Review - HippoHands

Bishop

Turbocharged
Joined
Sep 24, 2007
Messages
824
Ride
2005 Rocket III
A few months ago, I promised a review of these guys once they showed up, so here you go...

As you all know, I ride year round, rain or shine.

Well, this time of year, it gets a little chilly and I can't stand thick, bulky gloves. I like to feel the grips and have mobility in my phalange.

Heated grips are an option I suppose but once my thin leather gloves get wet, no amount of heat on the grips is going to save me from certain frost bite.

Back in the day (the 70s), I remember my dad on his Honda Hawk with these big tube looking things with a blue logo on them that looked like this:
1971-Hippo-Hands.jpg


Well, Craig Vetter no longer makes HippoHands. It appears he sold the rights to the name to World Vintage Motorcycle Sales Co. and they no longer look anything like the old Vetter type.

Now they look like this:
04_Road_King_Muff_6.JPG


Each HippoHand velcros together on the inner tank side, a seam with two snaps and more velcro it around the mirror posts and there is a little skirt that velcros to the HippoHand and string ties around the bars (to keep out the last little bit of wet and wind that could creep in).

They are a pretty good size and they are bike specific. The R3 is listed on their website (http://www.hippohands.com) and the size is HHLargeU (this apparently means something to them but I have no idea what it means in the real world).

The cost is $69.95/pair + shipping.

I received mine a week after ordering so I was happy with that. Installation instructions are a little vague but honestly, if you can't figure out how they go on, you probably shouldn't be operating a motorcycle.

The fit is good and the area inside is good enough for my hands (I wear a XXL glove). There is plenty of room to control things, reach levers, all that good stuff. The opening you stick your hand in to is considerably larger than the old Vetter HippoHands but this is probably a good thing if you have to bail quickly, you don't have to worry about them being in the way, hands in and out is as easy as if nothing was there in the first place.

I'm not running sock mirrors, I have Kury signal mirrors and they don't have the standard round stem that the OEM mirrors have but the snaps and velcro do fit around them with a little elbow grease. I ran into some trouble on the right side because of the reservoir and I ended up having to get a longer bolt and some chrome spacers to raise the mirrors up enough to get the HippoHands closed on the right side.

The reservoir is still a little in the way and it does effect how the HippoHands sit on the bars and changes the shape of the front opening because there is a flat surface supporting it on the inside corner.

This is the only big thing that bugs me as their website did have the R3 listed as the model type and this was the HippoHand it told me to order. Yes it fits, but it's not custom fit to the R3. Yes, I do have aftermarket mirrors but even with the stock mirrors, the reservoir would still cause the deformation and tough fit.

The instructions and their website both mention one possibility at highway speeds and I can confirm that it does in-fact happen.

At highway speeds, the HippoHands indent and press against the levers or they get pressure on top and twist down in the front.

As I said, the instructions and website talk about this issue and it only happens if you do not have hand guards (like a DualSport would have). Obviously, the R3 doesn't have hand guards, if it did, I probably wouldn't need HippoHands. To solve this problem, they recommend fabricating on your own or buying directly from them, something like this:
HHBrackets.JPG


These brackets attach to the mirror posts and support the front of the HippoHands to keep them from moving.

Don't run HippoHands without them or something like them. You will not be happy with the product until you do.

They sell their version for $29.95 +shipping but I did something cheaper. I went to ace hardware, bought a piece of 1/2" wide flat aluminum (i don't know what it's actually called), measured it, cut it with a pair of dikes, drilled a hole in it and attached it to the mirror bolt.

It doesn't have the fancy curve and smoothness that their design does, mine is just a flat piece of aluminum but it works and only cost $5.95 +tax.

As for performance, well, my hands are dry. They stay dry at all speeds and all climates and they stay warm. That was my goal and that goal has been achieved. They don't look half bad but they will definitely be coming off as soon as weather allows (around May).

Hippo_Front.jpg


Hippo_Back.jpg


Hippo_Inside.jpg


The material is thick and what appears to be nylon fabric of some sort with a felt like lining. They shape is reinforced with some sort of plastic sheet sewn into the fabric. If you're not careful, they will saturate on the inside with water if left outside for long periods but the water enters the large opening in the front. The material used is water resistant from the outside so the rain does roll off, it's just that big hand hole and sitting still that is the downfall...

But that's ok, once moving, rain and wind stay away from your hands.

Overall, if you're going to ride in the winter or rainy seasons and you don't like big bulky gloves, I would recommend this product. Pound for pound, or bang for buck, this product is a great option to have laying around. $69.95, you can't go wrong!

I wish there was a quick release support bracket because taking the actual HippoHands on and off is at most a 5 minute job but once you take them off, you've got this ugly bracket on there. I'm sure this can be fabricated once I have more time and really care...


Questions? Comments? You have the floor...
 
One additional note:

I have heard reports from others that have these in addition to heated grips and they say they can no longer use their heated grips in conjunction with the HippoHands because it gets too hot inside and their hands get sweaty.
 
I bought some of these made by Polar Hand.
http://www.scootworks.com/shop.cgi/page ... T_SID_HERE


They work great, I used them one morning when it was 21 degrees out. No gloves. My hands got cold, but only because it my levers were cold.
Ive used them with thin gloves also and they work great. Those cheap 99 cent work gloves keep me from having to touch the levers directly and are perfect with these for cold mornings.

But if it's above 50 degrees or so and the sun is shining, they will get warm fast.

They go on and come off really fast, just slide on and attach with velcro.
 
Back
Top