With the cooler months coming up and me deciding to do more riding this winter season I am thinking it's time for some heated gear. I am looking at heated vests/liners and some leg warming would be nice too. I have a Vstrom 1000 and a KLR. The KLR has a weakish charging system. I would like to use the gear on both bikes but will use it more on the Strom(it has heated grips already). Does anyone have any suggestions or advice for me? Has anyone tried any of the battery powered stuff? Thanks
The battery powered stuff is marginal at best. I used it (Jett vest, Gerbings gloves) and was not satisfied at all. Last year I purchased Warm n Safe gear and have had zero issues, and great performance from it. Highly recommended.
I have a tourmaster vest that works great, but with what I know now, I would have bought the jacket liner. My arms and shoulders still get chilly. I have heated pants (well, liners) that I've never had to use, but the gloves I have.. These are my two cents: If it comes down to efficiency, heated gloves are much warmer (per watt) than heated grips. Hand guards improve the efficiency of both, and especially when it comes to keeping your thumb warm. Buy gear that fits as tightly as you're comfortable with. In order of priority (if watts are an issue): Jacket liner, gloves, pants.
I've had better results with heated glove liners than with heated gloves. The gloves just don't get hot enough with the wind blowing on them when it's near or below freezing. I bought some quality winter gloves one size larger than I need, and I wear the Warm n Safe heated liners under them, and it's toasty,
I use Warm'n'Safe jacket & gloves with a dual wireless controller. The effect is immediate, cocooning warmth. I can be quite comfy down into the 40s with just the liner and my leather jacket. Wearing my one-piece suit, into the 20s, or lower. It packs small and so it just lives on my bike all the time during riding season. Mike (owner) is a good guy to work with. The product works like it should, and I wouldn't want to be without it. Since I can dial the heat to exactly where I want it, I can enjoy the ride and not worry about colder temps.
I've been happy with my Exo2 StormRider vest (3 seasons, looks rough, but still going strong), but I've been pretty disappointed with their gloves. One pair half worked, sent back for another pair, lasted a few months, sent back the non working glove, new glove heats, but the leather part is falling apart. This year, I'll probably pick up a pair of the Warm and Safe gloves.
I have had the gerbings stuff. Next to latest generation. Pants and jacket (liners). That stuff is warm without the power on. I found that it was so warm that I hardly ever used it. Only on long rides near freezing did I even turn it on. The adjustable reastat is worth the money for dialing in your comfort. I ended up selling mine. The gloves however were used more. But I ended up switching to heated grips and like that setup better... well on the DS bike anyway. Gerbing has an outlet where you can buy stuff way cheaper during the off season (their off season). I got my stuff there - 50% off with their warranty and great customer service. This was back in 2007-2008 ish. http://heatedclothingoutlet.com/index.shtml - That site is operated by Gerbing. edit: It appears now they sell B-stock there - so maybe you could get a good deal anytime of the year.
Make sure you get a proper fit on whatever you decide to buy. You want heated gear to fit snugger than a typical jacket or pants. They're all using resistance type heating and relatively low wattage. You want the garment in as much contact with your body as you can for the most efficiency. I've used Gerbings stuff for years and always been happy with it. The adjustable rheostat is a must in my opinion.
Buy what fits. Watts are no substitute for fit, I speak from experience on this issue. I like the old school gear because you can take it to a tailor and have him fit it without much risk of cutting wires. With the new micro wire stuff, it's hard to tell where the wires are, making tailoring a more risky proposition.
I can also pipe up on the Warm N Safe jacket liner and gloves. They are awesome. I ride every day in all weather, and used to have to stop once it got below 45- no longer. I now leave my liner in my side can, and can throw it on in the morning and take it off after lunch- swap gloves the same. I like their heated gloves instead of the liners- I have so much to put on anyway, I don't like the fiddly multi-part things, and their gloves are waterproof in heavy southern downpours, and still stay very warm when it is really cold and not raining. Plus, the little remote controller thing is cool- I attached some velcro to the back of the controller and stick it onto my tank bag, so i can just twist it a little while I am riding if I need to, then just leave it there. The batteries have already lasted one whole winter season. Very good deal. (I haven't tried the pants.)
I have had the Gerbing jacket liner for two years now and I never leave home without it. Like previous posts stated be sure and get the right size, when I first got mine it was too big and was not impressed at all. Called Gerbing and they said to try a smaller size and it was like night and day. As far as your hands go, the key is a good set of hand guards and heated grips. Once you get the wind off your hands you will hardly ever run the grips on high, but make sure and wear a fairly thin glove to let the heat through. I have ridden 800 mile days with the temperature in the low to mid 30's and never had a problem. Also, the next thing to think about is heated socks, the liner keeps your core warm and the grips and socks keep your hands and feet warm.
The socks sound like a good idea. I may just go with the jacket liner and maybe socks for now. Still debating pants though.
Another happy Warm'n Safe customer! When it's cold out, I wear a stretchy fleece cycling vest over top to help keep it 'tight' against my body. I've also found that wearing a Moonstone windshirt overtop of that helps with any wind/air leaks i my riding jacket.
Quick question. I have Gerbings heated gloves and am looking for a heated jacket liner. Would any other brands use the same connectors as Gerbing? By the way, love my Gerbings gloves.
You can plug your gerbings gloves into the warm n safe liner. Just don't ask Gerbings. Otherwise, you'll be fine. and warm. reliably.
Ditto on the snugness. Wear only a tshirt under it. Don't dress for cold. I do carry a snug fleece liner in the side box in the event that the gear craps out far from home. I have the second gen(i think) Tourmaster Synergy liner and warmnsafe glove liners that plug into the Tourmaster glove plugs perfectly. I also wear gloves a little bigger so the liners will fit without cutting circulation off to my hands and I have dexterity. Do a search of this section for the term "heated" and you will be schooled on heated gear. Lots of good info.
I didn't weed my way through this whole thread. Here's my take, it's worth what you paid for it. Heated gear makes life on a motorcycle much much nicer. But for it to work at it's best you need do a few simple things Get the right size, the gear should fit close to your skin, with an airpocket between it and the inside of the outside of the jacket. Make sure you have taken care of all areas of exposed skin and entry points for cold air getting in. For 18 years I rode with a vest, just this last year I've upgraded to a jacket. I'm cold, I'm a heavy guy with not a lot of extra fat, and up until this year no heated gear I've had has ever been warm enough that I felt like I needed a thermostat. If I've needed the extra heat I've needed it on full roast. Now with the jacket rather then the vest I feel sometimes like I'd like the jacket to be a little cooler. My normal winter get up is a Darien jacket worn over the electric jacket liner worn over a fleece shirt worn over a high tech pair of long johns. This set up has kept me warm until it's below freezing. When on long trips don't pack cold weather gear assuming your jacket will work. The fuse will blow, and you will loose you're heat. There are tons of companies out there making stuff. I have an Eclispe vest (NLA) and a Aerostich jacket and vest. My jacket was bought used and is a made in the USA Aerostich.