World Vintage Motorcycle Sales Co.

Here's a few endorsement messages posted by some customers about our products:

Dan: Looks like my pals on the GS Digest have discovered your fine Hippo Hands. Those things are great! Thank you.

Seeya

ATB

 

Hippos at work in a deep snow rally in Sweden. Both sets of shocks on this rig were fitted with custom made gaiters by Hippo Hands.

Hello, Dan...

The Hippo Hands for the BMW F650 CS arrived. They're terrific!
Fit is perfect and they're super easy  to slip on.

People who don't use them look at me slightly askance when I tell
them that handlebar muffs can literally be lifesavers, but I've just
come back from a ride to Death Valley where hippo hands were
literally just that. (It was a different bike and a home-made set but
the principle is the same)

The electrics on my vest packed it in and I was faced with a four
hundred mile ride with no extra warmth in temperature around 40
degrees. Only the fact that my hands were warm kept me going.

Thanks again

Art Jacobson

The weather in MN has been unseasonably warm (a relative term) and free of snow, extending the riding season. Since I made the plunge for the AeroStich I dropped my minimums for the daily commute to 25 deg if icy roads aren't a factor. The 'stich and the shellaclava and the FogCity fog shield helped me through but the pinkies were still protesting.

I saw hippo hands (or their equivalent) in wide use when we were in London and was intrigued. Did a little web search and found a chap in Canadia that builds them to fit (hippohands.com coincidentally enough). Tried them out this morning 25F in to work and 25 coming home. Huge difference.

Painful pinkies before and now a left hand just fine and a throttle gripping right hand just telling you it's not warm out. They're not heated grips but they'll buy you at least another ten degrees. Installation is also a bit quicker at about ten seconds ;-)

They're custom made for the FJ - All years use the same basic bar and a coverable hole is there for the mirror on the early models. For those of you not familiar, hippo hands are a shield (olden days leather, now a form holdng nylon(?) and fleece) that goes over your handlegrip and levers, blocking the wind from your gloves while still leaving you room to grab what needs to be grabbed when you need to grab it.

Just another option for those of us that don't know enough to come in out of the cold.

Bill G

85 FJ1100

Nov 23 2004

Just wanted to let you guys know these things exceed my expectations! I was riding around in freezing weather with summer gloves on. These things work where a pair of expensive, bulky winter gloves had failed. I've already had a couple people ask me about them, and it occurrs to me if you want to sell even more of them, embroider your website URL on them somewhere. I've seen people check them out while I'm parked.

Ciao,

Chris Hoppe

 

Dan,

    It is a very good fit. I'm sure if you had my bike you could have made a slit for the mirror to slide in to, however, I think this design will have the flexibility to let it fit several different aluminum hand guards plus there is plenty of room for even larger plastic shields. I like the extra velcro in the mirror area (I plan on adding this to the right side). I also like the plastic in the frontal area that the original right side does not have. It does not make it work any better, it just helps it hold it's form for better  looks..........I'm thinking about looks and I ride a KLR!!!!!

  Thanks for working with me on this and if there are any other angles or measurements that you would like pics of just let me know. I plan on having these on my web site before the end of the weekend with a STRONG recommendation to go this route instead of the heated grips for the KLR.  I still have trouble believing I can ride in 30 deg f temps with my vented summer golves.

David Ensey

Hey Dan, my logistics partners have fulfilled the job. I received the muffs. The fit like a dream ! Thx a bunch. (They were wondering though what the heck those things were... 

Fitted the shocks-protectors as well. Will let you know how they work out / hold up, since it is a bit of a newbie to use them in such duty eh ?. 

Will send you some pictures from Sweden with the muffs and protectors in scenic action. Nice for promo on your website. I am meeting quite a few crazy winter bikers up North, so brace yourself for some more orders...!! Next week Friday we are taking off for our rally. Thx,

Have a good one !! 

Mark Notschaele

Luxembourg.

 

Hey Dan, back from my Sweden trip, the muffs and protectors did a great job up to -5 I did not need to switch on my grip heating, and drove with only summer gloves on. When it got to -15 C I did need a bit of extra heat.....the proptectors kept all snow, salt, sand and small broken stones and oteh rstuff they put on the roads away from my (expensive) EML shocks.

I put my account of the trip on, http://www2.vo.lu/homepages/mnot/My_Homepage_Files/Page1.html have a read if you have a moment where you really cannot think of anything else usefull to do...

Attached some pics of how your shock protectors and muffs at work. Feel free to use on your website...The frontfork is an EML sidecar swingarm one.

Mark 

 

>Folks, just got mine put on last night. I rode to work this morning, about 30 miles or so, with the ambient temperature at about 30 degrees. I only wore my summer ( virtually unlined) gauntlets. I was riding at about 70 MPH most of the way and a mix of city speeds for about 1/3. Hands got a little cold only, not falling off frozen like they normally would have. In fact I think they felt warmer than with my winter gloves on.

>AWESOME !!!!! no more cumbersome gloves for me.

>The the fit and finish is great and easy to get your hands in or out in a hurry. Now if I put on some electric grips Hhhmmmm.....

>Dan, how about an electric heated version like a gerbings for your hands.

>Steve Creagh

>1991 R 100 GS "Ella Diablo Rojo"

>Vancouver, Canada

>ABC # 3185

 

Dan:

Still have mine on both the GS and the R90/6 and LOVE them.

Regards,

Jim Kelleher

 

Hi Ronnie,

I've been using a pair of Dan K's handlebar muffs since the fall of 03 and I've come to regard them as essential travel gear. They're easy to store (each mitt flattens to about the size of a folded long-sleeve T-shirt), they're easy to install (less than 30 seconds total), and, most importantly, they do an amazing job in keeping your hands warm and dry.

I recently put the muffs to a little test on an 8200 mile (11 travel-day)run to Daytona Beach. The muffs were in place virtually the whole time as I was eastbound during the South's mid-Dec cold snap and westbound during the west coast's early Jan downpours. I believe the lowest temperature I saw was 24 degrees (passing through some Texas highlands, at night, enroute to Big Bend National Park). The combination of heated grips (HotGrips with a variable controller) and the muffs allowed me to ride in comfort wearing my wrist length, ventilated, SUMMER gloves. I carried two heavier pairs of gloves (one electric), but the only time I needed them was when I got off the bike (particularly at gas stops).

NOTE to current and potential Garmin 26XX GPS users: I found that I was UNable to reliably operate the unit's touch-screen display while wearing anything heavier than my summer weight gloves. Even the light glove operation was less than ideal. I tried repeatedly to calibrate the screen, but never experienced a successful calibration secession wearing ANY of the gloves I own. Hence the muffs enabled me to continue to access all the GPS functions despite temperatures that which would normally dictate the use of winter gloves.

On the westbound leg I caught MORE than my fair share of rain. However, the combination of Connie's fairing, a one-piece Stich, and the muffs kept me comfortably dry. Following those occasions when I intentionally exposed my gloves to the weather (wiping rain/snow from my face shield, playing with the GPS, off-bike excursions, etc.) I found that the muff-enclosed heated grips were able to quickly dispelled the dampness.

The one time I was AWARE of moisture inside the muffs was following a "static" exposure on a previous trip. I'd left the muff-equipped handlebars turned full-lock left when parking the bike for the night. This positioning exposed a small portion of the bottom-edge of the opening of the right muff to the heavens, thus effectively transforming that muff into a rain gauge.

When I straightened up the bars the next morning, water poured out. The good news revealed by this incident was that your hand "almost" never touches the inside of the muff while riding. Wind blasts from trucks (and Wyoming grade crosswinds) can cause the muff to move/collapse momentarily, resulting in glove-to-muff liner contact, but the only part of the body that appears to be in routine contact with the muff is the top of your forearm (upon which the top edge of the opening rests) and possibly your knuckles.

Water that runs down your arm and drips onto the inside of the muff (as well as that collected while the muff is in rain-gauge mode) never reaches your hand, so life is good. I've since learned to park the muff-equipped bike with the handlebars straight ahead, and the muffs rotated slightly so that their openings point downward. Of course a smarter, less slothful, man would simply remove the muffs (a 7 second job) thereby protecting them from the elements and eliminating the possibility of loss to thieves.

There are a few things I don't like about these muffs, but I willingly concede that my "issues" are generally self-inflicted, and stem for the most part from "farkle-mania". For example:

1) I wish my right muff were a little wider as I'm aware of glove-to-muff contact whenever I operate my throttle lock. The "limited" confines of the muff don't cause me (a little guy who wears size Small gloves) any problems, but I am aware that I'm pushing against the muff when ever I slide my hand down the grip to turn the lock.

Confounding factors probably contributing to my less than optimal situation:

HeliBars and Throttlemeister (heavy) throttle lock. Note: the limited volume of the muff would probably preclude the use of reservoir mounted switch gear (something I've been contemplating for future "upgrades").

2) I also wish my muffs didn't project as far forward in the region of the master cylinder reservoirs. I'm aware of muff-to-dash shelf contact during full lock motion of the handlebars (particularly to the left). The muffs don't limit bar motion, but the "touch" is transmitted to your arm and this can be a little unnerving the first time it happens - especially if it occurs while attempting to execute a tight U-turn, at night, at the end of the day! DAMHIK.

Confounding factors: HeliBar "settings"; BST Dash shelf; Reservoir/lever positioning; Two-line brake kit

3) I also wish the muffs were a little shorter (front to back - at least the inside edge) and maybe narrower (at the back) to possibly reduce tank bag interference. Given that I'm unwilling to trade hand protection for stowage capacity, I make do with a small tank bag (12L).Confounding factors: HeliBar "settings"; Throttlemeister heavies; Chase Harper magnetic mount tank bag

4) Perhaps the only "valid" complaint I have with Dan's muffs deals with an apparent "manufacturing decision" (my assumption - based on the fact that both muffs are the same) which leaves a small portion (~3" long) of one of the panel's edges exposed. This allows one to see the three layers of material from which the panels are made. This "rough" finish (when compared to that of the other edges) is SO conspicuous that I hadn't noticed it before today, when I took a close look at the muffs prior to penning this response.

Bottom Line: Dan's muffs aren't perfect, but between Oct and Apr I won't leave home with out them. Give me a call (360 714-1624) if you've got questions or would like to see some pictures. Looking forward to riding with you this year,

Jeff Beecher

Bellingham, WA

COG 4943

2001 Concours (104K)

2002 VFR (14K)

November 2004 

I can speak to this.

   Two years ago I rode my R80G/S PD from Ottawa to Vancouver via Chattanooga and points in between from October 23 to about November 5.  I expected warmish weather to the south, and so brought all sorts of rain and shoulder season gloves... and the hippo hands just in case.  You may remember the particular weeks I was travelling century old temperature records were shattered all over North America.  The coldest I saw was -12 F., Halloween night, in Eureka, Nevada.

   My electrical system was rather dodgy, so although I was carrying an electric vest, I was unable to use it except as a piece of clothing.  It was never turned on. 

  My warmest pair of gloves was a pair of short driving gloves lined with insulate.  Costco sells them for Cdn $17.95 - about $15 US (now, whoo, whoo; was US$11 two years ago, but that's another thread) 

  The Hippo Hands made the journey possible.  They are not only marvellous against cold, they are an almost perfect barrier against rain.  Dan says they are not waterproof, and I am sure they are not, but my hands stayed dry during one day in Oklahoma where it rained 7" during the day.  That was good enough for me.

  I had one occasion of frostbite, Halloween night, but only in one hand. When I got to an area of light I noticed that I had fastened that Hippo Hand (I took them in at night - it would have been catastrophic if they had been boosted) somewhat carelessly and it was letting air in through a 1" square hole in the velcro. I would say it was cold the -12 day, but manageable.  I wear them from mid-November to about March something here in Vancouver, and still use the same pair of gloves.  I have a pair of electric gloves, but only use them on my RS.

   And I even paid for them.

   Hippo Hands rock.

   Ross C. McCutcheon

   Subject: RE: Hippo Hands

 

November 2004

I know that someone else already spoke to this but Dan's 'Hands' are awesome.  I just put mine back on -- forth season in a row.  They're well built, functional, etc.  Only thing chilly after my NorCal morning commute is my chinny-chin-chin.

SCOTT 

Scott Lyon

Shasta, CA

'81 R80G/S(wife says I don't have to sell it after all)

'Keep your stick on the ice.'

 

Alan T. Butler writes:

  I recently put a set of your handlebar muffs on my GS.  Oh, the shame of it all..  Now I ride around, with my summer gloves on, it's almost freezing, and I'm trying to decide if the grips are TOO WARM at low heat; should I just shut them off all together? 

Have a good Thanksgiving and keep up the good work.  Thank you for the fine product. 

   

 

 

 

 

I received the hands a week ago Friday. I was only able to try them one time this past Monday. The temp was in the low 40s. Two days later Chicago caught 3 inches of snow. My initial impression is more than positive.  They worked as advertised and made quite a difference by blocking the wind across my knuckles. I tried placing two hand warmers in the hands, but they didn't seem to make a difference. Oh well, it was just a thought. In Chicago, we're all hoping that the snow will clear and stay dry by Dec. 5th. That is the date for the "Toys for Tots" run. It will be the final big rally for bikers. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you how happy I am with this product. I will tell and show my brothers about them. Have a great holiday.

Best wishes,

Kevin Conway

 

Dan, 

...I just want to let you know that these are one of the best things I have bought for my bike.  Makes winter time commuting enjoyable.  They cut the wind so much that I have been riding with my just my summer rain gloves with temps in the upper 20s.  Thanks for a great product.

Sean

 

Hi!

Well, I traded my Harley Sportster in for a Heritage Softail today.I am going to blast these things all over town!    THey are the BEST!!!!!

While I was on my way to the dealership on the Sportster, my fingers were burning from the cold.....only after 10 miles.On my way HOME from the dealership with the hippo hands installed, I took a detour (on purpose) and ended up parking my brand new bike after 73 miles!!!!!     All I kept thinking was, "Gee....I wish I had hippo feet!"

They are awesome!

Thought you'd like to hear some positive feedback. I e-mailed your web site to my Harley sales lady!    She wanted to know more about them.

"Warmly" (haha)

Karen