Good looks are irrelephant...

[Rosie]

...when you need someone to keep you warm.

And my hands generally do need keeping warm. This time of year winter gloves, fleecy liners, heated grips etc aren't quite enough to keep my hands operational, so I need to try something new.

I'm going to get some new winter gloves, they seem to lose their mojo after 12-18 months, but I'm also considering heated glove liners (http://gerbing.com/Products/Gloves/liner.php).

Adding something else to the bike's electrics, and attaching myself to the bike with wires doesn't really appeal (nor does buying US$70 liners I've never tried on), so at the suggestion of Ladybug on ADV, I've made some prototype elephant ears (http://dualsportalchemy.com/2012/03/product-review-the-ultimate-motorcycle-elephant-ear-shootout/) as a last resort:

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj295/Kawa_Rosie/Bike%20mods/CopyofIMG_4201.jpg

I'll give them a thorough testing on the MMMMM, and if they are any good I'll do a full bike-mod writeup.

In the meantime, I'm hoping they are as useful as they are heinous.

[oneofsix]

Doesn't look that bad, the front guard looking a lot like a trunk, perhaps needs some nostrils. Hope they workout ok.

[Paul in NZ]

...

In the meantime, I'm hoping they are as useful as they are heinous.

In that case they are potentially very useful......

[Rosie]

In that case they are potentially very useful......

C'mon... you have to admit that the yamaha stripes make them look factory :cool:

[Eddieb]

Have you seen the conversation on the Long Way Round Taupo thread?

My bar mittens from RD1 make quite a difference and I got some merino base layer gloves that fit easily under my winter gloves from R & R Sport that make a nice difference also.

Eddie

[Paul in NZ]

C'mon... you have to admit that the yamaha stripes make them look factory :cool:

Unfortunately not the Yamaha factory though - more something cold war era eastern european really... But as long as they work.

[oneofsix]

Unfortunately not the Yamaha factory though - more something cold war era eastern european really... But as long as they work.

harsh :lol: I thought Rosie had made an OK job of the stripes, I was thinking it is a pity they were grey rather than white. But as you said it is how well they work that really counts.

[Paul in NZ]

harsh :lol: I thought Rosie had made an OK job of the stripes, I was thinking it is a pity they were grey rather than white. But as you said it is how well they work that really counts.

Harsh maybe but truth is while they are a bit ugly they are better than mine ;-)

What are they like in the wind?

[Rosie]

harsh :lol: I thought Rosie had made an OK job of the stripes, I was thinking it is a pity they were grey rather than white. But as you said it is how well they work that really counts.

They are grey because my empty antifreeze bottle was grey. Buy me 20L of roundup, and I'll make a white pair :yes:


Harsh maybe but truth is while they are a bit ugly they are better than mine ;-)

What are they like in the wind?

I haven't noticed any difference with them on, but I haven't been out in any strong winds yet. The WR is a bit of an unaerodynamic brick at the best of times, so the ears probably don't make much difference.


Have you seen the conversation on the Long Way Round Taupo thread?

My bar mittens from RD1 make quite a difference and I got some merino base layer gloves that fit easily under my winter gloves from R & R Sport that make a nice difference also.

Eddie

I did skim through the Taupo thread, my take on it was that the bar mitts would turn my hands into bloodied broken stumps if I ever dropped the bike. Which I tend to do a lot :( Previously I'd secretly coveted a pair, but now I'm not so sure. The Lelephant ears are possibly large enough to jump out and break my hands too, we'll see :facepalm:

I possibly should revist the glove liner thing, I had a pair of polypro liners, but they make me feel like I've got Michelin man hands, and they insulate me from my heated grips, so my hands end up even colder. But something thinner, in a better fabric (silk or merino) might work. I have some fleecy fingerless gloves I made that are thicker on the back of the hands, which are great, but clearly they don't do much for my fingers.

[Crisis management]

Looks good Rosie, gives me a larger target for snow ball throwing! ;)

I use polyprop glove liners, a pair of cheapish winter gloves and if it's actually cold (up here that's anywhere below 10 degrees :lol:) I put a set of waterproof mittens over which cuts the wind completely and I can ride all day in snow with that, your elephant ears should almost do the same. The downside of the waterproof mitts is they are three fingered and I lose a lot of clutch and brake ability / dexterity, the ability to control the bikes a bit over rated anyhow given the crap we ride on so it doesn't make a lot of difference.

[Rosie]

Looks good Rosie, gives me a larger target for snow ball throwing! ;)

I use polyprop glove liners, a pair of cheapish winter gloves and if it's actually cold (up here that's anywhere below 10 degrees :lol:) I put a set of waterproof mittens over which cuts the wind completely and I can ride all day in snow with that, your elephant ears should almost do the same. The downside of the waterproof mitts is they are three fingered and I lose a lot of clutch and brake ability / dexterity, the ability to control the bikes a bit over rated anyhow given the crap we ride on so it doesn't make a lot of difference.

Yeah, I've got a set of three fingered 'dinosaur hand' overgloves as well. I don't find them too bad for overall dexterity, but if you are on and off the clutch a lot (e.g. the Motu) my fingers tend to start creeping into the palm section, and I get in a bit of a tangle.

[BoristheBiter]

...when you need someone to keep you warm.

And my hands generally do need keeping warm. This time of year winter gloves, fleecy liners, heated grips etc aren't quite enough to keep my hands operational, so I need to try something new.


Myself and the other half went and got a pair of these each from R&R sport.
We use them for both MTB and dirt riding.
We have had them in the pissing rain and hands have stayed warm and dry.

http://www.endurasport.com/Product.aspx?dept_id=142&prod_id=363

[FJRider]

What are they like in the wind?

An extra 4 knots ... going down wind ... ;)

[tri boy]

I lose a lot of clutch and brake ability / dexterity, the ability to control the bike

So, your skill levels have grown in leaps and bounds.:lol::nya::dodge:

[pete376403]

A bit like the hand guards on the KLR - sort of ok but they don't really keep the cold out at open road speeds in central otago in midwinter -too much distance between the back of the guard and fingers

[Horney1]

...when you need someone to keep you warm.

And my hands generally do need keeping warm.............
...........
........
at the suggestion of Ladybug on ADV, I've made some prototype elephant ears (http://dualsportalchemy.com/2012/03/product-review-the-ultimate-motorcycle-elephant-ear-shootout/) as a last resort:

........

In the meantime, I'm hoping they are as useful as they are heinous.

Nice graphics Rosie :) The polyprop liners work well.

I'll probably just have my normal unlined leather, guards and some snow gloves in my bag in case it gets below minus 12. It's the wet that does the damage as it allows the cold to be transmitted straight through (leather). Fingers crossed for a nice weekend!

[Crisis management]

So, your skill levels have grown in leaps and bounds.:lol::nya::dodge:

And here I was thinking I hadn't heard from you for ages too...... has the fog lifted down there?

The only skill that has improved lately is the one that knows when to abandon the bike before hitting something hard, the 640s looking slightly battle scarred!:wacko:

[Rosie]

The only skill that has improved lately is the one that knows when to abandon the bike before hitting something hard, the 640s looking slightly battle scarred!:wacko:

I'll sell you some purple racing stripes to cover over all those unsightly scratches :cool:

I held mine up against Clint's 640, and they didn't look all bad :yes:

[alane]

The outer shell of car side mirrors look O.K.
Saw some on ADv rider someware once.:yeah:

[Phreaky Phil]

With the big elephant ears, the WR reminds me of this legendary skit
http://www.google.co.nz/search?q=carol+burnett+elephant+skit&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

[TINA RAY]

C'mon... you have to admit that the yamaha stripes make them look factory :cool:

You have done a nice job Rosie.

Did you make those all by yourself ?

They will definitely make your hands less cold.


....I am a sucker for Yamaha stripes though ! :-)

[dino3310]

With the big elephant ears, the WR reminds me of this legendary skit
http://www.google.co.nz/search?q=carol+burnett+elephant+skit&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

geeesh showing your age there ol fella:bleh:

[Phreaky Phil]

geeesh showing your age there ol fella:bleh:
Still cracks us up every time we watch it :laugh::laugh::laugh:

[Rosie]

You have done a nice job Rosie.

Did you make those all by yourself ?

They will definitely make your hands less cold.


....I am a sucker for Yamaha stripes though ! :-)

I did make them all by myself. Clint was away working, so I was in sole charge of the man cave :headbang:

I took lots of photos of the manufacturing process, but I can't be bothered posting them up until I am convinced the ears are actually useful.

[Padmei]

With the big elephant ears, the WR reminds me of this legendary skit
http://www.google.co.nz/search?q=carol+burnett+elephant+skit&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

My eyes are still watering. Thank you for that:lol:

How do you know if Rosie's bike has been in your fridge?

[NordieBoy]

How do you know if Rosie's bike has been in your fridge?

Tyre treads in the cheese cake?

[pete-blen]

How do you know if Rosie's bike has been in your fridge?

Suzuki isn't it.... have to be black ice.....oil puddles...:killingme

[Padmei]

No No No footprints in the butter

Hahahaha:lol:
I kill me...

[Rosie]

Suzuki isn't it.... have to be black ice.....oil puddles...:killingme

WTF? I go to all that trouble to cover my bike in Yamaha stripes, and people still think it's a Suzuki :oi-grr:

After extensive testing at the MMMMM, I can confirm that the elephant ears did keep my hands warmer. A full writeup will follow :yes:

[Crisis management]

They looked good too Rosie, well done!

[oneofsix]

Glad they past the test.

[Rosie]

They looked good too Rosie, well done!

PM me your address and I'll make you a set for Christmas :cool:

Since they actually worked.. the manufacturing process has been added to my build thread (http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=19240564#post19240564)

[NordieBoy]

Since they actually worked.. the manufacturing process has been added to my build thread (http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=19240564#post19240564)

What's the top speed and fuel consumption now though?

[pete-blen]

What's the top speed and fuel consumption now though?

tail or head wind ?
handle bar spinnakers...

[Shewolf]

with a tail wind she's rooolly fast now


What's the top speed and fuel consumption now though?

[Padmei]

Rosie was this your inspiration?


http://www.luvzbluez.com/purple.html

[Box'a'bits]

Rosie was this your inspiration? http://www.luvzbluez.com/purple.html
Really begs the question Padmei - when did you take up reading little old lady poetry? :wacko:

[Padmei]

Really begs the question Padmei - when did you take up reading little old lady poetry? :wacko:

Dunno sometime ago. I just saw the purple & thought of the poem.:D

[Rosie]

What's the top speed and fuel consumption now though?

Top speed is the same... 110-ish. Fuel consumption... no idea.

Padmei: The WR is still on 12-month WOFs, it's hardly a little old lady :oi-grr:

[Eddieb]

I found this pic of a WR on Advrider with a Yamaha paint scheme

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q53/5SDude/Bikes/DSC00306.jpg

[Rosie]

I found this pic of a WR on Advrider with a Yamaha paint scheme

Yeah, I saw that this morning. You lurk in the "Bikes and Wives" thread too eh?

It looks really good - by the looks of it, it's a WRX (the motard version), so I'm not sure if the decals are stock or not. Red would have looked good on mine, but would have clashed with my pink MX jersey :facepalm:

[brp]

I bought some new barkbusters off tardme for $49 - ones that mount into end of bars - full barkbuster, could be an option for ya rosie - I team them up with thermal lined leather gloves for winter riding