I would like to tap into the experience of you good members of this forum. I have no intention of being as cold this winter as I was last winter. I also intend on riding every day that there is no ice on the road. I've searched the forum for info on electrically heated vests and found a lot of discussion, but few particulars. What I'm looking for are experiences, both good and bad, from those who have worn them. In particular I'm interested in, by brand:

1. How warm were the vests? Did you have to layer on top of the vest, or was the vest and a coat sufficient?

2. The spiel from the vest sellers is that if you keep your core body warm, everything else stays warm as well. Is this true? Were your hands really warmer?

3. How reliable were the vests? Were they useful for several years, or did they quickly deteriorate?

4. Was there any problem with the current drain on the charging system?

If those of you who have them wouldn't mind sharing, this would be a great resource for others who are thinking about spending the money. Right now, without any experience and just my research to go on, the Aerostitch Windblock Kanetsu Electric Vest #1442 for $157 seems like the best choice. I'm looking forward to your feedback...it's starting to get cold out here in Utah!!!

Hey, Gil! Must be coincidental, but I was just looking at a heated vest at the dealership yesterday, and vowed not to be cold this year like you! I'm not sure how many models are out there, but the H-D one was $180.00 and felt good quality, but I wondered about longevity, too...for $180 bucks, I would hope that sucker lasts a few years! I've been thinking of heated grips, too, but I would like to hear more testimony from any members here that have/had the electric vests to see if they work as advertised...let's see...the vest, some heated grips, and some electric socks...I'll be over to visit you in January if I get that equipped! Thanks for bringing the topic up...we'll probably catch some flak from the tough riders out there, but wait til they're my age...those ol' extremities need a little help staying warm!

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that keeping the torso warm is NOT enough....

The Torso holds heat better than any extremety....

The MOST heat is lost thru the head...followed closely by the arms and legs....

That's where I'm concentrating my attention for cold weather riding....

Heated grips is about all I'm changing....MAYBE electric gloves and sox, instead....If I can find a comfy set....

Hi Guys,

I have a Widder vest that I've had for about 8 years. A couple of years ago I bought a Gerbings jacket liner and the vest now sits lonely in the drawer. They are more money but to me well worth every dollar. The jacket liner will keep your arms warm which on long rides is very helpful. I have an older style Heat-Troller which to me is the only way to go. You can vary the temp to the chill outside. In town I only turn it up a little so you are not drawing too much power for cruising around on the open highway you can crank it up higher. I like it better than just the on/off switches.The jacket liner is bulkier than the vest but can be used over all the seasons. I use it as a regular liner when the heat is not needed. The vest is less bulky but does not keep the arms warm on cold days. A heated collar is nice in either the vest or the jacket liner so check them out to make sure they come with it. Make sure to buy one that fits close to the body as possible for the best heating. The less clothing you have between you and the vest/liner the better. You can wear a shirt over the top of a vest.

I also have the Gerbings gloves and sox. The sox I very sudden wear and the gloves are good on my DL1000 but don't seem to work as good with the Sporty. The gloves work good around town but on really long rides hooked up to the jacket liner I can not get them warm enough to keep my hands really warm.

Anyone out there tried the Under Armor cold-weather gear? For $50, I'd hope they're better than a $8 pair of Wal-Mart long johns, but I'm unconvinced. Definitely gonna need something under the flight suit I wear to work every day - I, too, have vowed to ride to work whenever the roads are ice-free. This being Virignia, those days will be few and far between.

Back when I used to ride to Daytona from Chicago, I had an Eclipse electric vest. It plugged right into the same lead I have on my battery for charging. It was great! It had a really tall collar that I could raise up into my helmet. It kept me very warm, I had to get a adjustable thermostat because with just the on off switch that came with it, I'd get too hot. If you're going to do a lot of cold weather riding, this is a must have. I think any brand vest would be good. Eclipse does not make a heated vest any more.

I'll agree with Rider1951. My Gerbings jacket has a heated collar as well as body and arms, and I was able to ride all winter long last winter, as long as there wasn't ice or snow on the roads. I wore the Gerbing under an Aerostich 2 piece suit. Below about 30 (F) I wore long johns on the bottom and a Patagonia synthetic, wicking top. It was good enough for 20-30 mile rides, but I wouldn't have wanted to try anything really long. That was on my other bike, which is fully faired, and has heated seats and grips.

Dan

I'm going with heated gloves this winter, but I will offer a suggestion for an item that's helped me a lot - go to national cycle, or JCWhitney, or a place called wingthings (not just for gold wings but lots of brands and they have the good price) and check out national cycles hand deflectors.

They are just a molded "windshield", in clear or smoke that covers the area ahead of your grips, and blocks a LOT of cold air off the hands. With some heated gloves, I believe it wil be the proverbial "cats meow".

National Cycle gets $89.95, but others charge as little as $64.95 They mount to the mirror bolt, and go on pretty easily.

I attached a pic from nat'l cycle, and one of my Sportster in "touring" form. You can see my deflectors - I wanted clear but they sent smoke, so i said I don't care and put 'em on.

ou also can see my "engine deflectors" from Nat'l Cycle, that I had to improvise to mount to the windshield, but they really manage the wind. I don't get that "blast" that hit me right in the chin anymore.

...also can see my "engine deflectors" from Nat'l Cycle, that I had to improvise to mount to the windshield, but they really manage the wind. I don't get that "blast" that hit me right in the chin anymore.

Alasportster, thanks for posting. So as not to dilute this thread would you mind starting a new theread and explain more about the engine and hand wind deflectors? Maybe include a few pics...especially showing how you attached the engine deflectors on your bike. I have been thinking about doing exactly the same thing. The windshield blocks alot, but the wind that comes up from below on either side of the front wheel really blasts you when its cold!

--john

Ive seen the adds, and of course the manufacturers want to sell their products, but it seems as though there are two main, but very different approaches. On is the tight fitting vest. It pushes the idea that a warm "core temperature" will be achieved and will keep everything else warm because of better circulation, no need of heated gloves, pants or socks. The other approach is the looser fitting jacket with heated arms. This approach seems to also suggest you need the gloves, pants and socks. The second approach can be much more costly than the first, therefore my cheapskate's interest in the first. However, it would seems from the posts thus far, that the vest may be more "hot air" than fact...or at best inferior to the jacket. Is this correct?

I don't buy the idea that a warm core will take care of the rest of your body. Last winter no matter how warm my torso was, my fingers would still freeze (with gloves). My legs got cold too, but it was tolerable. It may have something to do with how good the individual's circulation is because there are days when it could be in the 70's that I still get cold fingers or feet. You may have to make a choice that's specific to you. Don't know if that helps much but that's my contribution. :D

I saw a very interesting article on this subject about a year ago. Can't remember where but i'll see if I can find it.
A company was developing a vest for the US military (and civi) applications in extreme cold.
They had a guy in a room at -30°F and constantly measured his dexterity and temperature, both core and hand. This guy was rugged up so much he looked like a beach ball and after 5 minutes with no gloves, he couldn't complete a simple 'pin in hole' type dexterity test. The thermal images of his hands went from red to yellowish green in about 3 minutes and he was starting to lose full function of his entire body. (They had to help him out of the room)
After fitting him out with a heated jacket they threw him back in the freezer and the results were quite different. He completed the dexterity test in almost the same time it took him in normal conditions i.e out of the freezer. His hands stayed at body temperature and he had full control over his body.
They kept him in there for 30 minutes if I remember corrctly, to push the limits of the test so to speak and nothing changed in his condition.

Now, all this is very interesting but he wasn't riding a bike so there was no wind chill factor. The jacket he wore was tight fitting.

So i'm not sure if it applies to bikes but the theory is sound and proven. Keep your core temp warm and your fingers won't get cold.

I think you're right Predator, I'm sure the wind plays a major factor with the hands. Your fingers act like fins on a radiator and the wind takes the heat from them.

Just found this link. Might be good if you just won the lottery.

http://www.backcountry.com/store/TNF0123/c11/s20/The-North-Face-MET5-Jacket-Unisex.html

Hey, Gil! Must be coincidental, but I was just looking at a heated vest at the dealership yesterday, and vowed not to be cold this year like you! I'm not sure how many models are out there, but the H-D one was $180.00 and felt good quality, but I wondered about longevity, too...for $180 bucks, I would hope that sucker lasts a few years! I've been thinking of heated grips, too, but I would like to hear more testimony from any members here that have/had the electric vests to see if they work as advertised...let's see...the vest, some heated grips, and some electric socks...I'll be over to visit you in January if I get that equipped! Thanks for bringing the topic up...we'll probably catch some flak from the tough riders out there, but wait til they're my age...those ol' extremities need a little help staying warm!
Gerbings is the manufacturer of the heated garments for Harley I believe.
BMW dealers sell this line also.

I OWN Widder, but only because I bought them more than a decade ago before I heard of Gerbings.

Like others have said...

Heated JACKET is better than VEST...

Heated COLLAR ROCKS!

It doesn't do the job for my hands UNLESS I've got wind deflection as well... then I'm likely good.

Along with my Aerostich, with the vest AND gloves will cover me down below 20 degrees F... I've ridden into the single digits with that stuff.

Kev

...Along with my Aerostich, with the vest AND gloves will cover me down below 20 degrees F... I've ridden into the single digits with that stuff. Kev

That is the temp range I want to be able to ride comfortably in. Last year Dec into Mar of this year a lot of my riding was below 40F, with quite a few trips below freezing. I managed relative comfort with layering. Longer trips required a hand warmer inside my coat...but I always ended up smelling like a trash fire at the end of my ride. I never could keep my hands warm and got used to riding with one hand or the other groping one of the cylinders to keep warm. I don't think I'm ready to plunk down nearly $1k for something like the Aerostich. I do think I'm just about ready to buy the electrics though. A local store here in Utah (BMW dealership) will be getting their winter stock of Gerbing jacket liners and gloves next week. I'm pretty sure I'll be going there, find what fits, and will get the jacket liner, gloves, and the controller. If I haven't spent myself into financial ruin after buying the electrics I might also try the deflectors described by Alasportster.

You don't have to spend 1k on Aerostich... I've seen stuff from Teknic and Joe Rocket that is pretty darn good for MUCH MUCH less. Plus I had a bud just buy a nearly brand new stich Roadcrafter suit off Ebay for something like $400...

But either way, for the temps you're talkin' electric gear IS the answer!

K