Heated Gear

[07FJRVegas]

My wife and I have Sedici Hotwired Jacket Liners with controllers purchased from Cycle Gear. I bought them on a sale for about $135 each including the controller. We've used them when needed over the last year and a half; I'm very happy with the jacket liners as they are lighweight, non-bulky and the controller works well to keep the temperature at the chosen setting. We use them almost always on the low or the medium level setting (if really cold), as the high setting is very warm. Heats body and arms. I can't compare to any other product, as this is the only heated gear I've owned. I don't hestitate to recommend this product.

 

[VanHarlan]

So from reading on the W&S website it appears that they manufacture for First Gear?
Why would one want a Dual Heatroller rather than a single/ Is the Dual for your passenger and you and the Single just for you?

It appears to me that the Warm and Safe Controller with the Know would be simplest to use while riding. True?

Which power system seems to work best? SAE or the BMW style?

Why do you need coax adapters?

I'm trying to get smart enough to make an intelligent choice, see my signature.

Thanks

1. Yes . . . Warm & Safe manufacturers FirsGear's heated liners

2. Dual controller is like having two thermostats - I split mine so one controls my pants & socks and the other my jacket & gloves.

3. I like the dual remote controller heat-troller and like it a lot. Typically I mount it to my tank bag for easy access & adjustment.

4. Warm & Safe uses coax connections - you can uses either adapter BMW/SAE . . . personally I used and SAE-Coax connector in the past. That allows me to plug my Battery Tender to the SAE connector when I'm not riding. But what I have found works best is to hard wire in a Coax connector to a power distribution block (I use a Fuzeblock) or battery.

Get the Warm & Safe . . . their products & customer service are fantastic.

 

[Panotaker]

In the winter, I use a Chevy.

 

[Harald]

Dang Harold, I wish I would have read this yesterday. I just dropped by Aerostitch in Duluth yesterday and bought their heated jacket. Hope I have better luck than you had.

Maybe the quality has gotten better? The last one I got from them was at least a few years old when it crapped out. I will say I do like their riding gear and currently have 2 Roadcrafter suits and the Darien/AD1 pant setup.

 

[RossKean]

I have the First Gear (Made by W&S). Not too much to add to the above but to get a jacket liner with full sleeves rather than just a vest. The vest is enough to keep the body core warm so you won't freeze but the overall comfort with the (heated) sleeves provides more comfort. Also has connections in the cuffs for heated gloves (controlled by second channel on the controller).

 

[bigjohnsd]

So from reading on the W&S website it appears that they manufacture for First Gear?
Why would one want a Dual Heatroller rather than a single/ Is the Dual for your passenger and you and the Single just for you?

It appears to me that the Warm and Safe Controller with the Know would be simplest to use while riding. True?

Which power system seems to work best? SAE or the BMW style?

Why do you need coax adapters?

I'm trying to get smart enough to make an intelligent choice, see my signature.

Thanks

1. Yes . . . Warm & Safe manufacturers FirsGear's heated liners

2. Dual controller is like having two thermostats - I split mine so one controls my pants & socks and the other my jacket & gloves.

3. I like the dual remote controller heat-troller and like it a lot. Typically I mount it to my tank bag for easy access & adjustment.

4. Warm & Safe uses coax connections - you can uses either adapter BMW/SAE . . . personally I used and SAE-Coax connector in the past. That allows me to plug my Battery Tender to the SAE connector when I'm not riding. But what I have found works best is to hard wire in a Coax connector to a power distribution block (I use a Fuzeblock) or battery.

Get the Warm & Safe . . . their products & customer service are fantastic.

Thank You for the specific answers to the Specific Questions.

I have a fuze block, how does Coax connect to a Fuse Block?

 

[RossKean]

Jackets to controllers are coax. Just a two wire connection from the controller to a plug - SAE or Powerlet. The plug (socket) goes to the Fuse block.

 

[Mr_Canoehead]

I have a fuze block, how does Coax connect to a Fuse Block?

I got the coax battery connector harness and cut the eyelets off (actually cut it at the fuse) and connected that to the fuse block. Easy.

BTW, I use the remote controller (with my Gerbings) and velcro it to the top of the clutch reservoir. I also use the 2 channel unit and use the second channel for my heated pants liner - I don't use them very often but they are amazing when it gets really cold.

 

[Canadian FJR]

Wireless controller, wow.

Thanks for the info folks.

Canadian FJR

 

[bigjohnsd]

Okay, let me see if I understand:

Cable #1 Power Source - (Battery or in my case FZ-1 Fuze Block) to Heattroller (Dual Control) - Terminates at Controller with a Coaxial Connection

Cable #2 Heattroller to Jacket - Cable with Coaxial Connector on both ends

Cable #3 Heattroller to Pants - Cable with Coaxial Connector on both ends

Gloves - Something on the glove plugs into the Jacket sleeve (Coax - Coax)?

Socks - Something on the sock plugs into the pants leg (Coax - Coax)?

 

[BigOgre]

Okay, let me see if I understand:

Cable #1 Power Source - (Battery or in my case FZ-1 Fuze Block) to Heattroller (Dual Control) - Terminates at Controller with a Coaxial Connection

Cable #2 Heattroller to Jacket - Cable with Coaxial Connector on both ends

Cable #3 Heattroller to Pants - Cable with Coaxial Connector on both ends

Gloves - Something on the glove plugs into the Jacket sleeve (Coax - Coax)?

Socks - Something on the sock plugs into the pants leg (Coax - Coax)?

Very close.

Power source will go directly to the gear, usually to a pigtail from the jacket/liner down by your waist. They'll be connections (Coax depending on brand?) at the end of the sleeves and along the waist if you want to connect gloves, pants etc.

Heattroller gets connected directly to the gear, again usually the liner, and interrupts the power flow. (Think of how you'd wire a dimmer switch for your kitchen light.) If you have a single troller, it'll control all the items the same. If you buy a dual, you can split it anyway you want eg. gloves and liner adjusted together and pants and socks controlled by the other. However, all this doesn't come into play if you opt for the wireless remote Heattroller. (Staying on the residential wiring analogy, think of a ceiling fan with a remote.)

Back to the power source, there might be an issue running gear through the FZ-1, particularly if you go with several pieces of electrics. You may want to run something like a Powerlet harness directly to the battery. Maybe someone more familiar with the capacities of the FZ-1 can chime in here.

 

[bigjohnsd]

The FZ1 can handle this load based on the wattage rating of the clothing

 

[Mr_Canoehead]

The FZ-1 should be adequate. It will handle a 10A single circuit which is more than enough for a heated jacket (the W&S is 90W = 7.5A, IIRC). The controller is a PWM device, so unless you are running at 100% with gloves, you won't be anywhere close to the circuit limits. I find I rarely run the jacket at over 30% continuous behind a fairing, so that would be about 2.5A draw.

BTW, I can run my Gerbings jacket on my DR650, a bike with very little electrical reserve capacity and no fairing. I am just careful to run at less than 50%.

BigOgre, I'm not sure why you say the wireless controller is different? It works the same way as a regular controller, it just moves the controls to a more convenient place. My big complaint with the wired controller I had before was that I couldn't see it because it was attached to my belt.

 

[BigOgre]

Eh, maybe poor wording on my part. Agreed, it has the same function but what I was getting at was that with the wired dual controller you have three wires to plug in at every use. With the belt clip (as you're well aware) you can get off the bike by just unplugging the one one power cord but if you're looking to get out of your gear then you'll most likely be disconnecting the two wires from the Troller also. The wireless controller nicely eliminates that.

As far as the FZ-1, I know just enough about electricity to be dangerous but recall the Fuzeblock's limitations being talked about. Definitely remember reading this thread.

 

[RossKean]

Okay, let me see if I understand:

Cable #1 Power Source - (Battery or in my case FZ-1 Fuze Block) to Heattroller (Dual Control) - Terminates at Controller with a Coaxial Connection

Cable #2 Heattroller to Jacket - Cable with Coaxial Connector on both ends

Cable #3 Heattroller to Pants - Cable with Coaxial Connector on both ends

Gloves - Something on the glove plugs into the Jacket sleeve (Coax - Coax)?

Socks - Something on the sock plugs into the pants leg (Coax - Coax)?

This is really pretty simple.

The only thing you need to worry about is the original power connection and that is so you can get on and off the bike without messing with the coax connectors. From the battery (or FZ-1) you need to have some sort of two-wire pigtail that terminates either in a socket mounted on the bike (Powerlet) or an SAE pigtail plug like one you might use for a Battery Tender (some people use the BT plug that is already there, appropriately fused for the jacket's requirements). The (dual) controller is a little box with two knobs and a two-wire input which is typically terminated with ring terminals. This generally has a belt clip so you can hang it on the outer jacket. When you unhook from the bike, the controller stays with you; not the bike.

Cut off the ring terminals and attach the mating SAE connector or male Powerlet. You are done!! The coax and connectors are used to connect the controller to the various leads on the jacket and other heated gear. These are color-coded where necessary so you can't make a mistake. The dual controller goes to the jacket. One knob controls the jacket and the other controls the other stuff you may have connected to spare leads on the jacket (gloves, pants).

You just put on the jacket, hook up the coax leads between jacket and controller and then between jacket and gloves/pants etc. (W&S jacket has spare coax hookups in the cuffs for gloves and one in the waist for pants). Hang the controller on a belt loop or something. Get on the bike and plug in to the SAE or Powerlet. Set the knobs where you want and go. When you stop, you only have one lead to disconnect.

Note: Verify the jacket's power draw for appropriate fusing. As far as excess power capacity for the bike is concerned, remember that the jacket and other gear are only drawing power part of the time. The controller pulses on-and-off every few seconds; depending upon setting. Your setup might have a 100 Watt draw but maybe only for 20% of the time unless you have it cranked way up.

Note: If you are riding 2-up, you need a separate pigtail from the fuse box and separate controller etc.