Heated vest or chaps

[Dawn]

After filling up my truck @ $1.80 a gallon for desiel, my motorcycle is looking pretty good for running back and forth to work.  However it's 46 miles one way and I work 10 hour days so I am always riding either in the cool of the morning or evening.

My question to you is this.  Has anyone tried the heated vest or chaps that are on the market?  If so, what did you like or dislike about them?

Dawn   :)

[TreyBone]

I have a heated vest and it is the shizit. I put a thermostat on it so i can adjust the temp. ;D

[Dawn]

Trey:

What kind do you have an where did you get it?

Dawn  

[mj]

I have a couple of the Widder electric vests(one with a high collar and one without) that I have worn throughout the years and they are great.

The rheostat is a good option to have, otherwise the vests tend to get too hot and you have to turn them off and on to regulate the temperature.

[tzracer]

Don't get a vest, get a liner with heated sleeves. I have the Gerbing jacket liner with a thermostat. You will probably need the thermostat because of how warm the liner is.

I also have the Gerbing heated gloves. http://www.gerbing.com

I have heated chaps, Eclipse I think. If I did it again I would get the full pants. While riding, the back of your legs get cold.

The biggest difference in cold weather riding is the fairring on your bike. A few years ago I got a BMW R1100RT because of the fairring. Compared to a typical sportbike fairring the RT fairring is worth about 20F. I can ride in my jeans in temps down to 40F before my legs start to get cold. I don't bother with the electric clothes until the temps are in the teens.

Not sure about your part of the state, but in the southeast, they seem to be setting a record for salt use. As much as I would like to ride, I probably won't until it rains. The salt makes the streets quite slippery. Most bikes do not like salt water - it can corrode aluminum.

I have been street riding for 23 years. I use my bike mostly for commuting, 10,000 to 15,000 miles per year. If you want more detailed info on riding gear, email me.

[rick]

Heated gear is da' bomb!
I'm happy with my Widder vest and gloves. Keeps me riding even when the temperatures drop into the high 20's.

http://www.motorcyclegearreview.com/ might be worth checking out.

[Dawn]

The biggest difference in cold weather riding is the fairring on your bike. A few years ago I got a BMW R1100RT because of the fairring. Compared to a typical sportbike fairring the RT fairring is worth about 20F. I can ride in my jeans in temps down to 40F before my legs start to get cold. I don't bother with the electric clothes until the temps are in the teens.

Not sure about your part of the state, but in the southeast, they seem to be setting a record for salt use. As much as I would like to ride, I probably won't until it rains. The salt makes the streets quite slippery. Most bikes do not like salt water - it can corrode aluminum.

I have been street riding for 23 years. I use my bike mostly for commuting, 10,000 to 15,000 miles per year. If you want more detailed info on riding gear, email me.

Thanks Brian for your input.  I may go ahead and e-mail you.

In the central part of the state where I live they use salt with a mixture of sand, so I too wait to ride until after a good hard rain.  I ride a sport bike and I can duck down under the windscreen for some protection, but my legs get cold.  Plus even in the summer time, when I leave in the morning sometimes it is only in the 40's and by the time I get to work, my legs are numb.

Dawn   :)

[the_weggie_man]

Yes, the Beemer fairings are good. My R100RS is great in cold weather.  My solution, because the electrics are not so great on the older Beemers, is a snowmobile suit. Works great over a pair of jeans and turtleneckand sweatshirt. I've ridden in the 20's with that and it's very tolerable. Hippo hands work also with a good pair of winter gloves.

But the Beemer stays parked until the streets are clear of the salt.  I am getting my little XL125 Honda ready for cold weather riding though. I'm only about 8 miles from work so it won't be bad at all.  The bike is a rat so I don't care too much about the salt.

The bad part about riding in the cold is the black ice. It will bite you if you're not real careful.  :o

[tshort]

Besides Gerbing and Widder, a third option is Harley Davidson Motorclothes.  They have a complete system, including optional thermostats.  Gloves, socks, pants, and jacket are all designed to be hooked together, or used separately.  And their jacket has sleeves, not just a vest, which I'm told makes a difference.  I was looking at this stuff, too, to go on a ride down south over xmas this year - and then a buddy of mine pointed out that if I run into a snow storm I'm screwed.  Hate it when people think of things like that - but I ended up not buying any of it.  Anyway - happy hunting and coldweather riding!

[sdiver68]

Get a Ducati, your legs will be toasty in the cold....toasted in the summer!

[tzracer]

Gordie you are such an airhead.

I thought about a snowmobile suit at one time. Much of my commute is on highways or freeways. I was not sure if I wanted to find out how well such a suit would hold up to a 60 mph slide.

[mj]

Gordie you are such an airhead.

I thought about a snowmobile suit at one time. Much of my commute is on highways or freeways. I was not sure if I wanted to find out how well such a suit would hold up to a 60 mph slide.

Gordy, don't let the Professor's comments get you down.........He hit his head pretty hard last year and still might be a little fuzzy  ;D