Heated gear for a Super Tenere

regder

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No matter what heated gear you get, I cannot recommend the Warm & Safe troller enough. Makes heated gear infinitely better. When I first bought a heated jacket a number of years ago, I got the Gerbing wired troller that everyone used back then. Used it for exactly one ride before shelving it and searched for a better option. Problem with the Gerbing troller and all of it's kind is that you can't easily adjust the temperature on the go.

The W&S troller fixed that. Having a little black box velcro'd on the brake master cylinder or anywhere else convenient makes life so much nicer. Start off on a cold morning and blast the heat. As the temp rises throughout the day, taper off the temp. Find yourself in cold elevation? Raise the temp. Well you get the idea. Some days I find myself adjusting the temp every 5-10 minutes. Unbelievably nice luxury being at your perfect temperature in cool weather.

Outside of that key point, I have the following setup that is successful to varying degrees. The jacket comes out whenever the temp drops below 60F, leggings and socks below 50F, and gloves barely ever.
- W&S Gen 4 jacket, works great!
- Gerbing T5 gloves, heat reasonably well but I hate the oven mitt feel
- Firstgear leggings, made by W&S, work great
- Firstgear socks, made by W&S. Work a bit too well, need to wear a pair of socks underneath or my feet will literally get burned.

Normal setup is Underarmour baselayers for top and bottom, not an endorsement but they're cheap and work well enough. With whatever of the above heated gear I want depending on the temp, and unlined (Klim) riding gear on top. With the variable heat, I'm good to ride all day from 40F (I have done colder, but it's not for me) to 60F without having to change or stop. That's it for layers so I don't feel/look like a snowman on top
 
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wjfawb0

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Jul 14, 2019
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Chattanooga, TN
I did 100 miles over the weekend playing phototag on the Super Tenere. My two piece waterproof warm suit had a zipper come apart when leaving, so I put on my mesh outfit over my clothes and Carhart long underwear. It wasn't too bad until the temp got down near 50. I put the Gerbing jacket on and set the heat to 1 and it worked well on the ride home in the dark. I tried to use some new scorpion winter gloves. The grip and control was fine, but they were very oven mitt like. The grip warmers took about 15 minutes on the ST to get the clutch hand as warm as the throttle hand. The worst part was the fogging of my helmet due to the chin spoiler on it and the ST's windshield protection. I'm used to riding a naked WR250R with lots of wind in my face. I'll try the pintle lens thing to see how much it helps next ride.
 

Checkswrecks

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No matter what heated gear you get, I cannot recommend the Warm & Safe troller enough. Makes heated gear infinitely better.
...
The jacket comes out whenever the temp drops below 60F, leggings and socks below 50F, and gloves barely ever.
...
Agree about the W&S wireless heat trollers. One thing a lot of people are unaware of is that their default is about 1/3 the way on, even though the knobs are at off. A rep of theirs at a show said it's a fail-safe thing in case the battery dies so you'd still have some warmth. To kill the heat, turn the troller on so it is actively controlling the jacket, then turn it to off.

I'm not sure reader is a real Canoodlian though if he needs a jacket beneath 60F.
:p
 

wjfawb0

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For doing 65mph on the ST with handguards and grip warmers, winter gloves worked pretty well. My mesh pants left a lot to be desired, but the ST shields them a lot better than the WR250R. The Carhart thermals were really nice. I've been using synthetic long underwear for winter hiking and work outside for years. I hardly wear cotton anymore.
 

twinrider

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Why? I’ve just got a vest and am very happy with it. I don’t like the bundled up feeling you get from a jacket. My Rukka jacket has a Outlast lining which is very effective by its self so a vest on top of just a T-shirt under it is all I need.

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I used to run a vest, then switched to a heated liner. My arms stayed a lot warmer and best of all I could plug my heated gloves directly into the jacket. Heated grips are fine for mildly cold weather, but in once temps get into the 30s the heated gloves combined with heated grips are awesome. And the heat level can be controlled from off to toasty warm, so they can be dialed in perfectly for the moment.
 

twinrider

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Regarding brands. I've had both Warm and Safe and Gerbing. Both work well. The Warm and Safe can be gotten in windproof/waterproof versions as well.

When it comes to controllers, you can't beat the Warm and Safe remote heat troller. Eliminates all the wires except the power cord to the bike and the gloves/jacket can be controlled separately if the dual controller is used.

I have both Gerbing and Warm and Safe heated gloves. The G3 gloves are my favorite for fit and comfort so I used them in the dry, but the Warm and Safe gloves have armor and the all important visor wipe for rainy conditions.
 

moto.monk

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Aug 19, 2019
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los angeles
I have the cycle gear jacket liner and gloves. I tried the vest first and immediately retuned it. I can ride in the 30s no problem. How ever the legs cold with only a wind blocker and feet as well with waterproof socks because it keeps the moisture in. I love the color button built into the jacket but find the gloves have hot spots and take 5 mins+ to fully heat up which have no heating adjustment. Wires take some getting use to with them in your sleeves and running down the tank. You wont feel the wires or the heating elements.
 

Fastring

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Sep 28, 2018
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Georgia
My 2 cents:
1. Warm n Safe last longer than Cycle Gear Brand gear
- I first bought the cycle gear jacket, within 6 months the heat to the glove liners (wires out of jacket sleeve) stopped working.
- Bought a second cycle gear jacket, within 6 months the heat to the jacket stopped working but the heat to the glove liners kept working.
- Bought a used Warm n Safe jacket and it just keeps working
- cycle gear troller works great with Warm n Safe and has been a quality unit

2. Cycle gear glove liners have worked without any issues for a few years now

3. Warm n Safe wireless controllers dont last
- battery connections shake loose
- I removed them and went back to wired troller (the one that came free with the Cycle gear jacket)

4. Heated Jacket is best, then gloves, then pants, then sock liners
- Yes, I am a pansy. I ride year round, every day to commute and like to be warm. I use everything other than the sock liners each winter for commute whenever its lower than 40deg F. The commute isnt long enough for the heated sock liners, thats only for cold all day riding.
 

Checkswrecks

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Not much on the wireless heat troller to break. Mine is velcro'd in place with the leash through a hole in the windshield mount.
 

elricfate

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Aug 29, 2019
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So I guess my big question (as I have been riding in 10-20*F weather this last two weeks, on some days, damn Ohio) is Gerbing or Warm & Safe? Is there anyone who has used both and has an idea of quality of one vs the other?
 

regder

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3. Warm n Safe wireless controllers dont last
- battery connections shake loose
- I removed them and went back to wired troller (the one that came free with the Cycle gear jacket)
My W&S wireless troller easily has 100k km on it and 5 plus years on it, couldn't tell you exactly how much. It's been perma velcro'd to the front brake master reservoir across three different bikes. Zero issues.

Had the previous gen wireless troller before that for a few years, worked fine, just went through the coin batteries too quick. Changed up through the W&S upgrade program.

So I guess my big question (as I have been riding in 10-20*F weather this last two weeks, on some days, damn Ohio) is Gerbing or Warm & Safe? Is there anyone who has used both and has an idea of quality of one vs the other?
I have had both, a Gerbing and W&S Gen 4. They both work equally well. W&S gives you a pocket for their wireless troller transmitter (highly recommended as I posted above) and their excellent customer service and support.
 

Grumpy

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Do you get 'Sealskin' socks in North America? If so I can highly recommend the knee length ones. You need boots that are a bit roomy, but your feet will stay warm and dry. Even if the boots are a bit leaky, the socks are waterproof.
 

nico_yyz

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Apr 20, 2016
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toronto
https://www.warmnsafe.com/


I'm looking to spend some money on heated gear, so I can get more miles in on my Super Tenere this winter. Cycle Gear has been bombarding me with their ads on their Hotwired brand gear:

Jacket
Gloves
Pants

Reviews I read say jackets and gloves are the most important, but that wasn't bike specific. I probably want all three and maybe more. I wanted to hear what ST riders' thoughts are. I have multiple balaclavas and chin guards on my helmets, but I probably need better base layers other than the synthetic Walmart stuff I have been wearing.

I just thought I'd solicit some opinions here. I've got SAE 12V plugs on the bike for battery charging and USB power outlets, so I have that covered.
 

Skytower

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Jun 9, 2020
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Norfolk, VA
I have Venture Heat's jacket liner and gauntlet gloves. They were good down to freezing, any lower and I'd need heat for my feet and legs. Granted, this was on my BMW K1200RS. We'll see how it goes for the S10...
I like Venture because you can adjust the temp for each piece of gear, and don't need a separate controller.
 
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