Heated Gear Thread

[Chuffa]

I've just had to splice a couple of wires and found a nifty little connector at the hardware store. Just strip the two wires, insert into the connector from each end so the cores overlap, add heat with a cigarette lighter and the solder melts for a solid join and the heat shrinks the plastic to make it watertight. Small enough to add a couple to your tool bag for emergencies too.

 

[Bikerdude]

Donkeys, there is a bunch of trouble shooting info on the "Hot Grips" website which may be of help. I've had to trouble shoot maybe one of these variable switch things in ten installations. In order to get a correct reading you have to put some resistance in the circuit on the load side of the switch. This is done by placing the LED (drawing less than 4 amps) in series with the black wire coming from the switch. Also be sure your ground wires go all the way back to your battery. I had to call "Hot Grips" one time on a problem I had with an installation and they were very helpful.

 

[RidingDonkeys]

I'm running 14ga copper all the way back to the battery for ground. I've got a solid connection, and it was working prior to the install of the VHC. In the install, I had no need to change that connection. However, I did re-solder it as one of my troubleshooting steps. I've verified good voltage going to the VHC. I put an LED in series like you suggested, but got nothing. This baffles the crap out of me. Everything points to it just being a bad switch, but I keep wanting to think that this is an easy fix so I don't have to re-install the old switch for commuting duty this week.

I'm dang near tempted to run up to my work and hook it up to an oscilloscope just to verify that I'm not crazy.

 

[Bikerdude]

Probably just a bad VHC. I bought one on ebay years ago and had to send it back. Good news was the second one has been working ever since the install. If you do get this sorted out you will enjoy being able to dial in just the amount of heat you want. Better than just High or Low IMHO.

 

[RidingDonkeys]

So today I hooked up my Fuze block. Now the VHC and grips are on switched power instead of directly connected to the battery. The LED test now somewhat works. When put in series with the grips, the light works, even with the VHC in the off position. But when the LED is the only thing being run off the switch it will not work at all. I re-soldered everything, packed it all up, and went for a ride thinking maybe the VHC just needs juice and more time. Sadly, I still get no heat to the grips at all.

 

[Mark Regier]

I haven't seen much talk about this, other than heated grips. I just rode up to the Gerbings factory on Friday and picked up a jacket and pants with a dual controller. I haven't quite figured out how I am going to tidy this up, but I am certain it will involve me drilling holes in plastics. Has anyone else done a heated gear install? Care to share some photos?

I've just got the single, but I found enough room inside LH side panel. Inside, the little black box is double-sided taped along with a coil of extra wire. Your double will probably require a different location, but I like the spirit. Permanent mounting is convenient and simpler... uh, after it's done.

 

[krussell]

I'm going to get some heated liners to try under those for the colder days.

Got an email about a 20% off sale on warm-n-safe from a local shop, so figured I'd check out the liners. The shop has a dual controller setup right on their counter, so he unpacks the liners and plugs them in, adjusts them full on. They aren't very warm, and he indicated that's the consistent feedback he's gotten on them. Tried them with my gloves, while they are thin, they didn't quite fit.

Then, he grabs a pair of their Ultimate Touring Men's Heated Gloves.

http://www.warmnsafe.com/ultimate-touring-mens-heated-gloves

Very nice, very toasty. And they've got a shield wiper, something I really missed with my gerbings. They were just a bit snug, and he was out of the 2XL. Should be in this week, I'll do a full report after I get some time on them.

http://www.cycle-specialties.com, 20% off.

 

[RidingDonkeys]

Well, I haven't heard squat back from Hot Grips on the faulty VHC. All emails and phone messages have gone unanswered. Looks like I'll be wiring the old swtich back in system and using the VHC for a hockey puck.

 

[RidingDonkeys]

I just discovered this little gem while doing some R&D for another project at work. This is the Arduino Uno. Why is this thing awesome? Well, it is 2.7"x2.1", and has 14 ports, 6 of which can be used for PWM. Even better, it will run effectively from 6 to 20 volts, meaning it is solid even on a low battery.

So if I engineer this right, I can controll my heated jacket/gloves, pants/socks, and grips all separately. Then I could use the remaing ports to control other accessories like lights. So I could buy this for $22, three control knobs at $7 each, and have a comprehensive heated gear solution for under $50. The only problem: I have to build it and program it. Easier said than done with a baby due this week.

 

[kjackbrown]

I just discovered this little gem while doing some R&D for another project at work. This is the Arduino Uno. Why is this thing awesome? Well, it is 2.7"x2.1", and has 14 ports, 6 of which can be used for PWM. Even better, it will run effectively from 6 to 20 volts, meaning it is solid even on a low battery.

So if I engineer this right, I can controll my heated jacket/gloves, pants/socks, and grips all separately. Then I could use the remaing ports to control other accessories like lights. So I could buy this for $22, three control knobs at $7 each, and have a comprehensive heated gear solution for under $50. The only problem: I have to build it and program it. Easier said than done with a baby due this week.

Seen automated home breweries built with this as a controller. Very cool but you gotta know programming. I'm sure there is a "for dummies" book out there that would get it figured out.

 

[RidingDonkeys]

Seen automated home breweries built with this as a controller. Very cool but you gotta know programming. I'm sure there is a "for dummies" book out there that would get it figured out.

I've got all the know how. The time is issue at hand.

I use a Raspberry Pi for my brew-troller and it works great. But this Adruino looks like a better option for the motorcycle.

 

[kjackbrown]

Yeah, I have seen some really amazing home breweries in the past. I started collecting parts to do a fully automated eHERMS (all electric) system but life and and family has it on hold for a little while.

 

[nycrider]

They offer several motorcycle gloves. The T5 and G3 are currently offered along with some others. I'm on my fourth season with the original microwire T5. I've used them with and without heated grips, I don't need heated grips if I'm wearing the gloves.

Pro's:

- they are warm when dry, without the heat
- they are really warm when dry, with the heat.
- all day comfortable and warm, when dry.

Con's:

- They are horrible when wet. (1/2 the year here in sunny Oregon) They were horrible when new, and in spite of various treatment attempts, they are have remained horrible. 30 minutes of sold rain and you'll be waterlogged and wet inside the glove. From then on it's pure misery. I try to mitigate with Aerostich Lobster overliners, but that's a major hassle. It's a fundamental design flaw, the outside leather has 3 openings on the back of the knuckle. The water just loves it, crawls in, gathers with other water, and then soaks through. There's stitching all over the place.

I cant' wait to replace them. I've got a pair of BMW summer gloves that I got on close out that have Gore-Tex. I don't know why they are called summer gloves, they are very warm, say down to 50. They are bone dry all day. I'm going to get some heated liners to try under those for the colder days.

If they are still using the same design, I'd highly recommend they be avoided. Here's a pic showing the openings on the fingers, the inside appears to be retro reflective, but it shows up black in regular light.

Yesterday I've ordered the T5's and dual heat controller from revzilla because after taking a few rides in 20 degrees freezing temps, my fingertips were becoming painfully numb on 30 minute work rides. They've had a bunch of great reviews for them, but I didn't read too indepth to find some waterproofing issues. They'll probably arrive tomorrow, so I'll have to order a waterproof overglove which seems like a bit of a hassle, but I think I can live with it (I should have read this topic before the purchase ). Also, in the near future I might be considering getting the heated socks since hands and feet are my worst enemy in the cold.

I'll give my feedback on this purchase in a few days.

 

[krussell]

Yesterday I've ordered the T5's and dual heat controller from revzilla because after taking a few rides in 20 degrees freezing temps, my fingertips were becoming painfully numb on 30 minute work rides. They've had a bunch of great reviews for them, but I didn't read too indepth to find some waterproofing issues. They'll probably arrive tomorrow, so I'll have to order a waterproof overglove which seems like a bit of a hassle, but I think I can live with it (I should have read this topic before the purchase ). Also, in the near future I might be considering getting the heated socks since hands and feet are my worst enemy in the cold.

I'll give my feedback on this purchase in a few days.

The ones you bought are a new design, so don't let my whining worry you until you've had a chance to evaluate the new design.

On the overglove front, I'm a big fan of the aerostich lobster claw covers. Your hands will not get wet, I use them when i don't need heat. Unfortunately they don't make 'em big enough to get over my heated stuff.

 

[nev..]

After 20 yrs of riding I've tried various different types of waterproof gloves, and the one thing that they all have in common is that they aren't. I use overgloves similar to the Aerositch. They're also pretty good in cold conditions keeping an icy wind out of fingers which allows me to wear a thinner glove underneath.

 

[RidingDonkeys]

I like those Aerostich gloves. I've been using a similar design from the Russians on super cold days. I won these at a Ural rally a few years ago.

 

[RuggedExposure]

I'm telling you man, these are the way to go:
http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/962/15583/Tusk-Hand-Mitts

Last night I rode home 1hr from work in sub 30* temps, no problems with regular gloves.

The panel stayed frozen the entire way home.

In the picture above this one you can see my temp-troller for the heated jacket liner.
I have the warm-n-safe 90watt. It does OK, but I'm not too impressed on the heat.
The temp-troller is a waste of money, as I always have it on high and wish it went higher. I've even gone as far as to put the liner under my body armor so it's pressed right up against my body, and it's still not enough to make it uncomfortably hot.

 

[nycrider]

12V Gerbing T5 Gloves review:

First of all, the protection on these gloves is not on the highest level, although they are made out of leather, have finger joints protection, along with some light palm padding which doesn't seem like it's going to do much upon impact. Here is a pair of different 'winter' gloves I've purchased a few weeks back:

Alpinestar Apex Drystar Gloves

These have some knuckle protection which for me was too painful to handle. The protector doesn't seems to be precurved and is very rigid which results in moderate pain in the knuckles when your hand is bent. These gloves also do not work in temperatures below 40-45 Fahrenheit. My fingertips were freezing just minutes after getting on the bike and worsening as my half hour ride progressed.

Going back to T5's, the heating elements on these gloves are awesome. Rode in 35 deg weather with very light rain/snow and my hands kept warm the whole ride, even without the heat controller maxed.

On my right glove, the microwire isn't well woven in:

The black lines are the microwires woven into the fleece lining. That loop is also a microwire that at first I thought was the plastic tag holder and was ready to rip it out, but held myself back lol.

The waterproofing layer seems to be in between the leather exterior and the fleece/insulation lining:

It still has those 3 openings on each finger, but it seems like the waterproofing membrane is beneath it. I still haven't tested them in heavy rain, but it looks like I will have some trouble either way. The massive gauntlet of the glove doesn't seem to tuck in under my jacket's sleeve, unlike the Alpinestar gauntlet glove I've talked about above. So even if these gloves are waterproof, rainwater will still be pouring in through the top of the glove.

UPDATE: When I put on the glove first and then the jacket, the glove top fits under the sleeve, but is very tightly.

Some people also complained about the inside zipper:

It looks like it could be bothersome, but when I tucked the glove into my sleeve, it was unnoticeable(maybe the gauntlet folded in such a way that the zipper was not touching my wrist.)

Someone in this thread velcroed their controller to the bike which is a great idea and I'll probably be doing the same thing. Also, I might stitch some loops in my jacket for the V-cable which is just hanging off like a tail when I'm off the bike.

Overall, I like the gloves and they will sure make my winter rides more pleasant. If you have very sensitive hands then I highly suggest heated gloves.

PS I'll update when I have gone on a heavy rain ride with these gloves and if that doesn't happen, maybe gloves in a bucket of water test will be conducted which will probably be unreliable anyway.

UPDATE

* Gloves are not waterproof. I've tested them in heavy rain and after half an hour ride, the inside was soaked. Waterproof overgloves are needed.
* Heating elements are amazing as my hands never get cold. Definitely worth even though they are not waterproof.

 

[nycrider]

Rugged

I'll check out those mitts, pretty cheap!(22$ with shipping.) Do you think winter gauntlet gloves will fit under them?

 

[RuggedExposure]

Yes they do.