What is Your Heated Clothing Paradigm

Andrew Shadow

Andrew Shadow

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2009 ST1300A9
ST11Ray recently started a thread about a failure that he experienced with his heated clothing. This brought something that I have thought about in the past to mind again.

For many years I have had a full set of like new Widder heated gear that I acquired from someone for free. It includes the vest, the arm chaps, the leg chaps, and the heated gloves. I have no knowledge of any other brand of heated gear and I especially know nothing about the newest heated gear on the market, so I don't know how much body warmth they can retain when the electric heating isn't working.

I have never used any of this heated gear except to test it and to try it out, and it all works very well. I will unabashedly admit that it is really nice to have and the heat feels great when it is cold. Because of where I live a lot of my riding season is in what many consider to be cold weather. I learned early on in my riding career that cold weather can be encountered at any time of the year, even in mid-July, especially if where I am going involves any kind of elevation. As an example, early in my riding career before I knew any better, I had to stop riding and hold up in a motel for a day because I thought that I was going to freeze to death due to it simply being to cold to ride with the clothing that I did have. I learned to always pack cold weather clothes no matter where I am going and no matter what time of year it is.

Here is what I have wondered about. If I decide to use the heated clothing do I no longer bring my cold weather clothes with me?
If the heated clothing fails along the road somewhere, and I don't have my cold weather clothes, I could be in big trouble in cold weather.
On the other hand, if I continue to bring my cold weather clothes with me just in case, is there really much point in bringing the heated gear along?
There is only so much luggage room available on a motorcycle and having both sets of clothing seems like wasting a lot of that space.

I know that many will respond that failures are very rare, and that the reliability of heated gear is excellent. Some will also say that heated clothing allows you to ride in colder weather than any regular clothes can. If it is so cold that I can not ride in my cold weather clothing than I won't be riding anyway, so that point doesn't factor greatly for me. As Ray's recent thread illustrates failures do happen, and if it happens in cold weather while having no back-up clothing can be a serious problem. Having to bring along both heated clothing and cold weather clothing as a back-up seems counter productive.

To date I have always opted to continue to bring my cold weather clothes in lieu of the heated gear for one very simple reason- The heated clothing can fail, the regular clothes never will.

I am curious what others do. Do you bring both along sets of clothes, or do you simply trust in the reliability of the heated clothing and ride on?
 
Heated gear is a supplement not a replacement for layers and cold weather gear, it allows you to ride in colder temps and or longer rides in more comfort but again it's part of a system of layers and cold weather gear not a replacement.

Heated gear has MANY failure points all of which can and do fail, you need to be able to have a back up plan when riding in sub cold temps at o dark 30....trust me I've been there more than once.

Me personally never leave home without at least my heated jacket, there is just no reason not to use it even in cool temps and be more comfortable. More comfort - less distractions - less distractions - more safe and the overall ride is more enjoyable.
 
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I am blessed with having a metabolism that keeps me warm ie. wear a short sleeved shirt when others are in a sweater.
I have found that it is usually only my upper body that gets cold if conditions get bad enough. So when/if I think I will encounter cold enough conditions, I just take a heated jacket liner (Warm & Safe). A pair of merino wool long johns under my regular (3 season) waterproof pants is sufficient if needed. Even a heated jacket liner is relatively bulky and heavy. I imagine adding pants to the mix would be a bit cumbersome. I have heated glove liners but I don't use them as they tend to make things too bulky. I rely on water proof gloves and heated grips.

All that being said, I rarely use the heated jacket liner. Rely more on layering up under my "cold" weather gear (merino wool layers work wonders!!) so I seldom take the heated liner along. I have only used it once in recent memory ( 3 week trip to the Arctic Ocean where even in July, you can encounter snow). One day we had cold (just above freezing) rain. After a few hours in that, I was chilled so I put on the heated liner and was glad I had it.

I guess it boils down to a few things:
1. your tolerance for cold
2. how good is your "cold weather" gear. Water and wind proof are the 2 biggest factors. Is it waterproof for extended periods of time. You may find that a real waterproof (not one of the hi tech membrane) oversuit is all you need. It can pack up much smaller than heated gear. Staying dry and out of the wind is a bigger factor than just temperature IMO.
3. how much of your available space does your heated gear take up.
 
Heated gear is not a replacement for cold weather gear. Go to the Warm and Safe website and read what Mike(?) has to say. The heated gear supplements your protective gear, it is no good alone. As @drrod said, you are layering.

That said, I've only used a heated jacket for day rides, not an extended trip. Heated grips added to my comfort.
 
Heated gear for me is just one layer. It has allowed me to change my layers though. The heated jacket I am replacing was purchased on an extended trip were I made the mistake of not bringing winter layers.
 
unlike drrod I have the exact opposite metabolism, I'm always cold up (and I hate being cold) until it hits about 75 degrees. I'm most comfortable between 75 and 90. I can't wear mesh until it hits 80 and above. When I rode from Ohio to California in June or July back in 2014 I carried a bag of heated gear strapped to the passenger seat just in case it got cold in the mountains.

Still I insist on riding all year round My typical cold weather gear is Modular helmet, balaclava (light or heavy depending on if it's 40 and above, or 40 and below), , long sleeve mock turtle neck knit shirt, heated jacket liner, Cortech jacket with zip in thermal liner and reflective vest, summer weight gloves (inside the handlebar muffs with heated grips...can feel the heat and the switches better with thin gloves) on top, undies, lightweight sweatpants, Tourmaster over-pants with zip in thermal liner, thick socks and boots on bottom.

Now between 40 and 50 sometimes I'll turn the jacket and heated grips off for awhile while riding but if I start to get cool they go right back on again lol. Below 40 the heated stuff is always turned on. If the heated gear quit, I'd make it home, cold and unhappy lol!

r7cDHN4.jpg
 
I used to commute 37 miles each way and rode in temps down to 16F on that commute. I did that prior to having heated gear. I used layers and thought through how to keep from having the icy cold air knifing through any openings. I was able to be comfortable, but I used to joke that if I fell, I'd be like the Michelin Man and bounce.

Heated gear for me eliminates some of the layers. My Gerbing jacket liner has virtually no insulation in it. When off, it is slightly warmer than a windbreaker. So it offers the convenience of being able to wear one layer (under my riding jacket) that'll cover me from 60+F down into the teens.

But in my right panier, I have a windbreaker. I have a long sleeve heavyweight pull over shirt. If I'm going on a day ride, I'll bring a long-sleeved long underwear shirt. Add those layers together, and I can probably get home if the Gerbing jacket liner loses its heat. As @the Ferret wrote, I'd make it home, cold and unhappy lol!

Likewise for my gloves. Heated grips help with the palms, but do nothing for the back of your hand. The Gerbing T5 gloves are waterproof, but they breathe. I guess so your hands don't sweat. Take away the heat and they aren't good for much below 45-50F. I'll bring insulated winter gloves with me, and sometimes I'll bring my two-fingered rain mittens. The mittens like the windbreaker, would be used to trap the heat of any layers they were worn over.

The heated gear gives me the ability to ride comfortably in a wide range of temperatures. Instead of removing and adding layers on the side of the road, or adjusting the riding gear's venting, I can simply turn a dial and get the heating that keeps me comfortable.

Chris
 
Hi Guy's when I first started riding in 1984 got caught by a drastic change in temperature. Long store short next day the bike shop was open bought luggage racks and trunk. Have carried gear for every time of the year. Heated gear is now coming along for the ride. My answer to storage space was a big pillow bag.IMG_6154.jpg
 
What is that little silver plane in the background? Looks like it would be a lot of fun!!
 
Heated Gear; ONLY Sissies wear that stuff! :rolleyes:

Well, years ago, that's what I thought. When I lived in Palmdale Kaliforniastan, (1985 to 1992) I would leave the house on the bike, as long as there wasn't a bunch of ice on the roadways. I "bundled up" with a snowmobile suite and a ski jacket underneath, but I still froze my butt off! But temperatures would vary from 32F to 60F in my ride, so I had to layer it at times.

When I was commuting to San Bernardino from Murrieta(2005-2008), temps were often around 32F and I got tired (or old or both) of my hands freezing. so I bought some 1st generation Tourmaster Synergy heated gloves. They worked well, so I bought a Tourmaster Synergy heated liner (not a vest but a liner with sleeves). From that point on, anytime the temps dropped below 50F, I would wear the heated gear.

Although I had to repair them numerous times, I used them for my 125 mile commutes between Murrieta and San Diego. A few years before my commutes ended (due to Covid), I bought a new set of gloves and a new liner, on the off season and got them cheap.

in January 2022, after our truck/horse issue, I rode my 2012 from Cedar City to Sacramento, via Reno, across the Nevada desert (US50), where the temps never got above 37F, between Cedar and Reno. My heated gear kept me quite comfortable. I only wished I had heated gear for my legs and feet!

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Been using heated gear since the days of Widder stuff (still have it in storage).
I have the whole 'enchilada' - gloves, jackets, socks, boot inserts, heat pants liners, heated grips.
I very rarely use the 'below' the waist stuff anymore - only if I am going to be out in really cold (less than 32f) all day long.
I have foot shields on all my ST1100s that really help keep my feet out of the wind and cold.
On long trips, I always carry an extra set of heated gloves and an 'adapter' made from an old W&S controller that died so I can have heat even if the controller fails.
In many years of riding I have never had a jacket fail but I have had gloves fail and a glove harness in the jacket fail.
The 'failure' issue will generally be in the connectors in the old style jacket liners (not the microwire stuff - the old stuff is lamp cord).
And that is reasonably easy to fix on the road if need be on a long trip (BTDTGTTS).
My standard riding gear is mesh, the liners if needed, the heated jacket and gloves, and a rain suit.
If it appears that it will be really cold, then I wear fleece trousers and a fleece long sleeve shirt and thicker socks.
If push comes to shove and everything fails, you look for a place to stop and warm up at your next gas stop, get a motel if need be till you get it sorted.
I'm more concerned about ice and snow on the road surface that I am my heated gear failing.
 
I'm a firm believer in layers. Layers are the MOST reliable cold weather setup. I've had a wire in my heated gloves cable break while on a ride at -5 F and it wasn't fun at all. I did have other gloves and also cotton glove liners (thank you military). But the Gerbing gloves were still the warmest that I had with me even without electric heat working. The liners inside helps but at below zero F temps my hands were still cold. I had turned around to go right back home when the failure happened. It was 25 miles to get home. I was stopping every 5 miles to put my hands on the cylinders of my ST1100 to warm them up for the next 5 miles. This was actually during one of my early Coldest Ride contest rides many years ago.

I've never had layers fail to keep me warm though... at ANY low temp. The colder it is for the ride the more layers I put on. The most I've worn was a base of thermal long johns, street clothes, fleece jacket, TM over-pant with both wind and thermal liners installed, TM Flex jacket with outer solid shell and 2 sets of the wind and thermal liners worn (thanks to a previous jacket with those liners), a fleece Turtle Fur neck gator, my normal boots and helmet, and the electric heated Gerbing gloves (working is best). I think once I also added my full set of Frogg Toggs rain suit over it all just for one more layer. Sure it was a thick setup to wear. But losing a little flexibility is way better than freezing IMO. I just moved a little slower to compensate and paid a lot more attention to everything. Besides, it's not like I was needing to move around a lot while just sitting on the bike... other than my hands to operate the throttle and brake/clutch levers.

Now, with heated grips and handlebar muffs I don't need heated gloves any more. My hands can handle riding in some very cold temps with just the muffs and the grip heat turned off also. But I still wear the layers as before. I figure if I go down and get thrown from the bike I am able to withstand the cold air while laying on the ground for a little while with the layers I wear. I actually did that once back in Dec 1981 when I got out of the Navy. Not the being thrown from the bike bit but while wearing all the layers in -25 F temps while I was laying on the ground in deep snow under my mobile home that the Navy movers just delivered to central Iowa for me to hook up the plumbing and electrical and gas. I was actually comfortable while doing that as long as I was out of the wind and not moving around too much. No electric heat needed.

You really learn what is possible to do in the cold. You also learn your limits for that.
 
I have a heated vest that I seldom use any more except on long trips below 40 degrees. A few years ago my buddy had his heated gear fail about 3 hours from home late one winter afternoon. We made it home but he was an unhappy and cold rider. I decided after that I didn't want to be dependent on heated gear so started studying up on cold weather gear. I learned that while polyester is good wool is better and layering is key. That's what I use most cold days now. If I'm traveling and going to be on the bike longer than 4 hours below 40d degrees I still use my heated vest. After 6-8 hours without it my core temperature starts to drop, so it does help. I use it in addition to not instead of.
 
St-Gerard said:
Hi Guy's when I first started riding in 1984 got caught by a drastic change in temperature. Long store short next day the bike shop was open bought luggage racks and trunk. Have carried gear for every time of the year. Heated gear is now coming along for the ride. My answer to storage space was a big pillow bag.IMG_6154.jpg
Click to expand...
Volksplane or Teenie Two in the background?
 
St-Gerard said:
Homebuilt called Teenie Two. VW beetle powered, small persons please.
Click to expand...
When I was a teenager one of the neighbors was building an all metal tiny plane with a monocoque fuselage and raked vertical stabilizer. I remember being surprised by the simplicity compared to the frame & stringer paper covered flying models I was into at the time. If it ever flew it was going to be VW powered.
 
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