Triumph Tiger 800

[greasy rider]

And i just realized that this would be the perfect place to get some opinions. Over Christmas and new years i plan on riding from central Texas to southern Illinois. At 900 miles i should take a day or two. I have a budget of about 200-300 to spend on some extras. Bike is a stock xc without heated grips, and I wanted some different opinions on what would be considered essential.

[jimjim]

Originally Posted by greasy rider

And i just realized that this would be the perfect place to get some opinions. Over Christmas and new years i plan on riding from central Texas to southern Illinois. At 900 miles i should take a day or two. I have a budget of about 200-300 to spend on some extras. Bike is a stock xc without heated grips, and I wanted some different opinions on what would be considered essential.

Heated grips for sure and hopefully you already own some Gerbings.

[fullmonte]

Originally Posted by greasy rider

At 900 miles i should take a day or two. I have a budget of about 200-300 to spend on some extras. Bike is a stock xc without heated grips, and I wanted some different opinions on what would be considered essential.

IL in December? Heated gear. Leftover cash for ROX risers if you stand while riding dirt/gravel. Oh, don't forget a real skid plate and hand guards as well.

[greasy rider]

I have been eying the factory heated grips really hard. But when it comes to heated gear I'm clueless. This is the first time I've considered spending the money. When i was a teenager I went with the attitude that if i concentrated hard enough i could ignore it. (My personal record was a 25 mile ride in -3. Just had to wait for the feeling to came back once i got their)

Edit- once i got there the battery was so cold it wouldn't start the bike to leave

[ducnut]

Originally Posted by greasy rider

I have been eying the factory heated grips really hard. But when it comes to heated gear I'm clueless. This is the first time I've considered spending the money. When i was a teenager I went with the attitude that if i concentrated hard enough i could ignore it. (My personal record was a 25 mile ride in -3. Just had to wait for the feeling to came back once i got their)

I have heated grips and complete heated gear (gloves, socks, pants, and jacket).

The grips are fine, if it's not really cold. The issue with them is that you have to have your fingers firmly gripped around the grip, to transfer the heat into your hands. The topside of your hands will freeze, even on high. If it were me, I'd much rather have heated gloves than grips.

I have Gerbing's socks, jacket, and pants. My gloves are Warm & Safe Ultimate Sport, because I wanted hard armor. I've ridden this setup, down to ~10 degrees. I use a balaclava, neck sock, and fog city breath deflector, but, those areas still get cold. Also, I've found that frost accumulates on the inside of my shield; heated snowmobile helmet would be ideal.

Gerbing's, First Gear, and Warm & Safe all make heated gear. There's another brand out there, but, the name escapes me.

[jimjim]

Originally Posted by ducnut

The grips are fine, if it's not really cold. The issue with them is that you have to have your fingers firmly gripped around the grip, to transfer the heat into your hands. The topside of your hands will freeze, even on high. If it were me, I'd much rather have heated gloves than grips.

Gerbing's, First Gear, and Warm & Safe all make heated gear. There's another brand out there, but, the name escapes me.

You can buy gloves made for heated grips, more insulation on the back of the hands and less on the palms.

I just saw this Sedici Hotwired gear in my Rider magazine, heated jacket liner and controller for $149.99.

[greasy rider]

I'm thinking that a heated vest and gloves combo would work well with my other non heated winter gear. I know that the tiger has powerlet/bmw style connector beside the key. Could i run both items off of the one plug, and are temp controllers absolutely necessary or could i just turn on/off as needed.

Sorry if these are rookie questions, but like i said i have never dealt with heated gear before. In this i have to bow to the greater knowledge of the experienced.

[levain]

Originally Posted by greasy rider

I'm thinking that a heated vest and gloves combo would work well with my other non heated winter gear. I know that the tiger has powerlet/bmw style connector beside the key. Could i run both items off of the one plug, and are temp controllers absolutely necessary or could i just turn on/off as needed.

Sorry if these are rookie questions, but like i said i have never dealt with heated gear before. In this i have to bow to the greater knowledge of the experienced.

Go with a full sleeved liner rather than a vest. Your arms are going to freeze and you'll be sorry.

Personally, I'm a big fan of Warm n Safe, but there are certainly others out there. WnS makes most of the controllers out there, and they have a killer remote controller that radically simplifies the potential rats nest of wires. I've never had a single failure in 7 years of warm n safe products.

[viper770]

let me tell you man i have full heated gear once you get it you will never want to go with out it again i promise you you wont regreat it

[viper770]

I use first gear and i run heated socks and pants and full jacket liner and glove and the tiger xc just runs it with no problems this is my first winter with full heated gear last year i had a vest and regretted it so i got the jacket liner just make sure what ever bike your using it on has the power to run it but if you have a 800xc you dont have to even check cause it has plenty to go around

[ThomasVolomitz]

Yes, once you use the the heated gear, you are hooked. I bought the First Gear jacket and gloves with a dual controller. If its not too cold I plug the gloves right into the jacket. If its really cold there is a separate wire for the gloves, but found it rather obtrusive sometimes.

[Rich B]

Off teh heated gear topic....but hey Thomas, good to see you have surfaced from your gig in Coshocton.

Was good to meet you last weekend and ride together a bit....

Was good to have 2 Tigers on T-county roads

[ThomasVolomitz]

Yes, it was good! Still in Coshocton until Thursday, then freedom.

[ducnut]

Originally Posted by greasy rider

I'm thinking that a heated vest and gloves combo would work well with my other non heated winter gear. I know that the tiger has powerlet/bmw style connector beside the key. Could i run both items off of the one plug, and are temp controllers absolutely necessary or could i just turn on/off as needed.

Sorry if these are rookie questions, but like i said i have never dealt with heated gear before. In this i have to bow to the greater knowledge of the experienced.

As others stated, go with the full liner. With a vest, the feeling of your arms being cold will make you feel cold. Furthermore, your arms and shoulders take the brunt of the windblast.

If you didn't have a controller, your gear would be at full-heat, all the time. I've never run my stuff at full-heat, as I've never needed that much warmth. Also, that would be a full drain on your electrical system. With a controller, you're not loading the bike's system so hard and you can vary your temp needs. With a dual-controller, you have the option of splitting your upper and lower body temps or simply run your passenger's gear, too. Oftentimes, she'll have her heat on and I'll be plugged in, just in case I need it.

Heated gear really changes the riding experience. I'll never again own a bike without the ability to run it.

[Mercury264]

Originally Posted by ducnut

As others stated, go with the full liner. With a vest, the feeling of your arms being cold will make you feel cold. Furthermore, your arms and shoulders take the brunt of the windblast.

If you didn't have a controller, your gear would be at full-heat, all the time. I've never run my stuff at full-heat, as I've never needed that much warmth. Also, that would be a full drain on your electrical system. With a controller, you're not loading the bike's system so hard and you can vary your temp needs. With a dual-controller, you have the option of splitting your upper and lower body temps or simply run your passenger's gear, too. Oftentimes, she'll have her heat on and I'll be plugged in, just in case I need it.

Heated gear really changes the riding experience. I'll never again own a bike without the ability to run it.

Yup. Full heated gear is a game-changer - it's one of those things you wonder why you didn't do it sooner.