Looking into heated gear.

[John Schmidt]

Any suggestions or opinions. Since I have a rather heavy leather jacket with a liner, I'm wondering if just a heated liner would suffice for the top. Heated pants, gloves, and socks along with the required electrical hook-ups would be in order I assume. I noticed there's a number of battery operated pieces out there as well, using a rechageable battery good for 5-7 hrs. as stated. Length of time I'm sure is dependent on the setting. If you have experience with that type of gear I'd like to hear an opinion. The other thing I noticed is the prices, they sure don't give that stuff away. Having said that, if anyone has an XL upper...good, the pants are a question though. Since I usually wear either a 36 or 38 pants depending on cut and style, and a 29-30 inseam, I'm not sure how to tag a size needed. Gloves are XL, socks are for size 12 pinkies. If you have something that falls in that size range I'm open to discussion.   

[Avanti]

I like this company, My wife and I use there liners and pants with remote.

https://www.warmnsafe.com/collections/12v-for-motorcycling-power-sports

[carolinarider09]

I agree with Avanti.  Warm and Safe gear is what I have used for many years.

Warm n Safe makes two types of heated upper body garments.  The one I have is a "jacket line" It is meant to be worn over something else (I use a tight fitting long sleeved shirt) as a boundary layer.  They also make a heated shirt which I have never used but I have seen some reports (on another site) stating the new user was very happy with it. Its identified as a Heated Layer Shirt on their website.

I tired heated gloves but they never kept my finger tips warm so I found them basically useless (and since my other touring bike has heated grips I don't need them).

I have never needed nor tried heated pants.  Just too much trouble and not necessary if you don't mind wearing your rain pants for insulation.

The idea is that the heated jacket liner or shirt will warm your chest and arms.  Since the heart is pumping blood all around your body and its being warmed by the jacket liner, you just need to insulate the other parts to allow the blood to keep you warm.

I wear a neck gaiter to cover my neck area because of the large blood vessels there close to the skin.  Keeping the cold air off them helps keep the whole body warm just using your blood flow.

I have ridden in 30 degree weather using this type of equipment. 

I have some leather gloves but have a pair of textile like gloves I bought at outdoor store (hiking) that work well and keep my hands fairly warm

The leather gloves are nice but not as warm as the textile gloves. 

Depending on what I am riding, I either use by leather jacket as the outer layer or my textile jacket and then a rain jacket.  The rain jacket keeps the wind off and the textile jacket provides another layer of insulation (stagnate air not real insulation.).

I have never used "battery" powered heated gear. All my heated gear used a Powerlet outlet on the bike to provide power to my heated jacket liner.  The new jacket liners from WarmnSafe are wireless.  I would not recommend battery powered gear. 

I have tired to used heated insoles but I never found them really useful.  They do help but they only heat the soles of the feet and your toes are left out in the cold.  I use Sidi boots for riding and have never had an issue with my feet getting cold using the methods I have described above.

[MarkT]

Ditto on the WarmNSafe.  High quality gloves, jacket liners and controllers.  Also their controllers used to be made by them for Gerbing, then the latter reverse-engineered them and outsourced to China - f'ing over their small business supplier.  For that reason alone Gerbing will never see my business.

Like CR I wear a long sleeve heavy T shirt under the heated liner to keep the wires off my skin.

All I've needed down to the lower teens is electric gloves and jacket liner.  I got the gloves first and man what a difference with warm hands - never get cold fingers with good ones, fingertips too for me. With Baker wings, legs don't get cold when my hands and torso are toasty.  Good boots are sufficient when the rest of me is warm.  Also wear a balaclava when it's below freezing.  You'll need a controller with 2 separate dials for the gloves and jacket - gloves need higher power.  Takes an extra couple minutes to wire up but worth it if you don't and now you wish you did because your hands are in absolute PAIN.

Another good idea, install a power plug on your battery charger that matches the output plug for the clothing.  Then you can plug the charger in w/o pulling the seat.  I do that with my 3 riding Valks and my Kubota, and the Magna.  I put the power plug at the tank-seat juncture, right side.  Though the WnS liner has the wires on the left side.  No matter, they aren't real short.

[Jess from VA]

I agree with jacket liner and gloves, not heated pants. And you always need a dual controller because the gloves always need to be up higher than the jacket liner (under which you only wear a heavy long sleeve T).  I burned myself once with my jacket liner (before I could turn it down with my boxing gloves on).

I have Gerbing, but think others are good too.

If you get a good pair of insulated (zip in liner) textile bike pants (they are all waterproof and windproof), and wear hi tech thermal underbritches (never cotton) underneath, you don't need heated pants, with your core upper body heated.  Though you need to keep the cold air out of the pants bottoms; tall socks, thermals (or even the pants) tucked into boots.  They are a bit baggy, but allow very flexible movement (unlike heavy jeans with chaps) (but chaps can come off when it warms up, but your textile pants can't).

I really don't like to ride with fat boxing gloves, so the heated gloves need to allow good dexterity.

I got a pair of the heated insoles to stick in your boots, and the wires, but never tried them.  The old heated sox were supposed to feel like walking around with short pencils under you feet, so nix those.

I prefer 8" swat style lacer boots to bike specific boots, but I have learned that all front lacing boots let in cold air, even insulated and waterproof ones.  So even my uninsualted (but lined) 18" Alpinestar Alphas bike specific boots, which are closed across the front, and wrap around and velcro on the sides, are the warmest riding boots I have; and I go up a half size on those, so I can wear 2pr of thermal sox and they fit fine.  But walking around in them when not riding is torture on my old feet (so I must carry some walking around shoes).  

[T.P.]

HEY JOHN,  MRS.T.P. and I have had the Warm and Safe Generation 4 stuff for about 10 years. It's GREAT stuff.
 I will bring mine to the mid Winter get together in the Dells for you to try out.

T.P.

[Oss]

I have the tourmaster heated jacket liner and gloves

Truthfully, I only turn on the liner a few times a year (under 40 degrees) it has a dual controller which also does the gloves   At 27 degrees I was nice and warm on full day rides wearing just a light poly ski shirt and the killamanjaro jacket over the liner

The gloves are a bit tight but my hands are a half size bigger that L and smaller than xl so it is what it is

Can not get electrocuted in tourmaster stuff or so I am told and I have had it on in pretty heavy rains

I use toe warmers for rides over an hour  a buck a ride

[Oldfishguy]

I’ve used Gerbings for a few years now; we’ll worth the money.

I use a jacket liner and a light pair of heated gloves.  I also have a pair of heated socks, they are a pain to set up with wires running down your legs to the sock connectors.  They are really not worth the money unless you do a lot of several hour rides below say 40F.  I use gloves that are the lightest weight pair, as the heavier duty ones are pretty bulky on the grips.  Actually, I use the heated gloves very little.  I’d hold off buying them until you try just the jacket.

Really, the only thing one needs for most riding is a heated jacket liner that plugs into our electrical grid (12 volt).  The trick is to size it properly.  You want wear just a light tshirt under the heated liner.  I found if you go to many HD dealers they carry Gerbings products and you can try them on for size.  Unfortunately they will have the HD logo on them, so just try them on for size and order from your favorite online supplier.

Best of luck.
David

[Avanti]

When you are ridding 4 to 5 hundred miles a day in lower temperature weather, Heated Jacket Liner and Heated Pants are great.
It makes packing lite for two nice and easy.
Full leathers with Heated Jacket liner over a long sleeve T and  Heated Pants over shorts allows you the same flexibility and comfort all the time.
You can run all day in any temperature in comfort, eliminating cumbersome layers, leaving you free to operate your motorcycle safely.
Not interested in going hypodermic, especially on a motorcycle.
Maybe not for everyone, but I can plug into any 12vDC or 110vAC outlet and be warm when temps go below freezing.
This has been working for me for many years and leaves room for my hiking gear.
   

[ZekeValk]

Gerbing...buy once, cry once. 

I'm sure Warm and Safe are good too based on the reviews here and others I've seen, but the choice is yours. 

If you're riding a bike the Valkyrie with a charging system that can handle the draw I'd stick with plugging into the bike so you don't have to worry about it.  With today's tech, I wouldn't risk having my wife go wireless.  I just couldn't handle the noise in my helmet if the day got long and her batteries started fail on a cold day.

We have gone wireless intercom though (on my Goldwing), but that's another conversation.

[Avanti]

This is a large investment so read up on it before you invest.

Warm & Safe started heated gear for riders.
https://www.warmnsafe.com/pages/about-us

Warm & Safe  Heated Gear 101
https://www.warmnsafe.com/pages/heated-gear-101

[Mr Whiskey]

These are our next jackets...with Gelanots
Waterproof so no more need for rain gear, and 90w heat!
https://www.warmnsafe.com/collections/12v-for-motorcycling-power-sports/products/generation-waterproof-mens-heated-liner?variant=12595746439237
After our third (or was it fourth ) Gerbing dual controller went t's up I switched us to Warm & Safe wired dual controllers... and we finally have good reliable heat out of our Gerbing gear. (I wont be buyin' anything else Gerbing.)
Spend the $$, you'll wish you'd done it sooner
Best of on your search!

[T.P.]

We met up with John over the weekend in Wisconsin.  I was able to hook up John to our 4th generation Warm and Safe heated gear and turn on the heat for him to try out.

T.P.

[Crackerborn]

It is going to be in the upper 40's all this week in my slice of the dairy state! Who needs heated gear at these temps? Of course the salt brine all over the roads will make driving conditions less than favorable.

[cookiedough]

It is going to be in the upper 40's all this week in my slice of the dairy state! Who needs heated gear at these temps? Of course the salt brine all over the roads will make driving conditions less than favorable.

suppose to rain before this weekend both this coming sunday and next sunday 55 to 58 degrees for temps and no rain both weekends, we shall see!   

road crud all over though and melting snow going off the roads all over in spots, just take an easy the next 2 weekends on both Sundays look good so far.

Speaking of heated gear, I just ordered on amazon.com after talking on Saturday to a guy ice fishing who had this in his pocket showing it off to me.   He said it lasts 5-6 hours and is very warm and said get the 10000 mah vs. the 5200 mah ones should last a few more hours as well.   It even has vibrating massage feature. 

https://www.amazon.com/Aolantai-Rechargeable-Vibration-Emergency-Double-Side/dp/B07YRT4VNZ/ref=sr_1_14?dchild=1&keywords=10000mah+electric+hand+warmers&qid=1583198809&sr=8-14

sure beats all those hot hands that once open you shake and only lasts a few hours in a bag.  If it lasts 2-3 years got my 25 bucks worth out of it and also charges your phone and small light on it as well.

[Jess from VA]

We met up with John over the weekend in Wisconsin.  I was able to hook up John to our 4th generation Warm and Safe heated gear and turn on the heat for him to try out.

T.P.

I'm just curious, was John a willing participant in this?  I mean, you make it sound a little like an electric chair experiment.   

[T.P.]

We met up with John over the weekend in Wisconsin.  I was able to hook up John to our 4th generation Warm and Safe heated gear and turn on the heat for him to try out.

T.P.

I'm just curious, was John a willing participant in this?  I mean, you make it sound a little like an electric chair experiment.   

John did just fine,     T.P.

[John Schmidt]

Yep, took a while for my hair to lay down flat again and my ears to stop ringing, but I did OK. 

[Jess from VA]

OK, good deal.   

My hair is only an eighth inch, so it never lays flat.   

[..]

The new company Gerbing jacket liner I bought was badly made.

The elastic waist and sleeve cuff lining stretched and stayed stretched.

The sleeve to glove cords are very short.

The liner to heat controller cord is very short.

I will NEVAH buy Gerbing again.

I will NEVAH buy from the Warming Store again. They told me to contact Gerbing. They told me to take a hike. Warming Store said the same.