Triumphrat

Optimo

Hiya guys,
i am thinking about getting a heated waistcoat or jacket (for under my main jacket and i was wondering what experiences you have had with heated gear and which brand would be best im in bonnie scotland? (scuse pun) and its recently been hitting -7C (dunno in farenheight sorry guys) but i also would love somthing to keep me going on cold summer days without cooking me alive.

There are so many fantastic empty roads in winter here but i just cannot manage a long ride out with the gear i have at the moment.

biggest factor is price unfortunately best bang for buck suggestions?

Thanks guys

JCMoTo

Gerbing is the best
The heated vest and gloves can run off a battery pack worn on the waist which is great
the Jacket is also excellent but does not run off the battery you will need to hard wire it to the bike
Their one year warranty is perfect. I had a problem with the liner and they fixed it for free.

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plasma

Hi, the best heated jacket and gloves believe it or not are made in Bonny Scotland in Lanarkshire. The web site is sales@ex02.co.uk
My husband has their gloves and they are excellent, the waist coat gets rave write ups from everybody, and the company is excellent to deal with, and price wise you will find most of the makes are roughly the same.

I agree with you about the biking roads in Scotland, they are the best in the UK, we are up there at least three times a year, mainly based near Inverness.

Plasma

modre

a few years back I bought a full set of Gerbings...I can vouch for their stuff...heated clothes open up a whole other wing of the house.

jacket liner is the one piece you really want...it has heat down the sleeves and around the collar. can be worn from mid-60F as a windbreaker alone on down with additional layers.

pants liner is nice but I don't use them

socks are killer for warm feet but bulky and I rarely use them

gloves are killer with individual finger wires but bulky...I don't use them.

they have a controller for a thermostat so you have full and precise control over more or less heat as desired.

when I first got the stuff I took it out for a test on a 32-F day (0-C) where I had to watch for ice on the road...was out for 60 miles and 3 hours or so in perfect comfort...the only cold spot was the visor of the full face helmet cracked for condensation. they are absolutely good for lower temps if you have the nerve.

if you can keep the core temp up, the extremities have a fighting chance.

jacket liner and controller alone will run you a bit more than $200 I believe...but you too will rave.

the Bonneville electrical system is rated at 37 Amps or so, and the load for the full set of heated clothes on 2 controls is fused at 15A, so you're good.

Silverado57

I have a mix of Gerbing & WarmNSafe stuff. The wife has Widder. They're all great.

WarmNSafe offers discounts to some club members. RAT or AMA may qualify.
You can save a few bucks on the WarmNSafe gear with no sacrifice of quality.

Get a Powerlet outlet to hook the stuff up.

Heated gear is the only way to go if you're an extended-season rider!

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Kevin
Luceo Non Uro
NJ USA

2005SM

My take on Widder:
1. Widder vest are GREAT but their gloves are terrible. If all you want is a vest, Widder will do just fine for keeping your core toasty.
2. Widder gloves are just plain crap. When they work they are fine but mine shorts out multiple times per riding season and I have just given up shipping them back to Widder for repair. My buddy had the same issue and purchased through a different vendor so I don't believe I got a "lemon" glove.

My take on Gerbing:
1) expensive.
2) expensive.

My friend took the plunge after numerous Widder glove failures and forked out the 500.00 for the gerbing jacket/gloves combo with thermostat. He purchased the connector that hooks both directly up to the battery which is much easier than hardwiring into the fuse box. After two riding seasons he swears by Gerbing.

WarmNSafe
Now that company interests me a bit. Cheaper than Gerbing but uses similiar technology.

Overal recomendations:
1) Might as well get the jacket and skip the vest. If your core is cold your arms are cold, period. Might as well warm up your whole torso with a vest.

2) Do not get the on/off switch! Spend the extra money and get the thermostat.

Heated gear has reached the status that my helmet has in the winter, I always have it on. I have ridden for 10 years before purchasing a set and constantly wonder why I never forked out the cash before. Being cold and shivering is not safe nor is it an indicator of a "true biker" so I say pick a vendor and take the plunge!

Kevin...

Olderslower

+ 1 on heated clothing. I have been using electric vests for many years. Heated gear works best when it is close to your skin over a t-shirt rather than over a sweater. Buy one that fits snugly without impeding movement; you will get more bang for the buck that way. Aerostitch sells a heated vest that has an air bladder that you inflate to hold heat close to your body and add additional insulation. I haven't tried that one, but it seems like a good idea. Watch out for ice...

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2008 T100 B/W, centerstand, Flanders narrow cafe bars, Manic Salamander barend weights, Sargent Seat, Works Performance Shocks, RaceTech Fork Springs and Emulators, A I removed, desnorkled, Dominator Touring exhaust, 118 mains, no shim, 2 3/4 turns

Silverado57

On the Aerostich, I believe their heated gear is all Made in USA.
If I had it to do over, I probably would have went with the Aerostich.

__________________
Kevin
Luceo Non Uro
NJ USA

Dale_K

I bought a Tourmaster jacket liner and think it's better than the Widder vest I used to own. It has heated arm sleeves and the neck/collar section covers well. The controller gives you 3 heat settings and the price is reasonable - $161. The jacket liner is prewired for heated gloves but I don't have them. My Scrambler seems to have enough electrical capacity to power the jacket liner without any problems.

fullplat1

Hi Plasma
that is the email address The website is http://www.exo2.co.uk/.
Very nice looking stuff, and if a Scottish company can't make stuff for this cr@ppy weather then no one can
Phil