heated gear?

[stoinkythepig]

Cabelas has heated gloves on sale this week. 4 heat settings, and the gloves use rechargeable batteries rather than plug in. I like that because I can use them for other things. They heat to 85* for up to 8 hours at the low setting. They go up to 135* for 2 hours. I figure even if I do a long ride, I'll bring the charger and charge the batteries for the ride back. But to tell the truth, I can never see myself going out for a ride that long in that kind of cold where I would be gone for more than 2 hours. Hell, even at 50% power they will last up to 4 hours. Plenty of time for a good ride. And you can buy spare rechargeable batteries. Since I will be using these not just for riding but for work as well, I got an extra set of batteries.

Gloves are $175 this week at the store in East Hartford. Normally $200.

edit: I forgot to add, they are made by Gerbings.

Those are really nice, and I confess that I've lusted for them for awhile, but my heated grips cost me $25 (per bike) and have been working great since I started using them in 1999 . Since then, I've worn out many pairs of gloves...

I consider heated grips and a heated jacket a priority (need) and heated gloves a luxury (want) for cold weather riding.

[RandyO]

Cabelas has heated gloves on sale this week. 4 heat settings, and the gloves use rechargeable batteries rather than plug in. I like that because I can use them for other things. They heat to 85* for up to 8 hours at the low setting. They go up to 135* for 2 hours. I figure even if I do a long ride, I'll bring the charger and charge the batteries for the ride back. But to tell the truth, I can never see myself going out for a ride that long in that kind of cold where I would be gone for more than 2 hours. Hell, even at 50% power they will last up to 4 hours. Plenty of time for a good ride. And you can buy spare rechargeable batteries. Since I will be using these not just for riding but for work as well, I got an extra set of batteries.

Gloves are $175 this week at the store in East Hartford. Normally $200.

edit: I forgot to add, they are made by Gerbings.

any testimonials on battery life claimed vs actual ? # of recharge cycles, etc.

[nhbubba]

Yeah, batteries are a non-starter in my eye. This stuff is dedicated for-bike-use in my mind. And I am not interested in futzing with batteries.

[e30addict]

no need for heat when you have

Did I mention I hate being cold. I've tried something similar to those and find them to bulky for me in the helmet. I did Find one super thin one that feels ok and does a decent job by itself. Combine it with the heated collar and I'm in heaven. Just need to break down and get gloves as well.

[Krazy Again]

any testimonials on battery life claimed vs actual ? # of recharge cycles, etc.

All the reviews online are good. But I haven't used them yet to give a personal review.


As for heated grips vs gloves, I would prefer the gloves because it is an all around heat rather than just coming through the grips. Heats the palms, but what about the outside of your hand? The bike I will be riding through the winter has handguards too, so hopefully my hands will stay nice and toasty.

And as for futzing with batteries...they go into a zipper pocket in the top part of the gauntlet. Out of the way and in no way are uncomfortable. And like I said, it allows me to use the gloves for other things too.

[nhbubba]

I think there is room for all of the above. Heated grips are perfect for those late spring/early fall rides where you don't need (and don't want to carry) heated gear, but just need to take the edge off. I also add inexpensive OE hand protectors to my adventure bike. This cuts the wind and makes a nice little pocket of reasonably warmness. But it isn't enough for low 30-F weather.

Yesterday afternoon I was riding in summer gloves with just the grip heaters rolling. This AM I wouldn't dare venture out unless my paws were stuffed in the over-sized snowmobile gloves.. or heated gloves.

[MattR302]

If you're cheap and somewhat electrically inclined, there's tons of DIY's online about making your own heated jackets/vests. You essentially take 30-35' of 30AWG teflon wire (ebay link) and weave it through a mesh-lined windbreaker. Attach a thicker lead with your connector of choice.

For controllers, I've made a simple off-low-high controller with a radioshack project box, a SPDT switch, and a turn signal flasher. Power goes in through a SAE connector to my battery tender lead. The switch either goes directly to the jacket on high, or through the turn signal relay on low. Works great.

You can also search for "LED dimmer" on ebay and use something like this. It works same as the brand name heat-trollers. I've bought one of these and verified it on an oscilloscope at work.

[nhbubba]

I've nearly gone down that route a couple of times. There is a huge thread on ADV Rider on the subject. In the end I just come to the realization that I'm willing to pay for a quality product that isn't held together with hot-glue and duct tape.

[TheIglu]

Going on 7 years with my Gerbings jacket liner. Still love it. I'd buy another in a heartbeat.

[Sheppo]

Great thread. I've been looking as well. For me, this year my fingers, due to medication, are cold and grip warmers arent cutting it. Other than that I am OK with what Randy said, New high tech layers.. I am warm except for my damn fingers...

[TheIglu]

Great thread. I've been looking as well. For me, this year my fingers, due to medication, are cold and grip warmers arent cutting it. Other than that I am OK with what Randy said, New high tech layers.. I am warm except for my damn fingers...

I don't use heated grips or even winter gloves when I have my Gerbings on. Warm core and warm arms = warm hands. Your body is a pump, if the fluid being pumped is warm always, it is easy to keep your digits warm.

[soofle616]

I had a firstgear jacket liner and gloves on my 919 for the longest time. Worked great but I should have gotten the dual temp controller. Gloves weren't as effective as the jacket liner so by the time my hands were warm, the rest of me would be sweating. Dual controller would have fixed that easily as I could have cranked up the gloves and left the liner on a lower setting. Finally got rid of it all when I decided cold weather riding just wasn't worth it.

A word of warning, depending on your bike's charging output, you may need to hold onto each gear longer and/or cruise in a lower gear. It only happened once but I drained my battery enough that the bike kept running but it wouldn't restart after I shut it down because the gear was drawing more power than the bike was generating at sub 5k rpm. Keeping the engine speed up stopped that from happening again.

[MattR302]

Good point by Mr. Soufflé.
I bought a cheapo $5 digital voltmeter from China on ebay and mounted that in my inner fairing when I just installed my heated grips.
I compared that to a very expensive power supply at work, and it was within .1 volts, close enough to tell if there's a charging problem.

[SprintPoser]

Power consumption is one more reason why I so love my Triumphs. They put out much more amps than most others, and I've never taxed the charging system even with (factory) heated grips, Gerbing jacket liner and Gerbing heated gloves.

[e30addict]

Warm core and warm arms = warm hands. Your body is a pump, if the fluid being pumped is warm always, it is easy to keep your digits warm.

Not always. My core can be nice and toasty and the tops of my hands still uncomfortably cold even when adding heated grips and wind deflection into the equation.

Some of us have different tolerances to cold or medical issues that might limit circulation.

[soofle616]

Not always. My core can be nice and toasty and the tops of my hands still uncomfortably cold even when adding heated grips and wind deflection into the equation.

Some of us have different tolerances to cold or medical issues that might limit circulation.

Warm core and arms has never resulted in warm hands for me. My hands and fingers get cold stupidly quick regardless of the rest of me.

[PhilB]

For me, the hands are the limiting factor, and the heated gloves are the key. I got a set of Powerlet gloves two years ago; the left one quit this season. I haven't looked into whether they will step up about that or not. I got a new set of FirstGear gloves last week; they are working great. They use the same plugs as the Powerlet, so I didn't get a new harness, just the gloves. Yesterday morning it was 32-34°F (0-1°C) for the two-hour ride in to work. An extra pair of socks, a scarf, the rainsuit to cut the wind, and the heated gloves worked fine.

Since mine is an older bike, I don't want to try to make it power up large clothing items and expect the heat to trickle down to my hands. Also, since my bike has no fairing of any type, the hands are fully exposed to the wind and cold. So I'm going with heating on the gloves only, and layers of clothing elsewhere.

PhilB

[nt650hawk]

I am in the same situation as you with the Hawk GT. i have the heated gloves and Liner. There is a lil extra draw when i'm idiling but once i'm rolling i have not had a power issue.

[markbvt]

Tourmaster is cheaper and includes the controller, but doesn't have the heated collar or nearly as many features. I think they are a pass.

They do have a version of the vest with heated collar.

There are quite a few additional options now that didn't seem to exist yet when I got my Tourmaster vest. Venture seems to put out some good stuff, and it's less expensive.

For what it's worth, I still just use my Tourmaster heated vest and the bike's heated grips (Symtec grip heater elements). The heated grips are great for cool autumn/spring days or even cool summer mornings with regular gloves, and cold weather with insulated winter gloves.

At the moment though the Tiger is awaiting a new chain, so I've been riding my Bonneville which doesn't have heated grips. When my hands get too cold, I hold them against the engine's cooling fins to warm up.

--mark

[RandyO]

wouldn't own a bike without heated grips, use em as much in summer as other seasons, cool mornings or evenings with summer gloves, wet gloves etc. coldest weather I use both heated grips and gloves (below zero) because I use both grips and gloves, I can get away with one controller for my jacket liner & gloves in the coldest weather

[z3dsp33d]

This is a very informative thread. Thank you to all the members who chimed in about heated apparel and its possible uses.

,Tyler

[breakdirt916]

stoinky - so if the grips are heated, what keeps the top of your hands warm with cold wind pulling all the heat away?

or are the heated grips sufficient to keep the whole hand warm?

I'm skinny f*ck + 40's @ night in CA = I get cold hands (core is ok...leather jacket + cyclegear rain suit does an excellent job)

so I already bought grips 2 years ago waiting to install (maybe tomorrow?)...got my relay already too...

[nt650hawk]

30's in the morning and have not tapped into the heated stuff yet.

although cold tires and freshly damp roads = loose rear end and skidding stops

[stoinkythepig]

stoinky - so if the grips are heated, what keeps the top of your hands warm with cold wind pulling all the heat away?

or are the heated grips sufficient to keep the whole hand warm?

I'm skinny f*ck + 40's @ night in CA = I get cold hands (core is ok...leather jacket + cyclegear rain suit does an excellent job)

so I already bought grips 2 years ago waiting to install (maybe tomorrow?)...got my relay already too...

All my cold weather riding gloves over the years had nearly all the insulation everywhere except the parts of my hands that touch the grips. Grip heaters prevent cold grips from acting like a heat sink precisely where insulation is thinnest and add heat precisely where the gloves are least likely to prevent heat transfer. On really cold days, your hands may still get cold, but the added heat of grip heaters will never hurt anything and is a cheap addition that may prove adequate. I don't ride below 35 F because of traction and at 35 or more degrees, I have never needed anything more than Held Hawk gloves and grip heaters.

[gamorg02]

stoinky - so if the grips are heated, what keeps the top of your hands warm with cold wind pulling all the heat away?

or are the heated grips sufficient to keep the whole hand warm?

I'm skinny f*ck + 40's @ night in CA = I get cold hands (core is ok...leather jacket + cyclegear rain suit does an excellent job)

so I already bought grips 2 years ago waiting to install (maybe tomorrow?)...got my relay already too...

you hit on a good point and thats where i think heated gloves come in (i haven't tried any yet) but i use heated grips on both the vmax and the hawk.

i have barkbusters on the vmax which help a little bit but the tops can def get cold. the right gloves make a difference too though.

if you go buy one of the kits you put under regular grips don't go with the tusk (could be other names for it) one where there is a resistor. first off i don't like the 'low' setting just putting out heat elswhere (resistor) and secondly the pads are of a lesser quality.

something like this is the kind i'd recommend:

http://www.casporttouring.com/cst/motorcycle/16011.html

i tapped directly into the headlight line for the vmax and the fan line for the hawk.