Heated Clothing

Gipsy

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I've decided to treat myself to some heated clothing this winter. Definately gloves, and possibly a jacket liner as well. I've done a search on the site and can't find any definative info. Does anyone out there have on opinion as to which of the 2 makes I've looked at namely Giali ( Klan ) and Gerbing might be the best. As yet I've not looked at the BMW stuff. Are there any other makes out there worth considering. I would be very grateful for your opinions.
One other question if I may. Should I use the said equipment via the power socket on my Gs1200, or should I connect it straight to the battery. I don't really follow the ins and outs of the electrics on my bike. Thanks in anticipation.
 
Hi Gipsy - I have an Aerostich vest which comes with an optional BMW power socket connector. I have used it for 4 winters and it has never let me down.

See www.aerostich.com for details and do not be put off by the fact they are in the US - their service is superb.
 
I use a Widder heated waistcoat in winter and it is without a doubt the best bit of kit i have got for a bike the difference it makes is amazing. I plug it into the normal power outlet but it makes life easier if you mount a second socket near the bars as it can be a bit awkward with gloves on. On my last bike an RS i mounted it on the dash and the wires that came with the standard BMW unit were long enough, not sure if they would reach on a GS
 
I have been impressed enough by my Gialli/Klan Cordura gloves through two years use (I use them unheated as waterproof gloves year round) to buy the heated fleece. Both of them are wired direct to the battery
 
I bought my Dad a Giali vest for his birthday with winter in mind as my Dad is a bit fussy about his comfort on the bike and would regularly turn up with 3 fleeces etc: Michelin man. He's been very pleased with his vest. Its cheaper than BMW and the only down side is there is no thermostat, but to be honest, switching it on and off as needed is just as good, particularly when you imagine yourself constantly turn up and down when you realise you haven't given it enough or perhaps too much juice: trying to find that balance whilst keeping an eye on the road. Piece of advice: if you go for the Klan kit, be sure to ask for a BMW coupling attachment otherwise you get the standard onand the BMW converter is extra. (Only worth it if you think you may not get another BMW and if you thought like that you'd have been banned from the site :p

Based on my Dad's verdict, I may well get one for the other half for this Xmas
 
I've had both w/coat and jkt liner and would def recommend jkt unless you would have diffs fitting under Leathers etc. I reckon Heated Clothing is the best clothing item i've ever bought, but then i'm an old softie!!
 
Gipsy,
If you have to make a choice between Giali and Gerbing go for Gerbing it is good basic stuff and I think has a life time guarantee. I think the giali stuff is second rate.
If you can afford it get a controller as it make life easier and more comfortable.
Go for a waistcoat without a collar, the collar feels nice but is a pain to make a comfortable seal under a jacket. The Gerbing is quite power hungry.
The controller should be water proof and ideally reverse power protected.

I would recommend you hard wire it too the battery the draw is going to be around the 4 to 6 amps depending on make, not sure what the accessory socket can handle.

I think the BMW waistcoat uses carbon elements which giali use to claim for theirs (not entirely true) the other make worth a look is Chilli which has a very neat controller and they are based in Wales.

Try a waistcoat first and you may find you don't need gloves, I find electric gloves are a PITA having to plug / unplug them in every time.
 
I have used a Widder heated vest for 3 years and been up in abvoe the snow-line in the Alps & Pyrenees, and also do long motorway runs in close to freezing temperatures (probably was minus when windchill is added). Live in Scotland and ride most of the year, really only not riding on the weeks when there is actual snow & ice on the roads.

I have found that by keeping the trunk of the body warm using the heated vest the extremities e.g. hands and feet do not get too cold. By using the Widder vest I now tend to use the BMW summer rain gloves all year simply adding a thin thermal pair below in the winter.

In short, never felt the need for heated gloves but would not ride without the Widder vest in cold weather; the vest takes up little pannier space.

Those with heated grips &/or handguards would be even better off and not need heated gloves.
 
I recently bought a Gerbing heated under Jacket, arms, neck front and back warm as toast excellent kit, make sure you buy the heat controller, without one you will simply cook!!! :thumb
 
I've got a "chille" heated vest with thermostat, life time guarantee, fully washable, and reasonably priced, and two in-line connectors, so you don't have a problem with wires/sockets/plugs everywhere when have to get off the bike .
With handlebar muffs and a shite bag, it's all i need :thumb
 
Another vote for the Gerbing, hard wired to the battery via their temperature controller. The back on my example is a little short, cut more like a sports bike jacket, but mine is a few years old and they may have altered the design.
I wouldn't underestimate the benefit of the heated collar ; there's a fair bit of blood flowing through one's neck (well, through my neck, anyway), and I reckon it's an area where heat loss can be easily prevented by the application of electricity.
The quality seems to be holding up well.
It's the best motorcycling accessory I've bought by far.

Phil
 
I have Gerbing kit.

The jacket liner seems more than long enough to me.

The benefit it has over a heated waistcoat is that it keeps my arms warm, and your arms are poking out straught into the wind. Also, the heated collar is an absolute Godsend. It keeps my neck very warm and means there's very little that is exposed to the nasty cold winter air.

The kids also bought me gloves (excellent), trouser liner and socks.

I've used the trouser liner a few times as it seems that I can cope qith having cold legs. But, I did make a 300 mile journey last winter when the temp barely exceeded 2 degs despite the bright sunshine.

I wore all the kit, and I was TOASTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It really did mean that the journey was a pleasant one.

I'd second the purchase of the Gerbin Heatroller. That way you can set the clothing to be just the temp you require. Otherwise, I reckon you'd be having to swtich it on and off as you overheated, then chilled, then overheated again ....
 
Another vote for Widder. I have the waistcoat with the heated collar and I also bought the arm chaps which make a huge difference - although they are a bit of a pain to take on and off. I am currently thinking about getting an Aerostich heated fleece. Having bought a couple back for people I'm quite impressed.

Mike
 
Spent a week through northern France last February made possible with Gerbing jackets. The girlfriend had the gloves too. Had them plugged into the accessory sockets on the adventure. Didn't use the heat controller (though have got one). Blew the fuse once which once blown took the girlfriend about 60 seconds to start jabbing me in the ribs as she was getting cold. She's generally not happy unless it's 20 degrees upward but was cosy for the whole week. In fact she was a bit too cosy 'cause she slept nearly the whole time we were on the bike. The collar and sleeves make all the difference though it can be quite awkward to do the collar on your jacket up with the heated jacket underneath. Also, I managed to get quite wet toward the end of the trip and without the heated jacket it would have been unbearable, instead it wasn't at all unpleasant.
 
Thanks everyone for your experiences of this kit. I think the Gerbring kit is uppermost in my mind as I will need a body unit and also gloves as I get white finger very easily in the cold, and the plug together facility seems useful. One advantage of seeing the kit at the NEC is being able to play with it before buying.
One definate purchase is the heat controller unit. If possible don't want to mess around too much while on the go.
One point that still isn't too clear for me. Should I use the items through the accessory socket, or simply hard wire to the battery. As previously mentioned electrics is a dark art to me, and don't want to mess up the CAN thingy. Anyone have any direct experience of what to do? Cheers all.
 
Hi Gipsy!

I haven't read all the posts on this thred.

All you need is apower socket on your bike, and tell Gerbing what clothes you want, and then you need money - that's all!
And you may need to change a fuse, so locate the fusebox on your bike.

You do not need to know anything about electrisity!

Once I had my trousers legs down inside my boots, I was wearing my socks from Gerbing, and it started to rain...
Result:
Wet and hot feets - feeling good! There was no danger, like I guess you have heard there is with a combination with water and electrisity - no problem!

A friend of mine is 70 years old, do not know much about electrisity, and he rides an R1159 GS.
He was cold, and he are now wery happy with his jacket liner and gloves - from Gerbing.

Don't worry!

:) Hot greetings from Liv in Norway. ;)
 
Giali

Gypsy, I bought a Giali tabard style vest at the NEC last year, about £70 including the BMW plug. It just slips on over my head with strips of velcro at the sides to keep it in place. I wore it thro' last winter in place of the lining for my HG Classic jacket and never felt the need for anything more.

It has an on/off switch rather than a thermostat. I shortened the cable from the vest to the switch to make it easy to reach when on the bike and canibalised a spiral extension cable to make the connection from the switch to the accessory socket. I just tuck the plug in a pocket when off the bike.
 
Gipsy said:
One definate purchase is the heat controller unit. If possible don't want to mess around too much while on the go.
One point that still isn't too clear for me. Should I use the items through the accessory socket, or simply hard wire to the battery. As previously mentioned electrics is a dark art to me, and don't want to mess up the CAN thingy. Anyone have any direct experience of what to do? Cheers all.
Click to expand...

FWIW, Gerbing supply a decent length lead to attach directly to the battery.

It's fused.

The accessory socket is fused at 5 amps, I belive, and a full draw jacket & gloves is 8 amps.

The Heatroller is quite workable with gloves on, so you can adjust the temp as you ride.

And as someone else has said, I did get very wet on one occasion as I rode through a re-run of Noah's deluge. Despite the sogginess, I never felt cold, and so the rain never really bothered me that much. I suspect that a warm neck was helpful here.

To be honest, the collar of the Gerbing liner hasn't presented me with any problems doing up the neck/collar of any of my jackets, although I concede that none of them are very tight.

Now, if only they made a heated balaclava ........... and a visor heating system to stop misting .....
 
Hi Dick and many thanks. Don't forget Schuberth do a heated visor for their lids!!
 
Just took delivery of a Gerbing jacket liner with heat controller... looks like real quality stuff. I'll be giving it a good test at the weekend.
When I ordered it (on tuesday) I asked the guy whether they are going to be at the NEC (they will) and whether they will be discounting any of their stuff there (they will not!).
If you go for the Gerbing, don't forget to mention UKGSER to get your 10% discount :thumb
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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