Gerbing Heated Gear Controller

[rwthomas1]

I'm still confused - do you still have two wires to the jacket liner - one for the jacket, one for the gloves (my liners have separate plugs for that)?
My 'wired' controller plugs into a 'BMW' plug beside the clutch reservoir and then the two wires run from the controller to my gear.
And my 'controller' hangs on a bracket dual-locked to the top of the clutch reservoir where it is easy to reach and see.
Plenty easy to remove at any time and I am only running one 'wire' from the fuse block to the plug, which I presume you still have to do with the wireless one. Not trying to be a smart aleck, just trying to see the advantage and if I want to go there.

Timely post, first morning with the heated gear. Paulcb said it best, the wireless setup is just convenient. The little two knob wireless controller sits on the top of the clutch master cylinder, velcro and a tether, just in case. Has two AAA batteries that last a season. The only wire connected to me, or exposed, is the single power plug to the wireless controller receiver in the pocket of the heated jacket. Two channels on that, running the gloves and jacket on separate controls. I love it, works great. I'm assuming if you have a wired controller, and more than one channel, then you have more than one wire? They also make a version of the wireless controller that can be hardwired, needs no batteries. Very convenient, hop on bike, plug in one plug, and ride.

RT

 

[Uncle Phil]

That is exactly what I do with my 'wired' controller. The only advantage I see then is the ability to 'locate' the adjustment knobs separately from the 'heat head'. Since I have my 'combined' unit positioned on top of my clutch master cylinder like you and it works just fine for access, I guess I'll just keep what I got. Thanks for taking the time to 'explanify' it to me.

 

[Uncle Phil]

I'm assuming if you have a wired controller, and more than one channel, then you have more than one wire? They also make a version of the wireless controller that can be hardwired, needs no batteries. Very convenient, hop on bike, plug in one plug, and ride.

The only difference is the control for the wireless is in two pieces, for the wired it is one piece.
The rest of the wiring is exactly the same between the two versions.
And I don' ever have to change the batteries in my controller ...

 

[ST Gui]

Why wireless? One less cord to tangle. Out in my holler there's no real "winter" and across the bay where I like to go for the ride and breakfast the temps can be much cooler than on my side of the bay. When riding early to beat traffic there can be cold fog that's really chilling. So I'm constantly adjusting the temperature. Having the controller on the clutch reservoir is not only handy but near mandatory for my quick access.

I use the 3M "industrial" version of hook and loop (yes it's not really hook and loop) but no zip-tie. Maybe I'll add a velcro strap. During the warm months - which is most of them out here - I put the controller away to avoid theft. I suppose a z-tie could be cut and replaced easy enough.

I have a WnS jacket liner and some H-D heated gloves. I haven't felt the need for much else but there have been a few times where heated socks seemed like a good idea.

 

[Willsmotorcycle]

I'm still confused - do you still have two wires to the jacket liner - one for the jacket, one for the gloves (my liners have separate plugs for that)?
My 'wired' controller plugs into a 'BMW' plug beside the clutch reservoir and then the two wires run from the controller to my gear.
And my 'controller' hangs on a bracket dual-locked to the top of the clutch reservoir where it is easy to reach and see.
Plenty easy to remove at any time and I am only running one 'wire' from the fuse block to the plug, which I presume you still have to do with the wireless one. Not trying to be a smart aleck, just trying to see the advantage and if I want to go there.

Hope you feeling good, any chance you can snap a picture of that set up? I went with a dual controller pouch first to see if more placement options would solve the problem before throwing lots of $ at the problem. I certainly see the benefit to just having a small box on the clutch reservoir and plugging in with the brain in a pocket.

 

[rwthomas1]

The only difference is the control for the wireless is in two pieces, for the wired it is one piece.
The rest of the wiring is exactly the same between the two versions.
And I don' ever have to change the batteries in my controller ...

If you're setup one way and it works, leave it be. A possible advantage however to the wireless system is multiple bike owners like yourself need only the single coaxial plug on each bike for power. The controller just moves from bike to bike, no wiring, etc.
RT

 

[Uncle Phil]

Why wireless? One less cord to tangle.

Unless I missed something, there is no 'one less cord to tangle'. You've still got the wire to power source and the two wires to the jacket liner.
Again, not trying to be a smart aleck, I just don't see any fewer wires with one version or the other.

 

[Uncle Phil]

If you're setup one way and it works, leave it be. A possible advantage however to the wireless system is multiple bike owners like yourself need only the single coaxial plug on each bike for power. The controller just moves from bike to bike, no wiring, etc.
RT

Well, I would think you would still have to move the wired portion and the wireless portion from bike to bike wouldn't you?

 

[Uncle Phil]

Hope you feeling good, any chance you can snap a picture of that set up? I went with a dual controller pouch first to see if more placement options would solve the problem before throwing lots of $ at the problem. I certainly see the benefit to just having a small box on the clutch reservoir and plugging in with the brain in a pocket.

I'll have to get mine out. I fabricated a little 'hanger' for the control that I used.
It's a bit like me - It ain't pretty, but it works just fine.

 

[rwthomas1]

Well, I would think you would still have to move the wired portion and the wireless portion from bike to bike wouldn't you?

Nope. The wireless controller receiver is in the pocket of the heated jacket, and plugs into the internal wiring there for the gloves, and jacket heat element. There is only a single coax wire that I hang out of the left side pocket zip on my Stich. That plugs into the 12v plug from the battery. That's it. The wireless controller connects automatically to the receiver in the jacket when either knob is turned on. One wire, that's it.

RT

 

[Uncle Phil]

Nope. The wireless controller receiver is in the pocket of the heated jacket, and plugs into the internal wiring there for the gloves, and jacket heat element. There is only a single coax wire that I hang out of the left side pocket zip on my Stich. That plugs into the 12v plug from the battery. That's it. The wireless controller connects automatically to the receiver in the jacket when either knob is turned on. One wire, that's it.

RT

Not trying to argue here, but you still have two wires plugged into the jacket (one for the jacket and one for gloves) and a wire to the power source - just like the wired version. If I chose to put my wired controller in my pocket, then I would technically have only 'one' wire. Before jacket makers started 'slashing' the pockets, I used to hang the controllers off the left upper pocket, so I 'technically' had only 'one' wire to the bike. The way you have it set up would make it difficult to operate the temp controls on the wired controller, so the wireless is the solution for you. For me, I've noticed the controllers can tend to get 'warm' in long periods of use, so I like mine out in the breeze to dissipate some the of operational heat. As I said, the only benefit I see with the wireless is more flexibility as to the placement of the control knobs, which is not an issue for my current setup.

 

[paulcb]

Not trying to argue here, but you still have two wires plugged into the jacket (one for the jacket and one for gloves) and a wire to the power source - just like the wired version. If I chose to put my wired controller in my pocket, then I would technically have only 'one' wire. Before jacket makers started 'slashing' the pockets, I used to hang the controllers off the left upper pocket, so I 'technically' had only 'one' wire to the bike. The way you have it set up would make it difficult to operate the temp controls on the wired controller, so the wireless is the solution for you. For me, I've noticed the controllers can tend to get 'warm' in long periods of use, so I like mine out in the breeze to dissipate some the of operational heat. As I said, the only benefit I see with the wireless is more flexibility as to the placement of the control knobs, which is not an issue for my current setup.

Phil, the receiver stays in the jacket and is never disconnected from the glove and jacket circuits... it becomes part of the jacket... I haven't removed or touched mine in several years. As mentioned, we only connect one wire to the bike when we start up, touching nothing else but the knobs on the clutch mounted controller. When you turn those on, the wireless comm is achieved and stuff heats up! The receiver is just that, and has no user adjustments... it's all internal.

 

[Uncle Phil]

Phil, the receiver stays in the jacket and is never disconnected from the glove and jacket circuits... it becomes part of the jacket... I haven't removed or touched mine in several years. As mentioned, we only connect one wire to the bike when we start up, touching nothing else but the knobs on the clutch mounted controller. When you turn those on, the wireless comm is achieved and stuff heats up! The receiver is just that, and has no user adjustments... it's all internal.

I understand, so I have two wires instead of one in my set up going to the bikes - unless I chose to put the controller in or on the jacket then it would be one. I preferred to hang it from the left upper pocket but most jacket makers now don't cut the upper pockets straight across - I guess for 'style' purposes.
No big advantage for me that I see since what I have works really well - and I have a controller for each bike any way.
BTW, can the control part work with multiple receivers? - That would be interesting to know just for grins.
Since I have multiple heated jackets and rotate through them and multiple bikes and rotate through them, I would probably end up having to swap stuff anyway. In my world to be easier for me, I would have to have 4 controllers (one for each bike) and 4 receivers (one for each jacket) that could all talk to each other. All in all an interesting discussion and learning experience. But It's sort of like why I ended up using a Sena wired instead of BlueTooth since I am blessed with 'multiples'.

 

[paulcb]

You do you and I'll do me... one man's blessing is another's curse! I have two bikes now, and not sure I'll keep both... owning and maintaining 4 would be like having two wives to me.

I don't know if one receiver can connect to different controllers... would have to ask WnS.

 

[rwthomas1]

I understand, so I have two wires instead of one in my set up going to the bikes - unless I chose to put the controller in or on the jacket then it would be one. I preferred to hang it from the left upper pocket but most jacket makers now don't cut the upper pockets straight across - I guess for 'style' purposes.
No big advantage for me that I see since what I have works really well - and I have a controller for each bike any way.
BTW, can the control part work with multiple receivers? - That would be interesting to know just for grins.
Since I have multiple heated jackets and rotate through them and multiple bikes and rotate through them, I would probably end up having to swap stuff anyway. In my world to be easier for me, I would have to have 4 controllers (one for each bike) and 4 receivers (one for each jacket) that could all talk to each other. All in all an interesting discussion and learning experience. But It's sort of like why I ended up using a Sena wired instead of BlueTooth since I am blessed with 'multiples'.

I don't take your response as argumentative at all. You have you way of doing things, and that works for you. Its interesting to hear how different riders do things. The first piece of heated gear I purchased was gloves, and they had a basic wired controller. Worked okay, but I found it distracting to adjust as the wire wasn't really long enough to allow me to see it well. It was also a push-button affair, complete with colored lights. In a word it sucked. A rotary knob makes way more sense, to me anyway. I happened upon the wireless dual setup used here on the STOC and that triggered the jacket liner purchase. I hadn't considered having multiple heated jackets, didn't even cross my mind, but yes that might get expensive if there was a controller in each, and a PITA to move the receiver around as well. As it stands the single heated liner works well for my use. Under the Stich in the early AM its perfect, and I can leave it off for the warm ride home in the PM. I can also use it with any other jacket. If I had multiple bikes, and jackets, well, I'd probably do things differently.

RT

 

[STrangr]

I use a Gerbing wireless controller, mounted with industrial strength Velcro to the clutch reservoir. Stayed put for years and through all sorts of stuff, until a drop in Kansas in about 10+ inches of mud finally knocked it loose. Wasn't fun riding back in 30's for the next few states.

 

[Uncle Phil]

If I had multiple bikes, and jackets, well, I'd probably do things differently.

Yes, with multiple bikes it gets to be a real pain to move stuff - and the problem is you inevitably 'forget' to move something - don't ask me how I know that!
So I just equip each bike identically as if they were the only bike that I own - down to the tool bag in each right saddlebag.
A bit expensive but then motorcycles are an investment in our sanity - not our wallets!

 

[Styles]

I've learned how to make an old Gerbing controller triply portable. With two bikes — an ST1100 and Blackbird — and an occasional rental, I've found good mounts on my bikes and my Aerostich. You can see how in my pics.

My single controller is fixed here to unseen velcro (black) sewn to my ST11's tank bra.


Controller unseen, my velcro (white) is here glued to my Blackbird'd inner fairing panel.


Controller unseen again, my suit's velcro sticks nicely to my controller's front and back patches.


I've permanent, switched connectors wired to my batteries (and I've had wires along for rentals) and can easily change rides without difficulty. At least for my purposes, it's a useful, flexible setup. You might find it so, too.


Styles

 

[Uncle Phil]

My goal is to be able to walk out to any one of the four ST1100s, mount up and ride without having to move anything or think about it. So with four controllers, one for each bike, that does not have move either. It's not been a 'cheap' solution as when I do something I get to 'do it' 5 times (once for each ST1100 and a spare - I like spares! ). But you only suffer the 'pain' in the wallet once and then it's over. And as my momma often said, 'I ain't never seen an armored car following a hearse'. Instead of thinking of it as having two 'wives', I think of it as having a 'team' ready to support me - and any 'team' member can do what needs to be done. And if one has an 'issue', I don't have to deal with it at the moment, I just select another team member and figure out when I want to address the issue at my leisure. Besides, for what any type of new bike costs, I can spend a lot of money on the 'ladies' as a group and still come out way ahead as to the amount of money spent. For me, having the 'latest, greatest' widget or gadget is not important to me at all. One of these days I'm going to finish up my ST1100 electric adjustable windshield project - that will be the cat's pajamas for sure!

 

[Uncle Phil]

Finally, here's my current setup for my wired controller -