Can our battery and charging system support heated clothing ?
(i.e. Gerbing pants, vest , gloves).

I want to continue to ride as long as the road surface will allow it this winter. And I want to get a head start in the spring. It was about 30 this morning and my fingers and legs were cold. I don't like wearing all the clothes I own and take 30 minutes to get dressed to ride to work. So I think some heated clothes would do the trick. Also would like to be able to have them do double duty. Unplug them for warmer riding and still have the protection of leather. Any suggestions ? Thanks.

 

Yes the electrical system will support the heated gear. Just be careful to not over do the amount of gear. I have ordered heated gloves. I'm not sure if I will add anymore than that or not. Last winter I did fairly well, except for my fingers.

A slightly cheaper alternative to gerbing is:

http://cozywinters.com/

 

What if you have the running lights hooked up and added an airhorn? Would this be too much to add some heated gear?
Whats the max amp load for a sportster?

 

I think the volt regulator is at 22 amps. They you have to look at the basic electrical requirements of the bike, and other added electrical demands that have been added.I believe the basic operations of the bike are around 12 amps. I have not comfirmed this, so I'm not totally certain.

But if anyone, HELLO auto128!!!!!!, knows all this electrical system stuff I'd love to save the time from doing the research.

 

I did the math on this last year. I found the numbers again;

The stock XL alternator can make 22 amps. And I think this is max amps at something like 3K rpm or something.
The bike takes around 12 amps stock just to run. SO that leaves you with roughly 10 amps to spare.

Gebrings gear requires the following amps:

gloves 2.2 amps
jacket liner 6.4 amps
pants 3.6 amps
vest liner 4.5 amps
socks 2.2 amps

So as you can see, all together you'd be way maxed out and drain your system.

I chose the gloves and jacket liner for a total of 8.6 amps. It puts me close to the 10 amp factor. I also chose the dual thermostat controller vs the on/off controller. The on/off controller pulls maximum amps for each piece of gear when it is on. The thermostat controller only pulls the juice it needs to maintain the temp you set on the controller. It pulses if you will. SO, for instance, with the thermostat controller the jacket liner will not be pulling the max of 6.4 amps the entire time. It only pulls what it needs, when it needs to maintain the desired temp.

For added safety since I know I am near the maximum amps my bike will handle -- I only turn my gear on when the bike is warmed up and I am rolling. I turn it off if I am sitting at a light or in bumper-to-bumper traffic for too long. And finally, the last mile or two before I hit home I shut it all off to give max juice back to the recharging of the bike. At that point the heat is trapped in your jacket and gloves. You won't freeze for that last mile or so.

So with our bikes, you can run the gear. You just need to be careful. IF you have added auxillary lights, you have less to play with. You need to figure out how many amps those lights draw and add them to the 12 amp figure.

And remember, if you do not leave an amp or two free, your system will not be recharging.

IF anyone else has insight into this or correction to my comments, please jump in.

 

That sounds pretty much like the numbers I looked at. And the same conclusions. So far, I've just ordered the gloves, so I wasn't too concerned about maxing out the electrical at this point. If I end up getting the entire "head to toe" heated gear, I was thinking about splitting up the pieces, so I would only be using half of the stuff at the same time. Then, switch the gear that is heating, and warm other parts of the body. Socks would be my second heated item.

Has anybody tried any of those HD socks, or similar, that is suppose to keep your feet dry? That's when my feet get cold. After I have stopped somewhere, and my feet sweat, then get back on the bike with my feet wet, and they get cold. Or if it's raining.

 

Ok, you have educated me on heated gear. On a sportster 1200C, where do you plug this gear in at or does it have its own battery pack. Who makes heated gear that you all have used and tested and like the results.

 

The gear hooks up to a pigtail on the battery. It is much like the battery tender pigtail. The plug ends are different than the battery tender. If you have the tender already they sell an adapter for the plug. I run this pigtail under my seat and have it come up between my legs. Then you plug the thermostat to this and clip the thermostat to your belt of pocket. The pigtail just stays on the bike when not in use and can be tucked under the seat out of sight.

The Harley gear is re-branded Gerbings gear. It is the same stuff. There are other companies some people will say are the best -- it is a matter of opinion. I was set to get the Gerbings until my local dealer had a sale, and I had a discount so I got the Harley stuff instead for a little cheaper. But it is Gerbings gear with a bar and shield on it.

Gebrings website

The only thing I wish I had gotten was the Gerbings G3 gloves. THey are little more supple than the Gerbing Classic gloves or Harley equivalent and giv e you better feel on the controls. The Classic/Harley gloves are soft, but awfully thick. They do work well. They are gaunlet gloves that come way up your forearms and are warm on their own, let alone with the electric heat. I usually only wear them when it gets near freezing (32 degrees).THe jacket liner I will put under my jacket anytime it is in the 40s. It acts as another thin layer and I can plug it in when needed.

 

I never tried the socks or pants. I found with thick wool socks and good boots I was good to go. For pants I wear the FXRG nylon overpants to kill the wind. Under that I have jeans and thermals on. I used a fleece face mask for my neck and face.

The thing is, once you get your core warm (torso/chest) -- which the jacket will do -- then the rest of your body starts to feel a lot warmer as blood is pumped to it.

I've worn this combination (heated jacket/gloves, jeans/long-underwear/overpants, fleece face mask, wool socks/leather boots and 3/4 helmet) on a 2 hour ride in 25 degree weather and was warm. In fact, 10 minutes into the ride I had to turn the jacket down because I began to sweat! For ALL DAY riding I can see the full body electric gear would be preferable.


Oh and I should add......I put on a small Memphis Shades sports shield when it gets real cold. Yes, gasp....a windshield. It does notlook toooo bad on it. Some people have actually complimented me on it. But it does cut the cold air blast down considerably and I am completely sold on it. It will be going back on in the next month.

 

Also, the 'amp output' can vary from bike to bike (same year and model), so you really need to check your specific bike to get a true figure if you are going to start hooking up a number of accessories.

When I first got my Softail we checked out the amps, and it was putting out right at 47 @3,000 RPM.

The service manual specifies an output of 34 to 40 amps for the carb'd 2000 - 2005 Softails, and 41 to 48 amps for the EFI models of the same year.

Don't have a service manual for the Sportsters handy, but if you have on it should list the maximum amp output, and there is probably a range listed instead of a set figure.