Heated Gear

[ride-on]

Anyone has any suggestions on heated gear, brands, watts...??? My wife and I ride back and forth between Florida and Michigan. Next summer were are planning a trip to Alaska. I want to make sure that cold weather does not stop us from riding. We are used to high 30s without heated gear but it sure would be nice to keep riding with temp. below 30s. Any suggestions... Thanks,
Ivan

[pdxrmccgs]

I am in the market for some heated gear also and will look
hard at Gerbing for no other reason than their factory is
close and I was an early customer back in the middle 90's

The wattage issue seems to come up a lot on the forums. I
guess with stock alternator output your limited to how
warm and cozy you can get. Quite a few good threads
in the last year.

[marc]

Warm-n-safe has kept me warm. I haven't tried any of the others so can't give you a comparison.

I've a gen 1 model with a heat troller. I think the jacket is rated at something like 90 watts, but I rarely run the heat troller at more than 50%. I typically run it in the 25-30% range. I do like the option of more warmth if needed.

Do not worry about the alternator output. Your bike has plenty to spare unless you've also added a couple hundred watts of lighting. The power issue with the GS is that the accessory outlet is limited to about 5 amps. The solution is to wire the controller directly to the battery (with a fused connection, of course). The warm-n-safe heat troller comes with a fuzed pig-tail to hook to the battery.

Regarding heated gear use: some use the gear to supply 99% of their heat. I don't use it that way. I dress for the expected temps. My goal is to be warm enough when not on the bike. I use the heated gear to supply the heat removed by the wind when under way. Some folks wear nothing but a T-shirt and their heated gear under a jacket. That may be fine when moving, but I suspect they freeze at rest stops. Such folks would also use more than the 25-30% of available power that I get away with using.

[Pastor Passum]

You won't go wrong with Gerbing. I've been using their liner and gloves for probably 15 years. Their customer service has been great. The only problem I've had was some stitching in one sleeve came loose. I called Gerbing...they said "we'll send you an new liner and just return the defective one when you receive the new one." They paid shipping both ways. Good trusting folks. I've ridden in temps down to the lower 20's using their liner under my Olympia mesh jacket (AirGlide I believe). When not needed it takes very little space in my tankbag. I've heard good things about Warm-n-Safe as well.

[skychs]

I agree. You can not go wrong with Gerbing. I have been using a complete set..... jacket, pants, gloves and socks. The quality is very good and so far they have been very responded to all of our issues.

Everything is water proof and all the liners come out for nice shells in warmer weather. I can ride down to around freezing (32*) and stay relatively warm.

Great feature .... If you have a favorite jacket that has a liner you can send the liner to Gerbing and they will heat it.

My 07 12GS is rated around 750 watts .... plenty to run everything on the bike and heated clothing.

[robinje]

Aerostich AirVantage stuff is really nice. The adjustable 'tighness' of fit with the air bladder works very well.

[Pastor Passum]

Ivan, check out this month's issue of Rider Magazine. Clement Salvidori (sp) did a review of the latest heated jacket liner from Gerbing. All good.

Jim

[ride-on]

Thank you so much for all the info. My wife can't wait to get some heated gear... since I am 5'4" tall on a GS she doesn't get much wind protection from the cold wind.
Ivan

[opticat]

Love my Tourmaster Synergy vest with collar. Not bad for $125! Buy the BMW adaptor as it has a telephone-cord style connector that allows you to move around on the seat much more than a traditional chord. As with all vests, the CANBUS will trip when you plug it into the accessory port beside the seat. So just wire that plug directly to the battery with an online fuse and no problems!

[marc]

<pedant mode>
As with many vests, the ZFE will turn off the socket...
</pedant mode>