cold weather gear

Looking for advice and/or experience with electric riding gear. I am not sure which way I would like to go. Looking at the Gerbing full elec. suit that goes outside the clothing. Or, perhaps, inside electrics that go under my leathers.

Any thoughts??

Thanks,

Ben

Gerbing's stuff is supposed to be very good. I use a cheap electric vest firstgear gore-tex riding pants and I use a Gore Tex shell for over top of the leather jacket when things get cold. I've ridden a bunch of miles in snow with this setup....not that I really wanted to, mind you, but I was a long way from home. Electric vests are good but to really make'em work the best for you, you want to be wearing an outer shell that is windproof and water proof..that's three quarters of the battle of staying warm. Electra Glides keep a person relatively warm once you cover up the engine guards in really cold weather..unless you have the lowers which are better yet. I have yet to hear any one say anything bad about Gerbing's gear aside from the price issue

Still using my vest, Bob! Rode to work this morning with it, but it's still a little warm for it, mid forties. I just really wanted to test it this morning to make sure it was up for the winter. I got a new jacket, much better'n my old leather, one I got in Sturgis. It's a Tourmaster, water proof, has a zip out liner, armored, too. The electric vest under it and I'm ready for sub zero on the wing. A good made for motorcycling jacket is very much the way to go IMHO with the vest under it. For even MORE warmth, just layer a sweat shirt over the vest with the jacket over that, toasty! I'm riding my old Wing in cold weather. The motor acts a bit as a heater and the huge fairing and motor down by the feat ae awesome in bad weather. It's my two wheeled car. I have my Cabela's "handle bar mits" on the bike, too. They'll keep your hands toasty. I'd like to have some heated grips with them, but really don't need it in Texas and for long rides they have pockets for a chemical hand warmer to go in. If you've ever seen the old vetter "hippo hands", you know what they look like. In really cold weather, you might think about a pair of snow mobile bib pants, too. I haven't worn mine yet on the wing, though I did break them out when I just had to ride the SV650 to work the other day. Bob's water proof pants sound a lot better, though. I've just got a Stern's slicker bottom for water proofing the legs. You can get Gore Tex bibs, though. Mine are just cheapies.

I could have used the vest on this ride, south of Alpine Arizona on the way back from Laughlin some years ago on my VX800. I followed a snow plow down out of Alpine.

wow! lookit that snow!!!!! That is beautiful country over there.

Didn't quite look like that when we were in Alpine last September..did it Bob?

I don't own any electric gear..though have been thinking about it. I've ridden in several snow storms over the past few years..both in Colorado and the Sierras in California. I wear a snowmobile pants-bib setup from FirstGear that I really like..that's when I know I'm going to be riding the cold country. It's a bit bulky to carry along though, but it's come in handy more than once. I wouldn't have minded an electric vest leaving out of Tucson yesterday morning..leaving at 0400 hours it was fairly cool out. I did have my FirstGear jacket with liner on and was ok. I have the same FirstGear overpants that Bob has and those are quite nice. I'm really becoming fond of the electric heated grips on the FJR..never did have a problem with cold hands.

Warm ?????

Sissy, er, Bob Kitty, uses a Gerbing electric vest and loves it. This says a lot because she is allergic to cold. Really, she's been tested for this. She has a reaction like some people do to a bee sting. So, if a Gerbing works for her . . .
That's what I'm looking for. A good deal on a Gerbing vest. ( I'm tired of freezing my a** off while she's a happy camper).

Thanks everyone for the quick and informative replies. I have pretty much decided on the Gerbing two piece electric suit. It appears that it will get the job done and looks like it will make a nice all weather set-up, even without the electrics plugged in.

I am also going to order some Kochmann Monza or Grand Prix boots. The are supposed to be waterproof and very comfortable. Anyone had any experience with these?? Was looking at the Cruiserworks also but don't really care for their looks.....I also like the Bates, but prefer something waterproof.

Ben

good old Gore Tex works wonders here too. I've got Alpinestar Boots for the sportbikes but I use Red Wing sporting boots..black leather and waterproof. I even thing they're making motorcycle boots too now. They're not cheap but are quite comfy....


Kevin, I'm kind of glad that Alpine didn't look like that when we were there. I still get the grin going when I think about that trip...man that was fun...Still doing good at school?


sorry Kev..I just read your other post..you're doing "A-OK"

Bob Kitty???? Love it, LOL!

Yeah, goretex boots are something I should look into. I've ridden all day in a pair of engineer's boots, you know, the kind with the buckle, in wet weather and kept my feet dry because I've treated them with silicone waterproofing spray. That stuff is great, but you have to spray 'em down daily if you wear 'em daily. I don't, I just wear 'em for long rides. I'm normally wearing just my hiking boots commuting to work. But, a pair of goretex sprayed with silicone, you're talking waders. Cabelas has lots of Gortex stuff. I like those snake proof 15" boots they have in there. Would be great on a bike! They have 'em in Camo. How would that look, too John Kerry? In fact, a lot of Cabela's and Bass Pro's outdoor gear, especially the ski and snow mo stuff, it quite usable on a bike. They might have goretex bibs in there a bit cheaper than the accepted MC brand names. I'm a hunter, so I buy a lot of stuff from these outfits. Most of it is hunting related. I'd look really cool in my 3D camo on the bike, ya think? ROF!

yep, a refugee from WalMart..yikes!!!!!!!!!

They just opened up a Bass Pro Shop..wait a minute..not 'til 10am this morning..at one of the big casinos on The Strip today. Gonna have to go by and check it out. They don't have an REI here in town..guess not too many go hiking and such around Las Vegas.

I stopped at the Cabela's store in Kearney, NE last month when I drove to Omaha..man what a store that is. Thank God I didn't have much money as I'd have gone broke any way.

SK,

There's an REI in Henderson. That's pretty close isn't it?

I hate to think of a feller that dosen't have access to an REI store.

My rain gear, fleece, balaclava, polypro underwear & socks all came from REI, they've got a lot of good gear that can be used for cold weather riding.

Bike shops and REI are both on my "Restricted Access" list, meaning that I either have to leave my wallet at home before I to to one of those places, or I have to take my wife with me (however, there has been more than one occasion when I ended up spending more $$ because my wife WAS with me )

SISK


Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things!

There's an REI in Henderson? Too cool. I ride there a couple of times of week to school any way. I'll check it out. Most of my backpacking gear (a lot of it good for touring via motorcycle) is from REI. **** Sisk..you made my day.

A very LOOOOOOONNNNNNGGGG time ago (1974-1976) I was stationed at Malmstrom AFB in Great Falls Montana. I had a serious aversion to driving a 4 wheeled vehicle unless it was to go hunting or fishing. So, I rode most of the year except when it was icier than a snot sickle at 40º below. I had some Mukluks that were good too way to cold to ride, some extreme cold wool socks, Polypropelene thermals, wool sweater, fatigues and then a parka and cold weather pants and you could ride in pretty cold stuff. Couldn't move and up shifting was fun but, you never got cold except for your hands. I tried about everything there was then but the best I came up with was a one size to large work glove with two wool inserts. Worked good but a bear on the levers.

I even rode that enduro to go fishing and even hunting... just once 'cause I figured out that carrying a big buck would not quite work too well...

Now, if it ain't 50º I am shivering. Dang Aridzona will thin the blood.

Ahh, Chinook winds... and the instant freezer that followed afterwards! I worked the flight line up there on the EB57E models under the ADC (Air Defense Command) the B57 was a medium bomber and the EB57E was converted to a jammer that could jam about anything in the frequency spectrum. At any rate, the winters out there are pretty cold with some good snow followed by a nice warm Chinook that melts the snow and floods the parking ramp. Once in a while, the Chinook would blow in and you would have your jacket off working up a sweat and then a big old arctic air mass would sag down and drop the temp in a New York second. Then, it was a contest to see how fast you ould get the aircraft towed into hangars before they stuck in the ice. I have been towing support equipment and it was so slick you just would do a slow spin trying to stop. One or two hours earlier, that ice was water and before that snow. Just amazing and it could turn deadly. The two man rule was in effect anytime that happened and radio communication was mandatory. Going from 0º or so to above 40º to somewhere under -20º or more in mere hours was strange. I still fish once in a while but no hunting.