Light for controls

skallagrim

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Tonight's commute was extra dark and I just switched over to my thicker cold weather gloves. The combined result was that I could neither see nor "feel" the controls easily -- especially the turn signal, high beams, & cruise control on the left handlebar. Has anyone added a light to illuminate the controls? Any other suggestions? Thanks!
 

Nikolajsen

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Never had the problem.
When it is so cold, that a need thick gloves, they usally also throw "road salt" and the roads. (because of frost in the night)
And when that happens, my S10 is not allowed to drive on the roads :)
 

Sierra1

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Nikolajsen said:
....And when that happens, my S10 is not allowed to drive on the roads :)

::026:: I learned years ago that when the temperature get to 32* or below, time to use four wheels; any moisture on the road is likely frozen. Happily, it doesn't happen often here. And, salt/brine is bad for EVERYTHING.
 

Dogdaze

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Although I concur with the previous posts and not take to the roads once there is likely hood of black ice, it does not answer your question. I either strap on me 3/4 hand-guard mitts or start using my heated gloves, more often than not, the heated gloves come out, not thick to not allowing feeling of the controls, but, man they work well ::008:: I hate cold hands!
 

Checkswrecks

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Dogdaze said:
Although I concur with the previous posts and not take to the roads once there is likely hood of black ice, it does not answer your question. I either strap on me 3/4 hand-guard mitts or start using my heated gloves, more often than not, the heated gloves come out, not thick to not allowing feeling of the controls, but, man they work well ::008:: I hate cold hands!
I guess I'm just on the bike enough that I never look.

+1 to the heated gloves and jacket liner. I wasn't ready for the cold the other day and rode home that night in a 40 degree rain. In addition to the weather and now-dark homeward commute, there was a motorcade (We get those in DC) to make it a miserable nearly two hour crawl. Warming my fingertips felt like they'd been beat with hammers.
The electric jacket and gloves are now out of the closet.
 

Nikolajsen

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"Electric jacket and gloves"
I have heard about this...where is the battery located? and how long does it last?
Or maybe connected to the S10? but then there is cable..
 

Dogdaze

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Nikolajsen said:
"Electric jacket and gloves"
I have heard about this...where is the battery located? and how long does it last?
Or maybe connected to the S10? but then there is cable..
Come on, join the 'heated gear' party ::018:: The only way to travel in colder temps...... Direct connection to bike, I will try to find a thread of heated gear on this forum, have to go read a book before bed for the girls........
 

EricV

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I don't think I've ever seen lighting for seeing the controls. Like CW, I'm on the bike enough that I don't look for them, my hands know where they are. You might consider different gloves that are still warm, but not as thick. They generally won't be cheap, but they are worth it. My current pair of cold/wet weather gloves are Klim Qwest which are gore tex and insulated, but not bulky. In combination with heated grips, they do an excellent job of keeping my hands warm and dry. They were north of $200 when I bought them a a year or more ago.

On the heated gloves topic - They will keep your hands warmer than heated grips, but heated grips are always with you and can be turned on w/o stopping.

@Nikolajsen - Heated gear for motorcycles has been around a long time. While some battery powered gear is available, now with lithium batteries that last several hours, most riders use gear that plugs into the bike. You get a wire harness with the heated gear that connects strait to the battery and has an inline fuse. You generally have some type of controller in between the heated gear and the bike power that allows you to control the temperature.

I've been using the same Gerbings heated jacket liner since 2004. I have had heated gloves, but was always reluctant to put them on because they were so bulky. Technolgy has come a long way and most heated gloves are not as bulky as the ones I used a dozen years ago.

Heat controllers; Some just have simple off/low/high. Others have a variable dial, either with infinite range or with multiple settings. The best controller is the Heat-Troller by Warm n Safe http://www.warmnsafe.com/ They make excellent heated clothing and gloves as well. You will find other brands that are actually W&S, but branded by other gear manufacturers. I believe the First gear heated gloves are, or were, actually Warm n Safe.

You can buy heated vests, jacket liners, pants liners and even heated insoles and socks. Most brands plug everything together so you are controlling it with one or two controllers. W&S and others offer dual controllers to be used to control different parts of your gear individually. I found that I nearly always needed more power to the gloves than I did to the jacket liner and had my jacket liner wired to allow me to control the gloves, (plugged into wires at the sleeves), separate from the jacket. Some prefer to control the lower body with one and the upper body with another.
 

Sierra1

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Last December, when I was my dealer picking up my Tenere, I saw handle bar mitts. They were mounted on ATVs, but can attach to almost any handle bar. I took one off of an ATV and fit it to an FJR. It velcros or zips around the bar, and looks like a boot. You put your hand inside on the controls and stay warm. They attach/detach very quickly/easily. There are several variations and levels of protection. I liked the fact that they are not powered. A pair of mechanics gloves and grip heaters I think would be more than enough for the ones that I was looking at. Here are two examples. The one with clear is from Quad Boss and allows you to see the controls, the other is genuine Yamaha.
 

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Checkswrecks

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Nikolajsen

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Thank you all :)
I live in "warm Denmark" so never had to think about this....no no ::), just kidding.
It's because I NEVER drive on my bike, in winter time.

But I will read about the heated gear ::008::, but in my mind..it would not work for me, if I had to plug into S10 battery. And I would have to buy a bike that, for my, was allowed on the road when the salt is there :mad:
(yes, I get it, the salt does safe lives, and I agree, it is more importent than me driving in winter time, or that the S10 wil be destroyed by the salt)
 

Sierra1

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I realize I am spoiled by living in the land of the 12 month riding season, and that could be why I have very little interest in sub-freezing riding. I'm on Team Nikolajsen....when it's cold enough to require salt/brine....I'm done. Now that I'm retired, I ride for pleasure. I do not find much pleasure when it's that cold. ;)
 

Don in Lodi

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Back to lighting the buttons. Get real good with an engraver. Track down some hi end gun sight glow stuff, preferably the stuff that self energizes (and will trigger a Geiger counter), and get fancy. Presto, glow in the dark control buttons.
Oh yeah, if you have to hunt for the buttons, even with gloves and in the dark, you haven't trained well enough. Should be able to switch everything with your eyes closed.
 

EricV

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Sierra1 said:
Now that I'm retired, I ride for pleasure. I do not find much pleasure when it's that cold. ;)
It's just like any other riding. Once you're prepared and set up so you stay comfortable, it's just as pleasurable as any other ride. I've ridden thousands of miles in sub freezing weather. Most has been dry conditions where I really didn't expect bad weather. A fair amount was in less than pleasant conditions, but that's part of life. Besides, how many people can say they crossed major mountain ranges in the snow. :D Pretty good traction when it's dry snow. You do need to watch out for packed areas and ice, but fresh, trackless snow isn't bad at all. Same with really cold temps. Good traction on the ice when it's really cold. Scary when it's right at freezing or the sun comes up and is melting the snow on the road.

Next time it's dry and cold, stretch your boundaries.
 

Nikolajsen

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EricV said:
Next time it's dry and cold, stretch your boundaries.
Not going to happen, because the salt/brine is still on the road, for many weeks after they stopped with the salt/brine. And also need some rainy days, before is it away from the roads.
I also only ride for pleasure, but not retired....
(sorry for keep "spamming" your thread about light in buttons :))
 

Cycledude

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Since recently aquiring a new 2018 I have to say I perfectly understand what Skallagrim is talking about, lots of new buttons to deal with on the left handlebar , so far I haven’t ridden it with winter gloves but I’m sure it will cause issues for me as well, to bad the switches aren’t lighted but there not. I don’t plan on ridding the Tenere a lot in cold weather I will ride the Goldwing instead because it’s a much warmer ride ! I bought a nice pair of heated gloves about 5 years ago but I hated messing with the extra wires so a week later I returned them for a full refund. I do use a heated jacket liner and insoles pretty often.
 

Sierra1

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....I don’t plan on ridding the Tenere a lot in cold weather I will ride the Goldwing instead because it’s a much warmer ride !....

I love my Tenere, but if I lived up there, and wanted to ride the frozen tundra, I would use the Goldwing's cocoon also. :D (don't know how y'all do it)
 

Wrathchild

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One of the best things I have done for my motorcycling life was get a heated jacket liner and heated glove liners. Nothing like wearing a light mesh jacket with that liner under it, feeling like I am wearing at the most a medium weight jacket, while riding in the 30s.
 
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