Clovis
Junior Member
I decided to take the plunge and purchase heated gear for my FZ6.
Dual mounted heat troller.
90w jacket liner.
Comes in both men and women's cuts as well as a lower 65watt version.
Carbon heated gloves. (knuckle protection)
Non-carbon fiber gloves. (cheaper).
It's awesome and I'll get to that in a second but first I wanted to show a couple of pictures on the heat controller install.
Most heated gear (all?) requires a seperate controller. Both Firstgear and Gerbings use "trollers" which come in both portable and mounted versions. I tried the portable version first but hated it. The portable version means either storing the controller in a tank bag or in your pocket with wires hanging out.
I found that it was bulky and I had to dig it out anytime I wanted to adjust the level of heat. I returned it and ordered the mounted version instead.
The mounted version provides for a clean "factory look" install and is exceptionally easy on our bikes.
I mounted the control knobs on the left front inner-fairings, below my 12v power outlets previously installed. The cords run under the fuel tank and along the air box, tucking in between the box and frame. I zip tied the excess wiring (the controller knobs are on separate 5' long wiring).
The controller itself sits next to the ECU under the fuel tank and is hard wired onto the battery. The pig tails (which plug into the heated gear) come out from under the seat and can be stowed under the seat when not in use.
I zip tied the pigtails to the sub frame to prevent them from being pulled out if I forget to unplug myself first before getting off the bike.
One knob controls the jacket and the other controls the gloves. It is possible to run the gloves and jacket off a single controller but the jacket is considerably warmer then the gloves. I wanted the option to control them independently. (ie jacket at 50%, gloves at 100%).
Pig tails under the seat:
With the seat installed:
Total install time was about 30-45 minutes and it's extremely simple even for a novice like myself. The only tools required are a drill for the control knobs and a wrench/screw driver for the battery terminals. Have a half dozen zip ties to tie excess cord and the pig tails.
Okay, so the gear itself.
It's awesome! I went with the 90watt jacket liner and carbon gloves.
The jacket liner is thin enough to fit under all of my riding jackets and allows me to wear my jacket's internal liner in addition to the heated liner.
The jacket provides all around heat, so chest, stomach, arms, back, collar, ect. It's like riding under an electric blanket! I rode for about an hour at interstate speeds in 35 degree (F) weather and I was quite comfortable. I picked up another speeding ticket along the way and the cop (a confessed R6 rider) commented that he wished he had heated gear. I invited him to come along riding... he still gave me the ticket though. :spank:
To compare, I turned the heat off for a few miles and I got a quick reminder just how warm this gear is! I also use a baklava and fleece triangle/neck scarf.
Sizing is true (there is a size chart). I'm 6'2" and 240-250 depending on the day. My chest is 46". I ordered both a XL tall and 2XL regular to see which fit better and returned the other. The XL tall fits perfectly and is snug which is exactly how you want it. The jacket has stretch panels in the shoulder blade area to prevent any movement restrictions.
The gloves are wind/water proof and have a rubber wiper blade sown into the left thumb to wipe away rain. They're warm but not hot. Warm enough to keep my hands from freezing. Some sort of hand guards would greatly increase their effectiveness.
The jacket liner and gloves compress nicely to fit in my Axio tail bag which will be useful for the summer rides where it's cold in the morning but warms up by 10AM. I'm able to stuff the heated jacket liner, gloves and my jacket's own internal liner, baklava and scarf into the bag, which means I can switch out to my vented race gloves once it warms up.
Here's a picture of the bag as well.
Final opinion.
This has been one of the best investments so far and allows me to ride as long as the roads are ice free. I expect to be reasonably comfortable down to 20 degrees.
The downside is the cost, about $450 for the setup (controller, jacket, gloves).
Power may be a concern. I previously replaced my stock 55w head lights with dual 35w HIDs. I also have the wiring set up to run 1 bulb at all times and the second (low beam) comes on with the high beam switch. I only use the second light when riding at night. The idea is to be able to run both lights full time at night without having to go half blind when turning my high beam off for oncoming traffic.
Per previous electrical post the FZ6 has about 115 watts of spare power in stock form. The jacket is rated at 110 watts and the gloves are 15 watts each.
I also removed my front running/turn signal lights which saves another 10w or so.
If you're on the fence about heated gear, take it from me it's worth it!
Clovis
Dual mounted heat troller.
90w jacket liner.
Comes in both men and women's cuts as well as a lower 65watt version.
Carbon heated gloves. (knuckle protection)
Non-carbon fiber gloves. (cheaper).
It's awesome and I'll get to that in a second but first I wanted to show a couple of pictures on the heat controller install.
Most heated gear (all?) requires a seperate controller. Both Firstgear and Gerbings use "trollers" which come in both portable and mounted versions. I tried the portable version first but hated it. The portable version means either storing the controller in a tank bag or in your pocket with wires hanging out.
I found that it was bulky and I had to dig it out anytime I wanted to adjust the level of heat. I returned it and ordered the mounted version instead.
The mounted version provides for a clean "factory look" install and is exceptionally easy on our bikes.
I mounted the control knobs on the left front inner-fairings, below my 12v power outlets previously installed. The cords run under the fuel tank and along the air box, tucking in between the box and frame. I zip tied the excess wiring (the controller knobs are on separate 5' long wiring).
The controller itself sits next to the ECU under the fuel tank and is hard wired onto the battery. The pig tails (which plug into the heated gear) come out from under the seat and can be stowed under the seat when not in use.
I zip tied the pigtails to the sub frame to prevent them from being pulled out if I forget to unplug myself first before getting off the bike.
One knob controls the jacket and the other controls the gloves. It is possible to run the gloves and jacket off a single controller but the jacket is considerably warmer then the gloves. I wanted the option to control them independently. (ie jacket at 50%, gloves at 100%).
Pig tails under the seat:
With the seat installed:
Total install time was about 30-45 minutes and it's extremely simple even for a novice like myself. The only tools required are a drill for the control knobs and a wrench/screw driver for the battery terminals. Have a half dozen zip ties to tie excess cord and the pig tails.
Okay, so the gear itself.
It's awesome! I went with the 90watt jacket liner and carbon gloves.
The jacket liner is thin enough to fit under all of my riding jackets and allows me to wear my jacket's internal liner in addition to the heated liner.
The jacket provides all around heat, so chest, stomach, arms, back, collar, ect. It's like riding under an electric blanket! I rode for about an hour at interstate speeds in 35 degree (F) weather and I was quite comfortable. I picked up another speeding ticket along the way and the cop (a confessed R6 rider) commented that he wished he had heated gear. I invited him to come along riding... he still gave me the ticket though. :spank:
To compare, I turned the heat off for a few miles and I got a quick reminder just how warm this gear is! I also use a baklava and fleece triangle/neck scarf.
Sizing is true (there is a size chart). I'm 6'2" and 240-250 depending on the day. My chest is 46". I ordered both a XL tall and 2XL regular to see which fit better and returned the other. The XL tall fits perfectly and is snug which is exactly how you want it. The jacket has stretch panels in the shoulder blade area to prevent any movement restrictions.
The gloves are wind/water proof and have a rubber wiper blade sown into the left thumb to wipe away rain. They're warm but not hot. Warm enough to keep my hands from freezing. Some sort of hand guards would greatly increase their effectiveness.
The jacket liner and gloves compress nicely to fit in my Axio tail bag which will be useful for the summer rides where it's cold in the morning but warms up by 10AM. I'm able to stuff the heated jacket liner, gloves and my jacket's own internal liner, baklava and scarf into the bag, which means I can switch out to my vented race gloves once it warms up.
Here's a picture of the bag as well.
Final opinion.
This has been one of the best investments so far and allows me to ride as long as the roads are ice free. I expect to be reasonably comfortable down to 20 degrees.
The downside is the cost, about $450 for the setup (controller, jacket, gloves).
Power may be a concern. I previously replaced my stock 55w head lights with dual 35w HIDs. I also have the wiring set up to run 1 bulb at all times and the second (low beam) comes on with the high beam switch. I only use the second light when riding at night. The idea is to be able to run both lights full time at night without having to go half blind when turning my high beam off for oncoming traffic.
Per previous electrical post the FZ6 has about 115 watts of spare power in stock form. The jacket is rated at 110 watts and the gloves are 15 watts each.
I also removed my front running/turn signal lights which saves another 10w or so.
If you're on the fence about heated gear, take it from me it's worth it!
Clovis
