Heated Jacket

[Gavo]

 

[Skip]

Bugger the heated jacket Gavo. Has anyone got a "cool suit" for us Queenslanders?

[Mitch]

Hey Gavo
              Queenslanders would need more than a suit to be cool.   
                                             

[Poppy Dave]

I'd have thought that Buoyancy Vests would have been in demand in Queensland ?

[tj189]

It probably could be modified but why not buy one made for the bike  http://www.warmnsafe.com/65-watt-gen-4-mens-heated-liner/
  may be a bit more cost wise but.....

[Streak]

I have seen TJ's jacket, it is pretty awesome! Well worth the money

[Down Under]

I've been using a Jett Vest for nearly 3 winters now.  Good value for $149.00.  They're powered by a lithium ion battery......so no mucking around with bike wiring and forgetting to connect/disconnect from bike.

http://www.jett.us.com/heat_vest_complete.htm

[Biggles]

I've been using a Jett Vest for nearly 3 winters now.  Good value for $149.00.  They're powered by a lithium ion battery......so no mucking around with bike wiring and forgetting to connect/disconnect from bike.

http://www.jett.us.com/heat_vest_complete.htm

Look good, and made in Australia!!  How long does a charge last on say, Low? (40^o sounds plenty hot enough).

[terrydj]

What about a heated vest. Remember E-Bay is your friend. Just punch in heated vest. These are from the American Ebay site. The exact same is on the Australian E-Bay site but twice as dear
Link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Symtec-Heat-Demon-Heated-Vest-XL-4XL-Heated-Vest-/140726323329?pt=Apparel_Merchandise&hash=item20c3f14881&vxp=mtr
Link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/GEARS-CANADA-Motorcycle-Vest-Heated-Gen-X-3-38-2830-0213-100239-1-38-/170809749574?pt=Apparel_Merchandise&hash=item27c50df046&vxp=mtr

[Down Under]

I've been using a Jett Vest for nearly 3 winters now.  Good value for $149.00.  They're powered by a lithium ion battery......so no mucking around with bike wiring and forgetting to connect/disconnect from bike.

http://www.jett.us.com/heat_vest_complete.htm

Look good, and made in Australia!!  How long does a charge last on say, Low? (40^o sounds plenty hot enough).

Battery is good for 8 hrs on low.  On cold mornings you might knock it up to high or medium for a couple of hrs but once the day warms up low is about all you need.  Higher settings reduces the battery life proportionally.
 

[Couch]

Hey TJ..............just a question, or two...............which heat troller do you use with the liner, also, are you running other heated gear with it as well?

It probably could be modified but why not buy one made for the bike  http://www.warmnsafe.com/65-watt-gen-4-mens-heated-liner/
  may be a bit more cost wise but.....

[tj189]

Its the warm and safe remote controller with two dials.  I have the lot, jacket, trousers, socks and gloves. 

[Couch]

I notice they make the Gen 4 in either 90 or 65 watt.....I assume yours is the 65 watt, and if so, do you find that gives you as much heat as you need to keep all your gear warm??

Its the warm and safe remote controller with two dials.  I have the lot, jacket, trousers, socks and gloves. 

[tj189]

Actually it's the 90watt, It definitely heats up from the tips of the toes to the tips of the fingers and including the neck.  I have at times needed to turn it down. I like the ability to adjust the top or bottom half.  For the colder runs I would be wearing as a base layer LD Comfort top and bottom, then the warm n safe gear then my normal jacket and trousers.  I just use the gloves as they are without any linings but still have that option as I carry thermal glove liners.  The socks are worn as they are but would be better with some very thin socks (I bought the wrong size

[Diesel]

I've been using a Jett Vest for nearly 3 winters now.  Good value for $149.00.  They're powered by a lithium ion battery......so no mucking around with bike wiring and forgetting to connect/disconnect from bike.

http://www.jett.us.com/heat_vest_complete.htm

Hey Tony, I saw one of these in action at Wilmington SA a few weeks back and am most impressed.

After riding for hours on end in temps from 5-9* C, I could really have used this unit as once the cold sets into one's bones, the ride becomes less enjoyable and alertness suffers.

It is a huge bonus that this jacket is simple enough not to have to plug into the bike, and my friend said that on medium or low setting, it lasted 6 hours. High setting brought that back to just over 2 hours.

Are you experiencing the same operating times?

I give them the thumbs up - simply for creature comfort and ease of use!       

Cheers, Diesel

[SToz]

Saw your post on Farriders Diesel.

After many months of researching all the options...hard wired verses battery powered, I went with this option.

Hard wired to the bike.

https://www.tourmaster.com/xcart/product.php?productid=360&cat=59

The battery option appealed to me as the first option as not being mechanically/electrically minded I didn't want to bother with having to wire the bike or get it wired.

However with the battery option I strongly doubted the life of the battery before having to charge it. The problem was when I was buying it I was doing and planning loooong rides of riding thru the night so batteries then didn't seem so attractive. How many would I have to carry to get me thru a 24hr ride etc... then when could I charge them if I was doing a 50CC in ALL cold weather when I'd need the vest on day and night.

Note to self, always unplug when walking from the bike....

So, as for the wiring, one connection directly off the battery with the lead stuffed under the seat in summer. Pull enough of it out from under the seat at the front left side to expose the connector and Bob's your Aunt Canny's Fat.

So it comes down to how your gonna use it I guess. Loooong ride, go hard wired. For use at the football as well, go battery.

Hope it helps!

[Diesel]

Yeah - good comments thanks Rick. I was interested to see how long Ox got out of his battery pack life too, as I see the battery Jett Vest comes with a spare battery pack for a few extra $$$.

I have just received permission from a friend of mine - "Wombattle" to place a link here to his comprehensive review of the Jett Vest....  Thanks mate:

http://www.super-tenere.com.au/xt1200z/index.cfm?module=blog&topic=Jett-Heated-Vest-Review&page_id=322526&pageMode=dosearch

Cheers, Diesel

[Diesel]

Gotta love tax refunds. Just pulled the trigger on the Jett.

Comes with a SPARE battery pack which extends the warmth cycle to up to 8 hrs.

This should be plenty, as normally, I am only chilled to the bone about 40 mins from getting on the bike (in the early morning), until about 2-3 hrs later - so even one pack should do the trick. Turns out that one can charge whilst the other is in use - so there's a possible never-ending cycle there too.

Other people have mentioned wearing it to the footy, or even whilst out walking on brisk Wintery mornings and evenings.

Cheers, Diesel

[saaz]

I bought a JETT as well. Has not been cold enough to turn on, even on some cold rides, as I still dress up just in case the technology fails.  Funnily enough, even when wearing it I felt a bit more insulated/warmer around the spine (where the JETT applies heat) A few times I thought it might have been turned on accidentally, but it must be the way it insulates that area.  I only got the single battery, but will see how it goes.

[Down Under]

I've been using a Jett Vest for nearly 3 winters now.  Good value for $149.00.  They're powered by a lithium ion battery......so no mucking around with bike wiring and forgetting to connect/disconnect from bike.

http://www.jett.us.com/heat_vest_complete.htm

Hey Tony, I saw one of these in action at Wilmington SA a few weeks back and am most impressed.

After riding for hours on end in temps from 5-9* C, I could really have used this unit as once the cold sets into one's bones, the ride becomes less enjoyable and alertness suffers.

It is a huge bonus that this jacket is simple enough not to have to plug into the bike, and my friend said that on medium or low setting, it lasted 6 hours. High setting brought that back to just over 2 hours.

Are you experiencing the same operating times?

I give them the thumbs up - simply for creature comfort and ease of use!       

Cheers, Diesel

Sorry I was a bit slow getting back to you on this Diesel.  You won't regret your purchase.  I read your mate's review and it's pretty spot on.  I think you'll find it even works better on a faired bike like the ST compared to the Tenere where exposure to the cold isn't as bad.  It works best worn over the top of thermals or a thin under garment, too many layers will reduce its effectiveness. 

I was probably being a bit optimistic with battery life, 6 hrs on low is about right if the vest is used continuously but it'll last an entire days riding if it's turned off at breaks throughout the day.  It gets bloody cold around my area in winter and even then I usually only need to turn it on for few hours in the morning to get through the worst part of the day.  I have 2 batteries which is handy for overnight trips, especially when camping out....I've even used it in my sleeping bag as an electric blanket on a bitterly cold night!  The only down side is the amount of time it takes to fully recharge a battery.  However, its proved reliable and for the price I'm not complaining.

Cheers,

Tony

[Diesel]

lol - thought my vest was kaput, and used appropriate coloquialisms commensurate with this as I had packed it to maybe use at Ballarat recently. Was showing it to a mate, but it wouldn't switch on!       

Turns out, I hadn't used it for a while, and forgot it requires a 2-3 second press of the power button to avoid accidental switching!     

Anyways, I'd resigned myself to wearing it purely as a non-powered parker vest - and it was fine for this - even over Mt Hotham!     

Got home - one final test before writing to the manufacturer - doh! All good.   

I had charged the power packs just prior to leaving too.

Cheers, Diesel

[Neale]

So is it still Diesel or do we go to Forgetful Jones or Mr McGoo?

[sargent]

lol - thought my vest was kaput, and used appropriate coloquialisms commensurate with this as I had packed it to maybe use at Ballarat recently. Was showing it to a mate, but it wouldn't switch on!       

Turns out, I hadn't used it for a while, and forgot it requires a 2-3 second press of the power button to avoid accidental switching!     

Anyways, I'd resigned myself to wearing it purely as a non-powered parker vest - and it was fine for this - even over Mt Hotham!     

Got home - one final test before writing to the manufacturer - doh! All good.   

I had charged the power packs just prior to leaving too.

Cheers, Diesel

  Oh dear....

[Biggles]

So is it still Diesel or do we go to Forgetful Jones or Mr McGoo?

Too many syllables.  We'll stick with Diesel until he does something memorable using one or two syllables.

[Couch]

"McGoo".......hmmmmm!              Definitely worth consideration, "I'm still trying to get even"