Show and Tell Request: Hand Warmers

[Dustin Mustangs]

Alrighty, who runs these and how did you do it. I'm looking for pictures and/or an explanation of how you pulled this off. I guess I am mainly interested with how you delivered the water once you got it to the handlebar area. I am just about to do this on my ski and have a pretty good plan of attack but I thought I'd see what others have done before I get started.

:scratchchin:

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

I'll start with what I've got planned...

I'm running dual cooling (both going to manifold) so I am going to 'T' the pisser line that doesn't go to the stinger. I am going to install a quick disconnect that has a shut off valve after the T so I can disable the system with no tools. From there I am going to run the line to one of the big vent hoses that hangs off the hood (this is on a blaster) and drill a snug hole in it right next to the hood. This will get the line into the upper portion of the hood where it will then come out in the handle bar area. This is where I get a little unsure of what I want to do... I think I am going to drill and tap the handlebar for a barbed fitting and deliver water to the grips through the handlebar via holes drilled through the grips. Hmmm, not too sure about this part tho...

 

[monsterSJ]

to be honest with you i have tried the running the water through the handle bars and it dosent work that well

heres my sugestion just unhook one pisser line from the fitting run a line down from your handle bars to that line. putt a tee fitting on the handle bar side and run a line to each hand you need the warm water to actually hit your hands for it to work plus you can lean down and take a squirt in the face to warm that up too. ive tried both ways and this was the best i found

 

[Matt_E]

I simply add a Tee into one of the pisser lines. Run it up through the pole.
Tap the handlebars with a 1/4 NPT barbed fitting. Drill small holes into the bars & grips, then plug the ends of the bars (easy if you got ODI's).

 

[cattledog]

old garden hose , barbed tee, easy and cheap

 

[monsterSJ]

old garden hose , barbed tee, easy and cheap

x2 but i would use a smaller diamiter hose so there is more pressure it just makes it hit your hands better but same concept

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

Why didn't you like the hole in the grip method Justin? Just because you couldn't warm up your face with it?? That does seem like a pretty nice benefit to have.

Cattledog, that's the other method I was considering. Does enough of the water actually hit your hands? That what I was worried about w/ that technique.

 

[cattledog]

have tried it yet waiting on drysuit water in lake ontario is really cold, maybe this weekend

 

[turnagainhardcore]

I was thinking about doing something similar but, instead of warming my hands
I was looking to warm up my feet. what I was going to do was simlpy run the pisser lines into the tray so the warm water sprayed my feet. one thing I was worried about though was the tray being constantly wet might be more slipppery. . not too sure, has anyone else done this?

 

[Mouthfulloflake]

Ive done mine much like cattledogs,

I liked it, when you turn the bars it sprays your torso and feet too, so its sort of an all over frontal body thing, with SOME controllability.

 

[monsterSJ]

i did it to my stock bars and didnt like the idea of weakining the bars and it didnt seem like it was as worm as the way i have them now plus i love the fact i can warm my face
with it i wasnt about to drill homes in my new bars plus you only need the hand warmers for a couple of mounths in the begining of the year and in the fall its an easy on off
process i dont leave it on all year and its alot less work to putt them on it should only take you 15 minutes to do it the way i do it but the other way does work i just prefer
this wat

 

[Matt_E]

Weaken your bars?

Please.

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

Drilling holes in your bars doesn't weaken them? I thought you were an engineerd?!? The stockers are already considered weak even w/o extra holes in them. Not to mention the biggest hole you are drilling (dead center of the bars for the tap) is where they are subjected to the greatest moment when under design type loading. No disrespect intended, but this had me a bit worried before it was even mentioned.

I was thinking about doing something similar but, instead of warming my hands
I was looking to warm up my feet. what I was going to do was simlpy run the pisser lines into the tray so the warm water sprayed my feet. one thing I was worried about though was the tray being constantly wet might be more slipppery. . not too sure, has anyone else done this?

I am planning on addressing this too. I've got 90` pissers and am going to mount them above my reg numbers (see avatar), one on each side. I've got nylon washers for them that will allow me to twist (aim) them w/o loosening the nut. Normally, they will angle down towards the water as you typically see them or I will be able to twist them to face straight back and they will spray right at my feet/shins.

 

[monsterSJ]

i dont know im not an engineer i am a semi truck salesman just seems maybe they would get weaker i dont know i reolize the stock bars are weak and suck why do you think i tried it on them first i wasnt gonna do it and not like it on a good set but hey im not telling you that any way isnt gonna work im just stating what i prefer and think works the best

 

[Matt_E]

I'm an EE, don't know anything about structural stuff.

I don't know about stockers, but I know that the majority of people don't ride hard enough to have to worry about the potential loss of structural integrity in a piece of aluminum tubing. (NOT TALKING STOCK BARS - I missed that part!)
Also, why are the bars most vulnerable at the center? :dunno:
The got pretty tight clamps to either side of center, why is it an issue?

I should mention that my UMI zero degree bars came with the barbed fitting when I bought them (used).
I have not done the same mod to my XMW bars. The reason for that is not concern about strength, but rather me being lazy. :biggrin:
It'll probably start being a concern again when I start riding in a couple of weeks. Water is 44 degrees. Brrrrr.
My b-i-l didn't drill and tap either, he just runs the t-d hose.

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

Also, why are the bars most vulnerable at the center? :dunno:

I guess you didn't get into much about bending moments during your general engineering classes. As simply as I can state it, when you bend a pencil it breaks in the middle. This is because the bending moment peaks at the exact middle of the loadings (your hands) and, unless there are some structural defects in it, that's where it will break. Things get a little more complicated with handlebars due to the clamps (which are basically loadings in themselves, equal and opposite), but it still works out that the geometric middle is one of the places on the bars that will take the most abuse.

Would it ever matter? Not sure but it sure seems like a potential drawback of that method, esp w/ stock bars.

 

[Matt_E]

I guess you didn't get into much about bending moments during your general engineering classes.

I am going to guess you didn't get into reading much in your GenEd classes.
Did you perhaps miss the very first sentence in my post?
Around here, EE's don't take general engineering classes (or anything mechanical). What would be the point of that? :biggrin:

Thank you for the mechanical explanation.

I maintain that 95% of riders here don't ride hard enough to be breaking bars. Me included.

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

I read what you said. Until we got into our specific fields (3rd and 4th year mostly), they treated all us engineerds the same. That means that in my statics class (a general engineering requirement, not gen ed) I sat next to a chemical engineer who sat next to an electrical who sat next to a mechanical who... Surprisingly, they actually expected us to learn all this stuff because the state tested us on all the different disciplines in the morning half of the FE (the entry exam we need to pass on our way to getting licensed). Different strokes for different folks I guess...

I see what you are saying about breaking bars. Not like it would be hard or expensive to get another set anyways.

 

[Matt_E]

There are some requirements here that are common to all the engineering programs (WSU).
Statics was one of them until a couple of years ago, then they started offering other classes you could take instead.
I took a MatLab class. Boring, but only 2 vs 4 credits, much cheaper.
I think there's Thermodynamics, too - but I don't recall taking it. :dunno:

So, with that in mind, I apologize for my reading comment.

 

[augustaf]

Alrighty, who runs these and how did you do it. I'm looking for pictures and/or an explanation of how you pulled this off. I guess I am mainly interested with how you delivered the water once you got it to the handlebar area. I am just about to do this on my ski and have a pretty good plan of attack but I thought I'd see what others have done before I get started.

:scratchchin:

I have had this set-up on all of my skis for a long time, leave it on there year 'round, just swap hoses under the hood. You have to wear gloves 'cause even icy water gets very hot when you get on the throttle. In cold wheather/cold water you'll need a dry or $400 wetsuit, a full face helmet or hood, 6mm $40 diving booties will keep your feet warm but the gloves are the only weak link. There is nothing available thin enough to grab the handle bar, that's why you need hand squirters (the polite term).