Heated Gear

[Airreed]

I was looked at just getting a set of heated gloves(I have two bikes, so heated grips were not a good option), but the more research I do it makes more sense to get a vest/jacket as well. Any thoughts if I should go with a package deal? Good brands/brands to stay away from?

Any issues or concerns when hooking up all this gear to a sportbike battery?

Winter Season is almost over, so there have been some good sales on winter/heated gear.

Thanks!

[asp_125]

If you are getting a combo, stick with one brand so all the connectors fit. Gerbing, Tourmaster, and Firstgear make sets.

The thing to remember with heated gear (and lights and other accessories) is the alternator peak output of your bike. Add up the wattage of ALL accessories (heated grips/gloves, any heated garments, extra lights etc) and make sure your bike can put out that amount of power.

[Clovis]

I'll be writing a review. I just got a Firstgear heated jacket liner and gloves. The jacket is nice and warm, I was comfortable riding yesterday at 35 degrees.

It's all kind of expensive.
Jacket liner is $179.99, Gloves are $160 or so and the heat troller is $107 so you're looking at a sizable investment of $450 for everything.

It all folds nicely to fit in my small Axio tail bag. (Liner, regular jacket liner + gloves). Good for days that start off cold (ie morning) and get get warm later.

[asp_125]

I have heated grips and a heated vest. Combined it makes for a warm enough setup for an hour commute. If you do longer rides you might want to invest in a full glove/jacket/pants setup.

[Wrider]

I finally broke down and bought actual winter gloves... Make a hell of a difference even with liners in the regular gloves I was wearing... I can't imagine what heated ones would do!

[Clovis]

The FirstGear jacket liner has heat all around including the arms.

Spare power is the main concern. Stock my bike has about 115 watts of spare power.

Jacket is rated at 110watts and gloves are 35watts.

I replaced my 55w lights with 35w HIDs so hopefully that's enough. I'll let you know if I have to bump start it after awhile ;)

[Squisha]

Been riding my SV650 with the Firstgear jacket (women's 90W) and gloves. No problems for me with the juice.

My default setting (on my body, I mean) seems to be cold, so I'm not too hardy when the temperature goes down. That means that it's that much more important for me to have good heated gear if I'm riding in cooler weather. Well, I'll tell you, I've got two-plus winters riding with that stuff now and I'm good down to about 20 degrees. I don't have a super-long ride so I haven't had need for pants, but I do wear some mesh/tex pants over my work clothes.

+1 to the Firstgear. And so far the durability has been good.

[Clovis]

I decided to take the plunge and purchase heated gear for my FZ6.

Dual mounted heat troller. (http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/461/10903/ITEM/Firstgear-Dual-Mounted-Heat-Troller.aspx?WT.ac=SLIsearch)

90w jacket liner. (http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/461/10880/ITEM/Firstgear-90-Watt-Heated-Jacket-Liner.aspx?WT.ac=SLIsearch)

Comes in both men and women's cuts as well as a lower 65watt version.

Carbon heated gloves. (knuckle protection) (http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/461/10885/ITEM/Firstgear-Carbon-Heated-Gloves.aspx)

Non-carbon fiber gloves. (cheaper). (http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/461/10884/ITEM/Firstgear-Heated-Rider-Gloves.aspx)

It's awesome and I'll get to that in a second but first I wanted to show a couple of pictures on the heat controller install.

Most heated gear (all?) requires a seperate controller. Both Firstgear and Gerbings use "trollers" which come in both portable and mounted versions. I tried the portable version first but hated it. The portable version means either storing the controller in a tank bag or in your pocket with wires hanging out.

I found that it was bulky and I had to dig it out anytime I wanted to adjust the level of heat. I returned it and ordered the mounted version instead.

The mounted version provides for a clean "factory look" install and is exceptionally easy on our bikes.

I mounted the control knobs on the left front inner-fairings, below my 12v power outlets previously installed. The cords run under the fuel tank and along the air box, tucking in between the box and frame. I zip tied the excess wiring (the controller knobs are on separate 5' long wiring).

The controller itself sits next to the ECU under the fuel tank and is hard wired onto the battery. The pig tails (which plug into the heated gear) come out from under the seat and can be stowed under the seat when not in use.

I zip tied the pigtails to the sub frame to prevent them from being pulled out if I forget to unplug myself first before getting off the bike.

One knob controls the jacket and the other controls the gloves. It is possible to run the gloves and jacket off a single controller but the jacket is considerably warmer then the gloves. I wanted the option to control them independently. (ie jacket at 50%, gloves at 100%).

http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x469/jdharward/bed50427.jpg

Pig tails under the seat:

http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x469/jdharward/4bdeddc1.jpg

With the seat installed:

http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x469/jdharward/2d539e25.jpg

Total install time was about 30-45 minutes and it's extremely simple even for a novice like myself. The only tools required are a drill for the control knobs and a wrench/screw driver for the battery terminals. Have a half dozen zip ties to tie excess cord and the pig tails.

Okay, so the gear itself.

It's awesome! I went with the 90watt jacket liner and carbon gloves.
The jacket liner is thin enough to fit under all of my riding jackets and allows me to wear my jacket's internal liner in addition to the heated liner.

The jacket provides all around heat, so chest, stomach, arms, back, collar, ect. It's like riding under an electric blanket! I rode for about an hour at interstate speeds in 35 degree (F) weather and I was quite comfortable. I picked up another speeding ticket along the way and the cop (a confessed R6 rider) commented that he wished he had heated gear. I invited him to come along riding... he still gave me the ticket though. :spank:

To compare, I turned the heat off for a few miles and I got a quick reminder just how warm this gear is! I also use a baklava and fleece triangle/neck scarf.

Sizing is true (there is a size chart). I'm 6'2" and 240-250 depending on the day. My chest is 46". I ordered both a XL tall and 2XL regular to see which fit better and returned the other. The XL tall fits perfectly and is snug which is exactly how you want it. The jacket has stretch panels in the shoulder blade area to prevent any movement restrictions.

The gloves are wind/water proof and have a rubber wiper blade sown into the left thumb to wipe away rain. They're warm but not hot. Warm enough to keep my hands from freezing. Some sort of hand guards would greatly increase their effectiveness.

The jacket liner and gloves compress nicely to fit in my Axio tail bag which will be useful for the summer rides where it's cold in the morning but warms up by 10AM. I'm able to stuff the heated jacket liner, gloves and my jacket's own internal liner, baklava and scarf into the bag, which means I can switch out to my vented race gloves once it warms up.

Here's a picture of the bag as well.

http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x469/jdharward/af3bf058.jpg

http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x469/jdharward/87e44812.jpg

Final opinion.

This has been one of the best investments so far and allows me to ride as long as the roads are ice free. I expect to be reasonably comfortable down to 20 degrees.

The downside is the cost, about $450 for the setup (controller, jacket, gloves).

Power may be a concern. I previously replaced my stock 55w head lights with dual 35w HIDs. I also have the wiring set up to run 1 bulb at all times and the second (low beam) comes on with the high beam switch. I only use the second light when riding at night. The idea is to be able to run both lights full time at night without having to go half blind when turning my high beam off for oncoming traffic.

Per previous electrical post (http://www.fz6-forum.com/forum/garage-mechanical-help/1827-fz6-electrical-power.html) the FZ6 has about 115 watts of spare power in stock form. The jacket is rated at 110 watts and the gloves are 15 watts each.

I also removed my front running/turn signal lights which saves another 10w or so.

If you're on the fence about heated gear, take it from me it's worth it!

Clovis

[Cornfed]

I typically just roll up the windows and turn that dial thing from the blue side to the red side.
I know, weak. But seriously if its cold enough to need heated gear, its probably too cold for me to enjoy the ride anyway. Gixxers and Q2s like warm pavement.

BTW, great review Clovis. When I can afford to park a Concours next to the Gixxer Ill be rereading this thread and joining you on 30 degree days. Until then Im looking for spring.

[Clovis]

^^^^ :applause::applause::applause::applause:


I typically just roll up the windows and turn that dial thing from the blue side to the red side.

[Airreed]

After doing a lot of research and websurfing I ended up buying locally from Motogear Outlet. They had the TourMaster Synergy gloves at 50% off ($84.00) and was able to get the Synergy II full jacket at 199.99. I also, scored another 10% off for military discount.

[texlurch]

Back years ago when I lived in Colo and rode in the winter, I used a set of snowmobile mittens. A tad bulky but worked great.

Just another option.

[Clovis]

I need to send in my heated jacket liner for warranty repair. The right sleeve stopped working last week :(

[PunyJuney]

We received Ansai battery operated heated jackets last year as a great xmas gift! The rechargeable battery lasts 10 hours and with 4 settings it allows you to adjust how much extra warmth you require. The upside is that nothing is wired to either of my bikes so I can wear it riding either machine. Most of the time last year I wore it when hiking. One of them had a slight glitch and Mary at Motogear swapped it out no problem. I plan to purchase the heated gloves this year since I traded in my old CBR with the heated grips.

[Cornfed]

We received Ansai battery operated heated jackets last year as a great xmas gift! The rechargeable battery lasts 10 hours and with 4 settings it allows you to adjust how much extra warmth you require. The upside is that nothing is wired to either of my bikes so I can wear it riding either machine. Most of the time last year I wore it when hiking. One of them had a slight glitch and Mary at Motogear swapped it out no problem. I plan to purchase the heated gloves this year since I traded in my old CBR with the heated grips.

I didnt know that anyone made battery operated heated gear. But that makes more sense than trying to wire your bike and hope there is enough juice to run it all. Thanks for the great tip.

http://www.mobilewarminggear.com/MW/product_classic.php?%20ref=ASJ09M11

[PunyJuney]

I didnt know that any made battery operated heated gear but that makes more sense than trying to wire your bike and hope there is enough juice to run it all. Thanks for the great tip.

http://www.mobilewarminggear.com/MW/product_classic.php?%20ref=ASJ09M11

that's the exact jacket :) I love it.

[Matrix]

Last year I started looking into heated gear. Given the stator output on the S1000RR I had to make a choice between grips or the vest, or risk drawing down on the battery. I opted for the Gerbing vest. Works good but the controller leaves a little bit to be desired as the knob is way too easy to turn and their is no way to lock it.
Every bike is different so make sure you check your power availability.