Police Designed - Mother* Approved! (*Mother nature that is...)
For us hardy all-weather riders, we extend our riding season by cheating Mother Nature. Here in the great Pacific NorthWET we've learned to thwart foul weather. We use heated liners, double layers (sometimes triple layers) of clothing, bigger windshields, heated grips, heated gloves, heated pants...the list goes on. We look like the Michelin Man when we ride. Anything to keep warm, to keep riding.
So what's the best cold weather investment YOU can make this winter?
Motorcycle Handlebar Grip Covers! We call them "MotorMitts"
To order, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the last photo.
You might have seen these grip covers in use on Police Motorcycles. Motor Officers ride in all kinds of weather; they demand a professional grade product that performs under all conditions. They need warm hands. No compromises, no substitutes. Only the best will do. So where do they get these grip covers? Keep reading.
One of the first motorcycle grip covers was created by Craig Vetter, the renowned designer of the Windjammer fairing. There's been many different configurations over the years, since Craig sold his design. Over the years I've tried to find a similar product, one that was constructed to the same standards (or better) than his original grip covers.
I've finally found one! It's made by WaterShed of Oregon. They specialize in police and military clothing, but they also make a police motorcycle grip cover that has professional grade features, including:
- Scotchlite® Reflective Tape for Visibility (brightest available)
- Made with GORE-TEX® Fabric (the others do not use Gore-Tex®)
- Made in the USA (designed, cut, and sewn)
- Keeps Hands Warm and Dry on wet miserable days
- Wear lighter gloves (instead of the heavy thick winter gloves)
- Easy Entry and Exit
- Lightweight
- Durable
- Quad Storm-Proof zippers
- Officer Designed and Approved
BestRest worked closely with WaterShed to refine their original police version. This new design fits more makes and models and has special features found nowhere else. We call them MotorMitts.
On my BMW R1150GSA I have plastic OEM hand guards. Even with those additional spoilers (plastic wind screen added to the top of the guards), my hands still got cold (especially the finger tips). The thick BMW winter gloves I was wearing made me feel like I was holding the business end of a baseball bat.
With these new MotorMitts in place my hands stay dry and comfortable. Even in the wettest, coldest weather I can wear a thinner and more tactile glove, and I can turn the heated grips off! I kid you not, I have to turn mine off every few minutes because my hands get too warm. How nice. Warm hand = warm body.
Here's what one local rider wrote to us on Dec 9 '09. Temperature 12 F.
"These MotorMitts are fabulous! I used them on the ride to work today. Normally with my heated grips on HIGH and my heated liner screaming wide open I would have had cool hands and lost the feeling in the tips of two fingers and thumb of my right hand. This morning (with the MotorMitts) I wore my thinner gloves. Not only did I turn my heated grips down to LOW, but I could also dial my jacket liner down a few notches and I was still toasty warm." - B. Bowden
These next photos show one of our local riders, Steve Irby, aboard his Yamaha FJR. He was wearing his summer weight gloves on a recent ride in the pouring rain, on a cold NorthWet day. Steve's hands stayed warm and dry. He kept smiling. His riding buddies were green with envy (and blue with cold). 
For more photos of the WaterShed MotorMitts on various bikes, click this link
Fitment notes: MotorMitts are designed to fit most makes and models. We've mounted these Mitts on a BMW R1200RT-P, Harley Davidson Road King police cruiser, Yamaha FJR, BMW K1200LT, BMW R1200GS-A, and a BMW F800GS. Each bike has different bar setups, turn signals, accessories, etc, so fitment was slightly different for each bike. The double zippers and quadruple zipper openings allow you to customize the covers for your bike.
As a general rule, MotorMitts easily fit bikes that have handguards (like the BMW GS-series). For bikes without handguards you may find that highway wind pressure pushes the Mitts backwards slightly against the clutch and brake levers. You can fashion a simple "standoff bracket" with a bent coat hook or other bracket to keep the Mitts away from the levers. We don't make a bracket for this purpose (yet).
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