Heated Vest

[DIGGER]

My son gave me a heated vest couple days ago.   Tried it out yesterday morning.  46 degrees out. Had it on medium with my leather jacket over it and was warm and very comfortable....I like it more than I thought I would.

[Valkorado]

One of the best things you can carry along on a trip.  You may like it now, but there will be times you will absolutely love it.  Heated gear is safety gear!  I've been on a few trips where my heated jacket kept me going forward when I would have been flash frozen without it.

[DIGGER]

Need to get an extra battery for longer cold rides.

[carolinarider09]

Oh.... its battery powered....

I have been using heated jacket lines for some years now and they are great.  Wear them under my leather jacket and does an excellent job of keeping me warm.

Also need to use a "neck gaiter" type thing to keep the wind off your neck.

Theory is that you keep the chest warm with the jacket liner which keeps the heart warm and the blood warmer and that blood flow up to the head via the neck will be kept warm which helps keep the head warm. 

I know seems strange but, for me and the wife, it works. 

[Valkorado]

Need to get an extra battery for longer cold rides.

They definitely work.  Warm core, warm extremities.

The battery pack vests don't pump out near the heat and have little staying power.  You might look into a Gerbings or similar setup that directly connects to your bike's battery.  As long as your charging system is working, your vest will be too!

EDIT: FWIW, I do not use Gerbing gear.  I tossed that name out as a generic but was unaware of their techno theft.  I think I'm using the Warm-n-Safe jacket as well, I'll have to double check the brand name.  I also have the electric gloves that hook up to the jacket.  Regardless of the brand,  good heated gear will change your whole outlook on a cold day.

[MarkT]

I've been running WarmNSafe gear for years.  Jacket liner and gloves with separate controls.  BTW, Gerbing's was engineered by WNS.  Then they reverse-engineered the control and outsourced it from China.  I don't support any companies that rip off intellectual property from the little guy.  Get your gear from www.Warmnsafe.com

My gear is powered by the bikes.  I set all of them up to provide the power.  And my Kubota as well.  Easy to set up.  Set up your battery charger to use the same plug.  Then BONUS you can plug in the charger w/o pulling the seat.

[carolinarider09]

I've been running WarmNSafe gear for years.  Jacket liner and gloves with separate controls.  BTW, Gerbing's was engineered by WNS.  Then they reverse-engineered the control and outsourced it from China.  I don't support any companies that rip off intellectual property from the little guy.  Get your gear from www.Warmnsafe.com

Warmnsafe for me as well.  Their newest jacket line has thinner wiring and works very well.   I use separate power connectors.   Something like this.

https://www.motorcycleid.com/optimate/cable-series-standard-bike-socket.html

[Avanti]

My wife and I also use Warm N Safe.  We regularly ride in low 40 and mid 30 temperatures. We both have dual remote controls for jackets, paints, and gloves.

[carolinarider09]

Another cool thingl about the new Warm n Safe jackets are the wireless remotes.  Just have to remember where you put it.   

[Avanti]

I have both of our remotes mounted on my handlebars.

[Oldfishguy]

Yes, well worth the investment as it extends the riding season a month on each end for those of us in the Northland.

A few things:

  I use Gerbings; I bought this before I learned of the technology theft.  That being said, the thin jacket is the best investment.  It should be worn close to the skin with only a t-shirt underneath and the fit should be close.  You can try on the product at most HD dealers as they will carry the brand.  They all have the HD logo on the jackets though at HD dealers.  So, try on the jackets for fit and then order the jacket from the manufacturer directly that are not branded.

I have a a pair of the light weight gloves.  They are nice and warm but are a bit bulky when one has normally used thin leather gloves all summer.  I think a heated handlebar setup would be much better.

I also bought a pair of the heated socks . . . not worth it.  First, one has these power cables running down your leg to power them; that in itself is uncomfortable and awkward.  And with all that, they do not work very good . . . cold toes still after some time.

I use the 12 volt system for all.  One easy plug in and go.  The wired controller stays in an inside pocket at max setting always.  If one gets too hot you simply unzip the liner on the fly. So, I’m not convinced the controller is even needed.

[cagrote]

  I was given the first gear vest, coat and pant liner.  All I ever use is the the vest, and that on low.  Even in mid 20's it starts to get too warm.  I wish I had grip warmers for the hands, but if the core is warm i'm fine.  That being said, in those low temps I don't usually ride more than an hour one way.

[Avanti]

I left early Wednesday morning the 26 with cloudy 35 degree temperatures that never rose above 50.  A 400 plus round trip day north of Loyal Wisconsin at 60-70 miles an hour in blue jeans would not be enjoyable, but full leathers and heated clothing made for a great time.