Think of pulling the wires out of your electric blanket and sewing them into your gloves and riding suit…toasty, eh? That essentially defines Gerbing’s Heated products, only someone else has already done the work for you! Then you plug this heated garment into your bike’s battery and—wahoo—you’ve suddenly got heat oozing into your body as you ride.
The process of hooking up the Gerbing’s products begins with removing the nuts from your bike’s battery posts, placing the eyes of the system’s wiring harness over the posts and tightening the nuts…simple! Position the wiring harness plug where it’s accessible, plug the garment wires into it and you’re in business.
Gerbing’s Heated Motorcycle Jacket Liner ($199.95) is made of a Teflon-coated, wind-resistant nylon shell with Thinsulate insulation. It includes two inside and two handwarmer pockets, a high zip-up collar and a pair of glove plugs hidden in pockets in the sleeves. The liner is rather bulky, but that’s OK as it seals well and you won’t need to wear heavy clothing under it. Plug it in, turn it on and within about a minute you’ll begin to feel the heat emanating from the pads on the chest, back, collar and sleeves. Because it puts out so much heat I strongly suggest ordering the Portable Temp Controller ($69.95) that, with the turn of a dial, allows you to dial in the desired amount of heat.
The second product I recommend is Gerbing’s G3 Gloves ($169.95). They’re made of Thinsulate-insulated leather and incorporate a water- and wind-proof breathable Aquatex liner. The leather is not waterproof and thus Gerbing’s recommends it be treated with Nikwax Glove Proof to prevent it from becoming soaked…even if the liner prevents your hands from getting wet. Heating wires run the length of each finger and thumb, as well as along the backs of the hands. The gloves have a comfortable brushed liner, are stylish and the wearer cannot feel the wires. We did have one tester suffer a mild burn on a fingertip when stopping to turn the Temp Controller down was not possible, but Gerbing’s says this was a defect in that glove and offered to swap it out.
The gloves are slightly bulky, but once they’re turned on you’ll feel the heat immediately. Their plugs easily fit into those incorporated in the Jacket Liner’s sleeves. A drawstring closure allows the gloves to be sealed around the jacket cuff, but the wearer must position the hookup wires properly so they don’t bind.
If you’re interested in running both of these products, substitute the Portable Dual Temp Controller ($99.95) for the Portable Temp Controller. It’s a little device with three wires, one of which plugs into the wiring harness we installed on the battery and the other two plug into a similar device inside the Jacket Liner. The Dual Temp Controller provides the wearer with separate controls for two different articles of heated clothing and the ability, with the turn of a dial, to adjust the heat level in each item (such as the gloves and jacket liner) independently, or to turn them off. According to Gerbing, this digital controller ensures that your heated clothing uses only as much power as requested.
If you’ve ever been cold while riding a motorcycle (duh!), heated clothing is a true luxury and the most direct way of getting warm. Conventional garments only trap body heat; heated clothing manufactures it. Yes, these products are as pricey as a high-end jacket and gloves, but they are also likely to be significantly warmer and much more controllable.
For more information: Call (866) 371-HEAT (4328) or see www.gerbing.com
