Had a chance to really give the Gerbing jacket liner and gloves a workout the past couple days. Sunday I went on a 150 mile ride. Temps mid 30s, light to moderate rain for the entire trip. My attire, in order from skin outward, upper: long sleeve cotton T shirt, Gerbing jacket liner, cotton denim shirt, First Gear Kilimanjaro coat. Top: light wool balaclava, full face Bell Zephyr helmet. Lower: briefs, cheap Walmart long johns, blue jeans, bottoms from my rain suit. Bottom: 2pr socks, boots. I also installed my HD quick disconnect windshield.

I started the Sunday ride with my old deerskin non insulated gloves, covered with cheap rubber gloves to stay dry in the rain. I pulled over after the first hour to put the heated gloves on...hands were cold and numb. However, the rest of me was very comfortably warm. It took a bit to "dial in" the temperature controller, but eventually felt comfortable at about 30% power. After I put the heated gloves on, within just a few minutes my hands were warm and comfortable. The remainder of the ride was in full comfort. Last year, without the heated jacket liner and gloves, under similar conditions it took two additional sweaters under the coat and was still chilly for the entire ride.

This morning when I rode to work the temperature was 22 degrees. Normal office attire with heated jacket liner, Kilimanjaro coat, heated gloves, leather chaps. Toasty! Started out with heat controller set to about 75%. After first mile it was too warm! Had to dial it down to about 50%. Distance rode was only about 12 miles, but fully warm and comfortable.

I continue to be impressed with the quality, comfort, and working "as advertized" of the Gerbing heated jacket liner and gloves. A real quality product. Although I don't like riding in cold weather, I dislike not riding even more. The Gerbings will definitely make riding in cold weather much more enjoyable.

Note: maybe I'm just a wuss, but every time I put the jacket liner on I'm thankful I got it rather than just a heated vest. I thorougly enjoy the feeling of heat on my arms. I don't think I would be nearly as comfortable with just a heated vest.

Sounds like a good setup! I've heard good things about the Gerbing jacket liner/gloves and have been thinking about getting them. Thanks for the great review! :)

Gilx

You will really like the stuff. I've had mine for a couple of years. Since I bought the jacket liner I've never worn my vest again. The jacket liner even works great in the summer without the heat. One thing you be careful of though is not to forget when you're nice and toasty that it can be below freesing out and there could be ice on the roads. Sometimes I forget just how cold it really is. LOL

Are there any online places to buy Gerbing stuff? I think I heard that HD heated gloves are Gerbing. How about the vest and jacket liner? Do HD dealers carry those?

Sounds like a nice set-up. I would try one if i ever make a out of state winter trip, but today is the first day of winter i can even try out just my new leather jacket. I was wearing a t shirt the night before last on a ride. This morning it was 48 degrees tomorrow morning 33 degrees finely nice cool riding weather! BTW how much do the gloves run?

Are you wired into the bike, or using batteries?

I'd like to have the pant liners on one NIMH battery, and the gloves/jacket liner on another, but haven't figured out if I can get 2 hours of 50%-70% on a single charge.

Gilx... One thing you be careful of though is not to forget when you're nice and toasty that it can be below freesing out and there could be ice on the roads. Sometimes I forget just how cold it really is. LOL

I agree! The heated clothes change the whole environment! I had several errands to run tonight. It was just above freezing, yet I was having a ball rodding from one store to another. We have one road here that goes over a small hill, and has several sharp turns on it...kind of a mini twisty mountain pass. As I was running through it I was thinking just that...another couple degrees drop and some of the dark spots on the road could have been ice. Just one more thing to stay aware of while riding! :tour

Are there any online places to buy Gerbing stuff? I think I heard that HD heated gloves are Gerbing. How about the vest and jacket liner? Do HD dealers carry those?

Try the Gerbing web site (http://www.gerbing.com/divmc/clothing/jl.html). Maybe there are other sites that discount. I went to the local BMW bike dealer to try on and purchase mine.

... BTW how much do the gloves run?

Take a look here (http://www.gerbing.com/divmc/clothing/glovesprod.html). There are two gloves and a glove liner. I paid $140 for mine. Pricey I admit. Last year on some of my longer rides my hands were just miserable. I spent most of the time hunched over with one hand or the other touching a cylinder head to keep them warm. This year on the one longish ride I went on I rode the first half with regular, non heated gloves. Hands got cold, numb, started hurting. I stopped, put the heated gloves on and man, what a difference. Hands warmed up, un-numbed, and had a pleasant remainder of the ride. Pricey, yes...but for me worth it.

Are you wired into the bike, or using batteries?

I'd like to have the pant liners on one NIMH battery, and the gloves/jacket liner on another, but haven't figured out if I can get 2 hours of 50%-70% on a single charge.

I'm wired into the bike battery. A battery connector came with both the gloves and with the jacket liner. I don't know what the watt rating of the Sportster alternator is but it seems to handle my jacket liner and gloves without problem. On idle I can see the lights flicker whenever the Gerbing controller cycles on. However, just a few RPM increase and there is no effect seen from the lights. That tells me that at that point the alternator is putting out well more than is necessary for both the bike, lights, and clothing.

gilx,I see that you seem to be warm enough without the heated pants liner?
or do you think you might need them?

gilx,I see that you seem to be warm enough without the heated pants liner?
or do you think you might need them?

My thoughts exactly....so your lower extremeties are warm enough without any heated gear? You have SOLD me on the liner/gloves....:smoke

hard to say what's warm enough, since different people can have very different comfort levels at the same temp. i just got home from work, about a 40 minute ride @ 20 degrees, and my upper/lower body was fine with just a rain suit over jeans, heavy shirt, and leather jacket, and a wool cap. i'm definitely going to check out the heated gloves, though...even with goretex lined gloves my hands aren't very happy at this temp.

I use a carhart jacket and bib panst when it's cold here in Michigan, but the hands and feet tend to still get cold. I have warm boots and gloves but it looks like heated is the way to go, if I want to ride in the real cold temps.

I wear a pair of Firstgear HT overpants over my jenas. They have pads over the knees which help block the wind. With the liner in I'm good to go to about 30 degrees on long rides. On my 10 mile commute to work I've been comfortable in the mid 20s.

gilx,I see that you seem to be warm enough without the heated pants liner?
or do you think you might need them?

I'm not sure. Last year I made do with layering. When it got into the mid 20s I had to fire up a couple hand warmers to keep under the coat. I wasn't warm...chilly, slightly uncomfortable, but still worth it to be able to ride. Even in that environment, the chaps, jeans, longjohns seemed to work. I guess I'm considerably less sensitive to cold below the belt. With the heated jacket liner and gloves I'm looking forward to a much more comfortable winter this year. But here is the question: once you "fix" something, other things that weren't a problem can then become more important. What I'm thinking is that being much more comfortable on top may make the colder temps below more noticeable. I will not be purchasing the heated pants this year so I will be able to give a much more informed answer in about 5 months :laugh

My thoughts exactly....so your lower extremeties are warm enough without any heated gear? You have SOLD me on the liner/gloves....:smoke

They have been so far. See my response to Carl2124. However I have one more layer I intend to try this year when it gets down into the 20s...my rain pants bottoms. Between the chaps and the rain pants it ought to make it pretty impervious to the wind.

......Great! Ride Safe out there. It's getting close to 50 today, so I'm outaheya!!!:smoke

I have the gloves only. Also bought the controller so the total bill was a little over $200. Gloves are great. Hands are toastly warm and as long as hands are warm so is the rest of me.

Velcro'd the controller to the tank bra. Wire then drops down to battery for power and runs under the gas tank to get to the gloves. Attached at frame in front of tank and then again on handlebars. From there to the gloves.

The H-D gloves are Gerbings but priced $20 more. I could not find them discounted anywhere. Closes dealer to me was up in Massachusetts. Drove there and was able to be certain of the fit.

Fred

I lived in seveal cold weather environments in my life...stationed in Keflavik, Iceland for a year and did cold weather training on Greenland and in Norway. Being warm makes a huge difference in being alert and thinking correctly. When your cold you make mistakes.

One thing I did learn is that if you keep your core, chest/stomache, area warm your hands and feet will stay warm too. When your core starts to get cold your body uses its resources to keep from going into shock and your blood doesn't flow as well to your extremities. Thats why your hands and feet get cold. Keep your core warm and everything will be warm.

I lived in seveal cold weather environments in my life...stationed in Keflavik, Iceland for a year and did cold weather training on Greenland and in Norway. Being warm makes a huge difference in being alert and thinking correctly. When your cold you make mistakes.

One thing I did learn is that if you keep your core, chest/stomache, area warm your hands and feet will stay warm too. When your core starts to get cold your body uses its resources to keep from going into shock and your blood doesn't flow as well to your extremities. Thats why your hands and feet get cold. Keep your core warm and everything will be warm.

Mostly true. You are absolutely correct about your core body temp...good info there, and an important part of staying warm. However, you can have cold hands and feet with core body temp that is acceptable. I have seen many cases of frostbite in the e.r. and ICU of the fingers and toes, when the patient stated that his body was absolutely warm, but due to poor footwear or gloves/protection, the peripheral vasculature was shut down due to vasoconstriction and tissue damage from the extreme cold. Try putting on all your warm weather gear, even a heated jacket liner and pants, then take a 100 mile ride on your sporty with the outside temp below 20 with no gloves/hand protection. When you get done, let me know if your hands are cold! ;) :D