Gerbings Questions

[Bob E.]

Well, after being on back order for 2 months I finally received my Gerbings Jacket Liner and Gloves.  Last weekend, I wired up my bike for them and have used them a couple cool mornings this week...even though I probably really didn't need them.  They work great, although I notice it does take a little time for the entire set to warm up.  It seems as if the heat starts at one end of the wire and slowly travels around the jacket until it is all warm.  But once it is warm...very nice.  Anyways, after using them a couple times, I have a couple questions.

What do you do with the dual controller??  I ordered the leather case for it but it didn't come in yet.  It was missing from the package I received.  But even with the belt clip on the case, I can see where that's not really going to be convenient for access to make adjustments on the fly.  My jacket will hang over it and make it hard to get at.  I'm thinking about getting a magnet and gluing to the back of the controller and sticking it to the tank.  What do you do?

Where did you run the wires from the battery?  I ran my plug to come out over the top of the center cover near the seat key lock under the tank.  I guess this is fine, but it hangs longer than I'd like because the plug is rather long and has some weight to it.  So when it's not plugged in, it tends to pull itself out from under the seat and hang too long and flap around.  I thought about running it between the seat and the tank, but I was worried about pinching or chafing the wires or marring the tank paint.  Where's a good place to secure the plug and wires?

What do you do with the wires from the jacket to the gloves?  I put my jacket on with the wires hanging out of the sleeves, then plug in the gloves and put them on.  But when I put them on, I end up with the wires bunching up because the plug, when connected, is so long.  Plus the wire comes out under my sleeve, then the gauntlet of the glove goes over the sleeve.  So the wire has to come out under my sleeve, then bend back around the end of my sleeve to go over it, then bend again to go back into the glove.  It's kind of hard to describe, but hopefully you get the drift.  What do you do with these wires?

[Cattman]

Bob, I wired mine to come out under the seat nose and then stick the end in the bottom pocket of my iron horse tank pouch. I'll put it back under the side cover for the summer. I then clipped the controller to the pocket when used, you can also clip it to your jacket pocket. Agreed on the wires bunching, I haven't found a cure yet.

[cutter]

Like Cattman, I have my plug coming up between the seat and tank. Have some slack in it and when not in use i can push it down far enough to where the plug is held in place by the seat and tank out of the way. As for the wires at the glove area, the wires bend back over the jacket sleeve and loop back into the glove. Not been an issue with me and with the gauntlet length on my gloves, not that noticable. I just clip the dual controler to the pocket of the jacket with the case.
 You mention that the jacket is slow to heat. Did you get the microwire or the copper wire?
I have the microwire and it's almost instant heat through out. Short sleeved shirt, liner, and leather jacket works great, no more multible layering of shirts and sweatshirt!
 I think they could up the watts on the gloves. I was expecting them to warmer than they are. Still better than no heat for the hands.

[Bob E.]

I got the microwire.  They heat instantly...but not througout.  It seems the collar...which is farthest from the plug...is the last to warm up.  But it does warm up and gets pretty warm too.  And when I say slow...it's not like I mean 20 minutes or anything.  But you can definitely feel the warmth travelling around the jacket.  It might take 2-3 minutes or so.

[12voltclothing]

heated gear should heat instantly.

[Mr.BubblesVRCCDS0008]

I wired mine a little different. I already had a dual position switch up in the fairing so I wired my gloves to one side of the switch and the jacket liner to the other side. I can't run both at the same time but I haven't had a problem with that yet, usually kick the gloves on till hands are nice and warm turn off and on as needed. Jacket is good and warm so I just run  heated liner at short times to stay warm. Wires come up between tank and seat, put under seat as  weather gets warm enough to not need them.

[JetDriver]

What do you do with the dual controller?? 


Where did you run the wires from the battery? 

I put the controller in my large outside pocket of my riding jacket.  I can reach in with my left hand, pull it out, make my adjustments by rolling the dial with two fingers, and put it back in, all while riding with my gloves on.  I'm planning on eventually mounting the controller on the handlebars between the risers, but for now, it works.

I wired mine exactly like you did.  Either fold the excess back and forth until you get the length you want, then tie wrap the bundle and stick it behind the cover, or cut the excess length out and solder it back together.

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

My controller is mounted of the chrome alternator  cover ( double-sided tape ) the wires run behind the chrome engine hangers . Easy to adjust and not that noticeable. I've had the my Gerbings for years the only thing thats happened in those years I did have a controller go bad.

[T.P.]

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