How to De-crappy-controller-ify your Synergy Jacket.

[Ryanme17]

Part one: The problem.

I really liked my Tourmaster Synergy Jacket liner, until about the third ride when it stopped working. The leg band that holds the controller in place slides around, and so the controller ended up just dangling there and I sat on it at a restaurant. I weigh 165 pounds, but the mere act of me sitting on it was enough to break the on-off switch AND tear the fabric of the jacket itself. The controller has been a source of pain for other riders as well, it definitely had to go. I'll just have to deal with the cheap material of the jacket and baby it all the time so it does not rip again.

I would have liked to have returned the whole thing, but it was a Christmas present and so the online retailer was not helpful and Tourmaster, who has no phone number listed anywhere, would not return any of my messages. With TMAC coming up this was completely not acceptable, so I decided my only way to ride down with a warmth option would be to fix it myself.

What I should have done is buy a Gerbings or Powerlet jacket from the local BMW dealer or from www.wiremybike.com

NOTE: www.wiremybike.com is the best retailer I have ever bought any product from. EVER! It is run by VFRD member Tightwad who is incredibly helpful. I would highly, highly recommend buying from him if there is ever a choice.

ALSO: He has a coupon for 10% all Powerlet items, including gear and controllers.

Part two: The solution.

Tools Needed:

A. Soldering iron and solder (or crimp-connectors and a crimping tool, whatever you feel comfortable with, but keep in mind these will be drawing like 8 amps and you want a good connection).

B. Electrical tape or insulated heat shrink tubing.

C. Knife or scissors.

D. Wire Cutter.

E. Needle and Thread (black)

F. Sewing assistant if, like me, you're too manly to know how to do that girly-stuff yourself.

Step 1. Locate the grommet with the wiring for the controller. Make a 3" or so slit in the fabric right next to this. It cuts easy because it is really crappy stuff. You want the slit to be large enough that you have enough room to locate wires and work with, but not so large that your lovely sewing assistant will not be sewing forever to close it.

Step 2. Locate and the wires coming from the controller (5 small wires) and the two wires that go to the coax out (these will be removed) Locate the two wires going to the heating elements. I would recommend labelling these two as + and - (I am 90% sure this does not matter, but better safe than sorry). The reason every wire is soldered together with wires running off in every direction is so that you can control: pants (or socks), gloves, and jacket all from the same controller. This is a stupid system we'll be simplifying. See Pics.

Step 3. Slit the heatshrinking, cut the wires around the soldering, cut all the zip ties except the one on the coax-in, and remove the coax-out-to-pants and the controller. Discard these.

Note: the zip ties work by hitting the grommets and preventing the wires from being pulled too far out of the jacket. But the grommets may rip right out if pulled on anyway. As I can't think of a better system, and you definitely do not want the coax-in being pulled out, leave this in place.

Step 4. Locate and connect the two coax-in wires to the two out-to-heating-elements wires. Make sure you have a good connection and that they will never, ever be able to touch each other and short out. I first soldered the wires together, then I used a twist-type connector, then I covered them in a ton of electrical tape. If I had liquid electrical tape or heat-shrink insulators (like Tourmaster used--this actually would be best.) I would have used them to.

Step 5. Sew Her Up!

You may now add whatever controller you pick! (Did I mention that www.wiremybike.com has great service and controllers on sale?)

Pictures:

[Ryanme17]

Pictures:

This is the coax-in.

Coax-in and out-to-heating-elements, marked for polarity because I'm only 90% sure polarity doesn't matter and better safe than sorry.

Be sure to make a good connection, a lot of current will be passing through here.

Leftover parts.

Hi Mom! Thanks for sewing my jacket! Please don't tell her I put such a crappy picture of her online.

And no, I did not make her do this on Mother's Day.

With such a talented sewing assistant, you can barely see the scar from the controller-ectomy!!!

[KevCarver]

Glad you found a solution. My controller has had no issues with operation in the 3 winters I've used it. Aside from the grommet ripping out of the liner last winter and the clip breaking this winter. At least it still works right!

[spud786]

I weigh 205 nakid, and my synergy vest completed its 3rd year, its been perfect, i think there are old jackets locally that still have bad controllers.

One guy was Bitchin about his and he was running some rigg job connection which ACTUALLY caused the issue, thats not synergys fault, they provide a direct battery cable. They even sent him a new controller, which didnt fix his bad connection.

[Ryanme17]

That's great that yours still works, and bad that some guy messed his up.

All I can say is that mine broke on the third ride. I think we're all aware of the faulty controller issue, but mine was just an issue of poor construction. The rubber button got pulled to the side and would no longer engage. I've heard lots of people say that Tourmaster sent them another controller. I gave them a month to respond and have heard nothing.

In the end I only saved a few dollars, had to fix it myself, and was without a jacket for a cold month while waiting to hear back from Tourmaster.

You have a different experience than me, but I can not in good conscious recommend the Synergy gear.

[BonusVFR]

Warm N Safe has some sort to DoDad to help with the controllers too.