Warm Hands, Cold Heart

On of the big problems with riding a motorcycle through the winter is that it becomes very difficult to keep your hands warm, once the temperature falls below about 30F. For the last couple of years, I have used rechargeable electrically heated gloves during the cold times. They work well, but the batteries are only good for about a season and a half (I've already replaced them, once, at $75.00 for the pair!), so I have been thinking about alternatives.

My Suzuki V-Strom 1000, which I traded in when I got the Scrambler, had hand guards and heated grips. Of that whole bike, that is probably the only thing I miss, compared to the Scram. So, I figured I might try installing those on the Triumph.

As always, I was working with limited funds, and I didn't want to order the uber-expensive hand guards actually made for the Scrambler. So, I ordered some ATV guards. The customer reviews indicated that these worked fine, on a motorcycle. Once they got here, of course, I found that there was no way to use the stock mounts on my handlebar. So, I had to fabricate my own.

I took me a couple of hours, but I got the hand guards installed, today. And, it took only one trip to the hardware store!

Not really "classic" looking, but functional. I'll likely take them off for summer.

Next up, I have some lace-on, removable, grip heaters. We'll see how that installation goes...


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