Best Cold Gear

[Jeffreydas]

Hello All,
It's been a while since my last post. Hope you are all well and riding safe. Here's my need:

Planning a mid spring trip, Late April, from Charleston SC to NYC & Upstate NY. I know it may possible be very cold, especially in the Blue Ridge area. My questions is... what is the best heated gear? I ride a 2002 r1150r, 47k.

I'm sure there may be posts already indicating some of this info, if so, if I may be directed that would be great.

Thank you in advance,
Jeffrey

[towerworker]

Jeffrey,

I only have experience with one brand of heated gear and that is warmnsafe.com

I have their heated jacket liner and controller (thermostat). I'm certain you will get recommendations from many on all the brands that are out there. I just don't have any personal experience with them. I will strongly make one suggestion though----if you purchase heated gear, go with a full jacket liner not just a vest. A full jacket will keep your arms warm as well and they are out in the slipstream even if you have a windshield. I think most brands have connections for heated pants and gloves as well. And do go with a thermostat. Switching on and off manually gets old and is alot of trouble.

Hope this helps!

Wayne

[marine dad]

motorcyclesuperstore has pretty good prices on tourmaster synergy liners, with thermostat

[Hottech]

Hi there Marine Dad! Did you manage to install the handguards? Just rode into work in a lovely 10 degree morning and was nice and toasty. I bought my heated gear from Discountheated clothing.com, best prices for Gerbing. I have heated pants,jacket,and gloves. I bought socks but never seemed to need them. It is abit of a hassel to get wired up but worth it once you are on the road. The gloves are not the greatest, you do not feel the warmth but you also do not feel the cold, so they do work! Good luck and stay warm, Mitch.

[Hottech]

Wrong web site, should have been www.heatedclothingoutlet.com.

[marine dad]

hottech,
hi! yes, i got the handguards on a couple days after we met. they went right on, although i put 'em on and took 'em off a couple times so i could see what, if anything, needed dremeling. only had to relieve about a half inch for clearance. i took my time so they look "stock". they make all the difference in the world! with the heated grips and the guards my hands have stayed toasty on several cold rides lately. be careful of all those cage drivers on I-85 !
mike
p.s. have you thought about going to tn or georgia for the bmw rally's this year?

[scottybooj]

jeffrey,

if you think the blue ridge area will be cold, just wait till you hit the wet 'n' cold that is new york at that time. and if you are heading upstate, you may still see snow.

i've lived in ny most of my life and have ridden winter after winter without the use of heated gear and no windscreen. i'm not saying it's smart, but that's just what i've done.

if you layer right, any heated gear will be fine. i'd look for a set of something pre-owned. I read about a new type of heat technology that is starting to hit the market. It uses a special woven fabric that warms without the use of wires. It can withstand tears/punctures and has a long life. I can't remember the name.

The one thing is that it may start out pricey since it's new. But this technology will make current heated gear go the way of the dodo. Don't blow a ton of money on it right now.


safe ride!

[towerworker]

http://www.exo2theheatinside.com/index.php

[wncbmw]

Wayne - thanks for that link! Looks very interesting and the price is about in line with the conventional competition. Definitely worth looking into!

[towerworker]

Just looked their products over myself. Like you said---prices seem to be in line with the others out there. Would be interesting to see how they really compare.

[scottybooj]

that's the stuff wayne! nice job!

[MattPie]

jeffrey,
if you think the blue ridge area will be cold, just wait till you hit the wet 'n' cold that is new york at that time. and if you are heading upstate, you may still see snow.

If I remember correctly, in 2002 when I was living in Binghamton, NY, we had a six inches of snow fall in the last week of April. My parents in Buffalo have a picture of the our already open in May with a few inches of snow around it. Doesn't happen often, but make sure you watch the weather like a hawk.

[marine dad]

Well, the big brown truck came this week and delivered my Tourmaster Synergy vest and Gerbings heated insoles. Rather than go thru removing the tank to install the harness, i decided to just get the coax to BMW powerlet adapter. Unfortunately, every place I called had them on backorder. i finally found out that BMW of
Charlotte had one , so off I go today for a nice 200 mile round trip there and back. I wore the heated gear, so all i would have to do there was plug it up and go. The parts people there were great, I had concerns that the Tourmaster and Gerbings stuff would not be compatible, and they assured me they would. After drooling over the GS'S , I plugged up my gear and head back. All i can say is WOW. Temp was around 45, and i made it 3 miles before having to turn the vest completely off. The Gerbings insoles seem to work just fine plugged into the Tourmaster vest, although they don't seem to get as warm as when plugged directly into the BMW outlet. Maybe cause i couldn't leave the vest turned on long enough for the insoles to heat up as much. All in All, I'm very pleased with these two products, and look forward to my ride to work in the am, when temps will be around 30.
mike

[OU812]

I just picked up a used Gerbings liner, gloves and controller. Waiting on the new insoles. Can't wait to try it all out here in the 0 degree weather.

[dragonmojo]

I have a question: how has everyone's heated gear held up over the past 7-8 years of using it?

My Gerbings have served me well during this time, and the company has been very accommodating to ensure that their customers are satisfied. I agree with another post about getting the full jacket liner, as this keeps the arms warm too (if you're susceptible to the cold as I am). I also have a pair of their gloves which keep my hands nice and toasty. Since I never rode in temps below freezing, I have not had the need for pant liners or socks.

Gerbing's long history and experience in heated apparel and their customer support is worthy of a high recommendation.