Electric liner and gloves

[VFan]

I went riding this past Saturday and Sunday and I've decided that before winter is over I'm going to buy an electric jacket liner and gloves to extend the riding season. It didn't realize how much I missed riding until this past weekend! Spring is on the horizon.

[Cdnlouie]

Get the full jacket...worth the money.  Firstgear has a nice one I just picked up last fall.  Good value with the heat control included.  Some good deals out there before the riding season really starts going.  Amazing how much fun this puts into cold weather riding.  I have gloves and jacket. The vest is good for cool weather, but when it gets cold so do your arms.  It does not hurt to have both, but the jacket will work for both with the temp controller.

[Cdnlouie]

Hey Vfan did you buy the electrics?  They sure are nice for an early spring ride!

[VFan]

Hi Louie,
The first thing I bought was a Tourmaster Flexmaster Jacket. It's probably not any better than other models of motorcycle jacket but I didn't realize what a significant difference it would make over a typical coat. Since then, looking around at different models if I had to do it again I might have purchased the Raven Jacket, but I'm more than pleased with the Flexmaster (assuming that it lasts a long time).

I then purchased a pair of T5 MicroWire gloves from Gerbings. They indeed do the job. I was lured by the MicroWire marketing hype (even distribution of heat) but after wearing them for several weeks I'm not sure they are worth the extra money. However, having warm hands absolutely make the difference in winter riding. [if folks have experience with other brands that are less expensive that would be interesting to hear]

I started riding before the end of February and plan on going well into December. Since my commute is less than 30 minutes I didn't seem to need a heated vest but stay tuned for next winter, I might change my mind. From now on I plan on riding whenever the roads are dry and it's around 30 degrees F. I did ride several times with it being in the high 20's F and I stayed pretty comfortable for the trip to work. I'm sure if my ride was longer than 30 minutes it would be a different story.

Kent  

[Cdnlouie]

It is amazing how fast you can be converted to heated clothing  :laugh:.  I decided against the microwire hype too and was not disappointed.  I can't feel the wires anyway so determined it was not worth the money.  I tried one on and couldn't feel any difference so I went with the old school stuff.  It's warm and that is what matters.  You don't need to look like the Goodyear blimp either!  :laugh: