Heated grips and vests ok?

[andre66]

Will the battery be able to handle both heated grips and vest, i like to be warm in the colder months and i ride at night fairly often.
Andre

[Range]

should be fine, but the added strain will put a tax on battery life, I wear little wool gloves under my leather ones...works fine for me. I have rode in very cool temps...wearing longjohns and a balaclave...just dress for it!

[WildKat]

It'll put an extra strain on the battery, so you'll wanna keep a top-notch battery in there, not an off-brand. I usually wear a pair of thin layred gloves under my riding ones, so it helps break the wind twice as much, but doesnt restrict my fingers.

[The CyberPoet]

The Katana's have a 17 to 35% excess electrical power production capability (it varies bike by bike, but the design spec puts it in that range), which means they have enough spare juice to power up both with no problems as long as you don't have another high-draw power item (such as extra driving lights) running at the same time.

If it's truly cold, you might also want to look at hand guards as a way of deflecting the cold air from the back of your hands; several brands exist for the motorcross and touring market, and they can be added in the fall, taken off in the spring.

As for jackets, true cold-weather jackets for riding will protect you down to a very cold temperature without additional heating needed. I have a German made polo jacket that is so warm, I can't wear it above 60 degrees without sweating my butt off, can't wear the liner above about 40 degrees, and it's good down to about 10 degrees.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[kwebbel]

In a week or 6 I'll be cleaning my leather gear and get the wintergear out off the closet, allseason cordura jacket and pants with armor, extra winterliner, thermo-underwear, windstopper, long thermosocks, insulated and waterresistant wintergloves and winterboots.
In my experience there's no need for extra heat even at long trips (plus 200km), temparatures easily drop below 0 degrees celsius overhere. (0 to minus 15 degrees C is common)
Most important is good thermo underwear and buy ALL gear one size larger than normal. (air is the ultimate isolator)

[WildKat]

its surprising how much dressing in a few layers keeps you warm, even in freezing temps. I've always heard it puts an extra strain on the battery, but according to poet, looks like its ok...since my info was only hearsay, i'll follow his.

[The CyberPoet]

its surprising how much dressing in a few layers keeps you warm, even in freezing temps. I've always heard it puts an extra strain on the battery, but according to poet, looks like its ok...since my info was only hearsay, i'll follow his.

Figure the golden rule is that the alternator's output needs to stay under 30 amps at all times, since that's what the main fuse is rated at. The dual headlights draw 10 amps between them on high beam on the 98+ models, if you're still running the stock rated 55/60 watt bulbs. The dash probably draws another amp or two, as do the running/brake lights. That should leave you with at least 6 or 8 amps to play with -- more than enough for most brands of grips & jackets. But I'm with Kwebbel on this -- better gear for the cold often makes the best sense.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[SweetLou]

I'm Fat, so I just stay warm. Eat lots of fast food, and you can be fat too, then you don't need that stuff!!!

[NY Kat]

I'm Fat, so I just stay warm. Eat lots of fast food, and you can be fat too, then you don't need that stuff!!!

OMFGLMFAOBBQ!!!!

[stevnmd]

Heated grips and heated gear will make winter riding enjoyable. I don't care how many layers of clothing and gear you wear, you will NOT be completely comfortable when the temps drop REALLY low without heated gear...

There was a great article I read somewhere that explained it best. I'll paraphrase...

Imagine the heat in your body is like a battery. The more layers of clothing you wear, the less DRAIN on that battery you're creating. However, you're never actually putting a charge BACK IN...

In other words, no matter WHAT you wear, if it's cold out you WILL get cold eventually without heated gear. The more you wear, the longer it takes, that's all... Saying it's better just to bundle up in cold weather is ridiculous. For one, you end up getting all bulky so you'll be less comfortable on the bike. It'll be more difficult to ride around. You're probably going to wear a lot of clothing under your riding gear, which will make the gear fit too tightly.

If you really want to ride year round, keep your body warm... I suggest you look at the following gear:

Gerbing heated jacket and pants...

http://www.gerbing.com

Variable heat controller for the gear... You can either use Gerbing's, or Heat-Troller's. I've used the Heat-Troller, but the Gerbing should work the same.

http://www.heat-troller.com

Now, you'll definitely want to keep your hands warm, too. You can use heated gloves or heated grips. A lot of people like gloves because that way the tops of your hands will stay warm, too... However, I prefer grips, since if you're going out for a short trip and you don't want to plug in all your heated gear you can still keep your hands warm... You can use Dual-Star heaters (thin, go under ANY grip of your choice) or HotGrips.

http://www.dual-star.com

http://www.hotgrips.com

Don't forget your feet! Heated socks will keep those toes toasty... If you want to go the budget route, look at

http://www.gorix.co.uk/acatalog/

click commercial/manufacturing
Gorix fabric is awesome stuff. You can order sample 3x6 strips off their site at the link I provided. Put the fabric in your riding boots. MAKE CERTAIN you put felt or some sort or fabric over top of it so you don't wear through the stuff. Also, make sure you have the fabric on a variable heat controller. That stuff will get BLAZING hot if you put 12v into it continuously!

Now, there is another option for the heated gear itself, too. Widder is another manufacturer. I don't like their stuff as much though it works equally well. They have a vest, arm chaps, and leg chaps that are heated. I just prefer a simple jacket and pants...

http://www.widder.com

If you don't want to go all out and get it ALL, start with heated grips. Warm hands makes a HUGE difference...

[The CyberPoet]

Imagine the heat in your body is like a battery. The more layers of clothing you wear, the less DRAIN on that battery you're creating. However, you're never actually putting a charge BACK IN...

In other words, no matter WHAT you wear, if it's cold out you WILL get cold eventually without heated gear. The more you wear, the longer it takes, that's all... Saying it's better just to bundle up in cold weather is ridiculous.

Actually, the battery metaphor is a poor metaphor. The human body is more like an engine (it produces heat as a by-product), and as long as the body heat is insulated sufficiently as to lose less or equal to the amount produced, the clothing is adequate to the task by itself. Insulate it too highly, and you get overheated & sweaty even on the coldest day (which leads to much faster heat loss).

This is not to discourage riders from using heated clothes in any way (especially heated socks & gloves; extremities are particularly suspectible to heat loss) -- I believe that some of the heated garments on the market are awesome -- but to say that IMHO the selection of appropriate gear (gear intended for the specific temperature ranges) can often accomplish what's desired without having to go overboard on electrical draw. My biggest gripe is that many of the heated solutions on the US market don't provide the same crash-worthiness as their cold-weather engineered counterparts. I've noticed that on the American market especially, there is a lack of cold-weather motorcycle gear equivilent to what's available in Europe (thinking about it: possibly because even southern Switzerland is as far north as Ontario; thus most of northern Europe lies substancially further north).

What to know:
At 59 degrees (F) ambient, with a 70 mph wind chill (cruising speed), the effective temperature is 33 degrees (F). Now drop the ambient to 40 degrees, and imagine what the total wind chill is (somewhere in the neighborhood of -20F).
There are heated products for every area of your body, and there are solutions which are not motorcycle-specific (such as heated vests and heated thermal underwear) that can be layered under suitable cold-weather riding gear, to give you the best of both worlds (protection and heat) without bulking you up excessively.
Clothing which sheds water vapor while keeping out water and wind is often more effective at highway speeds than traditional insulation materials (i.e. - a thicker layer of gortex is often more effective than multiple layers of down).
Drink fluids heavily while riding in cold weather. The air can suck almost a liter an hour of fluid out of your lungs just from fluid loss from breathing.
Studies by the military indicate that the primary heat-loss areas are the sides of the torso (the areas covered by your arms when you stand with your arms at your sides), and your extremeties. Pay particular attention to your exposed skin and extremities (hands, feet, throat, face).
Most people know when they are cold -- if you are feeling cold on the bike, you need to either insulate better or generate additional heat.
Do not let your hands/feet go numb with cold -- doing so will cause the capilaries to shrink to the point that blood isn't delivering enough fresh oxygen to the skin and possibly to the tissues underneath.

Good Luck!
=-= The CyberPoet

[slowflyn]

I wear a Gerbing jacket in cooler temps. So far no problems with the Kat dealing with the drain. Now if you want to stay comfy, my BMW K1200LT has lots of power outlets for whatever electric gear you want, plus heated pilot seat, passenger gets heated seat and backrest and have heated grips. With a power windshield to keep the cold air off it can be a very nice way to ride in the winter. The Beemer is named "Das Couch", I keep telling the wife she doesn't need a lamp and coffee table on the back, but the microwave can stay.