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My old eclips/bmw vest died last yr. so after some rally & parking lot research I went w/a gerbing vest & socks plus heat controler,the bike has htd. grips..I'd get into more detail but it's gettin light out & I'm going for a ride in the Berkshires,note to self:beware blake ice :doh
Greetings,
As you can see the majority prefer Gerbing. When I was first shopping for electrics I asked a YB we call the Savant of the Pavement. He said Gerbing. He then told me to look around for used gear and note how many vest I saw vs the Gerbing (this was 7-8 yes ago). Astute observation.
I now have a pair of electric socks, pants and a newer jacket. I wear thin poly pro under the socks and pants with a poly zip turtleneck under the jacket. Under a Darien on the GS I am good to 50 at highway speeds for anytime. Once it gets colder I put a very thin shell with a light poly pro liner over the Gerbing. It is not too bulky and I can't think of any combo that would be any warmer with less bulk. Like BB I have a balacava for when it gets "real" cold.
I also have the BMW Winter Gloves. My hands have never been cold. My longest cold ride was a BBG back from Branson a number of years ago. From NJ to RI the high temp was 20. The ride turned into a BBG because it was just too cold for the IB motel and I didn't want to get a room. This was on a K11LT, I don't think I could have handled it on the GS.
My Gerbing jacket lives in the lid of one of my panniers year round. I consider it part of my safety gear.
Best,
Rob Nye
Today was a good day for tops & bottoms. I wore polypro top, then my 2004 Downeast Rally long sleeve top, jacket, leggings, pants, ski socks, tall boots, 'stitch, balaclava...then I'm so hot from getting dressed, it takes at least 30 minutes before I turn anything on! I would recommend getting the thermostat, no sense skimping at that point.
I learned last season that just having the jacket, while nice for some temperature ranges, like the 50's; I couldn't ride in colder weather because I would shiver with my top half warm and bottom half cold - even with a full fairing.
if your vests or gloves are too hot run them through a old style mechanical turn signal.you can use a DPDT switch to either go through the relay or in the other position it goes straight to the vest.the relay blinking on and off turns the vest on and off and cuts the heat in half.
[QUOTE=Jeff;36649]My old Eclipse electric vest has finaly quit, any recomendations, new vest or a full heated jacket? I have been looking at Aerostich Kanetsu windblock electric vests and jackets but don't know if I need heated sleeves or not.[/QUOTE]
I rode for the first couple of seasons with a heated vest. It seemed as if my arms were always exposed and very cold. The cold arm problem disappeared when I purchased the long sleeve Gerbing's jacket liner. Definitely picked up dual controls for the liner and gloves; they're never at the same temperature. Permanently mounting them as worked well for m. :ca
I bought a Powerlet heated liner for my wife and she's very happy with it. It gives off a lot of heat, and they say it can be packed down smaller than a Gerbing, not as fragile.
[QUOTE=henryv;637734]I bought a Powerlet heated liner for my wife and she's very happy with it. It gives off a lot of heat, and they say it can be packed down smaller than a Gerbing, not as fragile.[/QUOTE]
+1 The Powerlet jacket is made by Warm and Safe. I like it better then my old Gerbings jacket. It packs smaller and has 105 watts of heat, which is warmer then the Gerbings.
[SIZE="3"]Gerbings is the best IMHO. With that said I purchased the Tourmaster liner with sleeves, and the gloves. Less than 1/2 the price. very warm. My last trip, high 20's approx 300 miles round trip and I was toasty warm on the medium setting. I had on a long sleeve tee, the liner and my outer shell to my 3/4 jacket. I do ride an RT so I have a lot of plastic up front. Did not even use the heated grips as the gloves did the trick. I do work outside and the cold does not seem to bother me as much as some others. This is my first winter with new electrics, not counting the BMW vest that I used for years. :thumb[/SIZE]
I've had Warm & Safe and Gerbings. I prefer the Gerbings. Like most apparel stuff, the reason there's a couple major brands is one works better for some, and the other works better for others.
I would suggest if you go with Gerbing, buy direct. If you buy direct, you pretty much get a 30 day no questions asked return policy as long as the item isn't damaged. Don't like it, they'll take it back. I've used it a couple times and the service was awesome.