Bloody white finger...

[mspenz]

I have been cursed with a combination of 'white finger' and Raynauds, brilliant!

What I'm trying to find out is if there are any particular grips available that I can use with my GSA and that will be ok with heated grips, also to use on my winter bike (CCM644) which I will be adding heated grips to as well soon.

There were some 'Grip Buddies' recommended in the MCN yesterday but seem to be a bit pricey at £25 although they aimed at people who suffer from WF and are also supposed to be compatible with heated grips.

My road tax expired today on the GSA but if the long term forecast of a very mild winter is correct then I might just keep her going...providing they don't start decorating our roads with copious amounts of salt

Mike.

 

[newboy]

I use grip puppies with heated grips. Very good.


Sent from my gadget using wires n string n stuff

 

[Grizzly]

Fleabay!

Hi Mike,
Grip Puppies available from many suppliers on Ebay at £13.99 and FREE post - not too bad?

Cheers................Grizzly

 

[Deleted account 190117001]

Feck !,
If your a White Finger sufferer Id go for heated gloves and handlebar muffs.
You know it's not going to get better and go away, go for belt and braces and don't let your precious pinkies get chilly.
Use one of those water proof pull out connectors that the jet ski people use to supply power from the bike to the gloves.

 

[mspenz]

Thank's guys, I'll have to look into this more thoroughly obviously but Grip Puppies and some added 'muffage' might be a good start.

And I'm also an outside worker...Lucky white heather

Cheers.

 

[mspenz]

Some lovely puppies and a pair of R&G heated grips for the CCM now ordered, another pair of Puppies will follow for the GSA if I like the feeling...

 

[Oldie]

Bez mentioned heated gloves. Never used them but I do use heated inner gloves which are great. Each finger is heated and I find them miles better than heated grips. Maybe Bez's gloves have the heated fingers too? Can be a bit of a faff having to plug/unplug but still a great product. I usully wear a pair of those HG two fingered gloves over the inners.

 

[mspenz]

I'm using a pair of silk inner gloves for the first time and even that small addition has a helpful benefit, heated inners must feel quite nice!

 

[Oldie]

by

Silk liners didn't really work for me. Heated grips were always my mainstay, albeit they didn't warm my fingertips, even with handguards. The heated inners have been a revelation. Comfortable too. My hands do get cold very quickly, that was until now. But check out the heated gloves option too, they might be better/ as good. I went for the inners simply because a pair were on offer on here. Having said that, I really do recommend them.

Ps. No idea why my post is headed "by"

 

[mspenz]

Silk liners didn't really work for me. Heated grips were always my mainstay, albeit they didn't warm my fingertips, even with handguards. The heated inners have been a revelation. Comfortable too. My hands do get cold very quickly, that was until now. But check out the heated gloves option too, they might be better/ as good. I went for the inners simply because a pair were on offer on here. Having said that, I really do recommend them.

Ps. No idea why my post is headed "by"

'By curious'?

You have to love senior moments

I've just had a major rant at 'Dropbox' just now as been trying to load up some pics to the CCM forum, had to re-register and then found that all previous uploads had disappeared...eventually remembered that it was 'Photobucket' that I had previously been using FFS!

Thank's for the advice, I will look into heated inners

Mike.

 

[mspenz]

Slightly ironic that it's currently 17 degrees C outside at the moment WTF!

 

[DutchBryn]

Some good points, above (keeping your hands warm etc). I have Grip Puppies and quite like them. I can still feel the 'thrumming' through them but they do help. Two other ideas:
Handle bar risers. (Less weight on your hands)
Making a concious effort not to grip the grips. (If that makes any sense).

 

[mspenz]

Thank's Bryn, I have bar risers fitted and that does help the comfort factor and I do tend to ride quite light on the bars anyway.
It's the vibrations and tingling that trigger blood vessels into spasm which restricts the blood flow, combine that with a drop in temperature and it's a no win situation.
The GSA isn't too bad but there is still tingling ,my CCM on the other hand is just a massive bloody vibrator

 

[Bobbin-Man]

I'm a Raynauds sufferer as well. When I first got the GS I filled the bars with silicone sealant and fitted grip puppies but still suffered, to the point of finding it difficult to control the bike, the pain was incredible. 3 years on and I have the problem sorted ... and I've removed the grip puppies because to be honest I hated them!

The key things that have solved it ...
- I had the throttle bodies properly balanced and the rocker clearances set ('06 GS), ABW did mine and it's massively improved.
- I use extended-height hand guards during the colder months to reduce the cold air on the back of my hands.
- I invested in a good heated bodywarmer. I decided on the Keis X20 because it has a heated collar as well which is fantastic.
- I've adapted my riding to grip the bars a little less tightly.

I discovered that the key to keeping the blood circulating to my fingers has really been the heated vest, keep your core warm and the blood keeps going to the extremities. A good pair of winter gloves and heated grips are fine, on the high setting it can sometimes get too hot anyway. I'm using the same gloves now as when I bought the bike and rarely suffer like I did.

 

[mspenz]

I'm a Raynauds sufferer as well. When I first got the GS I filled the bars with silicone sealant and fitted grip puppies but still suffered, to the point of finding it difficult to control the bike, the pain was incredible. 3 years on and I have the problem sorted ... and I've removed the grip puppies because to be honest I hated them!

The key things that have solved it ...
- I had the throttle bodies properly balanced and the rocker clearances set ('06 GS), ABW did mine and it's massively improved.
- I use extended-height hand guards during the colder months to reduce the cold air on the back of my hands.
- I invested in a good heated bodywarmer. I decided on the Keis X20 because it has a heated collar as well which is fantastic.
- I've adapted my riding to grip the bars a little less tightly.

I discovered that the key to keeping the blood circulating to my fingers has really been the heated vest, keep your core warm and the blood keeps going to the extremities. A good pair of winter gloves and heated grips are fine, on the high setting it can sometimes get too hot anyway. I'm using the same gloves now as when I bought the bike and rarely suffer like I did.

Absolutely bang on, it's all down to core temperature (heart, lung, kidney etc) and this can really help with Raynauds but white finger is irreversible damage caused by excessive vibration using power tools and the like.
The first 15 years of my working life was spent in the industrial engineering & fabrication industry and that's when the most significant damage was done, combined with Raynauds it can be a complete misery at times.
But yes, core temperature can make a big difference.

Was out on the CCM tonight and made sure that I was completely warm and comfortable, after around 45 mins of big single vibration the white finger kicked in.
I'm sitting in a toasty warm room tonight with a wood burner crackling away while watching DVDs and my hands are still cold...

 

[Timolgra]

Was out on the CCM tonight and made sure that I was completely warm and comfortable, after around 45 mins of big single vibration the white finger kicked in.
I'm sitting in a toasty warm room tonight with a wood burner crackling away while watching DVDs and my hands are still cold...

Get a big tube of cheap silicon and fill the handlebars.

Also try using these Progrip 714 grips, they're very good.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231360704343?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

 

[mspenz]

Get a big tube of cheap silicon and fill the handlebars.

Also try using these Progrip 714 grips, they're very good.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231360704343?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Good shout, silicon I can do!

Clicked on the link to check out the grips and up it comes in bold red letters 'doesn't post to Scottish Highlands'!
Couriers can really take the piss sometimes...

Already ordered some 'Puppies' so will see how the silicon/Puppy combo works

 

[Bobbin-Man]

Not sure about the age of your GSA, but my 2006 GS bars have a drain hole underneath in the middle, if there's one on yours make sure you blank it off before filling with sealant!

 

[mspenz]

It's an 04', I'll check! Will experiment on the vibratory CCM first though

 

[DutchBryn]

Probably a silly question: if you fill the handlebars with sillyc*nt etc, won't that make it tricky to service / replace the heated grip cables?
Just wondering.