heated clothing

[MG]

Ok guys I've made a decision, going to buy a heated waistcoat. As I do most of my riding early in the morning or late in the evening when it can get quite chilly, even if it's blistering during the day.

So can anybody reccomend any products that work. Got to be reliable, durable, and ajustable. I've looked at the bmw waistcoat but at around £200 looks expensive, is it any good ?

Thanks.

Mike

[Neil178]

Hey Mike,
check out ebay for a BMW item, size 38 I think. Save yourself some scroats and buy us all a beer.

[tripe]

I have used the gerbing jacket for the last three years. With the temp control accessory it has been a godsend through the winter.It has one over on the waistcoat as it has arms. Plus it comes with a lifetime guarantee. The first jacket failed and they sent me a replacement straight away and asked me to send the broken one by return. Top service.

Should the winters really take a turn for the worse you can then invest in their heated gloves, trousers and socks!

Henry

[Stevie]

I use one of these
http://exo2.co.uk//exo2motorcycle.html

Well, when I say use, I've actually used it more at Murrayfield with the optional battery than I have on the bike, because until recently, I didn't have a power socket on the bike.

[Malc]

No time like the middle of a heat wave to reply to a heated clothing question.

With respect to Gerbing, should their kit break they replace it by return of post. Last winter they kindly replaced 9, yes 9 pairs of gloves and 1 jacket. Apparently they had rather large batch of gloves with dodgy elements but the last 2 pairs that broke were from the new batch of fixed gloves. With an average turn around of 4 days I had a lot of very cold hand weeks with painful white fingers.

The jacket was less than 6 months old when it expired, with gloves lasting anywhere from 2 to 10 days. The gloves aren't very warm either.

I used to own the old version of the Klan stuff which lasted for several winters. The only downside is the wires connecting the stuff to the battery seem to be very brittle and would need repairing 5 or 6 times over a winter. I tried the new Klan stuff prior to Gerbing and it was OK round town but not worth owning once the windchill gets going on the motorway and it's got the crap wires.

[Harry]

Giali do heated gear and reinforced demins.

I've only used the denims before (very good) but they may be worth a look.

http://www.motorcycle-uk.com/gialiuk.html

harry

[BlueBoxer]

I've heated clothing

It's great in Winter, and tours where the weather may get cold, just pack the heated liner, and forget about the bulky stuff

I use Gerbing kit. It's hot You'll need a controller, Gerbing's break all the time, so get a Heat-troller. They are 100% better, and waterproof too. I've never had a problem with the controller being changed, (twice) but it's a pain when you are away.

:arrow:

Steve

[Rob B]

What herman said. Galia, great kit and the version I have has the elements built into a fleece type jacket so I could get my local seamstress to re work it for a perfect, close fit. Essentail for the best conductivity. Also it's gota heated collar. Great for those icy winds.

Rgds, Rob

[RiceBurner]

IT'S THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER!!!!!!




FWIW I've found that heated clothing is also very insulating so even when not on it'll be keeping you pretty warm.

I have a pair of heated waistcoats I ordered from a shop in Canada, they're thinner than most of the ones you can get here and pretty good. (Also a damned site cheaper, even including postage, than anything here!!) Can't remember the name of the shop though.

[Boxerlass]

I have used a Galia waistcoat for the past 2 winters and it has served me well. Also at £109 it is a lot cheaper than the BMW equivalent.

Pauline

[wicker]

I have been using a Widder heated body warmer for about four years. Great bit of kit as it has enabled me to keep riding through Scottish winters and also to make early season trips to the Alps when there were still feet of snow by the roadside.

The Widder jacket can be supplied with a plug to fit straight into the standard BMW bike power socket. The heated jacket is meant to be a snug fit over shirt. I found I needed a size larger than normal as they taper from chest to waist. Worth measuring chest and waist and seeking advice regarding the best size.

Only criticism I have of the Widder product is that it only has an on/off switch as standard and you can get a bit too warm on the not so cold days. A thermostatically controlled switch is available however I did not feel like spending more money.

I bought my jacket from Riderhouse. I met Kiwibob at the BMW Biker meet in 2005. He also supplies Widder products and will send to the UK. Taking the exchange rate and post into account he is somewhat cheaper than Riderhouse.

http://www.riderhouse.co.uk/main.htm

http://www.kiwibob.de/

[madman]

I went out for a ride in a short sleved shirt today. Shock horror, what if I'd had a spill? I do it all the time. If I were to wear my leather jacket I would probably collapse and fall off anyway.
If a short sleved shirt is good enough for the French bike cops then it's good enough for me.
Still trying to work out why our bikes have heated grips, I never use them.

[boxerpan]

I went out for a ride in a short sleved shirt today.

Tried to do just that the other day but I couldn't overide my brain and had to return to base and wait for the weather to cool