Guest peimei Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 im about to order a few firstgear heated items, can a 4th gen run the 90 watt jacket along with gloves/possibly some pants? i installed the electrosport stator last month along with wiring upgrades all over. thanks mk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoothsailin Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I'd go w/the liner with the higher (90 watt) rating, especially if there is little or no difference in price. With a thermostat you can always lower the current draw and wattage as needed. I'm pretty sure Motorcycle Consumer News tested products from most of the major mfgrs of heated gear a while back and I can't remember how the Firstgear stuff was rated. If you don't subscribe to MCN you might want to consider checking out a local library for the issue before ordering your gear. I know that Gerbing products are highly rated, but can be pricier than some of the others since their stuff is generally sold "ala cart" . So when you add up the cost for the heated gear, power connections/adapters, Heat Troller(s), etc.just coming up with a functional liner, pair of gloves power connections can easily top $400. However, MCN concluded that some of the less expensive gear offered by other mfg's was not as effective at keeping the ride warm in the saddle. Also consider that some mfgr's gloves are more bulky and less comfortable to wear than others.. I received a Widder electric vest and gloves as a Christmas present from my wife back in the 90's (the company is no longer in business) and last fall year I purchased a 2nd set (another Widder vest & pair of gloves in smaller sizes) discovered for sale 2nd hand at a local cycle shop. The Widder gear still does the job and in fact I used the smaller vest when riding my ST110 to work this morning with temps hovering in the high-30's to low-40's. However the gloves are quite bulky and the vest's lack of sleeves makes it less effective than a full liner when temperatures drop. The wiring in one of my original pair of gloves also failed a few years back.. One advantage to purchasing from Gerbing is that they will repair what they sell. Also,I'm pretty sure you can send your gear to them to be wired for electric heat if desired. However I discovered Gerbing's sales representatives weren't very flexible on prices when about five years ago I called to order a jacket and pair of pants that were advertised at clearance prices on their website. When placing my order I expressed an interest in also purchasing some of their heated gear at the same time if they'd be willing to offer them at a discount. To my surprise their response was negative even though at the time it was late spring when demand for heated gear must have been long past peak and in decline.. Regardless they were unwilling to agree to even a 5 percent discount to encourage me to make the purchase.So I didn't! To their credit however they did replace the pants I purchased at no cost after the original pair split in the crotch area within a month. Unfortunately, by the time the replacement pair of pants did the same thing a few months later I was essentially told "you're out of luck" and that a replacement pair of pants was no longer available. Thankfully my mother-in-law offered to repair the damage using fabric cut from the original pair of pants that also failed. As a result I'm still wearing the Gerbing jacket (really nice garment for the $$) and the 2nd pair of pants to this day. If you can't find a copy of the MCN heated gear article and will pm me I'll try to find the article and would be happy to let you know how Firstgear's products were rated vs.the others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monk Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Also what I do is turn the heat off if I'm going to stop any longer than to drift though a stop sign Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Boy Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I have Warm and Safe 65w and 100w jackets and gloves. Same manufacturer as First Gear. I perfer the 65w jacket when wearing the gloves because it is more balenced keeping my hand warmer when using a single controler. The 65w jacket is more heat than I can use, I never have it on 100%. This would all be different with a dual controller, but I did not want to deal with two nobs when riding. Also it will depend on what you wear over the electric jacket. If you wear a very light jacket over the heated jacket like mesh you could need more power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoothsailin Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 The fit is important for how effective your electric gear will be. This morning I had a t-shirt,a dress shirt and necktie between my skin and the electric vest. With two layers between my skin and the vest I could not sense much heat transferred to my chest from the vest. You'll want your vest to fit snug with only one relatively thin layer between it and your body. For maximum effectiveness I usually wear a relatively thin form-fitting synthetic shirt between my vest and skin, then add at least one more synthetic layer on the outside of the vest before donning my jacket. I have two form-fitting spandex shirts like the ones you see bicyclists wear when riding in the cold which help pull and hold the electric vest closer to my skin for more effective heat transfer. . I still say the extra wattage could come in handy when circumstances could prevent you from being able to layer for maximum heat transfer. Also, each individual's comfort zone tends to be different. Conditions which may feel "Warm and cozy" to one could be way too hot for another...and vice versa. I know that after I lost about 20% of my body mass down to my present weight of ~ 152 lbs, this change in combinion with getting older (I'm 53) sure causes me to be a lot more sensitve to cold than when I was younger and carried more weight.. While 65 watts may be plenty for someone who's layered effectively behind a well sealed jacket and riding on a 45 degree day, if the layering isn't ideal, the jacket not totally wind tight and if temperatures drop below freezing you may discover that extra 25 watts could make the difference between feeling comfortable or chilled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 wow some great responses, thanks alot everyone. the gerbing stuff was also at the top of my list, will decide and order from jakewilson soon. i have that $50 reward credit i need to use before the end of the year i'm definitely getting the jacket liner - pants- and glove liners. 3 heat controllers might be a bit to much, i'll probably run the jacket and pants on 1 then let the gloves have its own. mk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.