Gerbing's Heated Jacket Liner

[Mike]

I purchased a heated jacket liner from Gerbing's a short while ago, and have been anxiously awaiting the exit of warm weather here in Chicagoland. Perverse, I know, but a guy's gotta check out his gear. Right?

 

(Photos are from the Gerbing's website.)

 

Anyway, my prayers were answered yesterday when I awoke to morning temperatures in the upper forties and a spouse who was otherwise occupied for the entire day. I tossed on my trusty Aerostich Darien outfit (with the Gerbing's jacket liner underneath, of course), and hit the road, headed for Southwest Wisconsin. It really was a great day for a ride--clear skies, cool temps, and nice scenery. Mostly, I was heading up to spend a little time with my wife's family, who were getting together at "the farm" to watch a little football.

 

Now, in theory you could buy a Gerbing's liner and use an on/off switch ($14.95), but the liner puts out so much heat that you'd soon end up a pile of ashes. Instead, I got the portable temp controller, a $69.95 add-on to the $199.95 jacket liner:

 

 

As I motored through the hills of southwest Wisconsin and Northwest Illinois, I couldn't help but harken back to ride in similar weather over thirty years ago. I was taking my new RD400 from upstate New York to visit my wife in Boston, where she had preceded me by a few months in a move. I took off in jeans, a lightly insulated nylon jacket, and wearing no gloves. Thank God a farmer riding the Lake Champlain ferry took mercy on me and pulled a pair of old farm gloves out of his truck to give to me before we got to the new Hampshire side. It was a miserable ride, but I made it . . . though I was frozen through by the end.

 

My ride yesterday was sublime . . . I was soooo comfy, despite the cool temperatures.

 

I've had a handful of heated garments over the years, and none has functioned as well as the Gerbing's liner. It seems to be well constructed, cuts a pretty slim profile and fit easily under my Darien. It cranks out a lot of heat, and the controller makes it possible to instantly dial up as much (or as little) heat as you'd like.

 

If anything surprised me, it was how much heat the liner produces and how quickly it responded to adjustments of the controller. I have no doubts that the liner would function well at sub-freezing temperatures. Again, this was just my first ride with the liner (around 430 miles), but I was really impressed.

 

The tall collar is fully heated and, at least yesterday, did an admirable job of keeping my neck warm. I usually wear an Aerostich fleece triangle around my neck in cold weather, but this was nicer. Also, the liner has quality elastic cuffs, which seal your arms from drafts running up your sleeves. These things seem simple, but add up to a very effective design.

 

A little more about the product:

 

-First, the fit. I normally wear an XL-Long in jackets. The Large-Long from Gerbing's fits me perfectly. Their representative told me that the jacket liners run a little big, so I followed that advice. Ask, and don't make any assumptions, about sizing.

 

-The liner is $199.95, but you'll want a controller. I opted for the less expensive single controller, but if you're going to add other Gerbing's heated garments (they make heated pants liners, gloves, insoles, etc.), you might want to consider a dual controller, which allows you two set up two control circuits. You can swaddle yourself in electrically-heated luxury from neck to toe, if you're so inclined. I'm thinking I'm going to get some of their gloves next.

 

The liner comes with the wiring needed to hook it up directly to your battery, but I prefer to have the option of using one of my auxiliary outlets. On ZFE/CAN-BUS-equipped BMWs, you need to be aware of the amperage rating of your auxiliary outlet. The jacket liner draws 6.4 amps, and some of the mid-2000s BMWs limited the amperage at the auxiliary outlet to 5 amps. You can bypass the ZFE controller with a direct-wire kit, like those from Powerlet, or you could direct wire it yourself. I understand that some later models permit a draw up to 10 amps, so you could use the liner and heated gloves (2.2 amps), for example.

 

Bottom line? I've always known Gerbing's as the gold standard among heated gear, but had never taken the plunge. If yesterday's ride was any indication, I'll spend many a cozy day in my comfy, toasty Gerbing's liner. It's a quality piece of gear.

[JayW]

Nice review. I have had a Gerbings jacket liner for years and carry it if there is even only a slight chance that I'll wish I had it. Even in non-frigid temperatures, a little heat from the liner makes the trip all that much more pleasant. Mine still looks and acts like new, so I doubt the newer microwire technology is in my foreseaable future.

 

Thanks to some gifts from family, I now have a full setup including gloves, pants and even the socks. I have been known to ride when it is well below freezing, so I'll be trying the whole ensemble out this winter. All this is probably overkill in NC, but maybe not for when I venture north or to the rockies.

 

Jay

[Thylacine]

I have to say that the Gerbing's liner has been the best bike-related purchase that I've ever made. Even without the pants and gloves, it makes cold-weather riding downright enjoyable.

 

I shot the photo below during a 100-mile, mid-winter ride last January, and was perfectly warm despite the 25- to 30-degree F temperatures.

 

[tallman]

1. Hook to battery, you'll be glad.

2. Get the gloves, you'll be gladder.

3. They work in subfreezing weather which will make you gladdest.

 

We run 2 sets of jackets and gloves.

[Lmar]

I presently have a Widder electric vest. I have been considering upgrading to a Gerbing Heated jacket Liner. I tried one on at our local BMW dealer. I usually wear an XL, but the large, long jacket fit me perfectly.

 

Thanks for the info on the level of heat the liner puts out, I was considering the temp controller, now it seems a must.

 

Which gloves do you guys recommend; T5 or G3 and why?

 

[moshe_levy]

Hey Mike-

 

On the new liner you have, can you describe connections - is it still a connector sewn into the liner itself, or has the design changed such that a line comes out of the liner?

 

In my heated gear tests for MCN last year, I loved the Gerbings liner the most, but hated the connections so much that it came in second place, behind Warm & Safe. The Gerbing's came loose on me a few times and annoyed me beyond belief. Besides that major flaw, the jacket was far and away my favorite.

 

Re gloves Gerbing's is tops, with EXO2 close behind if you like some additional knuckle and finger protection at a little added cost. Both are excellent. G3 is much less bulky than the old style, and warmer to boot.

 

The Gerbing's controller is crappy compared to more modern offerings (I love the EXO model, and also love the W&S remote heat-troller - comparing either to the Gerbing's ergonomically is like comparing your computer to an abacus).

 

For those interested in the lab data I collected, the too long and unedited raw tex of the article from MCN can be found here http://www.mklsportster.com/Articles/mcnheatedgearraw.pdf

 

-MKL

[Kathy R]

+1 Mike. I got mine last season.

 

I have the dual control, as my jacket and gloves are rarely set at the same level. I loved my first Gerbing set up, but this new gear is well worth the changeover. I do keep some of these handy if my legs or feet get cold. I don't think I'll bother to spend the money on the pant liners and socks. For how infrequently I need heat there, the Hot Hands do the trick for pennies.

[Mike]

Hey Mike-

 

On the new liner you have, can you describe connections - is it still a connector sewn into the liner itself, or has the design changed such that a line comes out of the liner?

 

-MKL

 

Moshe--Nice article. Thanks for sharing the link to your file. The connection setup appears to be the same as what you described in your article. Gerbing's describes it as a Power Distribution Unit:

 

 

I don't have sufficient experience to disagree with your conclusions about the connection, but I didn't experience any problems. Maybe my setup--which is not necessarily finalized--put less tension on the cord. First, to set the stage for those who haven't seen Gerbing's products up close, they now use a coaxial connector system; the connectors looks somewhat like an RCA-type plug. I have placed an auxiliary BMW-type power outlet on the top left side of my ST's fairing. I connected the Gerbing's heat controller to a coaxial adapter that plugs into my auxiliary outlet and attached the controller to the left side of my tank using Velcro.

 

This means that there was essentially no tension on the connection while I was riding. However, I got off the bike three times to refuel, leaving the liner plugged in, and didn't have any problems. It seemed like a very secure connection, which causes me to ponder if you might not have had a connector that was either slightly out of spec or if Gerbing's may have refined the connection in some way since your review. Whatever the case--and admittedly this was just my experience over a few hours and a few hundred miles--the connections seemed very secure.

 

As far as the controller, I don't have any point of comparison. It seemed to work well and it was easy to set the heat output exactly where I wanted it. I saw that your review indicated that the W&S heat-troller had tactile detents as you rotated the controller through its range. It does seem like that would be a helpful feature, particularly if the controller was outside your line of sight, but the Gerbing's controller does have a feature that helps in this regard--a red LED that flashes at varying intervals, depending on the intensity of the heat setting (more heat = faster flashing).

[Mike]

Thanks for the info on the level of heat the liner puts out, I was considering the temp controller, now it seems a must.

 

You'll have to get a controller. The temperatures were in the 45-50 degree range, and I was nowhere near the maximum heat setting on the controller. I have an old Darien liner, which I'll be selling soon, and, while it produced a nice, comfy level of heat, I found that an on/off switch was sufficient. That's not feasible with the Gerbing's liner--you might crank it up to it's max setting in very cold conditions, but you'd cook at higher ambient air temperatures.

[BluegrassPicker]

Another tip - I went back and forth on whether to get a dash mount or portable controller. I went with the dash mount, but if I was doing it again I would go with the portable controller.

 

On the dash mount - the connection on led light is flimsy at best and broke during install - it was also sealed and not repairable. This causesd me to have to buy another controller.

 

The portable controller is in more robust housing.

 

In spite of this I love the jacket and it works great in a variety of temps. I have the coiled lead which I like better than the straight lead.

 

 

 

[tallman]

We hook the protable controller to the outside of our jackets along the adjustment belt most riding jackets have.

Never an issue, easy to access to adjust.

[moshe_levy]

Re controllers, I wish some of you guys had the experience I went through last year, testing them back to back in freezing weather. I think you'd be surprised as I was, to find the real huge differences between manufacturer performance is in the controllers, not so much the gear. ALL the gear is generally pretty good, with the exception of Tourmaster which was marginal.

 

The fumbling around in mounting and operating inherent with the Gerbing's controller is a tiring annoyance when such better designs are available - for example the EXO unit I tested. Staring at a tiny blinking LED on the Gerbings - or easily seeing a 0.5" high readout with precise temperature on the EXO? Turning a tiny detentless knob with gloved hands on the Gerbing's, or pushing a single button to cycle through the temp range on the EXO? Having it hooked to your jacket out of sight, on some homemade velcro setup with the Gerbing's, or having it solidly mount easily to the handlebar without any difficulty like the EXO? And the EXO's cheaper than the Gerbing's, to boot. Absolutely no contest, functionally or otherwise.

 

The Gerbing's controller is simply not ideal for use on a motorcycle, compared to other less expensive and far more ergonomic designs out there. Warm & Safe remote is another example of a far superior product at a similar price. Gerbing's is a great company and their gear is excellent, but seriously, how old is this controller design? It's been the same since I started riding 12 years ago. Why isn't it updated to compete with other motorcycle-friendly designs? I personally think it's selling on inertia and based on the Gerbing's good name, but I'd bet a mortgage payment nobody who tries an EXO or W&S remote would ever want to go back to a Gerbing's controller.

 

-MKL

[moshe_levy]

Oops, realized EXO is not such a well known brand in here, and my article pictures are pretty small. Here's a better picture of the controller I tested:

 

 

Two buttons: on/off and temp, which cycles through levels 1-9 as shown on the large LED display. The buttons are huge and easily felt with gloved fingers. Solid mount is included for $60 and it looks right at home on an RT dash as shown in my article.

 

I modified mine for portability by cutting the power wires and adding some molex connectors. When winter's over, I loosen one handlebar bolt, and off it comes. The wires are then tucked under the bodywork, ready for next season. Can't beat it with a stick - though it is not a dual controller, for those who want that. Still, you can buy two of these for same price as a Gerbing's or W&S dual controller, so if that option is still open.

 

-MKL

 

 

[tomk99r11]

Funny how experiences differ. I know you test a lot of items but my Tourmaster liner is every bit as durable and warm and controllable, with the stock issue controls, as is my Gerbings. And I have ridden in lots of cold rain with both.

[rad]

I love my Gerbings. It is getting very long in the tooth; I have had it for about ten years. I was 25lbs heaver then, that plus the jacket age has me considering a new, better fitting Gerbings.

 

As for controls, on my current bike the dash mount works very well with any type of gloves.

 

[Mike]

Oops, realized EXO is not such a well known brand in here, and my article pictures are pretty small. Here's a better picture of the controller I tested:

 

 

Two buttons: on/off and temp, which cycles through levels 1-9 as shown on the large LED display. The buttons are huge and easily felt with gloved fingers. Solid mount is included for $60 and it looks right at home on an RT dash . . . Still, you can buy two of these for same price as a Gerbing's or W&S dual controller.

 

That looks like a good alternative. Where did you source the connector? Could you give a brief tutorial on the conversion? I imagine it's pretty straightforward.

 

It looks like the overall cost is similar to the Gerbing's single controller--$69.95 vs. $60 + cost of the Molex connector.

 

The only question I'd have is if this might in some way impact warranty coverage for a competitor's garment. Any thoughts on whether anything about the characteristics of using a non-Gerbing's controller might affect the garment? It doesn't seem that it would, but my knowledge of electricity begins and ends at how to flip a switch.

 

[Thylacine]

I haven't tried any controller but the Gerbing's, but I've found it awkward enough that I mostly just carry it with me in the accessory box, but rarely use it. With gloves, it's just too difficult to adjust while riding. Instead, I've just been using the switch on the cord to turn the heat on and off as needed.

 

I've found that matching the jacket that I wear over the liner to the general temperature for that day usually works fine and minimizes the need for the controller. For example, I can wear the Gerbing's liner under my summer mesh jacket in the low 50s F and be just fine on high heat. Below that, I'll put on increasingly heavier jackets or layers over the liner.

 

I do agree, though, that a better-designed controller would result in me actually using it more, and that would be good. As for the connector plugs into the liner, I've never had an issue with them (except when dismounting the bike and forgetting that I'm tethered to it).

 

Bottom line: I absolutely love the year-old liner, but the controller needs an ergonomically driven redesign.

[moshe_levy]

Mike-

 

The reason I modified the EXO design is, as you can see, it hardwires to the battery. I didn't want to have the controller permanently mounted to the bike since it's only in use for 2-3 months at most, but by the same token didn't want to deal with hooking it up every season (being the lazy type). So, all I did was cut the power wire to the battery and added some molex type connectors, which we have in stock at work. You can go to Radio Shack if you have the same idea, and get whatever connectors you want - a few cents, at most. Anyway, once that's done, the wiring's on permanently, and when winter comes I bolt the controller to the handlebars, snap the wire connectors together, and off I go. When spring comes, unhook the wiring, remove one bolt and take controller off. Simple, easy, effective.

 

I have pictures but none online. I actually sent this idea to EXO following my review and encouraged them to do it from the factory since then this device would be "perfect" but I've never heard they followed through on it. If I can find those pics I'll send them - otherwise, I can easily take some new ones if you want.

 

Functionally, mixing and matching garments and controllers with same coax type connections is no problem. Actually, my preferred personal setup is a W&S Gen 4 jacket liner, Gerbing's G3 gloves, and the EXO controller - the winners from my test, in other words. Everything works perfectly together, perhaps analogous to the fact that your TV, DVD Player, VCR, and Surround System need not all be made by Sony to hook up and work well together. Only Aerostich (in my test) still uses the SAE plug as opposed to coax.

 

One more thing - those of you with old garments, you might consider replacement. My back-to-back lab testing of my 10 year old Gerbing's vs. new shows how far the products have improved in terms of heat generation (temp and time), and subjectively, comfort. There is no comparison. For $200 minus the $100 you can probably get for your old liner, replace it if you don't have a newer one. You'll thank me. The Microwire Gerbing's is indeed comfortable and heats up quickly with no hot spots.

 

For all the advertising hoopla re Microwire though, no garment could touch EXO's with regards to total heat generation in the quickest amount of time - and the EXO garments had half the draw of any other brand. Meaning, both EXO gloves draw roughly what one G3 Gerbing's draws, though they get just as hot (if not hotter) in less time. Same with the vest vs. Tourmaster. This matters if you ride a bike with limited alt output for gear.

 

At the time I tested, EXO only had a vest, not a jacket liner. Their material is soft, rubbery "Fabroc," not wiring. Hence, even with the vast improvements made in recent years to keep liners from feeling like spaghetti's in the fabric, the EXO gear is miles ahead in comfort because there literally is no wiring inside. If they come out with a liner, and keep the price at or not too far above Gerbing's, it would be a very interesting comparison test.

 

-MKL

 

PS - Tom, I hear you, but it depends on what you're comparing. If you're comparing an old copper-wire Gerbing's to Tourmaster, you're right, there's not much difference, as my lab tests show. If however you're comparing Tourmaster to any other modern offering I tested - Microwire Gerbing's, EXO, or W&S - they are the poorest performers by far in terms of how warm they get and how long they take to get warm. There is no contest there.

[RedMac]

Moshe,

Thanks for the original writeup you did and the updates here. Actually, based on what you wrote, I just ordered one one of the EXO controllers.

 

I actually have one of these:

 

http://www.ventureheat.com/12v-heated-gear/12v-heated-jacket-liner/mc-28-12v-heated-jacket-liner.html

 

I picked it up at the International Cycle show a few years ago. Partly because of the great price and the fact that it came with a controller (The guy at the show sold it to me for 150). I've been happy with the jacket so far. It has some kind of microwire heating, heats fast, very even heat, but the controller isn't that great. No way to mount it, it dangles down your leg and only 4 heat settings. I've often found I want it between two of the setting and then end up switching back and forth between say low and medium. So I'll use the Exo controller with this jacket.

 

In retrospect, I probably would purchase the Gerbings jacket now. I've heard nothing but good things about their customer service and the new microwires seem darn nice. This venture heat jacket *does* have a lifetime warranty, but it specifically states that the warranty is on the heating elements. I've never heard of a problem with anyone sending a Gerbings back for any failure at all.

 

I'll setup the EXO the same way you do, so I can easily remove it and put it on.

 

Thanks for the tip on that.

 

[Mike]

Mike-

 

The reason I modified the EXO design is, as you can see, it hardwires to the battery. I didn't want to have the controller permanently mounted to the bike since it's only in use for 2-3 months at most, but by the same token didn't want to deal with hooking it up every season (being the lazy type). So, all I did was cut the power wire to the battery and added some molex type connectors, which we have in stock at work. You can go to Radio Shack if you have the same idea, and get whatever connectors you want - a few cents, at most. Anyway, once that's done, the wiring's on permanently, and when winter comes I bolt the controller to the handlebars, snap the wire connectors together, and off I go. When spring comes, unhook the wiring, remove one bolt and take controller off. Simple, easy, effective.

 

Thanks . . . now I get it. I was under the impression that the EXO controller used different connectors than Gerbing's. I've spent the money and the Gerbing's controller seems to work well for me, but I'll keep the EXO unit in mind, in case I have a change of heart.

 

Incidentally, you raised the idea that it would be helpful if the Gerbing's liner had a dangly wire (my terminology). I checked their website and they do offer 24" and 36" extensions that you could keep permanently attached to the Power Distribution Unit. Presumably this would keep a person from having to connect directly to the PDU each time. I might incorporate an extension into my setup.

[notacop]

added some molex type connectors, which we have in stock at work.

 

So, does this infer you think your work place should provide you what you should be buying on your own?

Oh, it's only pennies, but isn't it stealing?

Inquiring minds want to know how you explain this!

[moshe_levy]

So, does this infer you think your work place should provide you what you should be buying on your own?

Oh, it's only pennies, but isn't it stealing?

Inquiring minds want to know how you explain this!

 

Don't worry, it's all above board!

 

Mike, I do see the extensions to the PDU. There they should have definitely gone the Aerostich route and used an SAE connection, which will not easily come loose the way a coax does if you pull on it. Too much hassle for me - I'll take my W&S Gen 4 jacket with the "dangling" wires that allow me more than enough room to get off the bike and refill, with no worries about coming loose. PDU's personal taste - some like it, some hate it. I'm in the latter camp.

 

-MKL

 

 

[VinnyR11]

Good thread. Thanks to those contributing reviews. My old Gerbings jacket finally kicked the bucket after 15 years of excellent use, so this is very timely.

 

I like that EXO design, and would probably do a direct battery hook up anyway, so it sounds like it's just a drop in replacement when using a Gerbings jacket. May actually go for the EXO jacket as well after your glowing review. I'll check them out.

 

As an aside, I always found my Gerbings to be a great windproof layer even without the electric heat.

 

For me, the best thing about n electric vest is the great reduction in layers. Much more comfortable both from a temperature perspective and overall freedom of movement.

[rad]

One more thing - those of you with old garments, you might consider replacement. My back-to-back lab testing of my 10 year old Gerbing's vs. new shows how far the products have improved in terms of heat generation (temp and time), and subjectively, comfort. There is no comparison.

 

I just purchased my first Roadcrafter, and my 10+ year old Gerbings that is too big for me is a tad bulky under the suit. I think I will go the new Gerbings route. I have tried the new ones on and they appear to be a bit less bulky, especially in the smaller size that fits me now.

 

I look forward to no hot spots; my old liner was great, but it of course had its hot spots.

 

[tallman]

Gerbings lifetime warranty.

See about getting it resurrected.

[moshe_levy]

No, don't. Sell the old one, and get a new one, which doesn't have hot spots - the old thick copper wiring of the 10 year old design will eventually bunch up and create hot and cold spots, where the new design doesn't have this issue. After back to back testing, that's exactly what I did, and it's money well spent.

 

-MKL

[Kathy R]

We hook the protable controller to the outside of our jackets along the adjustment belt most riding jackets have.

Never an issue, easy to access to adjust.

 

+1

I find it easy to operate both round knob controls with my heated G3 gloves.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

For me, the best thing about n electric vest is the great reduction in layers. Much more comfortable both from a temperature perspective and overall freedom of movement.

 

I was thinking this all the way home from BRR yesterday:

 

- t-shirt

- long-sleeve overshirt

- electric vest

- jacket liner

- jacket

 

SO much bulk, it was seriously annoying. I want to be able to get rid of the overshirt, vest (which includes some insulation as well as the electrics), and jacket liner, and replace it all with an insulated liner with full-length sleeves. Mike and Moshe's reviews have arrived at a serendipitous moment for me.

[Paul Mihalka]

As I missed BRR (grrrrr...) I went for a good ride yesterday. Up on I68 toward Deep Creek Lake, around 8am, it dropped under 40. A thin Underarmour style long sleeve shirt, heated jacket liner, heavy leather Harley FXRG jacket that has a built-in Goretex lining. Heated gloves. The jacket comes with a extra warm liner but I did not use it. With the heat controller at about 2/3, I was perfectly comfortable. By the time I got home it was 60+. All I did was turn the heat off and change gloves. No need to take layers off. That's another great plus of the heated stuff. Much less need to add/take off layers.

[Peter Parts]

Very interesting thread.

 

Mike - I was really impressed by that ferry you took from New York to New Hampshire in original post. Quite a trick flying over Vermont.

 

Doing it yourself always appeals to me. Funny, bikers are not as big DIYers as I would expect and maybe BMW kind of folks least of all. Sad.

 

For controllers, Google "MX033" and for $20 or so, you can make your own 15 Amp jobbie.

 

If you think you want adjustment, then you ought to want adjustment separately for each component of clothing, eh. A few cheap MX033s will do that for you.

 

Having said that, I get along very happily with just an on-off switch. $2 from the hardware store. Maybe folks around here have more cold-weather clothing to choose from (you bet we do!), but I don the Gerbings jacket and gloves only when it is pretty cold and then I mostly just keep it on full.

 

Likewise, the time-constant on clothing of this sort is large so even if you find yourself in some temperature gray zone, just hitting the switch once every 5 minutes is fine. What else do you have to do on a cold ride except curse the weather? So I'd say not to buy a controller, Gerbings or Levy-recommended, till you are sure you need it.

 

Remember, these controllers are not thermostats. When you start, you crank them on full and then hit-or-miss adjust them as you ride. Any advantage over a switch?

 

For pants, the Salvation Army store (around here) has snowmobile bib overalls. Works great and you can add long underwear beneath when it is cold or just ride in your jeans underneath if you are going to a wedding or something.

 

Ben

[EddyQ]

Doing it yourself always appeals to me.

 

I was considering making a jacket or vest out of some of this stuff. Self Regulating Heater Cable

 

Unfortunately, there are some serious issues such as fine control, stiffness and reliability in a flexable application. But, it would have some merits over other methods of heating.

[Peter Parts]

Doing it yourself always appeals to me.

 

I was considering making a jacket or vest out of some of this stuff. Self Regulating Heater Cable

snip

 

There's an article (or two) about doing it. Really piece of cake if you can do the sewing. You use pretty ordinary thin-gauge wire. The secret is to avoid heating the kidney area which causes some odd but serious physiology reaction to occur.

 

BTW, don't know where I wrote it up, but very simple to create handgrip heaters the same way. I vaguely remember using 70 feet of 26 gauge in series on the two hands and takes 20 minutes to install each winter.

 

.... it is my custom not to provide details because that way, only people who know enough to keep out of trouble can proceed on their own. Gawd, I wish Lentini had done that with zero=zero.

 

Ben

[rad]

Doing it yourself always appeals to me.

 

I was considering making a jacket or vest out of some of this stuff. Self Regulating Heater Cable

 

Unfortunately, there are some serious issues such as fine control, stiffness and reliability in a flexable application. But, it would have some merits over other methods of heating.

 

Here is a shot of my buddy with the heated gear he made himself. He said it really keeps him nice and toasty.

[Sellis]

Hi All,

 

I have an old Gerbing with the old style connectors, if I upgrade to the new style, they have changed the connectors to "coax", since I already have a bunch of cables, extensions, BMW accessory plugs, etc, acquired over the years, I'd like to just purchase some of the "coax" connectors. I realize that there there are adapter cables available, but that is just one extra wire. I can cut off the old connectors just make new cables. Does anyone have a source for the connectors, or at lease more of a description than just "coax". I've also thought about using some sort of surface mount somewhere on the bike, wired directly to the battery, that I could just plug the jacket into without any cables other than the one going to the jacket , then possibly mount the XTO controller in a remote location.

 

Thanks,

 

Steve

[Peter Parts]

Those are great "coax" connectors, "RCA" audio size, but much better made. They meet that magic criterion - "disconnects before tripping the rider on his nose or ripping the cable."

 

There are no special issues such as radio interference to worry about. Mostly just power handling capability and some basic polarity housekeeping (only if you have an electronic controller and/or chance of chassis contact).

 

Gerbings gear is wired in parallel but not all other manufacturers are. You do not want to mix them up.

 

The cheap SAE auto plugs work nice.

 

Piece of cake to change plugs and make harnesses.

 

Ben

[Mike]

Very interesting thread.

 

Mike - I was really impressed by that ferry you took from New York to New Hampshire in original post. Quite a trick flying over Vermont.

 

Ben

 

Yes, that RD was quite a quick bike! I guess the ride must have frozen part of my brain . . . indeed, the ferry went to Burlington, Vermont. Nonetheless, this ride was an exercise in youthful optimism stupidity.

[Mike]

Hi All,

 

I have an old Gerbing with the old style connectors, if I upgrade to the new style, they have changed the connectors to "coax", since I already have a bunch of cables, extensions, BMW accessory plugs, etc, acquired over the years, I'd like to just purchase some of the "coax" connectors. I realize that there there are adapter cables available, but that is just one extra wire. I can cut off the old connectors just make new cables. Does anyone have a source for the connectors, or at lease more of a description than just "coax". I've also thought about using some sort of surface mount somewhere on the bike, wired directly to the battery, that I could just plug the jacket into without any cables other than the one going to the jacket , then possibly mount the XTO controller in a remote location.

 

Thanks,

 

Steve

 

Steve--

 

I haven't tried an RCA-type plug to see if it fits into the Gerbing's plug, but here's a comparison:

 

Gerbing's:

 

 

RCA Plug:

 

 

I'm not in a location where I can get to the plugs, but I don't think the two are interchangeable. Maybe someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

 

It shouldn't be difficult to convert existing wiring to the coax plugs, the only concern being the integrity of your splices. I'd contact Gerbing's to see if they sell the coax plugs separately. I don't see them listed on the website, but their customer service people seem very helpful.

[CoarsegoldKid]

I haven't seen coax connectors sold anywhere. It seems to me that they are only sold molded to the cable.

[tallman]

This how to article used RCA plugs, I think.

 

This one used SAE

[Paul Mihalka]

My first heated garment was a Widder heated vest. It used a very convenient two prong plug: http://www.widder.com/html/Hookups/index.htm#

My first Gerbing Jacket used SAE plugs. I didn't like them at all. Hard to plug/unplug, if you forget to unplug they don't let go. I converted that Gerbing to Widder plugs. Now everything is coaxial, the best.

[Sellis]

Thanks for the reply's everyone. I emailed Gerbing's and they were not any help, they told me all their cables came from China as an assembly. I went to Radio Shack and looked around and once I found out what they were called, I could find them on the net. Just for your reference, they are a "coax dc power connector" the 2.5 MM is the one used on the jacket. Link is an example: http://www.kenselectronics.com/lists/coaxpp.htm

 

Steve

[moshe_levy]

Strange that they were not helpful. My original Gerbing's was a decade old with the original SAE plug, and they swapped out all connections for coaxial for like $20 if I recall. Spiffed up the liner too and smoothed out all the old bunched up wiring. Gerbing's has always been good to deal with, at least to me.

 

-MKL

[tallman]

Did you call them and ask to buy one?

They most likely couldn't do that.

I've had nothing but good service for multiple articles over a number of years, including a return.

[Robus]

Tallman advised wiring the gear to the battery. Could he or someone else elaborate on why this is preferable to using the accessory socket? I heard that some of the earlier year model BMWs were not wired to support this gear. Has this problem been sorted out? I'm riding a 2010 RT.

[dirtrider]

Evening Robus

 

The later RT’s have a higher amp rating on the accessory socket than the early ones did. The Amp rating of your accessory socket should be in your riders manual (I believe it is 10 Amps) At least it was on the 2009 RT’s so no reason to believe it was lowered again on the 2010 RT’s.

 

At 10 Amps it should easily be able to run a single heated vest or heated jacket liner but can cause issues and shut down if trying to operate an array of heated gear like jacket liner, heated gloves, heated boot liners, and heated pant liners.

 

The best approach is to just wire an outlet directly to the battery using a 15 amp fuse. That way you can also use a conventional battery maintainer without needing the very expensive BMW charger.

 

You can add a coax connector directly to the battery or remove the stock low Ampfactory accessory outlet than add a high Amp early BMW outlet or Powerlet outlet wired through a fuse directly to the battery (this is how I had my 1200RT wired)