Gerbing Heated Clothes

Hi everyone, just trying to get a better feel for Gerbing equipment. How do you rate it as far as reliability over the long haul? The reason I ask, is, I've purchased some of their equipment, both new and second hand, and have been disappointed with their quality over the long haul.... (which for me, has only been a season and a half).... Last year in February, I purchased new heated gloves, and new duel heat controller, along with a second use jacket bought from one of the members here on the Flea Market forum, and found after about a month, the jacket quit working. The gloves worked intermittently, with first one side not working, and then the other....while the side that didn't work, started working.... I contacted Gerbing, and the service guy suggested splitting the two points of contact in the plugs and the heater controller a little and trying that before sending the parts back in for warranty. So, after trying this fix, I got the gloves to work most of the the time at the start of this winter, but the jacket never did work again. Since the jacket is second hand, it's not under warranty, so I've just used it to run my gloves. Then the gloves stopped working, so I just by-passed the jacket link all together, and linked from the controller directly to the gloves.... Fast forward a couple of weeks, and now they are not working either. I sent the controller in for repair, to the site listed in their warranty book, only to find out that the address listed in Washington is not a good address and that everything is now located in North Carolina....
So, my question is, do I just go out and buy another controller from Gerbing, (cause the one that I sent to Washington probably won't show up until after the cold riding season is over) or just pick up a pair of Moose covers for my handlebars to help out the heated grips on my 700F GS provide a bit more warmth in 20 degree riding weather..... I love riding in the cold, but don't like to be cold in the cold, if that makes any sense, so I don't wish to wait till the post returns the miss addressed box, and then send it off to Gerbing.....

My only experience is with there gloves. I've had them since last Dec. & a month ago they did not get as warm as they used to. My problem was the connector from the battery had corroded because the cap tether had broke & I am now missing the cap. Once I cleaned the connections it worked fine again. I'll have to make sure when I'm not using them from now on I have a cap on the end of the connector.

weschmann said:

How do you rate it as far as reliability over the long haul?

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It will be hard to make this comparison with Gerbing equipment purchased in the last 2 years or less and the Gerbing heated gloves I still use, having purchased them over 10 years ago. They still work, but may not be as warm as the newer designs. My original dual controller from back then still works also. I have added on since then: heated socks, heated pants, and heated vest.

Everything still works. The vest was the best investment, the pants, not so much. Only the vest is micro wire, the rest is their older technology.

I've had a jacket liner for about 8 years, no issues, but I know other folks have had failures and Gerbing made good. From what I read, the company recently changed hands, so dunno what the current experience is like.

2 years on gloves and jacket liner - both with micro wire and packed in a compression sack when not in use. Very happy

You need to understand that for a period before its move to NC, financial failure in doing so, and recent refinancing with new owner, Gerbings was sourcing from China. The reality of doing that (personal experience, multiple companies, many years) is that if you don't know all the pitfalls and provide your own staff for direct oversight, you will get a lot of junk, maybe all junk, rather than what you think you are purchasing. Small companies like Gerbings can't afford to do it right so in effect play Russian Roulette with offshoring- many small companies have no idea what they're getting into with offshoring. They lost and had a lot of problems as a result.

I've got some old Gerbings gear and its OK but your experiences don't surprise me. I would expect the made in NC stuff to be OK also.

The controller designs work but are obsolete. I switched to WarmNSafe dual remotes years ago-ergonomically easier, pretty much every possible type of power or connection type available. All heated gear is mix and match though you may need adapters for older stuff with SAE connectors- don't let brand be a barrier.. The coax is pretty std these days.

Due to Gerbings problems I also own some WarmNSafe jackets as well. But the NC microwire stuff should be fine IF you can find it. They had major issues supplying inventory to dealers a while back, no doubt part of the restart/refinancing or similar. All small companies have issues juggling inventory costs vs production rates for seasonal items even if they have no past problems to work through.

Thanks for the comment...... I think I'll just go back to Gateway BMW and purchase a set of Moose grip covers to go over my hand guards to break the wind while using my heated grips that are on the F700, and wait for the post office to use the return address to ship the controller back. Once it arrives, I'll call Gerbing for a return authorization number in South Carolina, and see if they make good on their 3 year stated warranty on the controllers. I will admit the heated jacket provides enough warmth without being connected to electrics, under my heavy leather jacket to really not be in need of being heated. And their gloves are first rate also, so maybe the Moose grip cover will provide me with enough protection to allow me to finish up this winter riding season..... Probably just limit my rides to above 15 degrees until I get the controller fixed.....

To all who commented, have a safe and enjoyable winter riding season, as it only lasts for a couple of months, and then we're back to sweating in the sun.....:-(

The only reason I finally caved in and bought heated gloves was because on daylong trips in the winter I couldn't get my hands warm after my first fuel stop. I had snowmobile mittens with handle grip gauntlets that worked fine all day long on the interstate at temps in the teens. On the fuel stops that I didn't get off the bike & go inside after fueling to warm my hands they would be cold until my next stop ( 250 miles ) when I had to finally go inside & warm them up. I love the heated gloves because my hands are warm within five minutes after a fuel stop now.

I still carry mittens & gauntlets for back up when I'm traveling in the winter I just don't trust heated gear enough not to. I don't like riding up north in the winter at night & having heated gloves means I can ride 700 or more miles a day in daylight because I don't have to get off the bike when refueling to warm my hands.

So, lo and behold, my misdirected Gerbing controller showed up on a return to sender note on Saturday. I contacted Gerbing again, got the right address and sent them on their way again.... in the interim, I purchased the Moose racing hand grip covers to break the wind while using my heated grips. Tried them out in 17 degree weather, and hands got a bit cold, but nothing like riding without the wind breaks.... So, if the repaired controller doesn't make it back for this riding season, at least I'm not dead in the water completely. I'll have to try to behave until outside temps pick back up into the 20's though, as on my ride home, temps had spiked to 24, and I found it to be fairly pleasant on my hands at that temperature. Either it's the moose ears, or the 3 cups of hot, hot coffee I consumed that made the difference

I bought a jacket liner, outer pants and dual controller about two years ago and had no problems. This winter I have used them a lot and I am riding significantly more due to the gear and more comfortable. I will buy gloves some day.


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Socks & boot soles

I've had the socks for years......recently (3 years) have been using their electric boot soles...with a controller...works great.....

I have an older generation Gerbing's gloves, jacket liner and chaps with a single temp controller. The Gerbing's controller sucks since I can't see the setting while clipped on my belt or jacket pocket nor can I feel the knob through the thick gloves. I bought Warm N Safe dual temp remote controllers and mounted one on top of my clutch reservoir via double sided velcro tape. Now I can see the knobs and I come off the bike with a lot less loose wiring dangling about. I only have one connection to make: receiver in the jacket to power.

Thanks for the info on the warm and safe controller. I just received notice from Gerbing that they are sending me a new controller, so we'll see how it goes. I hope the controller was the problem that my heated jacket quit working, as I bought it second hand from the BMW forum, and it only partially worked for a couple of weeks before crapping out. One lesson I've learned is to not buy second hand heated gear, as there is no warranty, and not really much you can do yourself to trouble shoot problems in the wiring. The savings from new to used is not great enough to offset not having the ability to have Gerbing look at the product and provide relief. So, in this case, it appears that buying new is the only way to go.....
If the controller doesn't work as expected, I'll just chuck the brand and move on.
I do agree that the current system is hard to use while on the bike, as the wires hanging out can be quite cumbersome, and everything has to be set right before dressing on the gloves, as finger movement is not very nimble with the gloves on.....

I bought a Powerlet jacket and controller a few years back and it it works great. I have never had a Gerbings to compare but it sure does feel warm and it is well made.

Received the controller back yesterday..... They sent a replacement, soooooo, I tried it out this morning in 6 degree (F) this morning on my ride to Micky D's. Jacket and gloves are now working, so I guess its been the issue all along. Was just as warm as can be in the wind this morning, so I'm a happy camper again.... I still like the Moose Racing hand covers along with the gloves though, cause at close to zero, in the wind, I probably would have had to turn on the heated grips also. Now, the gloves are all I needed.....

Just another data point. I have been using a jacket liner for 1 1/2 years and G3 gloves for about a year. Since September, they have been used almost every day on my commute except for maybe about two weeks total when either I've been out of town, ice storms or it has been below -20F. Both have been reliable as well as the dual controller.

I did notice something new yesterday when I started out. I usually plug in before starting the engine, as trying to plug in after starting is always a bit cumbersome for me, and I found both lights blinking red and no power to the gloves. I switched both buttons off, and then back on, and the controller reset back to green blinking status. I assume that when cranking the engine, power was lost to the controller, which automatically protects itself from a surge once power comes back on, by defaulting to no power to the controller.... So from now on, I'll make sure both buttons are switched to off first, then start the engine, and then switch back on the heated elements.... Any thoughts?

weschmann said:

I did notice something new yesterday when I started out. I usually plug in before starting the engine, as trying to plug in after starting is always a bit cumbersome for me, and I found both lights blinking red and no power to the gloves. I switched both buttons off, and then back on, and the controller reset back to green blinking status. I assume that when cranking the engine, power was lost to the controller, which automatically protects itself from a surge once power comes back on, by defaulting to no power to the controller.... So from now on, I'll make sure both buttons are switched to off first, then start the engine, and then switch back on the heated elements.... Any thoughts?

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I think that both lights blink red if the voltage to the controller drops below a certain point. I have my controller wired directly to the battery so it isn't losing power when starting. The battery voltage drops to about 11 v or so while starting and the Gerbings controller LEDs start to flash red. I usually leave mine unplugged until the engine is running.

richardak said:

I think that both lights blink red if the voltage to the controller drops below a certain point. I have my controller wired directly to the battery so it isn't losing power when starting. The battery voltage drops to about 11 v or so while starting and the Gerbings controller LEDs start to flash red. I usually leave mine unplugged until the engine is running.

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I've got mine wired directly to the battery also. I did notice today that after starting the engine, then turning on the controller, with the lights starting out green but then changed to red and the gloves went cold, while setting with the engine idling. Had to pull over, turn off the controller and then turn back on to get green light back and electric to the gloves. So, back a bit to the drawing board to discover what is causing the voltage drop to a point where it affects the controller.... May be a problem with the jacket, so I disconnected the jacket and only plugged the gloves in.... If that takes care of the problem, then I know it's the jacket that may have a short in it that is causing my issues.... BTW, I don't have any other electric goodies running at this time, and I didn't have the heated grips working either, so I should have more than enough capacity to run both the gloves and heated jacket.....

I've had mine in use for close to 5 years now. They are branded Harley-Davidson but are Gerbings. Started with the jacket liner and the gloves. Added the pants later. I have the duel controller that I clip to my pants or jacket pocket. That way I don't have to disconnect everything from the controller. Just unplug it from the bike and it all travels with me.

Power pigtails on all my bikes. BMW, Ural, Harley (sold) are all connected directly to the battery. The Gerbings heated gear has performed excellent and if there was any issue I could think of over the years it's that some parts like the neck collar and back can actually get too hot. You have to learn and get used to playing with the controller to find your comfort zone. But great gear from them. I have the older type, not the micro-wire newer stuff. The older is not comparable with the newer which kinda sucks if and when I need to swap out one of the components.

One other thing to consider if you have multiple bikes and want to use heated gear for all... the Beemer, Harley and Ural fully supported the voltage necessary to power accessories as well as all the heated gear. But a KLR650 that I owned did not. I could only use one item at a time or I was discharging my battery, even while riding.