Heated gear

[Turin]

I upgraded the charging system on my cal III so I don't have to freeze my keister off this winter. What are you guys using? Kits included with the gear? jacket and gloves?

[Dr. Enzo Toma]

Personally I run heated grips. My Moto Guzzis will only see the road on good weather days going into winter, but when there is snow out my Honda Trail may get ridden with Barkbuster hand guards and Hippo Hands fitted over the heated grips, pinlock visor insert in my helmet to reduce fogging, and my Aerostich suit has a non-electric insulation insert pouch which I will in extreme cases stick Hot Hands chemical hand warmer packets to. I cannot wear a heated vest due to having a pacemaker, and I prefer heated grips over heated gloves for maintaining warm weather dexterity. With those solutions in place, the only area that troubles me is cold feet as my boots don't fit much thicker socks comfortably. May give heated socks a try this winter.

[kballowe]

We run heated jackets and heated gloves.  A 15 amp fuse will carry two jackets and two sets of gloves.

Note that most gloves do not heat the palm, so heated grips are a plus.

Some of the newer gear has bluetooth controls but we have the rotary dial controllers.  You'll want a dual controller so that you can independently adjust the jacket and the gloves.

The closer the jacket liner is to your body, the better it works.  We wear long sleeve t-shirts under our jackets.

We currently have the Warm & Safe brand of heated jacket liners

https://www.warmnsafe.com/

[Oca Grassa]

I use mobile warming gloves and a vest. Aerostich R3 and Richa water proof/insulated boots.

 My Norge has the factory heated grips which work quite well. Pinlock visor insert to keep the visor clear. I prefer the mobile warming to plugging in on the bike as I’ll take other bikes if the weather is clear and dry but chilly. Doesn’t make sense for me to wire up multiple bikes for heated gear.

Please note, it doesn’t get real cold in the SF Bay Area. Cold enough, but not sub zero kinda weather. The mobile warming gear is fine for the temps we get here, but YRMV depending on your climate.

[PeteS]

My trusty Gerbings Jacket liner and glove liners still work along with First Gear insulated pants.

Pete

[kingoffleece]

Ask me Sunday.

[Moparnut72]

+1 on Gerbings. I have Warm and Safe gloves, they could be a bit warmer but get the job done.
kk

[Wayne Orwig]

When I lived in Ohio and rode year around, I used heated gloves. Heated grips would have been a waste of time on long days below freezing temps.
Now that I am in Georgia, heated gloves would be a waste. They are bulky and there is the wiring. Good heated grips and gloves are enough in the cold here. So where are you riding?

And of course a good vest to keep the body warm. I made a set of heaters for my boots. Can't stand frozen feet.

[kingoffleece]

I spent most of my life in NY.  We embraced winter.  Snowmobiles and skiing.  For motorcycles: heated grips, yes.  Just like sleds, not for hand warmth.  Just to keep from holding on to something cold that sucks heat out of the hand.  To keep hands warm-effective wind management is a must.  However you achieve that-good for you.  Heated jackets are great.  They eliminate the bulk and have plugs at the sleeve end for heated glove liners.  Yes, this.  Almost zero bulk, use any glove you desire, and with the necessary dual heat control one can adjust each component as needed.

Simple, easy, and works a treat.  I have decades of below 32 degree riding using this set-up.
Here in AZ, the heated jacket comes out a few times a year.  In winter over 7000 feet it can get quite chilly.

[Perazzimx14]

Heated jacket
Heated grips and Hippo Hand Alcans. I'm comfortable wearing summer gloves into the mid-30's and not sport winter gloves until the mercury dips to freezing and goos into the single digits.
Heated seat (recent addition)
Non-heated wind/waterproof overpants for when the mercury really drops.

[SemperVee]

   Sold my Gerbing heated vest for FULL Firstgear heated under jacket liner includes plug in for gloves that I have for full hand heat, unlike heated grips. ...  Happy bout that!

[Michael_A]

As time and technology has progressed I've moved away from the old school "wired" heated gear and (somewhat reluctantly) adopted the battery powered stuff. I got a battery heated vest for my girlfriend a few years ago as a "test". She wore it on an expedition to Antarctica, and damn if it didn't just kick a$$ on that trip! It was cheap, like $30 on Amazon, and uses a big li-ion battery which can be replaced with any other big power bank type portable recharger type battery pack rather than some proprietary thing. She got a solid 6-7 hours out of it before a recharge was needed and it was capable of putting out a lot of heat (and that is in Antarctica! Helluva way to test!). I was really impressed. May not be a solution for everyone, but it's cheap, works, and doesn't need to be wired into the bike. It is not motorcycle specific - seems marketed to winter outdoorsman, but that probably impacts the price. Motorcycle specific stuff seems to command a premium. Gloves may be another story, however, as the "outdoorsman" type, while cheap to buy, doesn't have the abrasion protection. Just my 2 cents worth...

[kingoffleece]

I worked outside my entire life in NY.  All winter.
Tried the battery gear.  Never got more than 3 hours out of anything.  And it didn't breathe at all.  Any activity resulted in sweat.  Then cold.

Never was worth a darn skiing or sledding either.  Not saying it didn't work for you.  Just stating my experience.  Wanted to like it.  Didn't.  At all.


BTW-if anyone evr gets a heated jacket-purchase one without insulation.  Yes.  It's WAY more versatile.  How?  Get to a warm spot.  say from 40 to 70 degrees.  Just turn it off. Head back up 4000 feet where it's cool/cold.  Turn it back on.  I HATE stopping for gear exchange.

[willowstreetguzziguy]

HOTWIRED heated jacket. 3 heat settings, easy to plug in, Best accessory I ever bought. Just used it on a 66 degree day and it felt soooo good!

OXFORD HEATED GRIPS. 5 heat settings. Well worth it.

Both of these extend my riding season.   That heated jacket is the cold weather ticket!


lightweight duplicate remover online

[draco_1967]

Warm & Safe heated jacket liner, pants liner, and gloves (First Gear branded, but made by W&S). I use their dual controller and have gloves/jacket on one line and pants on the other.
When it's really cold, I like having hippo hands or similar to prevent the wind from stealing heat away.

[Aldo]

I have been using the Voltheat line of products for years now and have been very happy, specifically these items:

They connect together or can be used individually and include all the wiring and controllers.

Use the code "RAYNAUDS" to get a sizable discount.


https://voltheat.com/collections/motorcycle-collection/products/12-volt-jacket-liner


https://voltheat.com/collections/motorcycle-collection/products/moto-men-s-12v-leather-motorcycle-heated-gloves

cheers,
Aldo

[Turin]

Got some Tourmaster gear suggested by Jim ( King of Fleece)

here's a pic of the alternator upgrade. Took a little work to make it fit.


the regulator is turned down to charge at a max of 14.9 volts

[blackcat]

I have a Powerlet jacket and I don't believe they are still in business, the liner works fine but the connectors for the gloves no longer works. Anyone have experience with getting a jacket fixed and is it worth it as opposed to just buying a new one. I do have the independent cables for the gloves and may just open a few seams and run the cords.

[n3303j]

I always went on any long and cold ride assuming an electrical failure. If it happened I didn't want hypothermia to do me in. So I layered up appropriately figuring I'd probably survive even if stranded overnight by the roadside.

I did afford myself the luxury of heated grips but always carried my down filled mittens in my luggage.

Never hang your survival on an electrical system.

[kingoffleece]

Agreed. My LL Bean down jacket is always packed just in case.  Cold winter riding there's always a spare set of gloves packed also.

That said, my old Powerlet stuff has never failed.

[Clifton]

I just returned from a 3 day ride up to north-central PA and back and I was comfortable with my Gerbing jacket liner under the 1-piece Roadcrafter the whole time. On the ride home it was 34 degrees when I left Emporium PA at 9am but soon dropped to 33. It didn't reach 40 until 11. I was on my V85TT with the touring shield and that morning was the first time I used the factory grips on setting 3. Thank goodness for heated gear.

[Motormike]

Warm and Safe jacket and gloves here.  With a wireless controller on my GS.  For other bikes I have a First Gear "Hotwired" jacket.  I like it because it has a built in 3-level push button heat control so I can use it on most any bike with a 12V tender batter lead. Having said that, having to plug and unplug yourself from the motorcycle is a big PITA.  That is double if you add a pair of wired gloves to the mix.  Many times at a stop, I've forgotten I'm "tethered" to the bike and nearly rip the wire harness as I try to step away from the bike! 

[Motormike]

I always went on any long and cold ride assuming an electrical failure. If it happened I didn't want hypothermia to do me in. So I layered up appropriately figuring I'd probably survive even if stranded overnight by the roadside.

I did afford myself the luxury of heated grips but always carried my down filled mittens in my luggage.

Never hang your survival on an electrical system.

I've thought about that. Very true if you are traveling a long distance in sparsely populated areas, like out west or in the mountains. Still, most places in this country are well populated enough that you could find shelter.

"Never hang your survival on an electrical system." Do you include your ignition system in that assessment? Stranded is stranded, cold or not.

[BMCMOTO]

Used my Powerlet jacket liner and gloves today with my Roadcrafter for a 40 mile 30 degree ride, worked a treat. I run my rain mits over my heated gloves to help keep the wind out. I also have an Aerostich heated vest and a Warm n Safe liner jacket. I have a Datel volt meter on this bike 2004 Breva 750, voltage never dropped below 13v unless at an idle so, I didn't let it idle. I also have handguards on this bike. Love my heated gear.

Brian