Choosing Electrics

[BradfordBenn]

Hello All-

I know that this thread has also appeared on the IBMWR, but figured I would poll here as well.

In an effort to combat PMS I am stocking up on warm clothes. My wife got me the HyperTex Overpants for Valentine's Day. They work great so far.

The layering is working pretty well for the upper body, but after becoming an Umpalumpa cause of all the layers I think it is time to look into Electrics.

So I have decided that I want to get something for the upper body. So now the options and choices:

Vest or full shirt? I am leaning toward full shirt.

Brand? Aerostich, Gerbing, Widder, Eclipse... etc.

Comments?
Cliches?
Commentaries?

Thanks!

[kbasa]

Gerbing Liner.

:thumb

If you think you might ever need them, get the pigtails for gloves and chaps that are heated as well.

[knary]

Heated clothing is wonderful. I'll wear the vest long before I resort to a big puffy warm layer of polartec under my 'stich.

Gerbing is the hands down favorite. Their jacket liner isn't bulky and produces prodigious heat. The downside is that they are damn expensive once you've added the necessary thermostat and other bits.

Widder/ Aerostich: from what I can tell, the performance is similar between their vests. The heat is sufficient, but not overwhelming. I have an older Aerostich vest that's just barely enough to keep me warm on a truly cold day (humid and below 32ºF), but is more than sufficient on all other days.

The Widder vests come with the extra option of adding more heated bits.

My recommendation? If you can afford it, the Gerbing. If you can't, either the Widder or the Aerostich. And if you're truly cheap or thrifty, look for them used. Lots of people sell them lightly used after they gear has "shrunk". I bought my Aerostich vest used for something like $70 and it has worked just fine for nearly 5 years.

[RebeccaV]

I would highly recommend a full liner rather than just a vest.

My Gerbing has a nice, high heated collar too. I'm not sure if the Aerostitch liner's collar is heated.

[knary]

What's the total price of a fully equipped Gerbing these days. Anyone bought one recently?

[The_Veg]

here's another couple of questions to make things interesting: how much difference, given equal garment setups, is there in the energy draw between brands, and which gives the best heat for the wattage, for those of us who have less than 700 watts to work with?

[DarrylRi]

I've never had a Gerbing, which is what everyone recommends, so I can't compare it. But I fell into a killer deal on the new BMW vest.

It has NO WIRES. Instead, it has an elecroresistive material that heats up uniformly. The tag says it's made from the usual materials, but includes "1% Aluminum" at the bottom. Consumes 37 watts. Comes with a molded plastic controller with a "chicklet" style button that is off/low/high, with two LEDs to indicate the position.

I find it very light and surprisingly warm. I've ridden with nothing but a T shirt under it, in a Savannah II jacket (which is lightweight and doesn't block the wind that well) down to about freezing, and found it acceptable. (Of course, my arms were cold, but I wasn't cold, overall.)

It's worth trying, and I'd be very curious to know how it compares with the Gerbing vest, if anyone else has had the chance to do that.

[RebeccaV]

Originally posted by knary
What's the total price of a fully equipped Gerbing these days. Anyone bought one recently?

Gerbing/77 watts
$199 for liner
$ 69 for thermostat
$ 15 for accessory plug
= $283 + shipping

Aerostitch/70 watts
$227 for liner
$ 30 for windproof fabric (which I don't recommend)
$ 57 for thermostat
$ 12 for BMW adaptor
= $326 + shipping

I'm sure that Brad knows all of that and more though. ;)

A difference of $43. One big difference in the jackets is their texture - the AStitch looks like any other fleece jacket and you can wear it anywhere, anytime. The Gerbing looks like an electric jacket. However, the Gerbing is sort of a slick fabric that makes putting on a shell easy whereas the fleece (in my experience) sort of grabs a shell as you put it on.

Also, the Gerbing has cords inside it. I don't know about the 'Stitch.

[BradfordBenn]

Originally posted by boxergrrlie
Gerbing/77 watts
$199 for liner
$ 69 for thermostat
$ 15 for accessory plug
= $283 + shipping

Aerostitch/70 watts
$227 for liner
$ 30 for windproof fabric (which I don't recommend)
$ 57 for thermostat
$ 12 for BMW adaptor
= $326 + shipping

I'm sure that Brad knows all of that and more though. ;)

Got you fooled. :p

Actually there is one other detail, that makes a difference. I can drive/ride down and try on a Gerbing during lunch and possibly walk out with one. I am not the best "waiter" for stuff to show up.

To me sales tax = shipping so that is a wash, but the fact that I can try it on and make sure I gots all the parts is the important part.

Now the funny part, most people think of the shop I would go to for the Gerbings a Harley place. I know better it is a motorcycle shop. Their slogan "It doesn't matter what you ride, it is if you ride".

[knary]

From what I understand, you can live without the thermostat on the stuff from the other companies, but you MUST have it for the Gerbings.

I'll happily pay $100 for this stuff, but nearing $300 seems sorta silly for a thin jacket with some wires in it. I dunno. Why is this stuff so expensive?

[kbasa]

I don't have a thermostat. I have one of those funky lamp switches on mine.

Too hot = off.

Too cold = on.

I think I paid $175 for mine a few years ago.

:dunno

[BradfordBenn]

Originally posted by knary
Why is this stuff so expensive?

Cause people like me are dumb enough to pay for it.

[ian408]

I got one of those thermostat thingies with the jacket
(G-bings) and it was pretty cheap. Less than $20 I think.

I started with a vest ('stich) and while it's good for short
trips, any time on the bike and you'll want a jacket.

The price of electrics is too high. But so is the price of a
fleece jacket (hmmmm....about the name) made from
recycled bottles.

Ian

[dbrick]

Originally posted by boxergrrlie
I would highly recommend a full liner rather than just a vest.

My Gerbing has a nice, high heated collar too. I'm not sure if the Aerostitch liner's collar is heated.

Yes, there's heat in the collars of the AeroStich vest and liner, but the collars aren't near as high as the Gerbings, and there isn't as much heat, either.

OTOH, I think the AeroStich stuff is much better as an off-the-bike garments. Snap it into the Darien with the slick side in, and the jacket's easy to put on and take off. Take it out of the Darien and wear it fuzzy side in for more warmth when off the bike.

Still...there are some days (in the tule fog in the Central Valley comes to mind) when I wish I still had the Gerbings...

[BradfordBenn]

Originally posted by boxergrrlie
Gerbing/77 watts
$199 for liner
$ 69 for thermostat
$ 15 for accessory plug
= $283 + shipping

Being able to ride in colder weather... Priceless

BG is definitely an expert. After this robust panel came up with the same recommendations as the IBMWR List today during lunch I went and picked up the jacket, thermostat, accessory plug and tax, out the door at $290.

Tried it on and the heat in the jacket is Holy Cats good. Nice even, fast, hot, fast, hot,,,, got thermostat.

Assuming the rain stops, riding tomorrow.

[knary]

Originally posted by BradfordBenn
Being able to ride in colder weather... Priceless

BG is definitely an expert. After this robust panel came up with the same recommendations as the IBMWR List today during lunch I went and picked up the jacket, thermostat, accessory plug and tax, out the door at $290.

Tried it on and the heat in the jacket is Holy Cats good. Nice even, fast, hot, fast, hot,,,, got thermostat.

Assuming the rain stops, riding tomorrow.

Rain? we don't care about no stinnnkin' rain!

Congrats on the gerbing. Excellent choice. What? You want to adopt me as your new little brother? ok. I'll take a Gerbing liner in medium.

[RebeccaV]

Originally posted by BradfordBenn
Being able to ride in colder weather... Priceless


You GO Brad! Don't you let ol' mother nature get you down.

You, or your bike. Seriously, Brad, watch out for the ice!

[BradfordBenn]

31 Degrees and drizzle.

Mother Nature 1, Electrics 0.

I think it is a day to not ride when you can see from inside that the entire street is glimmering with ice, not just patches.

[The_Veg]

Heh. I forgot to add that I saw, I think at IBMWR's tech articles, that somebody has posted a very thorough treatise on how to electrify any garment. He even included a formula for determining how much wire to use for how much heat vs. electric consumption. That BMW even heat thingee sounds like a real quantum leap too, but knowing BMW I'm sure it's about half the price of a new RT.
I'm also still cooking ideas in my head for the opposite: an active-cooled jacket for climes like we see down here in TexSux in the summertime. Gets to be a real armpit!

[DarrylRi]

The BMW vest MSRP is $260, but I got mine at a dealer closing for $180.

[Fasterling]

I picked up the "older style" BMW heated vest from their trailer at a motorcycle show in St. Louis a few years ago. With its heated collar and decent heat output, it adds substantially to the riding season on both sides of a full-blown winter (I chicken out and park it when there's ice on the roads). My only problem with the vest was when the cord detached at the vest and I dragged it down the freeway far enough that the inline switch literally "disappeared". The dealer wanted a small fortune for a replacement cable, so it was off to Radio Shack. I mounted an illuminated automotive switch in a very small box and soldered it inline with the cable. I expanded the pins on the vest and haven't had any repeat problems with it coming unplugged. Electrics are a great counter to folks that think comfort is just a fad.

[BradfordBenn]

Originally posted by BradfordBenn
31 Degrees and drizzle.

Mother Nature 1, Electrics 0.

I think it is a day to not ride when you can see from inside that the entire street is glimmering with ice, not just patches.

Okay so the rain and ice stopped. However not the score is:

Mother Nature 1, Ohm's Law 1, Electrics 0.

I will also post this in the Oilhead Tech Forum (http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=14) cause I figure I am not the first one to hit this little problem...

The Gerbing directions say:

“The accessory plug on BMW bikes is strong enough to power Gerbing's heated clothing. We sell a modified BMW plug that replaces the battery harness for your connection to your bike's electrical system. This modified plug connects to the BMW accessory plug-in on one side and Gerbing's thermostat or on/off switch on the other side.”

Today the snow and rain stopped enough to go for a ride. I read the directions on the “Portable Temp-Controller” and followed the instruction to have engine running when connecting. Went for a ride around the neighborhood and noticed I was not getting warm. The LED was not blinking on the controller. I went back home and checked the fuse for the accesory socket as the GPS had also lost power. The accesory socket fuse had blown, it is rated for 4Amps. I figured maybe I had done something wrong, and replaced it once again following the directions. Go for a test ride again and still no heat. After doing some troubleshooting, I determined that the root case is Ohm’s Law.

Ohm’s Law states that Power (or Watts) divided by Electromagnetic Force (Volts) = Intensity (Amps). I did the math with 77W and 12V and it indicates that the fuse must be rated at approximately 6.5Amps or more than 50% larger. I checked my owner’s manual for my R1150RT and it does indicate that the accesory socket has a 4Amp fuse.:confused:

So at the moment I am still cold. However the legs were nice and warm with the HyperTex Overpants.

But the BMW vest is 70W which would also cause the 4Amp fuse to blow... things that make me go hmmm.

[BernieEcht]

My r11rt (2000) came with a 15Amp fuse installed from the factory.

Bernie.