Winterized !!!

[2and3cylinders]

People concentrate on what they wear in cold weather down to maybe 25 but then the roads are iffy

   Everybody knows about heated gear. I hope

 And standard equipment should be at least a heated jacket liner something thin that you can still wear something over to snug it up

  Now there’s 24 V lithium or whatever rechargeable battery vest, jacket liner, gloves, codpieces and what-have-you

 But I don't trust them and they don't last as long as you need them.  Which is all friggin day!

  To power my heated gear as well as charge the bike, since most heated gear connectors use coax plugs, I've made an adapter for my battery tender

Coax is a much better connection than SAE

  Now I also have SAE, both 30 amp and 5 Amp, and I can connect a jump starter/power-pack lithium battery through the 30 amp SAE plug with a SAE-to-Q-plug adapter, as the wires are 10 ga. direct to the battery.

  Since my jacket liner has plugs to connect to heated gloves, I got heated gloves and I've always had a single and a dual heat troller, as I also have an ancient Widder now Tour Master Synergy carbon wire with collar heated vest to which I eliminated the original T-stat connection with just a coax plug.

  Then there's heated Long Johns or inside or outside chaps, which I find not worth the effort

  Same with heated socks.  I just use the heat packs and every 6 hours take my boots off and change them as it's good to air out the old toeses anyway

 But all of the above must work in concert with how you winterize your bike

 Now on the FJ it's great, for the 1st time I have OEM heated grips and they're pretty darn good!

  Now the body work on the front of the FJ is a mess as far as aerodynamics go unless you’re very little, which of course I am certainly not!

So most everyone changes the screen and rarely is totally happy…

 I have a bikini summer opaque black polycarbonate screen; an OEM size stiffer double-bubble with a cheap little clamp-on adjustable spoiler at the top you've seen it in recent photos; and, as the picture below shows a huge GV Tour with the MRW Tour Bolt-on adjustable spoiler.  The latter a true barn door combo even in the lowest position.  Note: reinforcement screen structure and replacement of screen height adjustment mechanism is mandatory with anything approaching a barn door.

  I also have on OBR ADV Gear hand guard Winter covers over my KTM handguards

 I may redo my custom Sargent saddle myself this winter and put in a heated pad

  I thought about putting wind deflectors on my GV case guards but who has time for that?

  The sum total of my mass covered with armor and full coverage gear + profile and surface area of the FJ = Massive drag coefficient! 

The effect of the above weight and vortex shedding anomalies of accessories and the pilot means our little 847 CC @ only 11.5:1 yet needing 91 octane (check out the output of the MV Agusta triple 800!), starts running out of breath at a 100 mph, if that say with a 255# pilot!  Not LOL

 Vortex shedding and weight distribution along with suspension, tires and their pressures also effect stability at elevated road speeds

 But ultimately between the bike and my PHD (Personal Heating Devices) if I stay below 80 mph I’m a happy big bug in a rug!

[PhotoAl]

LOL took my Warm and Safe heated jacket liner on my last trip.  Just in case as was going to Canada and Montana.  Well it was 104 in Montana now if I had left it at home ....  

 

[2and3cylinders]

Better safe than sorry! 

I have a W&S 90W panel element reflective jacket liner (too).  I should have gotten the higher watt jacket as in really cold weather it struggles.  But I was concerned about over-taxing the alternator on my 98 VTR.   I shouldn't have worried. 

I've learned a few things, sometimes the hard way, in all types of weather over the last 52 years! 

I once rode through a terrible torrential deluge after the inaugural Indianapolis Moto GP that Rossi won, though it was called early because of a  microburst.  Turns out I unknowingly dodged 3 tornados.  I65, I94 & I90 all shut down due to flooding, and 65 took a week after to reopen.  My 94 Aerostitch soaked through.  I had a rainsuit but didn't want to stop to donn it.  The gas tank breather hose was under water so it kept stalling, so I kept my spare key in the cap and when it started choking I used my clutch hand to open and close the gas cap while rolling.  It was daytime but was dark as night.  I rode through water up to my knees!  I had hypothermia and got dehydrated. 

It was like the 3 hour tour of the SS Minnow (reference Giligan's Island).  A normally 3-1/2 ride took me over 12 hours.  Worst ride of my life.  Should have stopped like many did, filling all the motels but couldn't imagine it would keep getting worse.  No GPS then and everyone got lost with the road closures, it was insanity.  I didn't see one local yokal or trooper directing traffic.

Then there was the time I came back down from a snow camping trip to Lake Tahoe when I lived in San Francisco 72~73.  Got caught in a freak unforecast blizzard.  No heated grips or gear back then.  I followed the 18 wheeler tracks and tail lights.  When I got lower and it warmed a bit, I pulled off at a truck stop.  My hands could barely work the controls but I managed to pull into a spot and stop.  But as I tried to put my feet down I discovered they were frozen to the pegs!  For a moment I thought I could levitate, and then just tipped over to the left with the bike in a heap.  Luckily the snow somewhat cushioned my fall, and a couple of Good Sams, literally from the Club, extracted me from my predicament and got my BSA Goldstar 500 single in its  Rickman-Matisse frame on its side stand.  It took me 3 hours to thaw out in the cafeteria...  I made it home 3 hours later without further incident.

On the return leg from a 4th of July weekend at Yosemite  (fantastic), I ran out of gas on the upper deck of the Bay Bridge, which had no breakdown lane.  Talk about scary!  Managed to push the front tire up on the curb and hook the handlebar in the guard rail.  Used the call box and a bridge tow truck was there in the longest 5 minutes of my life.  He parked behind me with blazing lights going and kept watching oncoming traffic.  I told him I was dry and while still watching our 6 he handed me a 1 gallon can of gas.  After I dumped it in the tank I asked him if I owed him anything.  He shook his head no and snarled "Just get the f-ck out of here!".

And there's more memorable rides...

[Lone Wolf]

Today I received a Warm and Safe Heat layer shirt, and heated touring gloves with dual controller.

Love them! the heat is within moments of plugging them in, and total control of heat level. These are the first online gloves I have bought that actually fit the first time, sizing chart is right on. I called the company with a question and someone actually answered the phone - the owner Mike. I am very impressed.

[Lone Wolf]

The owner of W&S Mike C. saw this thread after my recent purchase, and sent me an Email last night.

He rides motorcycles, and unlike most companies these days appears to genuinely care about things. He had some suggestions, and appears to be available to help anyone with their purchase.

On 10/15/2022 at 5:50 PM, 2and3cylinders said:

...I have a W&S 90W panel element reflective jacket liner (too).  I should have gotten the higher watt jacket as in really cold weather it struggles.  But I was concerned about over-taxing the alternator on my 98 VTR.   I shouldn't have worried. 

...can you ask the guy that wrote this “I have a W&S 90W panel element reflective jacket liner (too).  I should have gotten the higher watt jacket as in really cold weather it struggles.” What outer jacket does he have and what liner is it and how does he have it connected to the battery because I ride in leathers and a tee shirt and have ridden in the alps in October and never went over ¾ power but I was on a GTS1000 which actually cranks 15.25V when running.

Thanks

Mike Coan
www.warmnsafe.com

=========

Personally (Lone Wolf here) I was reading the literature and was amazed at how many features are built into the controller. I got the dual controller (2 simple knobs). If you get back on your bike within 30 minutes of shutting down it remembers your heat setting. But depending on how long you parked, you may need to turn the dial to off and rotate back on.

Also if there is no controller connected and the gear is simply plugged in, I read that the heat defaults to something like 30 percent? I suppose it is a challenge to design that stuff. You don't want someone hard wiring without a controller then getting fried, so it defaults to a limp-mode which is not full output. That may be what is going on, as Mike was curious how it was connected to the battery.

Their web site has a catalog PDF that sort of gathers the information that is scattered throughout the various write ups. https://www.warmnsafe.com/pages/warm-safe-catalog page 21 explains the controller, it's settings, connections.

My controller has 2 little AAA batteries, may want to see if yours are holding a charge for the controller.

Edited December 17, 2022 by Lone Wolf

[2and3cylinders]

I have an old single WNS single and newer dual Heat-Troller.

 

I did not have the insulated liner in my winter jacket on the last ride I was a bit cold. My 15 FJ-09 (behind my Givi Tour barn door screen with MRW Tour spoiler no less) and my other usual ride put out +14.8 volts.

Maybe I'm just getting soft in my old age.

I shot Mike an email, as I was a WNS dealer years ago, and he and I have spoken a few times but nolikely 8 or 9 years.

[Lone Wolf]

4 minutes ago, 2and3cylinders said:

I did not have the insulated liner in my winter jacket on the last ride I was a bit cold.

Gotcha. Yesterday I rode without insulated liner to put my new heat shirt through it's paces. Riding in the low 40's, with controller at highest setting - I had to turn it down as way too hot. Set at 1/2 it was perfect.

This review says my heat shirt is 48 watts, which is half of yours. The design may be different, close to the body.

 

[2and3cylinders]

 Sounds great

 I may have had an extra short sleeve T-shirt over my Long sleeve 1/3 zip Cool Max shirt which could have Insulated me from the jacket liner

 Not sure when I'll ride next as we've got snow on the ground but next cold ride I'll use the jacket liner Which should compress the warm and save liner closer To me As well as insulate.

Being a AE for 40+ years I guess I'm somewhat an expert on "insulation ".

Very involved subject but vapor transmission is a key factor in calculation of a system.

Conditioned air and circulation is totally for comfort and safety.

But we're self-contained riding, and we get too much unconditioned air...

 

 

[RaYzerman]

I have the 90W W&S jacket liner, and combined with pant liner and socks, gloves on their own part of the circuit.... I went on a Coldest Ride Contest the other day, clocked in at -12C or 10.4F.  One of the keys is to ensure you have a windproof liner or better yet, a rain suit over top.  Snug fitting heated gear is a good thing.  I was OK but wondering why the heated gear wasn't hotter.... forgot to check the AA batteries in the W&S remote, so I was running at 30%.  I was warm enough, but fingers got a little cold.  Good thing I had heated grips too....  put fresh batteries in!!

 

 

Edited December 17, 2022 by RaYzerman

[Lone Wolf]

46 minutes ago, RaYzerman said:

.... forgot to check the AA batteries in the W&S remote, so I was running at 30%. 

Right - for such an apparently simple device with 2 knobs, it kind of requires one's attention.

When I turn a knob, the small LED blinks. The manual says if the battery is low, you get double blinks.

I suppose if the batteries on the remote are dead, it is similar to "no remote" and the manual says "As a safety feature.. Every time the Receiver is plugged to power, it will self adjust to 1/3 power until you turn the Remote control on." (so if the batteries are dead, it is going to default to 1/3 power).

My takeaway is to simply make sure the LED is blinking when I rotate the dial from "off" or to adjust temperature

There is an article on their site explaining they did not want to rely on cell phone apps, and prefer analog knobs you can adjust while wearing gloves. They can't assume all customers will want cell phone mounted and running, in pouring rain, etc. So we get the knobs and blinking LED indicator. I'm OK with that.

Edited December 17, 2022 by Lone Wolf

[2and3cylinders]

 Mine's the manual type no batteries required none needed internally for me either at least not yet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lone Wolf]

18 minutes ago, 2and3cylinders said:

 Mine's the manual type no batteries required none needed internally for me either at least not yet

I see that on their site - they have it as a "Legacy" controller.

https://www.warmnsafe.com/collections/heat-troller/products/single-portable-heat-troller-coax

The newer controller has no wires, they say to velcro it onto something like a master cylinder where you can get to it. 

The newer controller talks to the heated gear that has a bluetooth receiver module, which is great but not if the batteries get weak and not noticed - then I would rather have your hard-wired version.

[2and3cylinders]

 I prefer hard wired

 With redundant  Alternate power circuits

[RaYzerman]

I've been using a remote controller for years, the original version has a CR2032 battery.  It's never failed, and if I'd just put fresh batteries in it a month ago it would have been fine.  I usually change the batteries once a year.

[piotrek]

On 12/17/2022 at 1:17 PM, Lone Wolf said:

Yesterday I rode without insulated liner to put my new heat shirt through it's paces. Riding in the low 40's, with controller at highest setting - I had to turn it down as way too hot. Set at 1/2 it was perfect.

This W&S heat shirt looks like a great idea. I have a fairly rudimentary setup... a long-sleeve shirt over my Gears Gen-2 heated liner to snug things up against my body... and wear my Rain Seal over the MC jacket. My controls... ON and OFF. It ain't pretty, but it works. If I were buying again I'd probably go W&S.

Edited December 19, 2022 by piotrek