Best (better) cold weather gloves

[Luke D.]

Good morning all (or afternoon/night)  I finally got my LS out of storage this last week and have had a wonderful time on it.  I was ridding home this morning (2am)  in middle of a thunderstorm when I had a moment of clarity...  All of my gear sucks!!  Drenched to the bone from shoulders down in cold nasty wet weather I thought I need new gloves ( along with rain gear).  Well the rain gear is on its way and now I need to find some nice weather proof warm gloves.  I would love to put some heated bars or gloves on the bike but with my heated jacket blazing on high and my fog lights (not on at the time)  I dont know how much more the poor old bike can handle (electrically)  SO long story short does anyone have a nice glove they use on days such as this?  Thank you all for help.

[Barry]

I got severely rained on coming to work this morning. Stayed dry underneath though but only because it's a short 10-15 min ride.

I have plain leather boots and gloves (both near as old as the bike) which if treated will keep the water out on a short ride but that's as far as they go. I guess for sustained use you need something modern with a Gortex layer.  I need to replace my gloves too if I can find some in plain black.

Sun is shining for the trip home  

[Luke D.]

Good Day Barry,  I was using some thick heavy leather gloves and they worked for awhile but 168 miles later there was not a dry spot on me.  It sure got cold too.  Ive never been so balled up on any bike trying to stay out of the wind.    I live in Duluth,MN and we have the AeroStitch place in town and they have some Gortex gloves for colder weather, I just dont want to spend that kind of money and not have them work ya know.  You know if you cant find gloves in black you can always get some Duct tape and fix that.    I am kinda on a budget but looking for the best bang for my buck.  Thank you for you input.

[montmil]

Luke, I have a pair of waterproof, snugy lined gloves with zip-off gauntlets. Bought them from Cycle Gear at a po' boy price. They work and keep my hands dry and warm. In fact, so dry that I'll sometimes sweat. No high-dollar Gortex but then again, we don't get that much bitter cold weather in North Tejas.

Oh, and BTW, They're black leather on the outside.

[k_enn]

I have used neoprene sports gloves (the kind that US football receivers use in wet weather) with some success.  My only complaint is that they are little spongey in terms of the feeling I get on the handle grips.  I suspect scuba divers gloves would work, too.

Currently, I have a pair of gor-tex leather gloves.  They give me a nice feel on the bars, but after a half hour or so in the rain they do get a little soggy.  

k_enn

[Motu]

Coming on winter here, and it gets hard to ride in the low single digits C.  I have Rain-off's for very wet  weather, but it's the cold that gets to me.  I thought my 12 year old Spidi winter gloves weren't up to it, so got  some Dririder Storm gloves a few weeks ago - some stuff like Gortex and Thinsulate....but they are no warmer than the Spidi's, but are waterproof.  Squeegee on the left forefinger is good for wiping the rain off the visor.  I did a test on a 3 degree morning, Dririder on one hand, old Spidi on the other - both hands were as cold as each other.  

I got some Oxford muffs last year that take the heated hands, thought I was going to set for this winter....then I went and put on the S fairing and stock bars, and the muffs don't fit.

[Barry]

My simple solution in the winter that helps down to -5 C is to pre-heat the gloves in the house before setting off. Only lasts 10 mins.  I should get heated grips but wonder if they would get up to temperature in such a short time.

[montmil]

I have used small chemical heat packets that tuck inside gloves. Also available as inner soles for boots or some you stick in a back pocket as butt warmers. Check sporting goods stores. Economical heat.

[Luca]

If your rides are within the battery life, there are battery-powered heated gear options that will put no strain on your electrical system.  For long rides, you might be able to plug them into an accessory socket should the battery run out of juice?

Hand guards will also go a long way; it's the wind that causes the pain.  On an '82 XS400 Maxim I had some soft handlebar covers that kept me riding down into the Fahrenheit teens.   Some G/S handguards will fit the R65, so you might try mounting those (there's an old thread in here about that).

Fluffy gloves help, but the feel is terrible.  My tourmaster cold-tex gloves do an OK job, but I have to heartily squeeze the throttle grip through them and end up with a cramp in my right hand.