather, especially when in traffic and doing a lot of shifting and braking, my fingers get cold from operating the clutch and brake levers. This happens even with heated gloves.

 

Perhaps covering the levers with something like the leather one often sees stitched onto cruiser bikes would do the trick? Appreciate any suggestions.

 

My goodness .... aren't you from Georgia? How cold could it possibly be? Come visit us up in Ontario sometimes. We ride in shorts and t-shirts right through Christmas

[Mike]

I find that riding in cold weather, especially when in traffic and doing a lot of shifting and braking, my fingers get cold from operating the clutch and brake levers. This happens even with heated gloves.

 

Well, we try to stay away from personal attacks here on BMWST.com, but I have to say, you may be an ever bigger wimp than I am. However, I'm okay with that.

 

The first question I'd pose is whether you're wearing other heated gear. If not, you'll find that a heated vest or jacket liner will do a lot to maintain warmth in your extremities. As your body cools, it reduces the flow of warming blood to your extremities in an effort to save your vital organs. If you warm up your core (torso) with a heated garment, you'll find that your fingers and toes stay much warmer.

 

The other thing that comes immediately to mind is that your RT has warm air vents. Yes, they're not super effective, but they can put out enough heat to make a bit of a difference at lower speeds. Have you ever used these vents? If you're not familiar with their operation, look inside the fairing for two small levers (one on either side). I don't recall which position is open and which is closed, but it's fairly self-evident.

 

You don't mention heated grips. Yes, I know you've got heated gloves, but you may be able to supplement their heat enough to make a difference (if they're not already installed on your RT).

 

Those ideas, apart from the Hippo Hands--which always struck me as a bit cumbersome--are all that I can come up with.

 

Good luck . . . with your cold fingers and your wimpiness.

[Mike]

One other thing that might help: Lizard Skins Neoprene Lever Covers. This would provide some added insulation. They're designed for bicycles, but I'd think you could get them onto your levers.

[elkroeger]

"Good luck . . . with your cold fingers and your wimpiness."

 

 

Ha ha ha! Woe is the Confederate who gets a wee chill around here, eh? Heated gloves? I thought you had to be a Canadian citizen to buy those.

 

(actually, I'd avoid the leather, as it'll soak up water and tranfer it to your digits, and make the problem worse. Shrink wrap at your electrical supply is a great idea, or maybe some of that plastic-dip stuff designed to coat the handles of your pliers and wrenches. You might even get a nice look with that stuff, but removing the lever would probably be mandatory. Bicycle handlebar tape, maybe?)

[IanW]

I find that riding in cold weather, especially when in traffic and doing a lot of shifting and braking, my fingers get cold from operating the clutch and brake levers. This happens even with heated gloves.

 

Perhaps covering the levers with something like the leather one often sees stitched onto cruiser bikes would do the trick? Appreciate any suggestions.

 

Try these:

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r4/lever-skins/

Ian

[rondob4]

I don't recall my "wimpiness" come into question during my five tours in Iraq and two in Afghanistan, but my wife has brought it up when I insisted that my shoes and bag match before going out.

 

I don't have heated grips (though will soon), and do occasionally venture out of the confines of Georgia (13K miles in the past five months). The motorcycle skins appear to be the product I was looking for - thanks!

[Mike]

I don't recall my "wimpiness" come into question during my five tours in Iraq and two in Afghanistan, but my wife has brought it up when I insisted that my shoes and bag match before going out.

 

Thanks for your service to all of us. And yes, the military has a way of doing that to you.

 

I don't have heated grips (though will soon), and do occasionally venture out of the confines of Georgia (13K miles in the past five months).

 

You'll find that heated grips make a huge difference. BMW's heated grips are pretty pricey, but there are some very good, high quality aftermarket heated grips available, such as these options from RiderWearhouse.

[JMR]

Once you get the heated grips going...you'll never have another bike without them.

(I've had great service from HotGrips I installed on my ST1100...best price I found was at Aerostich...FYI.)

[rondob4]

Try these:

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r4/lever-skins/

Ian [/quote

 

I put a set of color-matched (of course!) Lever Skins on my RT's levers and my wimpiness is cured! This is exactly the product I was looking for - thanks Ian!!

 

I found that wetting the inside of the Skin with soapy water before trying to slide them onto the levers made it much easier to get them in place.