Poll! Heated Jackets.

I wear a heated jacket by

  • Total voters
    13
  • Poll closed .
GearChic

GearChic

GearChic
I know it's pretty balmy and warm this past week, but winter weather is going to be sneaking up on us any minute. And in my quest to help everyone be prepared, I'm conducting a short poll on what kind of heated jackets and/or vests you wear and what you love/hate/adore/detest about them!

The most well known brands are:
Gerbing
EXO2
FirstGear/WarmnSafe
Tourmaster/Cortech
Aerostitch

Please clarify if there are any other brands you recommend as well.

Happy Riding!
:ride
 
Janna

Janna

Bring more rat-free wine!
Gerbing rocks. I love my heated vest. Riding through cold air with delicious warmth trickling down my back and arms like a hot shower is one of the greatest non-sexual pleasures I've ever felt.

However, running it on full heat all day in Alaska with my high-beams on for visibility was too much for my SV650's charging system. It drained the battery so badly that the digital indicators and lights flickered and died as I was riding, only coming back on when I turned the heated vest off, and the bike wouldn't start when we stopped for gas. Yeah, not what you want to have happen. Pain in the butt to find a new battery, and the rest of our trip was very very very cold, because I wouldn't use the vest again.

It's almost definite that I'll be fine so long as I don't use the high-beams. But I don't trust my bike to handle the drain.
 
Ogg

Ogg

Oggito ergo sum
Gerbing FTW, particularly the newer "microwire" stuff. Jacket & gloves on chilly days, pants and boot inserts when it gets down around freezing. Separate controller (or dual controller) for the gloves is a must, otherwise the rest runs too hot. It doesn't hurt that the RT stator will power a small city.
 
fast4d

fast4d

Well-known member
I don't like my gerbings. it's not the new microwire model. my back is HOT and sweaty while my arms and chest feel the chills.

I'm going to get a warm and safe gen 4 when I get the cash.
 
GearChic

GearChic

GearChic
Check with me...

fast4d said:
I don't like my gerbings. it's not the new microwire model. my back is HOT and sweaty while my arms and chest feel the chills.

I'm going to get a warm and safe gen 4 when I get the cash.
Click to expand...

When you're ready to get one. I'm hoping to be able to hook up my readers with a discount soon. :)
 
flying_hun

flying_hun

Adverse Selection
Mine is a vest, not a full jacket. Once I finally got one I realized what an idiot I'd been for waiting that long.
 
Star Man

Star Man

Old Pro
I've been riding with either a heated vest or full liner since I heard they were available years ago. Like the commercial says "why be cold." My current liner is a H-D branded unit made by Gerbing. Works great especially when you connect a thermostat to keep things comfy. The liners are useful if you want to conveniently plug in electric gloves. I wear those too!
 
Ogg

Ogg

Oggito ergo sum
flying_hun said:
Mine is a vest, not a full jacket. Once I finally got one I realized what an idiot I'd been for waiting that long.
Click to expand...

This.

I've got a vest also but ended up liking the full jacket a bit better. It really depends on how tight the sleeves are in your protective gear. These days the vest is for passengers.
 
spdt509

spdt509

Well-known member
aerostich vest user owner here.i stopped using it after i install heated grips,as i feel they did more to fend off the cold.also,check the amperage of your bike to see if it will handle the extra load of heated gear.

grips on avg. is under 25 watts,while some gear draw as much as 75 watts....
 
Ogg

Ogg

Oggito ergo sum
Gloves 27W
Jacket 77W
Pants 44W
Insoles 15W
=========
163W all in.

Good thing the RT has a 720W alternator :teeth

Curious why the lower power draw on the Gerbing jacket. Also, of course, I'm assuming these numbers are for the gear turned up full, which I've never had to do yet - even below freezing.
 
steev

steev

Well-known member
+1 for tourmaster. i have the vest w/collar, but thinking of picking up the full liner.
 
RRrider

RRrider

Enthusiast, Fukrwe Club
Is anyone using the battery power gerbing gear (the ones they specifically say is not designed for Motorcycle use :) )? I've heard of people having problems on my bike with the 12V variety.
 
T

theAmazingKickstand

Well-known member
I only used a Cortech but it worked great. DO NOT use heated gear on a ninja 250. Youll get stuck with a dead battery 100 miles away from home. Havn't had any issues on good bikes though.
 
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