Heated Gear | GTAMotorcycle.com

Heated Gear

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ScorpionT16

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I know its summer, just as fall approaches and temperatures drop at night, wonder what heated gear people recommend? Planning a trip out west, and I know in the mountains the temperature can drop, I grew up in the tropics, so anything below 20c is freezing for me, seriously. I don't like bulk, nor looking to break the bank

I do not have heated grips, was debating heated liners instead, and maybe a vest to start vs a full suit?
 
Opt for a heated jacket, rather than the vest. Arms love it.
Heated gloves are an excellent way to extend your season on both ends. Your feet too, keep them warm.
I've been out of the game for 6yrs. I sold all my heated gear - wired Gerbings. I think I'm going to stay warm with battery operated stuff this time.
 
Oxford heated grips for the hands. Also, buddy at worked loves his Milwaukee heated hoody. Cheaper options outside our motorcycle realm?
 
I have Gerbing heated gloves; Without the gloves plugged in , they're very warm. Once they're attached to the battery, they're so nice on cold days.
 
Stay away from gerbing. Quality and customer service went downhill when the company got sold.

Warm n safe are the guys to buy from, they stand behind their products.
 
I'm looking at heated grips, I'll get a pair in September/October, or maybe before the trip next week, I just hear conflicting reports on them, like warming the palm vs the whole hand. I do have hand guards on the bike

Thanks for the suggestions, though where are you guys buying all this, any Canadian retailers? I'm leaning toward the FiredUp stuff, being local and not having to deal with wiring, plugs, harnesses etc... Riding off road, gravel, or standing on the bike, I just don't want wires everywhere, when not in use I have to always find a way to hide them etc... Plus if one falls, do they just unplug or pull the gloves/cords straight off? I also like to do photography, and get of the bike to take pics, so constantly taking plugs on or off may get annoying, and having battery powered gear also means being able to use it off the bike, like a cold night camping or hiking in the winter
 
I've had a Venture jacket liner for years. Best bit of gear ever. Never used it on the high setting. Low or med is plenty. Very slim and light. Comes with connectors to hook up pants and or gloves, and a little bar mounted remote. Bought mine at Dual Sports Plus.
 
Wingboy said:
I've had a Venture jacket liner for years. Best bit of gear ever. Never used it on the high setting. Low or med is plenty. Very slim and light. Comes with connectors to hook up pants and or gloves, and a little bar mounted remote. Bought mine at Dual Sports Plus.
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Those look good, option to use batteries or wired which is nice, packs small, and I can start with the jacket, and slowly add to the collection, I've got a lot of stuff from DSP, know Clint and all well, good place. Also battery life is almost 2-3x more than the FiredUp stuff
 
ScorpionT16 said:
Those look good, option to use batteries or wired which is nice, packs small, and I can start with the jacket, and slowly add to the collection, I've got a lot of stuff from DSP, know Clint and all well, good place. Also battery life is almost 2-3x more than the FiredUp stuff
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For local use the battery would be ok. For serious touring, imho wired is much better. Or just dress in layers and forget heated gear. I don't think Gene and Neda use any in their travels of the planet.
 
Wingboy said:
For local use the battery would be ok. For serious touring, imho wired is much better. Or just dress in layers and forget heated gear. I don't think Gene and Neda use any in their travels of the planet.
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We started the trip with liners and gloves (Gerbings before they got bought out), but a few years ago, all our gear got stolen and we haven't bothered to replace the heated gear since. We were on to SE Asia and Africa by then, so not as essential.

They are a convenient, thin and lightweight way to get warm. But on a long trip into cold and remote areas, I wouldn't recommend relying only on heated gear, in the event they fail or get stolen. Then you're at the mercy of the elements without a backup. Could mean the difference between life and death if you're in a remote area.

We always have enough warm layers packed away, ready to don, to ride in any kind of temperatures even without heated gear.
 
ScorpionT16 said:
I'm looking at heated grips, I'll get a pair in September/October, or maybe before the trip next week, I just hear conflicting reports on them, like warming the palm vs the whole hand. I do have hand guards on the bike

Thanks for the suggestions, though where are you guys buying all this, any Canadian retailers? I'm leaning toward the FiredUp stuff, being local and not having to deal with wiring, plugs, harnesses etc... Riding off road, gravel, or standing on the bike, I just don't want wires everywhere, when not in use I have to always find a way to hide them etc... Plus if one falls, do they just unplug or pull the gloves/cords straight off? I also like to do photography, and get of the bike to take pics, so constantly taking plugs on or off may get annoying, and having battery powered gear also means being able to use it off the bike, like a cold night camping or hiking in the winter
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Firedup/ Velocity is Jimmy Singh, he used to be on this forum quite regularly. My buddy has a pair of his older battery gloves, still working well for him.
 
I have Warm & Safe jacket, gloves, socks and a dual controller. I've done rides of 8+ hours in temps of 1 or 2 degrees and been warm as toast.

Heated gear extends your riding season by a minimum of 2 - 3 weeks spring and fall + makes any ride less then 15 degrees much more comfortable. People say layers can be the same as heated gear but this is just BS. Most people with heated gear say its amazing and they regret not buying it sooner.

While I've never had a failure of any heated gear, as mentioned above, have backups so you don't freeze if your gear doesn't work and temps are very low.
 
I bought the FIRedUP battery vest. It's great if you buy the smallest size possible to fit you, then wear it against your skin or a very thin undershirt. One problem is it's not breathable, so you end up sweating in it (not from the heat - similar to how your hands sweat when wearing a pair of rubber gloves). Luckily I've never run out of battery, which would leave me wet and unheated...
 
ScorpionT16 said:
I'm looking at heated grips, I'll get a pair in September/October, or maybe before the trip next week, I just hear conflicting reports on them, like warming the palm vs the whole hand. I do have hand guards on the bike

Thanks for the suggestions, though where are you guys buying all this, any Canadian retailers? I'm leaning toward the FiredUp stuff, being local and not having to deal with wiring, plugs, harnesses etc... Riding off road, gravel, or standing on the bike, I just don't want wires everywhere, when not in use I have to always find a way to hide them etc... Plus if one falls, do they just unplug or pull the gloves/cords straight off? I also like to do photography, and get of the bike to take pics, so constantly taking plugs on or off may get annoying, and having battery powered gear also means being able to use it off the bike, like a cold night camping or hiking in the winter
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If I was doing shorter distances, I would be okay with battery gear and I do like the thought of having heated gear off the bike for hikes and cold nights in a tent.

In cooler temps, I ride with heated jacket, gloves and socks. All are made by Warm'nSafe and all my gear is wired - now close to 10 years old. The wiring is actually really simple and is good for longer distance stuff in cooler temps. That said, with the wired setup, you never have to worry about unplugging the gear - the cables slide on and off with ease should you forget to unplug or fall off the bike. Although riding with heated gear is amazing, regardless of which way you go, always have good base layers and warmer clothing in your heated stuff fails.

I would say that looking at some of the temperatures I am seeing on the north shore of Lake Superior and beyond, dressing appropriately for the cooler weather will be a must for your trip. That north shore is like riding around an ocean and at times it can be 15deg cooler up there than here.

I think you are in Mississauga. If you want you are welcome to swing by my place and try on the heated gear and see if you like it, so you can get a sense if you like that for standing on the pegs, taking pictures, etc. It might also help you compare with what you see at DSP or from Jimmy. PM if interested.
 
Had to break out the heated liner this morning :) Chilly commute or i'm just getting soft with age.
 
shanekingsley said:
If I was doing shorter distances, I would be okay with battery gear and I do like the thought of having heated gear off the bike for hikes and cold nights in a tent.

In cooler temps, I ride with heated jacket, gloves and socks. All are made by Warm'nSafe and all my gear is wired - now close to 10 years old. The wiring is actually really simple and is good for longer distance stuff in cooler temps. That said, with the wired setup, you never have to worry about unplugging the gear - the cables slide on and off with ease should you forget to unplug or fall off the bike. Although riding with heated gear is amazing, regardless of which way you go, always have good base layers and warmer clothing in your heated stuff fails.

I would say that looking at some of the temperatures I am seeing on the north shore of Lake Superior and beyond, dressing appropriately for the cooler weather will be a must for your trip. That north shore is like riding around an ocean and at times it can be 15deg cooler up there than here.

I think you are in Mississauga. If you want you are welcome to swing by my place and try on the heated gear and see if you like it, so you can get a sense if you like that for standing on the pegs, taking pictures, etc. It might also help you compare with what you see at DSP or from Jimmy. PM if interested.
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All good info! Thanks for the offer, later this year I may just take you up :) It all seems pretty straight forward though in terms of connectors, the Venture Heat gear mentioned seems to fit the bill as its both wired or wireless and available locally, the Warm'nSafe stuff looks very good too, however all I see is US websites, and after shipping, currency exchange, and duties it will get pretty costly.

I do always have Merino base layers and warm gear, part of my paranoia is I started riding on a Naked bike, and all I remember was being cold and tossed around by the wind, my legs would always cramp and fingers go numb. Since switching to more upright ADV bikes with wind protection, its been much better, though when I feel chilly, all the memories of the past start flooding back. I used to stop in parking lots and stuff my jacket and pockets with those heat packs from Marks, and this was just in 10-15c temps, I remember reaching timmies and on-routes spending time just getting feeling back in my body, sold that bike less than a year later.

I'm debating getting heated grips to start, and then the liner if needed, and add to the collection from there, looking at the long range weather forecast, North Vancouver is showing hi's of mid 20s, and lows in 12-15c, Calgary a bit chillier, hi's of 20's, and low's in the single digits for early September. So thinking of buying the liner to take just in case
 
I love my heated gear, a mix and match of Gerbing, Warm & Safe, and Firstgear (rebranded Warm&Safe) that I mostly bought used. Warm & Safe wireless troller is the best part of it. Mounted on my front brake master, I can adjust the heat on the fly on two circuits. In my case, I have it wired for jacket and gloves/pants and socks.

All of the above are compatible with each other.

It's been said before, but Warm & Safe is run by amazing people and deserve all of the positive PR they get.
 
I use First Gear glove liners ( Warm n Safe now I guess ) and they have been durable and cost effective over years of use. Used to have heated grips but back of my hands and finger tips got cold.
First Gear intermediate, Gortex all season gloves with D30 armour...the winter gloves too bulky.

I bought a set of Oxford muffs last year but was a light winter so didn't get much use and I think there are better muffs out there that are more structured to stop pressure on your hands at speed. But muffs REALLY keep you warm.
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ColdPruf long underwear really works ..I bought oversize so can easily pull on over other layers and it eliminates cold spots in arm etc and packs down tiny.
COLDPRUF - A natural extension of the Indera Mills Company

A neck protector that covers front and back - sometimes hard to seal jacket at the neck in front and really helps with the backdraft
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