Just purchased a Triumph Tiger 1050 and looking for some heated gear to ride year round... Should I buy the liners or full jacket and pants? What Brand? Where to buy? Any help would be great....
NWA300, Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new purchase. Use the Search feature, there's been numerous threads on heated gear. Here's a recent one from a few days ago; http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=827055
I've only tried Gerbings, but they work as advertised. Since you don't get a discount for a package deal, I just bought stuff as-needed & discovered I'm fine w/ a liner & gloves. But I don't commute & only ride when it's nice outside. It did seem that some of their stuff went on back order as the weather got cooler. Follow the flea market & save a few bucks. I really liked my tiger1050.
Gerbing heated jacket liner. Get the insulated liner and it will be useful with or without the heat on and simplifies your system. You probably don't need a heated pant liner, just fleece or polypro long underwear, and if you have heated grips perhaps not gloves either unless you're going to ride in sub-freezing temps. Here's how it works... if you keep your core (torso) nice and warm, the blood will continue flowing to the extremities and they will tend to stay warm too. If you get chilled the blood flow to extremities will be reduced and you will be miserable. It's much easier to prevent than correct, so apply heat at the first sign of feeling cool rather than waiting until you're really uncomfortable. Held has their Outlast (phase change) liners on sale for $20 right now. A pair of those with a size larger glove outer may be a better option than heated gloves, especially if you have heated grips. I have heated gloves but rarely use them. And with your feet, you're better off not wearing extra thick socks if means squeezing into your boots because it will reduce blood flow to your toes. Better to use a thin polypro sock liner with medium weight wool socks that allow you to wiggle your toes freely.
Gerbing's. Best warranty around, and they're readily available at brick-and-mortar stores nationwide if there's a problem. I had one of their jackets, but I switched to a liner when I decided I wanted something hi-viz for winter (when people are looking even less for bikes). Heated overpants are the shiznit for when it's seriously cold. Heated gloves are a must.
Warm&Safe. Period. Owner is an innovator, rider, and advrider supporter. Everything is USA made. If you want Chinese reverse-engineered copies of his products buy Gerbings. Mike's a good guy who stands behind his products 100%. No relation or affiliation to Mike. Just a satisfied customer.
I am not going to give you my opinion and say" period "after it .That is what an expert does . I have an older generation Gerbing liner and G3 gloves. The workmanship is OK and they are still holding up after 8 or 9 years of use .Didn't like Aerostitch heated liners . I may try Warm N Safe ,next time ,He seems like a good guy . I will have to wear out the Gerbings first,though.
Just got a nice Gerbings inner jacket from another inmate used. Ordered up the bike-side harness pigtail for ten bucks and off I went. Gerbings had it to me in two days, in time for a trip. Put it under a Darien and was toasty at 30's and 40's in the mornings into upper Michigan. The Gerbings works great. Even the collar is heated. I am going to rig a handlebar switch so I don't have to fiddle with anything else to turn it on or off while riding. Never had heated anything before, this Gerbings stuff seems like the ticket. The gal I talked to on the phone I spoke with talked to me in great English, and was attentive. She got me what I needed toot sweet and that was that. PRICELESS/.
I've got the Powerlet jacket liner and like it a lot. It is very well made. I've had Gerbing before, but like the Powerlet better. The thing to get is the wireless control for your jacket. That way you can mount it your handlebars and control the heat better.
Heated liner and gloves are the way to go. Have a set of heated socks that I have used maybe twice in the decade I have owned them. With liner and gloves I have ridden in the teens with no worries.
+1 on the warm & safe. ADV discount is a plus and you are supporting a fellow rider. Sent via mental telepathy.
Whatever brand the OP buys, I`d check the maximum accesory power output that the bike will safely support, especially if the OP is considering buying multiple items of heated gear (jacket, pants, gloves etc) as the bike alternator may only support 1 or 2 of these items when used together. also they may have to consider any other FARKLES consuming power output while ride
If you get the gloves, find a brick and mortar, dampen your hands and try to put them in the glove. If it goes in your good, if it's like my old Gerbings you will spend a half hour trying to get them on. Gerbings good stuff, and their new gloves may be primo, but the old ones stink in wet weather.
^^ This is key. For winter riding, I have the Aerostich Airvantage vest (with the zip-on sleeves)...although it is very bulky, the nice thing about it that it is very warm even when turned off. For summer riding, I have Aerostich electric bib which packs nice and small...and is enough to take the edge off. I prefer heated grips to heated gloves...but I do not often ride in *really* cold weather.
what ever you get... stick to one mfg so ALL connectors will be uniform. lots of happy Gerbing owners, same for warm&safe, etc. some folks may like uninsulated heated gear, but when you are freezing your ass off when group is stopped. remind yourself how good of a choice that was.... lots of complaints about newer Gerbing micro-wire with incomplete coverage. hot where wires are, cold elsewhere. when I purchased mine, specifically looked on Fleamarket for used Gerbing to get old insulated style without microwire to get full coverage. heated jacket with sleeves are needed if one if planning on using heated gloves. only microwire piece purchased was gloves with microwire. where thinner wires makes a larger difference. coverage on gloves are good. have not tried wireless controllers yet... anything that reduces mess of wires all over has got to be an improvement.