BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

Hi Chaps. Heated grips are fine for my palm and inside fingers but the top of my hands are still cold from the wind. Has anyone fitted handguards?. Looks quite easy to fit as my 2007 has holes on both sides of the switchgear. Not looking for fancy Barkbuters but i think cheap Chinese eBay would do the job.

Are you using good “winter” gloves ?.

Get some heated gloves

Sometimes called elephant ears, or handle bar muffs. Wunderlich makes them (expensive), Oxford Rain Seal (may no longer be available), or Hippo Hands.


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Doctor T wrote:Has anyone fitted handguards. My 2007 has holes on both sides of the switchgear. Looking for cheap Chinese would do the job.

Haven't fitted handguards myself but as the bike has the holes this might allow more options.

Have a look at AliExpress, they list some universal handguards for an R1200RT.

Thanks for the input. I still think i will go down the handguard route. Never got on with handlebar Muffs. Tried them for a week when i was a London dispatch rider in the early 80's and hated them.

You might want to try again, or at least look at the current version. It has been 40 years…

Doctor T wrote: Thanks for the input. I still think i will go down the handguard route. Never got on with handlebar Muffs. Tried them for a week when i was a London dispatch rider in the early 80's and hated them.

I was the same as you regards the muffs,hated them and felt really restricted(had guards on but they dont protect enough)So i have just bought a set of Barkbusters for my GSX1250 work bike
[size=2px]https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DCh ... EE4&adurl=[/size]
[size=2px]These look a lot more open and for the price they should keep the wind at bay.I'll let you know how they perform next week.[/size]

burridge01 wrote: I was the same as you regards the muffs,hated them and felt really restricted(had guards on but they dont protect enough)So i have just bought a set of Barkbusters for my GSX1250 work bike
https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwio9YHp5bv1AhWN6-0KHTO3CZ0YABANGgJkZw&sig=AOD64_1p-jwdYlKsP8bqsfSMoKSMuZX_8Q&ctype=5&rct=j&q=&ved=2ahUKEwib4fjo5bv1AhUGAcAKHVlrC8YQww96BAgBEE4&adurl=
These look a lot more open and for the price they should keep the wind at bay.I'll let you know how they perform next week.

Bit dear for me but if they work i may be interested.

Doctor T wrote:
Bit dear for me but if they work i may be interested.

I got them 2nd hand £35 off Ebay,turned up today and they are semi rigid and to be fair they don't look to bad.Nothing like the muffs of yesteryear. Will get them on the gsx1250 at the weekend and ill let you know how they perform sometime next week

burridge01 wrote: I got them 2nd hand £35 off Ebay,turned up today and they are semi rigid and to be fair they don't look to bad.Nothing like the muffs of yesteryear. Will get them on the gsx1250 at the weekend and ill let you know how they perform sometime next week

With pics please

Got them on the GSX1250 and they look ok,and i can get full lock(which i couldn't with universal guards)Got an early start tomorrow so will leg you know how they perform.

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Doctor T wrote: Bit dear for me but if they work i may be interested.

Ok, my experience:

• Handguards - Do not do that much for keeping hands warm. Better than nothing I guess and protect against stones!
• Barkbuster Blizzards - Do take the worst of the wind chill away. Help keep hands warm whilst still allowing (almost) fully unhindered access and sight of all hand controls. - THE compromise solution.
• Full Muffs - The very best for warmth. A pocket of heated air is trapped in the muff (unlike the Blizzard). But the downside is you cannot see the hand controls and need to get used to operating everything by feel and knowledge.

I currently ride 2 hours in central London and the same back each day. I use winter gloves and the Blizzards, which is fine for the current weather. I have a set of "full" muffs ready if/when things get a lot colder. But if I can avoid fitting them this year I will because they just make doing things in traffic that bit harder.
Regarding the cost of the Blizzards, the sooner you buy them the cheaper they will be for each mile travelled! I have had mine a few years now and the cost per day is pennies. Not having cold hands could be priceless if it prevents an accident.

Now you have posted pictures i can see there not bulking at all. I spotted ones just like them on flee bay very much like them. They were about £20 from good old China. They seem to be Barkbuster rip off's.
Agree with TJRL regarding Full Muffs. That's is one of the reasons i don't like them. Ok on long distance but a pain with stop, start traffic

One of my complaints about my hexheads is that, for a bike built for touring, the fairing sends the wind right up your sleeves. I even screwed on some hard plastic deflectors to the mirror housing - until a strong side-wind popped both mirrors off the bike!  Am I correct that the later models changed the fairing to give improved wind protection for the hands?