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WANNA TRY YOUR HAND (and patience) AT MAKING HEATED GEAR?

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I used to feel the cold in my upper arms. So if you want to make a jacket liner instead of a vest, simply add a loop in each arm. To avoid fatigue and potential breaks in the nichorme, take care to use only copper supply wire across the bends in the elbows or shoulders.

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My glove and jacket liners are more than sufficient to take me comfortably into the low 30's. In the 20's however, my toes would eventually get cold at highway speeds. Once again, I decided to put the heat where I felt the cold most.

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Yeah, I know, they look more like house slippers than motorcycle gear but they work oh so well. :rider:

I used the insoles that came in my boots and replaced them with gel insoles the rest of the year. At the fabric store I found this 3" heavy elastic belt material. I stitched a piece to each insole like so:

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After testing the fit inside the boot, I stitched the nichrome on like this:

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Then I added the terminals and supply wire and stitched around them.

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so, considering TIME is ALSO money....how much $$ do you have invested in your creations ?
 
Gary said:
so, considering TIME is ALSO money....how much $$ do you have invested in your creations ?
Click to expand...

Well if that is the criterion for a project, I'd be the first to say go buy the stuff and be happy. This has to be something you want to do in your spare time for the sense of accomplishment. If this was profitable, I'd be selling this stuff online.

There are distinct advantages to making your own gear:
The actual expenditure for material is negligible enough.
Bike / rider / gear combinations are infinite. You can put the heat exactly where you feel the cold most.
If you make it, you can fix it. I read countless accounts of heated gear failures while on a long winter trip. I have made some field repairs and never missed a beat.

I have also endured my share of trial and error. My focus in posting this is to minimize the frustration for anyone who has the desire to try this. Also, the rider community has been very good to me. This is my way of trying to give a little back. :rider:
 
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Ken,
I think u misunderstood my question...I wasnt picking on you for your creativity / ingenuinity at all...I was just curious how much you thought you had invested into your inventions.... inquiring minds want to know....

We are a pretty handy family & can make things work that others wouldnt have considered...do you feel like you were successful in this endeavor ? if u had it to do over again, would you ? What would you do differently ?

There are times where we personally thought we could do something, only to discover it was more than we should have attempted or along the way figure out a better method...it happens to all of us...I appreciate your thread & detailing everything out...that takes a lot of devotion....

Hope u have a great day !
Take Care
Steph
 
Thanks guys, I just didn't want to make it sound too easy. :eek2::lol2:

I have been asked many times how much I think my time is worth . . . . zero. :loco:

As far as the learning curve goes, my first pair of gloves, using bare nichrome took me 12hrs to make. I learned to cover the wire with shrink tube and my latest pair I cranked out in only 3hrs. I originally planned my jacket liner to work without a controller by physically moving a set of snap terminals to adjust the power level. (which proved to be a real pain) I also built my own controller for the gloves which lasted one winter. :thumbd: So I highly recommend the HeatTroller or at least the DPDT switch as diagrammed. The vest / jacket design I posted here is greatly simplified and much easier to service.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the result and unless I win the lottery, I have every intention of using this stuff every winter. :lol2:
 
I did a little rewiring the day after Christmas to prepare for my trip.

I made another pair of glove liners so I would have back-ups. This time I stitched on both strands of nichrome together. It works fine. The newer SpeedFit Machanix Wear gloves don't have the label at the wrist so I eliminated the grommet/eye terminal that secured the wire on the previous gloves. This too worked out fine.
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I also decided to switch to coaxial plugs. I bought some extensions from Warm 'n Safe. For the gloves I used the cheap "solder-on" Radio Shack plugs. I've read about these plugs cracking so I fortified them by filling them and building up around the wire with PC-11 epoxy paste. Then I covered the whole thing with shrink tube. They seem plenty sturdy.
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I also rewired the jacket liner by stitching the nichrome to the inside rather than hiding it between the two t-shirts as before. Much simpler.
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Lastly, as winter approached, I needed to do some "quantitative easing" around my waistline so I cut the shirt tail off the jacket liner. This proved to be a mistake as the liner would ride up. To remedy this, I ordered a full perimeter conjoining zipper from ReV'it! to match my Dakar pants and crudely affixed it to the liner. Problem solved.
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This idea could work with any pants by adding a thirty-something inch jacket zipper.
 
It was 32f this morning when I lost power to my right glove. BURR! It turned out to be the Y-cord, go figure. I want use this experience to reiterate (1) making your own electrics is not a once-and-done proposition and (2) stitching the wires visibly to the garment facilitates quick and easy repairs.

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I just flipped the jacket inside out, spotted the break immediately and I was good to go in a few minutes. Compare that to potentially weeks of doing without heat during a warranty return/repair/replacement. :rider:
 
It's that time of year again. Is anybody game? I'll walk you through it. WHAT riding season?
bliss.gif

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