Rob L Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 Friday I took a ride to my local dealer....170 miles. OK not the closest, but my favorite (BMW of Grand Rapids). The last time I was there (early August) they had a Gerbings jacket liner on sale at a great deal. This was the older style, pre-microwire, jacket. I decided that I would buy it if it was still available. It was! I also purchased a pair of G3 gloves and the single controller and a BMW adapter for the outlet on my bike. I got a good deal.....spent my allowance for the next several months I tried it all out Friday and Saturday over another 200 plus miles. 47° and toasty :thumbsup:The nice part of all of this, I no longer need to wear my heated vest with a jacket liner over it and my riding jacket over all. I was feeling like the Michelin man Now I slip on the liner and my riding jacket and plug in. This also eliminates having to put on the "T" harness for my Widder gloves. The jacket liner has connectors at the end of the sleeves to connect to the new gloves and they even provide a zippered pocket to store the connectors in My prep time to ride until it snows will be shorter and a lot less frustrating BTW There is a nice BMW heated vest and Widder gloves on Ebay Link to comment
Deek Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 ..........they had a Gerbings jacket liner on sale at a great deal. This was the older style, pre-microwire, jacket. .....It was! I also purchased a pair of G3 gloves and the single controller and a BMW adapter for the outlet on my bike. I got a good deal.....spent my allowance for the next several months I tried it all out Friday and Saturday over another 200 plus miles. 47° and toasty :thumbsup:The nice part of all of this, I no longer need to wear my heated vest with a jacket liner over it and my riding jacket over all. I was feeling like the Michelin man Now I slip on the liner and my riding jacket and plug in. This also eliminates having to put on the "T" harness for my Widder gloves. The jacket liner has connectors at the end of the sleeves to connect to the new gloves and they even provide a zippered pocket to store the connectors in My prep time to ride until it snows will be shorter and a lot less frustrating BTW There is a nice BMW heated vest and Widder gloves on Ebay Ditto....well, I don't have the gloves, don't really need them where I ride. But that heated jacket liner is even better than I imagined. And being able to leave all that layered bulk off sure makes it more comfortable. However, I still toss a very warm sheep -fleece vest in my top case just in case the heater becomes unheated due to some problem. That can happen I hear. Link to comment
Lmar Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 I have the new micro wire heated jacket. I love it. I had a Widder heated vest for about 12 years, I like the liner much better. Keeps my arms warm. I am looking at a set of heated gloves. Let me know how you like the G3's. Link to comment
Rob L Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 The G3s worked well at 47°....have to wait a few weeks before the weather gets cold enough to really test them. I treated them with Snowseal when I got home. The brochure said that they will keep your hands dry due to the liner, but that the leather will absorb moisture and take a while to dry unless you treat it with a water repellent. I just put the gloves on and and rubbed a glob of Snowseal on as if I was washing my hands. Seems to work pretty well! Link to comment
dirtrider Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 Morning Rob Yes, let us know how that single controller works out when the weather gets cold. At 47° it really isn’t cold enough to even need heated gear so you can run both (jacket & gloves) at a very reduced setting. I think you will find that when it gets cold enough to need heated gear, like down in the 20’s & lower 30’s that you will need a lot more hand heat than jacket liner heat. With the single controller that will mean you will have to run the jacket liner way hotter than you would like to maintain proper glove heat. Link to comment
Kathy R Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 If you do find you wish you had two thermostats, you can try Triple Digits for $50 or get the dual thermostat for $100. I rarely have my gloves set at the same level as my liner, unless it's below 45 degrees. I have found, in an unscientific poll, that women set the heat higher than men. Link to comment
Rob L Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 A few years back....I didn't have a controller at all! I used the on/off switch to control the heat. Link to comment
Kathy R Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 Yep, and I'd grumble about it back then! Link to comment
Jaguar Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 I use a toggle switch to turn my heated gear on and off. Last winter, the on board thermometer read 26 degrees one morning on my ride to work. With the gear on and heated grips on high, I didn't feel much warmth at 60 MPH. All the gear works great when the temps dip into the 30's, but it all changes when it dives into the 20's. Link to comment
JR356 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Why did you not offer the BMW vest and the gloves in the Flea Market here first? Probably would be snapped up right away.Better than dealing with some of the shady people on fleabay! JR356 Link to comment
DiggerJim Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I have found, in an unscientific poll, that women set the heat higher than men. That's cause everyone knows women riders are hotties! Link to comment
tallman Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I use a toggle switch to turn my heated gear on and off. Last winter, the on board thermometer read 26 degrees one morning on my ride to work. With the gear on and heated grips on high, I didn't feel much warmth at 60 MPH. All the gear works great when the temps dip into the 30's, but it all changes when it dives into the 20's. EZ enough to add silk glove liners (+ 5-7 degrees) and overgloves like Aerostitch Triple Digits (+10 degrees) or the insulated Triple Digits (+15 or more). I use the regular Triple digits, silk liners, and don't bother with the heated grips. Gerbings jacket liners and gloves for both of us. One hour commute that can be below freezing. Link to comment
Rob L Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 Why did you not offer the BMW vest and the gloves in the Flea Market here first? Probably would be snapped up right away.Better than dealing with some of the shady people on fleabay! JR356 I have had very good results with Ebay and the auction system seems to drive the prices up. I had a bid within an hour of placing the add. My choice. I like watching the auction. Link to comment
RockBottom Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 However, I still toss a very warm sheep -fleece vest in my top case just in case the heater becomes unheated due to some problem. That can happen I hear. That's very good advice that I hadn't thought of. This will be my first winter with an electric jacket liner and I'll now remember to take along a fleece or Gatorskin and glove rain covers just in case. I've had a couple of episodes where the weather turned much colder than expected and I was in a remote area where I couldn't stop and buy something. The worst on Rt 311 in West Virginia over Labor Day Weekend 2010 when it got into the low 40s and all I had was an unlined leather jacket and a tee shirt. I got dangerously chilled and was lucky to make it down off the mountain. Link to comment
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