Gerbings heated clothing ? installation and first use report

overwoody

Joined
Sep 17, 2011
Messages
39
Location
...
So I decided that my 85 mile commute to work in London needed some extra warmth, as its been pretty cool these last few weeks.

I decided that I would get a complete outfit and then Id be prepared for the long rides to and from work.

I bought:
? Permanent dual temp-controller
? heated jacket Liner
? heated pant Liner
? T5 Heated Gloves
? 12V HYBRID heated insoles

My three daughters live with their mum half the time, and this past weekend was one such time, so I set about installing the Gerbings along with a new Fuzebox, and HID headlamps (but that?s another story).

I wanted the controllers to be easy to change whilst on the move, so put them just behind the lockable compartment in the let fairing.

As I have the full Gerbings set, I have one zone for the pants and insoles, and the other for the jacket and gloves.

Fitting the control knobs was easy, but I was a little disappointed with the build quality of the switch assemblies (I went to remove the grey knob and the whole spindle from the switch came off at the same time) for each switch an LED is provided that displays different colours depending on the temperature of the devices.

I also didn?t like the switches which seemed to be designed to go through much thicker material than the plastic of the fairing, as there was a lot of metal exposed. I improvised with a rubber grommet under each knob, which hides the nut and spindle. Whilst on the subject of switches and knobs, the dual controller has a grey and a black knob, but no marking line showing how much the knob has been rotated, (so all in all a bit of a downer on the control knobs and switches.

The switches have a small tail of wire with a DIN style socket (like PS2 keyboard/mouse). These are waterproofed with a six inch strip of heat-shrink ( I used electricians tape as I needed to be able to remove the fairings).

The sockets in turn connect to a splitter box, and this joins the 12v current and also provides power to my jacket. One small irritation was the supply leads to the jackets and pants are colour coded, but the input wires that connect to the switches don?t (mine now does). I mounted this under the saddle with tie wraps and a foam backing until Im happy with its location, the wires run to the left of the tank and off to the fairing.

I was disappointed as well with the permanent 12v connection to the battery which means you have to remember to switch both controllers off each time you get off the bike. Im going to fit a switched relay so that they are both switched off automatically.
So its all now fitted to the bike, with the two supply leads exiting the bike under the saddle next to the handle used to put bike on main stand (need to move them forward a little bit). Im not happy that the leads just dangle, I would prefer to have a bulkhead mounted socket as opposed to a pair of dangling leads.

This morning around 7:30am I dressed in my new heated kit, and went for a test ride.
A problem I had not anticipated is the boot insoles would be too large for my boots (ive lalready removed the boot insoles and the boots (large HG Gore Tex) were a lovely fit with thick socks, so it looks like if I need to get the insoles working I need to get a larger pair of boots?.

I only wanted to go for a short 20 mile ride to see how things worked out, and this passed uneventfully, with a couple of points.

The gloves seemed to be slow to head compared to my back, and I was hot in my body with cold hands, (same for pants and insoles), but this is probably down to fine tuning and Ill be looking into more ways of getting things balanced if possible.

Its early days, and having a ?string? that holds on your gloves is a throwback to kindergarten when my mum would tie my mittens on a string and thread them into each sleeve.
The bike seems unhappy on tickover with all items on, and hunts, so Im assuming a new higher output alternator might be on the cards (if there is such a thing) and or an HD battery.
Ill take some photos of the install tomorrow and put them in my gallery.

Its nice not to have to wear so many layers, for one thing and makes it easier to move around.
 
Great write up; thanks! I'm in the market for some heated gear and am looking between Gerbings and Warm-n-Safe stuff. Keep us posted with the connectivity and perceived current drain issues. Be safe!
 
You may find it sufficient to wear the jacket and gloves for normal commuting and run them from separate controllers.

Running the jacket and gloves from the same controller will almost always result in cold hands in comparison to your torso.... same with the trouser liners and insoles.
I would suggest you may like to control the jacket and trousers from one controller and the gloves from the other with a simple on/off switch for the insoles.
Alternatively get another two channel controller.

In reality I suspect that the trousers may be overkill for most rides and you could run the insoles on one channel with the jacket then the gloves on the other.

You will eventually settle on a happy medium, I find I seldom use the jacket, more often the gloves on their own..... the jacket tends to provide that extra layer of insulation needed, only requiring to be used if it tips it down with rain for a long period of time..... or the air temperature drops below about 2 degrees C.
What you wear underneath is as important, ensuring your heated liner does not come directly into contact with your skin by wearing either a base layer or a long sleeved cotton tee shirt. I use Lidl's sports underwear top and bottom.

Hope you enjoy giving it all a go! One things for sure, you will not be cold.
 
Although I have the TourMaster Synergy heated liner and gloves, I found that having them on the same controller just doesn't do it! I refitted my TourMaster controller (liner controller, since the glove one burned up three years ago) with the dual warm -n -safe remote wireless controller. I have the main part in my jacket and ran separate wires for the gloves to the second zone. Now I can turn the gloves up (even all the way up is still too cool when it is 32F out) and leave the liner down so both zones will be comfortable.

Unless you have four zones I sure don't know how you could split up the two zones so one will be your jacket & pants liners and then the oterh, your gloves and foot liners. :(
 
I'm not sure how you are getting your gloves and jacket on the same circuit. I have the Gerbing outfit as well. Seems using the factory leads will place the jacket on one circuit (white) and gloves, pants, socks on a the other circuit. I've been wrong before.

I posted elsewhere about my experience with Warm & Safe vs Gerbing. The leotard fit of the W&S is nice but ultimately I chose Gerbing. I can tell you not to expect the gloves to "warm" your hands. They should, however, keep you from getting cold hands. A 20 minute ride will require much different standards then riding in the cold for 4 hours or more. I mention this so you don't use the benchmark of how you feel after 20 minutes then set sail for a long trip and end up getting very cold. YMMV
 
I use the gloves on one lead and the jacket on the other with the dual controller. I find I barely have to turn the jacket on and turn the gloves up quite abit to keep things equal.
 
My ST1100 has a 540w alternator and I don't have any issues running Gerbing socks, pants, jacket and gloves. Also run a voltmeter to keep track of things.

Jim
 
I would think the best way to wire your heat controllers would be to have one controller for your pants and jacket and the other for your gloves and boots. There must be some way to hook it up like that.

Mike
 
970mike said:
I would think the best way to wire your heat controllers would be to have one controller for your pants and jacket and the other for your gloves and boots. There must be some way to hook it up like that.
Click to expand...

That is how I have mine hooked up. I tried them today for the first time. I had to use a y where the gloves plug in. And use an extra cord down to my socks. Not the ones that are in the pants.
My feet were toasty. My hands were ok. I may try a glove liner next time. I had to turn the pants and liner way down.
I must say I am very pleased with my Gerbings.
I used the Warm And Safe dual remote heat troller. It worked great.
 
So last night I went for another test ride, it was just above freezing (2-3degrees C). I wanted to see what it would be like on a run, and ended up doing 50-60 miles on dual carriageways and a motorway (aka freeway). I was impressed with the kit, and had it on half setting for most of the time, and I must say didn’t feel the cold at all.

With a Gerbings dual controller and the complete kit the plug in is as follows:

The dual controller kit has a double socket that plugs into the liner of my jacket, the pants also plug into the same socket (its relatively idiot proof with two mail pins and one female).

One controller switch controls jacket and gloves, the other controls pants and feet.

The sales assistant in the shop really said it was a good idea to get gloves with a bit of space (air gap as she called it) and I ended up with 3XL gloves as opposed to 2XL, I believe this may be part of the problem with regard to the apparent lack of heat in the gloves. Im trying a pair of 2XLs at the weekend. My reasoning behind this is that when I pushed my hands into the gloves, they appeared to be warmer (so the air gap might not be a good thing after all).

Im looking to try and get the Gerbings port connector so I don’t have dangly wires and am also getting some curly wires to connect me to the bike.

Its early days, but Im liking the warmth and think me and my Gerbings will be a good team !
 
overwoody said:
So I decided that my 85 mile commute to work in London needed some extra warmth, as its been pretty cool these last few weeks.

I decided that I would get a complete outfit and then Id be prepared for the long rides to and from work.

I bought:
? Permanent dual temp-controller
? heated jacket Liner
? heated pant Liner
? T5 Heated Gloves
? 12V HYBRID heated insoles

Its nice not to have to wear so many layers, for one thing and makes it easier to move around.
Click to expand...

I have been using the same list of Gerbings items as you (overwoody) for a couple years now on my ST and previously on my ole Valkyrie too.
The other day my 2009 ST cranked briefly but quit, would not start, an hour on my Battery Tender and she was good to go again. My bike is garaged.

I was wondering if you all think all the E-gear is too much for the 1300's system. I do have an amp gauge and it is always charging in the green when riding but drops into the red zone when idling at traffic lights with all that gear turned on.
I'll spell out my battery info on the "Battery" thread section
 
If running ALL the Gerbing gear you might want to hold a higher idle speed at lights, however, when in town I doubt you will want to keep the gear turned on.

Again this is a good reason for splitting the gloves from the rest of the kit so your hands can stay warm whilst stopped.

The Gerbing controller does not turn down the amount of current being drawn, it uses the technique of turning the power on and off to provide an "average" current through the load. This means the power is either full on or full off, it is the interval between the two that dictates the average current.

The alternator can be heard to pulse as idle speed rises and falls when stationary.

The ST1300 is VERY hard on the battery and leaving the ignition and lights on without the engine running will see it die in less than 5 minutes........ leaving no starting power.

If you are running all the gear, the battery will barely be charging except on a long non-stop run.

FYI the Gerbing jacket takes about 7 amps if full on... the trousers probably about the same. Gloves about 3 amps and I'm guessing the insoles about the same.

So with all the stuff turned down to about half you will be taking 10 amps at least off the system...... overall.

Add that to your headlights, tail lights, indicators, running lights if fitted (US Market amber lights) and any other farkles and you can see where it all goes.....

Suddenly your 40 amp alternator, which is only really 40 amps (or more) above a certain engine speed, say for arguments sake 2,500-3,000 rpm, and suddenly the battery is barely getting it's required charging current over a sustained period.

HTH.
 
Dinkie Diesel said:
I'm not sure how you are getting your gloves and jacket on the same circuit. I have the Gerbing outfit as well. Seems using the factory leads will place the jacket on one circuit (white) and gloves, pants, socks on a the other circuit. I've been wrong before.

I posted elsewhere about my experience with Warm & Safe vs Gerbing. The leotard fit of the W&S is nice but ultimately I chose Gerbing. I can tell you not to expect the gloves to "warm" your hands. They should, however, keep you from getting cold hands. A 20 minute ride will require much different standards then riding in the cold for 4 hours or more. I mention this so you don't use the benchmark of how you feel after 20 minutes then set sail for a long trip and end up getting very cold. YMMV
Click to expand...

Dinky, I started with Warm and Save and switched to Gerbing too. I've had mine for a few years now and wiring may have changed, but . . . my gloves plug into the jacket sleeves and are controlled together on one circuit, while the socks plug into the pant legs and are controlled together by that second circuit.

I LIKE RIDING IN THE COLD! Air is crisp and clear, colors are brighter . . . life is good - as long as I'm warm, comfortable and alert!

What works for me?:

First: My Stich, buttoned up keeps the wind off any skin and I am comfortable in temps into the 50s. Below 60 I migrate to medium weight gloves, close up the face shield and I'm good for a few more degrees. Next, the heated gear without heat on provides a great layer to stay warm with. As temps drop, turn the heat on as soon as you start feeling cool! It's easier to stay warm than to get warm! Once you get behind, it's hard to catch up. After that:

- Usually I just wear the jacket liner as temps drop down into the 50s and upper 40s (when hyperthermia risk is highest) . . . it's enough. The heated collar warms the neck and blood going up and keeps my head warm and the jacket keeps my core temps comfortable with heated blood traveling out to my hands and feet.

- If I know I'll be riding in the 40s or lower, I done the pant liner too. It's comfortable without power down to the mid-40s. Personal comfort is different for each person, I turn the heat on for both jacket and pants at about 46.

- Gloves . . . I don't put the heated gloves on until the temps descend into the 20s preferring instead to wear comfortable and more flexible insulated ski gloves. Again, the blood being warmed by the jacket keeps my insulation protected hands very comfortable and usable for more than just holding on and working clutch and brake handles.

- heated socks/insoles . . . with a good pair of wool socks and a moisture wicking pair of thin under layer socks, the pant liners adequately heat my thighs and the blood flowing through them to my feet down into the mid-20s - no problem.

Lower 20s and under - gloves and socks do a good job without separate controllers. I don't feel surges of heat on my hands and feet; I do feel like they're "getting a little chilly," but they usually don't and I can ride for hours by just turning up the jacket and pants to where they feel 'hot' which again is pushing heated blood to extremities.

Shortcoming: Neither Warm-and-Safe nor the Gerbing seems to keep my butt cheeks warm. A sheepskin seat cover helps there (or would if I'd actually use it) and I guess a heated seat would take care of it but . . . it's just not a problem, just something I notice.

CAUTION: If you are getting cold . . . stop and warm up. Get something warm to drink and reenergize your core and warm back up. Riding cold is riding stupid and the colder you get . . . reasoning and judgment abilities decline dangerously fast!

Enjoy reading these threads and try to keep up with advances in technology. Thanks to all for posting. Again, everyone's warming needs aren't the same, so develop through trial-and-error what works for you then . . . enjoy the ride.

FWIW, Shuey :)
 
I'm having problems with mathematics. I looked on Gerbing site, listed is jacket 77 watts, pants 44 watts, gloves 27 watts, socks 16 watts. Combine that with head lights, tail lights, computer, dash, etc. and the 660 watt @ 5,000 rpm alternator should have no problems. However, when I rode last with the Gerbing turned on, I pulled in the garage and could see the headlight pulsing in concert with the electric gear controller.

Shuey, you have me questioning the wiring on my jacket. I will do some more investigating and see what I can saw.
 
Dinkie Diesel said:
and the 660 watt @ 5,000 rpm alternator should have no problems. However, when I rode last with the Gerbing turned on, I pulled in the garage and could see the headlight pulsing in concert with the electric gear controller.
Click to expand...

Were you doing 5,000 RPM going into the garage? :rofl1:
 
Dinkie Diesel said:
I should have expounded to say that the alternator isn't very productive at idle. And, who do you know that rides at 5,000 rpm for any length of time?
Click to expand...

Well, that's true.. LOL maybe Padden..

Mark has an excellent write up and spreadsheet in the wiki here:
http://stwiki.notonthe.net/twiki/bin/view/ST13/ElectricalReference

Shows the 2003 manual stated 742 watts yet the 2004 manual states 660 watts. His spreadsheet does show that what's left is on the edge of what the alt can handle if you have ALL the heated gear. I know those riding 2-up w/full electric gear have had issues before.
 
What a timely post. Just got back from the MPLS motorcycle show and stopped by the Gerbing table. Does anyone know off hand what a 2006 ST has for watt/AMP output? What the AMP draw is on the Hondaline heated grips? My dream list is jacket & pant liner with insoles & gloves.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom