Gerbing Disapointment

Old Glory

Old Glory

Joined
May 25, 2007
Messages
219
Location
Huntsville, Alabama
Bike
ST1300
Last Sunday was my first real test of my Gerbing gear - jacket liner, pants liner and socks. Also used another brand of heated gloves. The odd thing is that everything started fine. It was 36 F and cloudy the whole ride, about 100 miles. Everything felt warm at about half setting. The gloves felt warm for the first hour then just neutral so I turned up the heat level finally to full on. The hands and legs weren't cold but not warm either. The toes became cooler and cooler but not really cold. Still it was only 36 deg. When I got home I checked that everything was plugged in correctly and as I rode I checked my Kissian charge guard - it indicated that the alternator was keeping up, no net discharge. Under the pants liner I wore full length wool pants liner and under the socks, thin socks. Aerostitch pants over the heated liners and leather Red Wing boots over the socks. What should I change ? What is the experience of others?

Thanks,
John-
 
It is my understanding that heated gear works best next to your skin or over a single thin layer. I have the G3 gloves and heated socks, no heated liners top or bottm as not needed with my gear. I've been down to low 30's and been fine. Try putting the heated jacket liner on over a long sleve t-shirt and see if you notice the difference.
 
+1 on Byron's post. You only need a thin layer of clothing under the heated gear. You're losing the heat before it gets to your skin.

Turned all the way up in mid 30 degree weather your heated gear should be baking you like a turkey.

If that doesn't work, you might want to try taking a ride without the off brand gloves. I can't think of anything else. I have there jacket liner and routinely ride in temps under 40*. I typically have the thermostat set at about half.

If you continue to have problems, you might try calling Gerbing's at (800) 646-5916 and talking with them. I've always found them to be very helpful and honest.
 
Do you have adequate wire feeding that whole array of garments? It could be that once you started cranking the heat, you were losing heating current in the wire(s) to the garments. Also agree that you need to have the heated garments fairly close to the skin. I wear a nylon shell over my vest to trap heat and stop any loss through my cordura suit.
 
I have Gerbing G3 gloves and jacket with a dual controller. No heated pants. In 36 degrees the gloves might be turned up near high but the jacket would be more like 30% to 40% to remain comfortable. More than that is too hot. This is wearing a thin microfiber longsleeve shirt under the Gerbing jacket and a windproof jacket or Aerostich over the heated jacket. Maybe the wool under the pants liner insulated your skin from the heated liner. The heated jacket and pants need to be fitted close to your skin. Air gaps decrease the effectiveness of heated gear. I have ridden for hours under 30 degrees and for a couple of hours 22-25 degrees with my Gerbing stuff.
 
The garment under my pants liner and jacket liner are Merino skins, and a Darien Jacket (with liner) and Darien pants over the heated gear. I can't vouch for the gloves, it is possible they draw too much current. The connection to the jacket is via 18 inch extension cords furnished by Gerbing, these were hanging out in the breeze. If I don't do this it's almost impossible to hook the jacket to the outlets coming out from under the seat because of the short hook up. The extensions also allow one to get off the bike and add gas without disconnecting.

John-
 
Is all that gear hooked up to one controller? If so, check the capacity of the controller vs. the gear.

Another issue with a single controller: I have a dual controller, and find I need to turn the gloves up much more than the jacket liner (don't use pants or socks). The gloves are right out there in the wind, without the insulation provided by a jacket and overpants. And neither the hands or feet get much help from the fairing. So if you are using one controller, you might want to consider adding a second.

Somthing else to consider for your feet: a pair of wind / rain deflectors from VP Accessories. These will keep most of the wind off your feet, and help them stay warmer.
 
I'd start by ditching individual components. Go without the heated pant liner first. See what happens. The add the pant back in and lose the gloves. Note what happens after each change.
Be sure you have the plug for the liner, jacket and gloves in the correct ports on the inside of the liner. They are color coded white and black.....and should have come with a plug guide.

Good luck.

Forest
 
I hooked the controller connector with the white band to white banded connector on the jacket, and the black to black. I did use this gear, minus the gloves, on a trip last October, what was a little warmer, 41 deg and the legs were definitely too warm turned up. In that case I had jeans between the pants liner and the Aerostitch pants. Perhaps I'm losing too much through the Aerostitch. Next time, this weekend, the jeans. BTW, the gloves are First Gear.

John-
 
As for the heating ability of the gear, I can attest to it's quality and performance. I have ridden and stayed warm for many hours in 0 to -8 degrees F ambient temperature. I have the G3 gloves and the jacket with a dual controller. I have never needed the pant liners but wouldn't mind trying out the socks. I have found that the colder it gets the more you loose heating ability from one or the other element by turning them both up to their maximum settings. ( I hope I explained that so it made sense) if not then just consider it rambling.
 
I have dual controller I use with my jacket & glove, But when it cold I use a hot wire with a ON/OFF switch for my glove. My hands stay warmer this way. Not sure way but it work for me. Ritch :03biker:
 
Hi, I found the gloves on their own were hot, but once fitted with the jacket liner they became more neutral. I prefer this as I don't really want HOT hands (and don't have a temperature controller - at the moment). I LOVE this kit and have just bought the trouser liners. I used these for the first time on Monday and loved them. The trousers felt a lot warmer as they were against the skin, whereas my jacket liner sits over a shirt.

In my experience Gerbing have excellent customer care, so speak to them if you have a problem.

Regards
Phil
 
Also check to make sure you have a good power connection to your controller. An intermittent/bad connection could also do it. It was 15-20* on my ride in this am. I had my gloves (Gerbing Classic) on one connection of my Gerbing dual temp controller, turned up max, and my jacket liner (WarmGear) and my socks (Gerbing) on the other connection, turned up not quite half way. I was very toasty on the ride in. Good luck in getting it sorted out.
 
My gerbing gear has never been 'hot'... unless I have it on in 50+ degree weather.

I've ridden in mid teens temps and the key is, you don't notice your fingers or toes hurting, you don't know if it's working because you don't feel anything uncomfortable... the gear is working as that's what it is suppose to do.

The vests are meant to be close to the body and because of that you'll 'feel' the heat more as it's a more efficient way to transfer it to your body. The jacket liner is trying to heat the air between you and the liner so it's not as efficient but it also has a higher output rating to address that.

I think it would be cool, pun intended, if the jacket liner came with straps to allow you to pull it into your torso area a little more... but, as it is, it works for me well.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I'll check all the connections back to the battery, or rather the Fuse Box. Seems if one controller is working the other should be, however, it does seem that at one point in the ride the one output just quit, since everything was fine at less than half a setting and then not at up to full setting.
Something to do tonight. I think I'll also finally install the Hot Grips and see if that will do instead of heated gloves.

John-
 
Less under the heated gear and more over the top. Put the heat where it's needed instead of into the wind.

Good comment about the wiring, too. I ran 14 gauge to the HeatTroller. I can't run my Warm and Safe jacket at full on even in the coldest temps. Gonna test that tomorrow!
 
Could be a bad controller. Check the voltage output on both. On low settings, the voltage will vary but should average well below 12 (on a old meter with a needle it will swing back and forth). As you turn the knob, the average volate will go up, and on full on it should be steady, and reflect battery voltage.

I think you'll find hot grips work great in conjuction WITH gloves, but not as a replacement. The grips warm your palms, but most of the cold air is on the backs of your hands.
 
+1 for keeping the liner close to you and the insulating layers over the top.
The Warm n Safe (Powerlet lable) liner I have is very noticeable at those temps.
Not warm but hot when turned up.
 
Yes, I would check the output of the controller with a digital volt meter. Now it's my turn to say how I feel (pun intended) the heat;

I have the Gerbing Jacket, gloves, and socks. I have worn them under the Darien jacket WITHOUT the liner and it SUCKS the heat out. I now wear the Olympia jacket with liner and notice a HUGE difference! I wear almost nothing under the Gerbing jacket, nothing under my Gerbing gloves (duh) and a very thin sock under the Gerbing socks, and I'm here to tell you that it gets HOT, and yes, I do ride in some cold days down here in SC. It was 27 this morning when I went to work, two weeks ago it was 23 when I went riding all day.

I have the dual controller, and when I'm alone, I connect my socks by themselves (only on the coldest of days, and longest of rides, do I wear the heated socks), as my feet can get too toasty with them on with the jacket (good boots).
 
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