Gerbing Heated Jackets

[KevinW]

Is the PDU in the newer version of the Gerbing heated jackets a complete PITA for everyone or is it just the way I use it?

I have a dual heat controller that sits on the tank on a bit of Velcro for easy access when I'm riding. Using the older jacket, when I got off the bike to, say, put petrol in I'd disconnect the heat controller and leave it on the bike - nice and simple. With the new jacket I have to take the heat controller off the bike and stuff it in a pocket or have it dangling round my knees.

With the older version and the 'hanging down wire' I could decide after I'd set off whether I wanted to connect the heat; it was an easy fuss-free job to connect the heat controller to the jacket. With the PDU I either have to decide before I set off whether I want to use heat or undo jacket, jacket liner and Gerbing jacket to enable access to the PDU.

I'm sure there must be an easy solution but it escapes me. Gerbing don't sell short extension leads that I could connect to the PDU and leave hanging out of the jacket so I'm going to try a couple of the short Y pieces and use one side of each as that should put me back to where i was - wires hanging out of the bottom of the jacket.

It's not all bad. I like the idea that I can have different heat settings for jacket and gloves as I usually have the gloves turned up higher than the jacket but who decided I'd want to run the heated trousers at the same heat setting as the gloves rather than the jacket?

Anyway, whine over, I'll go back to lurking now!

Kevin

 

[Big Derek]

I sell gerbings clothing and have done for 6 years never had that experience you are mentioning? You can fit a short curly ext lead I have them in stock. Also I use a solid permanent contoller they are great! Make sure you have the short y lead fitted on the new jacket pdu then you will get gloves and jacket seperate.
Derek 07736 157500 if I can help I will.

 

[KevinW]

Thanks for your response Derek which contains a solution to one of my issues but I'm a bit puzzled by your suggestion that I use a Y piece to separate the electrical feeds from jacket and gloves.

I suspect the best way forward may be a 'phone call but I'd like to ensure I've not totally lost the plot first!

The PDU contains three connectors - two male for electrical feeds and one female for plugging in another item of clothing. I have a dual portable temperature controller which occupies both male PDU connectors. The Gerbing jacket/PDU is wired in such a way that one of the electrical feeds goes to the jacket and the other is for anything that is plugged into the jacket such as gloves, trousers, etc. so the gloves and jacket already use separate heat controls.

The issue I have (had) was that if the trousers are plugged into the jacket they use the same temperature setting as the gloves which is not good at all. If I follow your suggestion about using a Y-piece I can connect jacket and trousers to one feed (as opposed to plugging the trousers into the jacket) and the gloves will use the other. Problem solved, thank you.

When I first read your response I wasn't sure how you could not have had the same experience as I have but I think I've figured it out. As you are using a permanent controller I assume you run extension cables from the PDU to the controller?

We use any of half a dozen bikes so permanent dual controllers would be prohibitively expensive, doubly so when you consider SWMBO is invariably with me; that would be 12 controllers at £69 a piece which is definitely in 'Eek!" territory.

It's much cheaper for us each to use a portable controller. Mine sits on a Velcro pad on the tank just in front of me and SWMBO has hers dangling through the handle on her bum bag. Both of them are easy to access on the move and both are currently connected directly to the PDU which is why I need to have the heat controller dangling or stuffed in a pocket when I get off the bike.

The shortest extension cables I can see on the Gerbing site extend to 2' and are quite long even when coiled. I only need something which when plugged into the PDU will dangle just below the jacket - about 4" long. A couple of Y-pieces ought to do it.

I'm rather taken with the idea of the wireless dual Heat Troller but I need to investigate how it works to see if will interface with the Gerbing gear.

Kevin