Best winter gear?

Capone

Active Member
#1
Winter sucks I see snow on the ground and all I can think about is riding. I have diabetes and my outter limbs start to freeze.

What is the best riding suit or gear to plug in for heating to battle the cold?
 

Shawn K

Professional Cat Confuser
Premier Member
#5
If you have diabetes, I'd pay extra close attention to keeping your extremeties warm, not just your core.

I second the Warm-'N-Safe brand. Don't bother with anything from Hotwired (Cycle Gear house brand) because you'll be replacing them in two seasons. Get Warm-' N-Safe. Theyre superior products. Ask me how I know.

In your particular use case, get at least a full jacket liner AND heated socks at the same time, along with the Warm-'N-Safe wireless dual zone heat controller (don't run your socks without separately adjustable heat!). I recommend that you speak with Ken Phenix - look for "Phenix Flaming Hot Motorcycle Gear" on Facebook. He's very knowledgeable and professional, and highly recommended.
 

CB650F

Premier Member
#7
I went with Gerbing for my heated gear and have been happy with it. The jacket liner and a pair of insulated windproof pants is usually enough for me, but when it gets really cold (like low 40's and 30s), I use the pant liner too. I haven't bothered with heated socks/insoles or gloves. In your case, I'd recommend something to keep your hands and feet warm though. Diabetes is certainly nothing to mess around with. Keep those fingers and toes warm and safe.
 
#8
My current kit consists of a Venture Heat Deluxe heated jacket liner, and Mobile Warming (Fieldsheer) 12v gloves. The Venture Heat liner has a wireless remote that mounts on the bars, which works well, and can still be controlled with the button on the liner itself. You can also get a 12v battery and keep the heat going off the bike (that has come in handy during the COVID situation). One drawback is you then have to use gloves with their own controller, since there is only one input wire on the liner with no way to split it to the gloves (Venture Heat has gloves with built-in controllers as well, but they only lasted two seasons before I had issues with them coming apart before complete failure). Gerbing (Gyde Supply) and others have two inputs, since they use an external controller, so you can mix & match a little more. I had Gerbing (older before Gyde bought them), and the quality was good, plus their gloves are some of the only ones that have heat on the palms, so if you don't have heated grips they'll be better. I found the external controller to be a little challenging, since there are more wires, and you have to find somewhere to mount the controller to either yourself or the bike. Depending on your bike, you can get a controller that is panel mount, which makes things a little easier, plus it looks like Gerbing now has some wireless options. Lots of choices!

I would definitely go with 12v wired vs. 7.4v battery if you are looking at long distance in colder weather. They have higher heat output, and you don't have to worry about depleted batteries.

Dave
 

Shawn K

Professional Cat Confuser
Premier Member
#9
Venture Heat has gloves with built-in controllers as well, but they only lasted two seasons before I had issues with them coming apart before complete failure
That's the reason why I recommend Warm-'N-Safe and not any other brands. Nearly every piece of heated gear on the market now is co-man'd by Venture Heat, and their build quality is no good. WnS is one of the few brands left that aren't made by Venture Heat.
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#10
You might also look at handlebar muffs. Even with heated gloves, they make a huge difference and keep the wind off your hands. Many find that normal gloves with heated grips and muffs do well. You will have to assess your individual needs. I have had heated gloves in the past, and chaps and full jacket liner and been comfortable into the 20F temps for extended all day rides. But, the moment you turn the bike off, you get cold very quickly!

I always suggest that people that are new to heated gear aim for "not cold" rather than "warm" when using it. If you're feeling "warm" you're heat settings are high enough to cause you to sweat, which will give you chills when you ride thru short areas of lower temps, like a dip in the road or a valley. Staying "not cold" keeps you from losing heat to the outside temps, but makes you less sensitive to dips in temperature. The Heat-Troller allows infinite adjustment, far superior to low/med/high switches or multiple level type controllers.
 

Shawn K

Professional Cat Confuser
Premier Member
#11
You might also look at handlebar muffs. Even with heated gloves, they make a huge difference and keep the wind off your hands.
Funny you should mention those, as I've thought of them before, too. Do you happen to know of any that fit over the controls of a GL1800?
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#12
Funny you should mention those, as I've thought of them before, too. Do you happen to know of any that fit over the controls of a GL1800?
Not off the top of my head. It's been ~9 years since I rode a GL1800. Here are some marketed to the GL1800 LINK
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#14
Sorry, didn't notice that. Try pinging this seller to see if they can get you the Goldwing versions - LINK2

There are some Italian sellers on ebay us too, but shipping is higher.

Hippo Hands might know if one of their versions fits. https://www.hippohands.com/ I've read mixed reviews on their products, so do some searching on your own too for reviews. The real originals were a Vetter product and the current company bought that name, IIRC.
 

Capone

Active Member
#16
Awesome input everyone. I’m looking forward to the warm and safe brand and with handle bar muffs for extreme cold. Its a pleasure taking advice from IBA members.
 

keithu

Premier Member
IBA Member
IBR Finisher
#17
Regarding Aerostich, I recommend a 2-piece Roadcrafter Classic or Darien for winter riding. The two piece is more waterproof, easier to custom size, and just generally easier to live with on a daily basis. It even goes on and off faster than the 1-piece in my experience.

The Roadcrafter Classic is lined which makes it a little less comfortable above 80F than the unlined 1-piece R3. But for winter riding it's comfy. Having owned both a 1-piece and 2-piece Roadcrafter, IMO there is no benefit to the 1-piece unless you want the unlined R3.
 

KEN PHENIX

Premier Member
IBA Member
#18
Thank you Shawn K.
2019 was a bit of a chinese firedrill in the heated gear industry. Many brands such as, Hotwired, Firstgear & Tourmaster changed suppliers. Their new Venture Heat offerings with built-in button controls are not compatable with previous iterations. Firstgear had always been made by Warm & Safe and the new line was a bit of a disappointment. The Gerbing label is now on its 3rd owner having been sold off by Gyde Supply. Warm & Safe may be the only heated gear maker still under original ownership and I'm proud to represent them. I'm always happy to answer any heated hear questions. I'm old school, call me on the phone any evening after 5:30 mountain time. 409-363-1417
 
#19
don't hold to much with the idea of heated gear, with my luck it'll fail when i really need it. if you put lots of layers on its ok modern materials mean this is not to bulky and being stationary in traffic gets to hot so sweating is an issue but a good base layer wicks this away so not that much of an issue. a decent fairing makes a hell of a difference wind chill is an big issue but hands and feet tend to be exposed try slowing down 5 mph it works. i have now heated grips yes they work but not that much and i find extra gloves bulky so try to avoid an internal liner and handle bar muffs just cant ride in them. i have a pair of glove liners but rarely resort to them. Still use the old trick of a spare pair of gloves and keep the somewhere warm quick swap and away again. on the old 70s bikes these were simply wedged under the carbs in tin foil really warm there, most modern bikes that isn't an option.

i tend to get my stuff from hiking shops and look for the material there made from rather than a brand merino wool is really good and i rate outlast linings bought an under jacket last year highly compressible so takes up no room my initial thought was to get a down one but was advised against it as it clumps when wet and stops working shouldn't get wet but you never know. outer layer is good quality bike gear with waterproof outer not an internal liner a damp outer wicks heat away. Again i will avoid saying any particular brand as they change hands regularly and standards go up and down but there are one or two that seem to stay with one owner and quality is reliable.
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#20
@stig of the dump - About 20 years ago heated gear became reliable. You should give it a try mate. ;) But buy a good Warm & Safe Heat-Troller to control what ever you buy, and don't buy anything not compatible with that. That will weed out the chaff quickly. I have a Gerbing jacket liner from 2004 that has seen a LOT of use over the years and never failed. I did have an older controller die during a Winter ride, but that fault has long been fixed and won't ever occur with the current designs.

Nothing wrong with layering, and it's great for someone that doesn't have a 12V power source between their legs.