Thinking of Going Heated Gear

[DJFaninTN]

As much as I hate not being able to ride in these cooler temps, the wife unit says she is getting cold. So in order to keep us out on the road longer, I am thinking of investing in some heated gear. Up first would be a jacket and gloves for her.

Right now I am leaning towards FirstGear since they offer ladies gloves. I don't think TourMaster offers ladies gloves. Gerbings seem nice but are a little pricy and their warranty has changed to 1 year now. Dual controllers and 90W for sure :thumbup:

I'd be interested in hearing from those of you that have made the jump yourselves in which gear you chose and why?

[jScotD]

The Gloves and Jacket.. not the vest.. I have ridden in 12 degree temperatures going across the Smokies headed towards the warmer coastline...
At that time my BMW RS had good wind protection so I didn't invest in the pants.. I did have heated grips...Suit was Barbour..waxed cotton..also a thick wool Barbour sweater.. I was warmer on the bike than off

I feel any electrics you choose , you can't go wrong... Yes, Make sure you have controllers to control that heat..

Anything beats stuffing newspaper in your jacket and having icicles hanging off your gloves and hands shaking so hard the waitress had to take your coffee to the table

scott

[Orange Spyder Man]

I have a heated vest... have not hooked it up for my Spyder yet.. but did have it hooked up for my 2005 GoldWing... coming over Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado at 8 degrees I turned it on high accidently.. I had to pull over and take off my jacket.. I was burning up.... heating clothing works !!!

[cptjam]

...rocks! I use Aerostich stuff, and it is great. I also have Gerbings gloves, also great. No reason to be cold. Warm and dry beat cold and wet! Money well spent. If you like to be miserable, don't get it. ;)

[Yazz]

Have traveled for days in below freezing temps. Electric underwear is great! Recommend the gloves and jacket. The pants have as much heating wires in your sit-upon-places as you shins. One area would get hot and the other would be cold. Some sort of chaps is better for blocking the wind from your legs and keeping them warm.

The variable temp control is better than choosing from 1, 2, or 3 temp settings. You can get the temp of your gear toasty warm and not have to mess with going up or down with the settings. Set it and enjoy the ride!

Hope this helps...

[Chupaca]

I use heated liner and gloves with dual control and my wife the same with single control. I need more heat on the hands less on the vest wife has me for wind protection so no need for dual control...:thumbup:

[Texmac1011]

Warm & Safe gear has worked well for me and my wife.

[JBonamassa Fan]

Heated gear is a great investment, when taken care of it will last for many years! I have Gerbing jacket liner, pants, and gloves that have given me 15 years use and countless miles of warmth. Just recently I also purchased the Tourmaster jacket liner, pants, and gloves for a female friend who loves to ride with me (now more than ever) once she tried my Gerbing set on and found out how warm they keep you!!!
Another benefit is being able to use the heated gear on any bike you own now or in the future.


The Tourmaster Synergy series jacket liner comes with the dual controller which is not included with Gerbing. Tourmaster does make several different gloves and they do have womens. The controller and all the plugs on Tourmaster gear are the same as Gerbing. With that being said, I would purchase the Tourmaster Synergy series and save yourself a lot of money. The very first thing I have done on any of my bikes has been installing the BMW style sockets which have spring loaded caps to protect sockets from rain. I hope this helps with your decision!

[Mr. White]

My best purchase was a Gerbing battery operated light jacket. ($135) I wear it under my heavy coat as needed. It does not get as cold here at other places so I can also wear this jacket while working the back 40 on my tractor or just around the property with the battery (rechargable) off. Great addition to my riding gear.

:spyder2:

[SpyderAnn01]

...rocks! I use Aerostich stuff, and it is great. I also have Gerbings gloves, also great. No reason to be cold. Warm and dry beat cold and wet! Money well spent. If you like to be miserable, don't get it. ;)

He has the heated gear, I don't.

[Raknid]

My wife has had Gerbings gloves and a jacket for years. Only thing that keeps her riding below 70 degrees!! LOL...

She bought me one for Christmas a few years back too. I was reluctant to use it. I ride to 40 degrees with just fleece under my riding jacket.... and, growing up in Buffalo, did not want to be viewed as a wuss. What I found is now I can ride into the 20's.....or just be more comfortable in the 40's. So, I also bought my son a heated jacket last Christmas.

[jaherbst]

He has the heated gear, I don't.

Well that suck's. Come on Joe you get heated gear she doesn't?;)

Jack

[jaherbst]

I have Gerbings Jacket and gloves. Once you try it you will never go back.

Just a note: If you have a Battery Tender hooked up directly to the battery you can get an adapter to plug in the heated gear. This of course depends on plug location. I wired my Gerbing Harness direct to the battery and routed the plug in for the controller up through the center handle bar connection. If I need to charge the battery I have an adapter that allows the Battery Tender to plug into the Gerbing harness to charge the battery. It can work either way. Only one battery hookup for both Gerbing and battery tender. Use a 15 Amp fuse in the inline fuse. Always hook directly to the battery for heated gear. 15 amps is sufficient for Gloves and full Jacket.

Adapters are available at Amazon and Revzilla or others. Hope this helps.

Jack

[edmarino]

While eveyone knows Gerbing's. The original founder is now selling gear again under his name Gordon's heated gear with a lifetime warrentee. Price is the same as Gerbing's and all the Gerbing components are compatible. Gerrbing also makes a glove for women. I would definitely get the adjustable controller rather then a fixed 123 setting. Both the wife and I have the complete set pants , jacket and gloves and heated socks which we don't use often, only for snowmobiling. there is less expensive gear on the market but it does not compare to the Gerbing's or Gordon's standards. Just saying you get what you pay for.

[larryd]

I too would like to invest in a good pair of heated gloves...I cannot keep my finger tips from getting cold...Do any of these electric gloves have the finger tips heated??? Thanks, larryd

[2dogs]

Tourmaster Synergy jacket (skip the vest), and, I can't believe being made in Canada why BRP didn't put a plug-in on the :spyder2: for heated clothing. :shocked: :dontknow: Anyway, with heated grips and the jacket I can be quite comfortable at 40 degrees for several hours. :thumbup:

[PW2013STL]

Back in the Ice Age there were only two companys that made heated gear. I chose Gerbings as I felt they were the better of the two. I have the jacket liner and gloves with controler. In 99 coming back from a dealer it was in the 40's and my wife who had just started riding her own bike was very cold so I insisted that she wear my heated gear. As soon as whe got home she told me that I was buying her a set, which I did.

As others have stated once you use them you will never want to be without them.

I have always added the BMW style of connectors to my bikes and the also are used as a battery tender connection whan the bike (Spyder) is parked.

[vondalyn]

I have the Powerlet brand glove liners and jacket liner. I like the jacket liner because it heats everywhere including the neck collar. My main area of feeling cold was always my arms. It's got a wireless adjustable remote that I can strap to the handlebar and adjust the gloves/jacket separately with spin knobs.

I prefer the liners because I have more than one riding jacket and more than one pair of gloves, and using liners allows me to throw the liners into a compartment when it starts out warm enough not to need the heated gear, and then when I get cold, I can take the regular liner out of any of my coats, and put on the heated gear and put the coat back on.

[BajaRon]

Check with me. I will be able to save you a fair amount on the cost. I use Firstgear heated gear. I have found it to be very good.

[flamingobabe]

We traveled for years with layering up and trying to stay warm.....talked Mark into jacket and gloves.....we love our gerbings.....would not go back.......Ann go purchase your own....spend the money....make riding more comfortable

[Ken613834]

I have used heated gear for years and it is one of the best investments I could ever have made. Small cost considering the costs of our machines. Highly recommended.

[Woodsrider]

warmnsafe.com or firstgear (same stuff). The guy behind warmnsafe designed the original gerbing heattrollers and owns warmnsafe. His gear is great and he stands behind it. He's also a year round rider and a nice guy.

Wife and I have full sets, jackets, gloves, pants, socks, although I don't wear any more than the jacket and gloves now.

[Highwayman2013]

:2thumbs: Warm and Safe

[Yazz]

I too would like to invest in a good pair of heated gloves...I cannot keep my finger tips from getting cold...Do any of these electric gloves have the finger tips heated??? Thanks, larryd

Your whole hand is heated. Finger tips stay warm.

[Lone Spyder Ryder]

I have been caught in some cold snowing & blowing weather a couple of times, I would buy a set of heated top,bottom & gloves. :thumbup:

[hut1]

Check with me. I will be able to save you a fair amount on the cost. I use Firstgear heated gear. I have found it to be very good.

I purchased Gerbing gloves years ago with the intention of adding the jacket liner and pants liner later. As I became a more "prominent member" of the FWRC (Fair Weather Ryders Club), I kept putting off the rest of the gear. While at my local dealer recently, I came across a Firstgear jacket liner on the clearance rack. It was at a substantial savings so I picked it up. I finally got to test it out last weekend. When I left home it was 34 degrees. I wore the liner over a thermal shirt with my leather jacket and club vest, as well as the heated gloves. On my lower half I had thermal long johns, heavy jeans and leather chaps. I also wore one pair of heavy thermal socks under my boots.

I was very comfortable during my entire ride. My controller is just an on/off unit, so I will be investing in an adjustable dual controller soon. My one disclaimer, I was on my Wing since I'm still :f_spider:less for now.

Ron, I might be contacting you soon and giving up my membership in the FWRC.:joke:

[BajaRon]

I purchased Gerbing gloves years ago with the intention of adding the jacket liner and pants liner later. As I became a more "prominent member" of the FWRC (Fair Weather Ryders Club), I kept putting off the rest of the gear. While at my local dealer recently, I came across a Firstgear jacket liner on the clearance rack. It was at a substantial savings so I picked it up. I finally got to test it out last weekend. When I left home it was 34 degrees. I wore the liner over a thermal shirt with my leather jacket and club vest, as well as the heated gloves. On my lower half I had thermal long johns, heavy jeans and leather chaps. I also wore one pair of heavy thermal socks under my boots.

I was very comfortable during my entire ride. My controller is just an on/off unit, so I will be investing in an adjustable dual controller soon. My one disclaimer, I was on my Wing since I'm still :f_spider:less for now.

Ron, I might be contacting you soon and giving up my membership in the FWRC.:joke:

It is not required to give up your membership in another club to get stuff from me. :joke: A variable controller really ups the comfort level and also reduces the electrical drain by quite a bit.

[Bob Denman]

:agree: With the right gear, ANY weather is pretty darn "Fair"! :thumbup:

[vondalyn]

:agree: With the right gear, ANY weather is pretty darn "Fair"! :thumbup:

So true! I've been riding after work where it's 30's and 40's here on the front range and heading up to Rocky Mtn National Park, where it's not as warm. Coming down the canyon after dark was just as comfortable as when I left 3 hours earlier :)

[Bob Denman]

23 Degrees this morning here...
But the Sun is nice and Bright, so the bike got pulled out of storage for another day's worth of errands! :thumbup:

[GreenDragon]

We have been riding since 2006 with Gerebings for me and 2009 with Warm & Safe for my wife on our Wing. Once I take possession of our new Spyder we will need to get hookups for it. The temps are not a big issue with heated gear. On the Wing I installed dual controllers for both of us. I am wondering what type of controllers to go with on the Spyder, permanant mount (where) or attached to the wiring for the gear and not mounted on the Spyder?

[DJFaninTN]

we ended up going with First Gear jacket and pants. we tried the gloves but we felt there were just a tad too bulky. we both have dual controllers and I hardwired them into the bike.

there is a communication tab that is a blank on the passenger left side and then on the driver it is between the four buttons where the parking brake is located. that works perfectly for both of us! I used velcro to hold my controller under the front dash on the left side.

now we don't have to worry about bulky clothing and stopping and stripping down when it starts to get warm.

[Grandpa Pete]

Tourmaster Synergy both jacket and pant liner good to -4 below in northern minnesota. Good gore-tex gloves, and Browning wool hunting socks in PAC boots. Silk balaclava under helmet. Though, I'm half Finlander and half Manx (Isle of Man), so i'm kinda nordic:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

[PW2013STL]

He has the heated gear, I don't.


Ann, with the upcoming trip to Alaska you would be wise to invest in a set. In 2006 when Kathy and I road my Road King to Alaska BC and the Yukon averaged 42 deg out. It wasn't until we entered Alaska that it got warm.
We did the trip in July.

Les

[Pandy]

Just finished our SaddleSore 2000 this morning and between our Gerbing jacket liners and heated insoles cold was never an issue. Used ATV muffs on both the front and passenger grips and I must say that it was the best the heated grips ever performed. Now it's true that we were mostly south on I-10 but cold is cold, wherever you encounter it. So consider no more, be it from BajaRon, Amazon, or Cycle Gear, make with the heated gear. oh, and as was mentioned, spring for a variable controller, makes for a lot less fiddling.
Patrick