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I know like me, many of you are rolling your bikes out of storage and getting ready for spring rides, however, it IS still WINTER.
I am thinking I might invest in a pair of Harley's heated gloves but I am also wondering how much a pain in the *** it is to be tethered to the bike with the wire.
Looking for some input from those of you that have them. I can just picture myself forgetting to "unplug" and step off the bike only to rip the cord right out the bike.
thoughts?
Yes, I know they have the optional lithium battery but thats another $100 on top of the price of the gloves.
I have a set of Mobile Warming heated gloves with the rechargeable lithium batteries. They feel a tab bulky @ 1st but I got used to them. The quality is top notch and my hands stayed warm & toasty for hours with plenty of juice to spare. They were definitely worth the money.
I have used the Harley heated gloves for a few years and they work really well. For a couple of years I did not have a thermostat controller and just used the on/off rocker switch and it was fine. This year I bought a First Gear heated jacket liner with a remote controller and it is even better but I have only used it twice (Texas weather has been mild).
I don't really care for being wired up but it is better with the jacket liner than running the wires under a jacket and down the sleeves. I have got off the bike without unplugging and no damage was done and no one saw me. You will get used to unplugging.
This year I got some Gerbing heated gear. I have a pair of heated overpants, jacket liner and gloves, all I can say is man let's ride. It is suppose to be 29 degrees in the morning but I'll be warm and toasty at 75mph. I like the overpants as I do not have to bulk up for the warmth and then go work in an office environment and be uncomfortable.
My finger tips are not burning after the 35 -40 mile commute in below freezing temps.
Get what you can and enjoy a longer riding season, I've been riding all winter here in Raleigh NC.
I have wired, heated glove liners but I've only used them twice since I got them in December '14. And yes, I did get off of the bike once with them hooked up. But they just unplugged, since it's just a slip in plug. No damage.
The first heated gear I bought was a heated jacket liner. Was on sale at Harley. Then heated glove liners. They plug right into the jacket liner sleeves. Harley uses the Gerbing products, so everything matches up. Many different Mfg's use the same plug. But check first !
The nice part about the glove liners is you can use them with fingered gloves, mittens, three fingered gloves, or any covering for the hands you like.
Haven't done the pants yet, but just layer up on the silk.
I've got the XR12s, but badged Gerbing rather than the more expensive HD badge. When riding around town, short trips or frequent stops, I use the batteries as it's more convenient (no wires to deal with). I've never had a problem with battery life; they've always lasted as long as I needed them.
But when on longer rides, when I'm sitting put on the bike for a decent length of time, I'll plug them in. The wires are inconvenient, but that's not so much of a problem under those circumstances. And it's made up for by having less bulk and weight in the gloves from having removed the batteries.
Similarly, I have a cheap battery-powered heated vest, and a more expensive Gerbing wired one for the same reasons.
I just received a pair of Gordon's heated deer skin gloves and while I haven't had a chance to use them yet, I can already tell they have a lot less bulk than my early Gerbings gloves. The Gerbings always kept my hands warm but I had to pay attention as they were bulky and it was sometimes hard to grab the clutch or front brake lever.
The new gloves have a lot less bulk and have the carbon fiber wires that are so thin that you don't even feel them. I have waterproofed them and waiting for a clear day to ride and try them.
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