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Heated clothing
A mate of mine would like to know what would be the best heated clothing
for a winter UK rider, What have you bought and how do you rate it,, Many thanks CTB |
I must admit the safeandwarm gear from safeandwarm.eu is excellent, the jacket is light comfortable warms the arms as well as the body and neck, it is controlled by a pulse device that only uses half the power usually drawn I have used mine in extreme cold conditions and its a worthy contender for your list. The dealer in sweden at safeandwarm.eu is beyond reproach when it comes to customer care the gear is not the cheapest but as usual you get what you pay for. best to check out the website.
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Unless there is another company I don't know about, I think the company mentioned is Warm & Safe ... not safe and warm. Big American company First Gear now market/distribute Warm & Safe.
Heated Liner The owner of W&S was a sponsor here on the HU for a long time. He may still be, not sure. But now, as I said, his products are sold by First Gear and possibly other companies. These products are made in Pakistan and are well made. I tested (and still have) an early version of the W&S product a few years ago. Good stuff but the early one draws a lot of current. 95 watts. A new version is now available and draws only 65 watts. I have not tested the 65 watt model. You should also look at the US made Gerbing products, now sold in the UK. I have a Gerbing also. It is a bit warmer than my 95 watt Warm & Safe and only draws 74 watts. The Warm & Safe is a nicer jacket but just a bit bulky. Nicer collar, looks better too. The Gerbing is just a thin nylon windbreaker with wires sewn in. Both really need the patented Heat Troller, made by the owner of Warm & Safe. Gerbing sell a Chinese copy of the Heat Troller. Early ones failed a lot, no idea about newer ones. Patrick :scooter: |
I recently bought a heating kit that you sew into your own liner from a company
Heat4Jackets.com - Heated Jacket Kits for Motorbikes I have read a couple of reviews on this kit and all good. The problem for me is sewing the wire into the jacket, one review I read the guy took 3 hours to sew his liner for me it took about 2 hours then I realised I had done it wrong so still not done. If you can sew or get some one else to do it should be ok. One review I read was in the riders digest magazine they have a site The Riders Digest maybe you can find the review if not its in issue 134 December08 the mag is free from some bike places or subscrition for not alot of money |
Mollydog ta for putting me right it is warm and safe - just my heads upside down as Im a bit poorly at the moment got a fever - couldnt think straight or the right way round anyway the guy from sweden who is the eu agent is very good and the gear is great with the heat troller (couldnt remember that name either) the medications must be kicking in at the moment. cheers.
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Thanku Lads
You have given Clayhead, (my mate) a starting point,,with some valuable advise,:thumbup1:
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Gerbing have been making heated gear for 20 years or so .... and from talking to the owner of Warm & Safe several times I know he went through many Beta tester generations until he got a good result from his jacket. There is something to this electric jacket thing. In the US riders have been using electric clothing for over 25 yeas. I've had my Gerbing for 12 years and had an Eclipse vest before that (Bad) and a BMW Vest before that (Bad Also!). The Gerbing is the first one to actually work as advertised. The Warm & Safe is just as good or better but your bike needs a lot of AC output to handle it. If the heated jacket Kit guys know what their up to, could be a good solution to sew in your self. My impression is UK riders don't know much about and don't have much experience with heat jackets or heated clothing in general. I was shocked in 2001 when I was visiting/traveling in the UK .... and it was FREEZING ... and no one had heated gear! (except me .... I never travel without my Gerbing) I lent a friend my Gerbing to try, he was instantly Gob smacked, went straight out and bought one. This guy was doing daily a commute through most of Winter. So ... Try before you buy. :funmeteryes: Patrick :scooter: |
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Andy |
Tourmaster synergy electric jacket
had a homemade e-vest for several years...carbon fiber elements ... loved it
last year I bought a Tourmaster synergy electric jacket excellent!! it's like a lightly insulated nylon jacket (suitable to wear off bike), the outer layer is a very slick nylon, so it slides right under a Kilimanjaro. delivers 76 watts (I posted actual current draws on advrider ... ADVrider - View Single Post - Tourmaster synergy controller question ) best thing is that it comes with its own 3 level pulse controller ... no extra $75 for a controller!!!! having heated sleeves is soooooooo nice after the vest. paid about $155 USD last year worth checking into |
I wonder if Warm & Safe are also providing electric jackets for Tourmaster as well as First Gear? They look similar.
Anyone know? Patrick :scooter: |
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hi andy just wondering what the wire in the heated4jacket is made of?i made a similer thing from the heating wire out of a heated carseat cover but the wire was so fine it broke every time i used it.wasn't flexable an so fine,like a piece of hair....worked a treat when it di work tho:thumbup1: |
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Who said Gerbing?!:innocent: John |
I had the Gerbing jacket (not the liner) back in 2006...I returned it in a month--QC issues with buttons popping off.
I bought an Aerostich Darien with the Kanetsu Windbloc heated liner. Great piece of kit and the warmest I've owned. Very bulky. Sold that... Ended up with the Warm-n-Safe liner-much thinner, the elements get plenty warm. It's the perfect fit. Price was reasonable, about 200. I put a fleece over it, perfect all winter in New Jersey, ridden in temps in the single digits. I'm sure the Darien as the outer layer contributes...but the W-n-S liner is the ticket to keeping your core temp up...IMO. Best of luck with the purchase. |
I use an EX02 Heatwave. As the blood all flows through the kidneys, I figured it was an efficient way to keep the major organs warm. It only draws 0.6 Amps. Around £50 GBP
HEATWAVE Heated Back Support For using with portable battery pack select EXO² Power Pack and Charger below. If seeking to ease lower back muscle strains, whether at home, on the motorcycle or when you want to chase the chills on an outdoor walk, this is an unbeatable combination product. Heated Lower Back Support/Kidney Belt with elasticated nylon sections, hook & loop (Velcro) closure, battery pocket with DC plug connector, heated panel at the lower back and pull-forward support handles for a tighter fit. Power Packs must be ordered separately if required - see below Power Requirement - Back Support draws approx. 0.6Amps Mike |
Exo2
Yes I've got an exo2 vest and the quality and finish plus the performance are all very impressive. The company are a pleasure to deal with too. Linzi.
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Andy |
I got a Chilli heated waistcoat (made by Calamander UK) as a prezzie. I think the brand name must be ironic, but the product is god. Keeps me warm even when not switched on.
Otherwise plugs in with a variety of lead lengths that you can order. I got the curly one: long enough to reach any of the power points dotted about the Ural without being a deathtrap once off the bike. It comes with a variable heat dial, so you can reheat last nights dinner all the way to nuke them potatoes. Max draw about 38W. Waistcoat seems well made with nice tough connectors on the waistcoat where it will get the most abuse. Only slightly more expensive than Klan heated clothing that lacks the thermostat, although this has served my Dad very well too. Either way, definitely a recommended item of clothing: makes some journeys perfectly comfotable when they would have been hellish without... |
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I had not heard of many problems with the Electric jackets themselves. Lots of friends have them. Gerbing now use another design heat controller .... seems to be OK. As you say, the Aerostich vest is far too bulky .... and apparently not that warm compared to a Gerbing or Warm & Safe. A vest will NEVER match a full jacket in warmth. Patrick :scooter: |
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need replacing and go dead at the worst time. IMO, 0.6 amps ain't gonna cut it. The Gerbing pulls about 6 amps. Over 15 times more heat. I've not used this product but trust me ... you need heat in more places than just your lower back. The Gerbing when worn with thin, close fitting jersey over it, keeps the Gerbing close fitting to your body, so you get maximum heat transfer. And not just for your back but your Chest and Arms as well. You just can't imagine how much difference having warm arms make. Keeps your hands working in the cold ... really makes a difference. The Gerbing and Warm & Safe have heat wires on your Chest, Arms, and all of your back and shoulders. One of the greatest benefits of Electric jackets is the idea that you no longer have to dress up like the Michelin Man .... Mr. Bib!:smartass: On a long trip this means less crap you have to pack, fewer bulky things to constantly peel on and off. The Gerbing is worth at least two fleece sweaters and you can ride freer with less bulk restricting movement. Nice. Patrick :scooter: |
I've had a Gerbing jacket for about 20 yrs and it really is a godsend on long winter rides. It heats just about everywhere - front, back, neck and arms, pulling around 7 amps / 85W.
Being a jacket though it goes over jumpers / sweaters so the heat has to get through them before it gets to me and I've often thought that something worn closer to the skin would need to put out less heat for the same effect. Also, as it's a couple of layers out it suffers from "rucking up" - moving away from your skin as you settle into the bike and you find yourself squirming around trying to get the hot bit back into contact. Leaving sweaters and stuff off so the jacket is the first layer out leads to severe local overheating in some bits and draughts in others at the same time. I've not actually burnt myself but it has been very uncomfortable verging on painful once or twice. Being a primeval, early 80's model it has a binary heat controler - it's either on or off when you plug it in / unplug it. If I ever get round to buying another one something that can be worn closer in with an easily adjustable controller would be what I'd want but not having looked at the market in years I've no idea what's available. I can't pitch into this thread without asking how many of you recognise the name Maurice Seddon. If you don't and can't be bothered to google him I'd just say that if you're into electrically heated clothing this is a guy who really walks the walk. He's been making / selling bespoke electric clothing since the 50's, running an old BSA with an auxillary car alternator strapped on not only to power the usual jackets, gloves, trousers, boots, extra lights etc but also a 12v oven on the rear of the bike which would cook his dinner as he rode along. He even went as far as wiring his house with a second 12v ring main (powered by a windmill on the roof and in place of cental heating) so he could plug in his wired everyday clothing as he went from room to room. That really is belief in your product. In the 70's he was just about the only game in town if you were looking for electric bike clothing. I met him a few times at rallies and once at his home but could never afford any of his (very high quality) stuff as it was 3 -4 times the price of Gerbing. British craftsmanship versus American mass production I suppose. |
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The way to solve your problem is to get the jacket closer to you .... this will about double it's effectiveness. To do this: First layer: Thin, stretchy, high quality synthetic (or silk) like a Motocross jersey. Turtle neck is good, not required. 2nd Layer: Gerbing jacket 3rd Layer: This is optional but I like a thin Wind Stop liner. Should be thin but effective. This will serve to hold the Gerbing close to your skin but with the 1st base layer jersey on, it won't burn you but will let Max heat through. 4th Layer: Riding jacket. Four layers seems like a lot but if the right fabrics are used, this is not a bulky set up at all and is good down to below freezing ... and then some. Unfortunately this system really needs the heat controller to work effectively. I constantly adjust mine for conditions. In town, I turn it way down to "simmer". On slow roads it's set at 30%. Motor way in cold it goes about 50% to 75%. Mountains, early morning, late night, Full Up 100%. My current bike (Suzuki DR650) only puts out a total of about 200 watts, so very little in reserve. In daylight I run with headlight off to give max power to Gerbing and heated grips and still maintain battery. All good in 20,000 miles. In the dark I've got about 5 hours of use if both Gerbing and grips are full up. About 10 hours if set lower. Battery recovers overnight sitting or in twenty minutes riding with accessories off. Patrick :scooter: |
Yes, I really should make rational, performance determined decisions about which riding gear to buy after spending time thinking about how it's all going to integrate together:smartass:. Sadly most of the pile of stuff I have to choose from comes from decisions made in haste and repented about at leisure.
Occasionally though two negatives do make a positive and with the Gerbing jacket the nuclear option is to do as you suggest and wear a thin base layer (I've used mountaineering stuff), then the heated jacket. Layer three is a down filled mountaineering jacket and then my winter bike jacket (one size larger than my summer one). The down jacket expands to fill every nook and cranny so all of the heat stays in. With that amount of insulation however it's too hot and really only of use when you're doing 500 miles in -10C (ie the Elephant Rally or similar). A heat controller would be the way to go but until recently I didn't know they existed. It's a dry / cold combination only though as the down jacket doesn't take kindly to extended wet weather riding (neither do I actually but that's another story). Trying to struggle into it all, where you're trying to jam three jackets on top of each other, is the biggest problem and gets me back to where I started - with a pile of stuff acquired on an ad hoc basis over decades. Each jacket is designed to do its job in isolation and putting them together like this is never going to be the best solution. It does have the (unintended) side effect of giving you more "road presence" as you end up looking like bibendum's bigger bulkier brother. My CCM also puts out about 200W and has been running jacket, lights, sat nav and a few other low wattage bits without the voltmeter showing any distress. For many years though I ran a US spec XR600 with direct lighting and I could either run the jacket or the lights but not both. During the day I wouldn't need the jacket and as soon as the temperature dropped at night I couldn't use it. |
WarmnSafe vs Gerbin
We spent a year touring round South America. I had the WarmNSafe jacket while my husband had the Gerbin. We used them a lot down south.
WarmnSafe wins hands up because of the fitted cut. There is no lower elastic that shaft the jacket up like for Gerbin. So it covers the kidneys and as it is very fitted it is close to the skin everywhere. So WnS has a better cut. My husband is now thinking to sell the Gerbin and buy Warmnsafe. Heat troller did last only a year. I just bought Gerbin dual one and it looks must more tough.... cheers, |
My home made jacket is only 60W, but as a second layer I've burnt myself (red horizontal wire burn marks on lower back/sides are hard to explain to my wife after a trip that passed Amsterdam and Hamburg BTW :stormy:).
I'm on the verge of dumping the electric kit for long prepared rides after playing with layers long enough to get it right. I'm using wool and silk as well as pile type synthetics and it really does such a good job the electrics become unecessary, but you've got to layer it up and seal the gaps. A low power controlable heated jacket under layers of thin wool would IMHO work down to minus 30 or less and certainly gives a nice boost to less than perfect bike clothing. That battery pack type reminded me of another solution, there are jackets out there that have pockets for chemical heat packs. Easier to store when not used and can be recharged in a pan of hot water. Andy |
For long distance riders, the thing to remember is any thing you take needs to be versatile and work in a variety of conditions .... from freezing to massive heat and humidity. Do you just throw away all your cold weather gear once in the Tropics? Might be a bad idea. Mountain ranges happen! :helpsmilie:
The electric jacket won't be of much use in the tropics but you will be eliminating a couple of bulky layers with it, so two less items to pack, wash and carry. Many times I can ride in just a T shirt under my riding jacket with the Gerbing (or Warm & Safe) on. This works for early morning chill or crossing a high pass in Spring or Summer, where its not freezing but does get cold enough to need a bit more heat. Or just that ride home from the City at night, where temps have cooled off a lot. With the Electric jacket, no need to stop and add a layer, just turn up the heat! Headed back down into the valley? Heating up? Turn it off and open a vent or two. Mostly done without pulling off. I've used this method on local rides for years. In California we get a wide range of temps and climates all within a few hundred miles ... within a day's ride. Here the Electric jacket really shows it's worth. On one trip to Copper Canyon, Mex in 1998 we left Batopilas (at about 750 meters) where temps were in the low 80's (F) (26c). We proceeded to climb back up to Creel, which is at 8,000 ft. (2450 meters). As we climbed it began to rain. "OK", I figured, "no problem, probably just a squall, will stop soon." We did not stop to put on rain gear.(first mistake) Rain got heavier as we climbed. And it got much colder. We finally stopped to put on rain gear ... but too late. My boots were soaked and so were my gloves. The rain gear helped but later, when the snow began I knew we were in trouble. I stopped and dug out my Gerbing, which had been packed away deep for a couple weeks. The Gerbing saved me. After two more hours of riding in snow we came to the paved junction just outside Creel in a White Out, with temps at about 10F. The wood stove inside the small Tienda was a welcome sight. So from 80f to 10f all in about 4 hours of riding! This is why you need an electric jacket!! :clap: Patrick :scooter: |
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Within 2 hrs it was below freezing and snowing hard. We spent the night in a ski hotel in Pas de la Casa with no heating and next morning had to dig the bike out from a snowdrift. Just over an hour later, after crossing into Spain, the snow had gone and we were back to sunshine and 80F. |
I would NEVER go anywhere without my heated gear these days.
Last July, back from the HU meet, (4 hours ride) the weather turned for the worse, extremely heavy rain, it got colder and colder. I had layers (merino IceBreaker / Berghaus extra warm Infinity jacket/gore tex liner...) , but not my trusted electric jacket. It was a freezing miserable ride, my hands paralysed, my teeth shaking.... I've never been that cold! Never again! |
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First alternative thought there would be to clean the nylon (useless as a cold-wet weather material anyway) layers so the barrier layer can breath like it's supposed to and add an external barrier (cheap unlined plastic rain suit) for when the soaked outer stops the Goretex breathing and you start to wet-freeze from condensation and the wicking action of the pile. The alternative for altitude changes is a simple loose knitted wool jumper/tank top. It's air insulation both ways and works when wet, so cools when hot and retains heat when cold. It's a sort of storage unit for a happy temperature and over a cotton T-shirt can make use of the usually undesirable qualities of cotton when most of the ride is on the desert floor. Not as fashionable as all that branded gear mind, I wouldn't wear it to dinner in any place that would let me in wearing it :blushing:. Worst trip I had was the 2007 elefant. My rain suit fell off the rack and I trod on the connector of my heated jacket. Hein Gericke would have got a serious letter about their shoddy designs if the ink in the pen hadn't been frozen :eek3:. Andy |
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Maurice Seddon! There's a name from the past. We worked at Security Despatch in the late 1970s with several other 'characters'. Like you say, he wired up his house for 12v and rode an old BSA designed by Terry Gilliam.
Just getting clued up with electric clothing for the next trip. I guess I like the idea of a warm fleece/underjacket for normal conditions that can then become hot when it gets cold. One less item to carry. Tell me, besides control boxes (easily bodged I presume) is there ever an issue with shorting out or breaking wires. I imagine when you are really relying on the thing and it packs up in a Central Asian winter it could get grim. A good thread here (tho they go on and on a bit) Cold weather riding - Sport-Touring.Net Also, can someone explain the watts and amps and alternator business. Is it the total W we have to watch when running at night with lights and heated. Could one fry an alternator using it at near-max for weeks? Or do they just burn out whenever? Just tracked down that mine puts out 225W. Don't know if that's a lot, I doubt it. All this cold weather talk and now the fire's gone out! Ch |
Wires
The EX0.2 and KEIS vests are both made using a conductive material rather than a mesh of wires. The material method means no chance of a wire kinking or burning through. EXO.2 make a big point of having been tested by the Royal Marines. This impresses me. The no-wire technology is the reason that I settled for one. Looking carefully at the ads you'll notice that the KEIS heats less of the body than the more expensive EX0.2 does. The KEIS can easily be run at level 3 out of 5 if worn as advised over a thin layer under a tight layer. The EDZ pertex shirt is probably an ideal over elec vest layer. Linzi.
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Your bike generates power from the Alternator, in your case 225W. This 225W has to do two things, charge the battery and power all of your electrical equipment. At it's most basic the electrical equipment on a bike consists of bulbs and your horn, so calculating how much power your bike needs is simply a matter of totaling everything up. I don't know what bike you have so I will use my Trans Alp as an example, all of the bulbs on my bike (and the wattage of them is listed below): Headlight (60 watts when full beam is on) Sidelight (5W) License plate light (5W) Rearlight (5W, 21W when braking) Turn signals (21W * 2) Instrument lights (1.7W * 3) Turn signal warning light (3.4W) High beam indicator (1.7W) Neutral indicator (3.4W) Now obviously I am not going to have all of the above lights lit up at once, but we can work out a realistic max (Full beam, indicating and braking) of 60 + 5 + 5 + 21 + 42 + 5.1 + 3.4 + 1.7 giving me a total of 143.2W of power required for the lights. I don't know the exact power requirements of the horn, but I think it's roughly 35W. As for keeping the battery topped up with power, the best information that I can come up with is that on a normal charge the battery requires 1.2 Amps for 5 to 10 hours. Obviously a battery is not fully discharged after starting, but I will use the 1.2 Amps as a guide, and Ohms Law lets me calculate that 1.2 Amps in a 12 Volt system works out as 14.4 Watts. I know that my Trans Alp puts out 368W at 5000rpm so even at the absolute max (full beam, indicating and braking while blasting the horn) I would only be using 193 of the available watts, leaving me with 175 available for extra's. My heated jacket uses 77W, and a pair of heated grips would use 44W which still would leave me with some of the 175 spare watts available. It's worth pointing out that switching from traditional bulbs for things like indicators that use 21 watts on my bike to LED lights that require roughly 5 watts would drastically reduce the amount of power your bikes electrics would require, leaving more available for things such as heated clothing. |
Watt's that?
Also on an older bike don't forget that there will/can be power losses within the loom due to corossion in connectors. This means you can have less Watts to use than leave the alternator for duty. Not all of them will make it to the battle front. Linzi.
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Alternator
No as far as I know Chris if you use loads of electrical items on a bike you won't damage the alternator, you'll just have all the items getting too little electricity. That will be a dull headlight beam and perhaps dimming if you use your horn. On an older bike you can also have losses along the loom due to high resistance in the wires and especially the corroded connectors. Linzi.
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I think Aerostich make a Fleece electric vest? Kanetsu?
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Not sure of the brand but BIKE recently had an article on a heated vest. The jacket could be powered from the bike or with an optional battery pack.
It looked light and windproof and was about £80. It would solve the bulky issue and give you the freedom to keep the warmth going even off the bike. On its lowest setting it could run for 6 hours just of the battery pack. Could be a godsend if you break down. The jacket didnt use wires so I guess it would be pretty durable. I have my eye on one but need to try and make my own with the kit first to keep costs down.:scooter: |
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One other thing to keep in mind with the volts watts and amps situation. Amps is the measure of electrical resistance (hence why fuses are rated in amps). A Gerbing jacket draws 77W of power, which on a 12 volt system equates to 7 amps (amps = watts / volts) so make sure you connect it all up using wires and connectors that are rated for at least 7 amps. I originaly connected my jacket up to a cigarette lighter style adaptor that was only rated at 5 amps, thinking "Oh it will be OK, it will just get a bit warm". This was a mistake, it did get a bit warm as it melted the adaptor which at it's worst could have caused a small electrical fire and damaged other more important bits and pieces. I am now awaiting delivery of an auxiliary fuse box from nippy normans so that I can run all my additional electrical equipment through that, I have also ordered the relay kit from the same page so that the fuse box is only live when the ignition is turned on. |
Current and power
Hi Chris,
All nicely covered above except no one seems to have pointed out that the 225W is the maximum output. Some bikes won't hit this until 4000 rpm. With so little spare power, I'd be careful how you run a 55W vest. On a trail where you are at walking pace and fifteen minutes before each stop, switch it off. Also, controllers use power, as well as the jacket the coil in a reostat is getting warm. Most seem small losses, but i've seen one that used a Scaletrix part that could have been used to toast bread as a sideline :( For sake of completeness: Volts = Amps x Ohms Watts = Volts X Amps If you don't know how much power (Watts) an item might use, get the Amp rating off the fuse and use the formula. Unless you have a big alternator you'll scare yourself unless you use a couple of fiddle factors. Assume the battery is only 11.8 volts and all fuses are over rated by about 2 amps and you'll be close but safe. Indicators, the horn, brake light and the starter motor can have their power use reduced to 10% of the fused value due to intermittant use. If you are short of the odd 5 W look for an LED tail lamp, they use next to nothing. LED indicators simply move the load into a resistor block, so you only gain the lifetime, not the power use. Andy |
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Many thanks for all your explanations and ideas.
... 225W is the maximum output. Some bikes won't hit this until 4000 rpm .... Yes, I was wondering about that. It seemed an optimal output figure that would only deliver out on a steady highway, not in town or on slow terrain (tho' negotiating the latter can warm you up). Does an alternator running at near max also reduce the bhp noticeably, or is this too marginal to notice on anything other than a 125 @ 4000m. It's a shame to see all that free engine heat blowing away too. I tried it once with hoses from behind an oil cooler running up my sleeves but there must be better ways, especially with water-cooled bikes. I imagine some Siberian motard must have thought of this. Ch |
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The issue is how does one control the temperature output. I do have another solution in the works...wireless heated garments. |
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About 70 years ago some very unpleasant chaps organised the worlds most unpopular road trip taking in such locations as near Moscow and Stalingrad in January. Their BMW's and Zundapps although only available in limited colours ( Grey or Sand), did have some interesting optional extras. They had what looked like vacuum cleaner hoses feeding from behind the cylinders into foot and hand guards. These must have done something useful as most military types I've known would soon "loose" anything that wasn't and you do see the heaters on photographs. I've wondered what could be achived with a bit of hose, some 5-litre plastic containers and lots of duct tape. Even better, I've seen pictures of (I think) a Yam with a hot water line tapped off the radiator. I'm not planning on going watercooled unless there is also a heat exchanger and you can use the water to make tea :thumbup1: Andy |
... I've wondered what could be achived with a bit of hose, some 5-litre plastic containers and lots of duct tape.
Now you're talking! It's sort of what I have in mind, along with a board across the front of the engine as you do with radiators in the cold. It's something you could almost bodge by the roadside out of rubbish if it gets desperately cold and you have a long way to go. Any pix of the Stalingrad posse's rides? Ch |
I remember reading something years ago in the BMF magazine,Motorcycle Rider or whatever it's called,about an NTV 600 that had it's coolant running up a load of pipework and through the handlebars.I cannot remember much detail but I suppose that you would want a tap so that you could turn the heat up/down/off if you wanted.
I have a homemade heated vest,for winter use I wouldn't be without it. |
Yes, I was wondering about that.
Sounds good in theory, |
Got myself the oxford velcro on grips they are good warm as toast but do make the grips a little bulky.
Also got a ex02 heated wiast belt great bit of kit and only paid £24 on ebay. if anything the cable could be a touch longer or made from flexi cable:scooter: |
Heated kit circa 1942
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https://sites.google.com/site/threew...ces/heated-kit I've only seen the two pictures. I'm betting this heater was a gimick and the Squadies soon failed to see the joke? Maybe it worked though? Anyone got a garden hose and an hour of two spare? Andy |
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Silvermans used to have the ones V-bomber crews were supposed to wear. I heard they leaked!
Some of the Thumper club guys met a chap in Germany who'd fitted a heat exchanger onto a watercooled yam. At least that way if the suit leaks the bike coolant stays where it is. There was also talk of a ready supply of boiled sausages, but I can't remember if that was another guy with a washing machine sized alternator belt driven off the sidecar wheel! Andy |
A vest made of boiled sausages!?
How long it keeps warm?
I have an Exo2, made of... I don't know, but it's not sausages I have no idea about what watts or volts consumes but keeps you warm and its not so bulky. I think its great but it is the only one I've ever tried. |
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