heated gear advice

[countryjoe1]

Does anyone ride using heated clothing on an 800? I ride about and hour and a half to work and even with temps in the low 30's have been comfortable except my feet. I am considering purchasing some heated insoles and later a pair of heated gloves. Will my charging system handle this?

[Dubi Loo]

Hi Joe,
I had a Suzuki C-50 (800 cc). I rode with a Gerbings heated jacket liner and heated gloves with no problems. I know this doesn't answer your specific question, but hopefully will give you some encouragement.
Safe Ride,
Dubi Loo

[Romans5.8]

If you can get a hold of a set to test, the way to determine if it'll work with your charging system is this;

Test your charging voltage at about 2500 RPM's. (It'll be low at idle, and that's okay. These charging systems don't do much at low RPM's, that's what the battery is for!)

Install and turn on, to max, heated gear and all accessories you might use during a right (if you ride with your brights on, turn on your brights). Rev the bike to 2500rpm's again and test the charging voltage. If it's more than a few tenths of a volt below the previous reading, then you have too much load and it won't handle it. That said, I think it can handle heated insoles.

There ARE battery powered heated gear setups. If it's a concern, you could always run those!

[countryjoe1]

I purchased a set of warmgear heated insoles from cozywinters.com. They definately are a great improvement riding in cold weather. My feet stayed warm for the entire 1.5 hour ride at around 30 deg F. The only downfall is that the wire in the back of the insole can be a little uncomfortable if you do alot of walking with them in your boots, but does not bother me at all when on the bike.

[yamatospecial]

My 98' V-800 can handle my Gerbing jacket liner, gloves and heated socks with no problems. The charging system is original and my heated gears are over 10 years old except for the socks. I'm on my third set. I was going to get a snow-mobiling heated helmet but it cost too much. A balaclava worked just fine. Ride smart and safe too.