Heated Clothing Updated with online review PLUS 25% DISCOUNT AGREED!

[BYKer Will]

Following on from Neilg's thread we have now approached the importers of exo heated clothing direct and they have kindly agreed to offer a 25% club discount on all items ordered via the website see here

 

Apparantly everyone can just order what they want and the full price will be charged to a credit card, debit card or paypay. Then I need to email them the club members names and they will apply a retrospective discount within a few days of 25% on all items ordered. Don't blame me if it all goes pear shaped but I will give it a go and see what happens! If anyone else orders can I suggest you post on here then i know you are a member and I will pass on your name. if you are shy feel free to blatmail me confirming your real name and your blatchat name if you prefer.

 

(Update on the retrospective discount- Ordered mine on the web site at 1.30 pm with my switch card. I emailed the MD and the discount of £49 has come through via the paypal at 2.30 the same day. Seems OK!)

 

For those that wanted the Gerbing jacket I am afraid this doesn't work but the following comparison and review on exo might make you change your mind:

 

Will

 

Summary of Interest 18th Feb

 

Me

Neil G

Richard / Dan ?

Golf Juliet T (Gerbing not Exo but see below to help you decide)

Chris C (maybe)

Big Dan

Roy H

Bazza

 

 

On line review:

 

here

 

Or as below

 

by "Burn" for webBikeWorld

 

It seems like just yesterday that Bill and I wrote the dueling reviews of the Gerbing heated jacket liner and the Chilli heated vest for webBikeWorld.

 

It's so hard to believe that almost exactly one year has passed. It seems like we just finished writing articles about how to keep cool in the blistering D.C. summer and here we are worrying about how we're going to stay warm this winter -- and it's shaping up to be a real chiller.

 

So how has technology treated us in the interim? Well, we have some super news to report on the heated clothing front, but first, some background:

 

The Gerbing and Chilli products didn't quite do it for us last year; our complaints revolved mostly around their poor performance when used with low energy charging systems, like the wimpy 250 Watt alternator on Lori's (the webBikeWorld Women's Motorcycle Clothing editor) BMW R65.

 

We also weren't thrilled with the "hot spots" in the Gerbing jacket, due to the internal wiring that distributes the heat. And the frou-frou taffeta outer fabric was definitely not our cup of tea.

 

Our experience with heated clothing prior to those reviews was nil, but we expected more from two of the biggest names in the business. How could they be improved? Well, if we were asked to put together a list of the features for the "perfect" heated vest, it might look something like this:

 

First on the list would be some type of heated fabric that spreads its warmth evenly but has no internal wiring. Who wants to ride around with the guts of a toaster wrapped around your back? Besides the hot spots, there's always the worry about breaking a wire.

 

Next, as long as our dream heated vest works without internal wiring, we could have fabric that could be folded, washed or generally mishandled with no problems.

 

Then the vest would be made from a soft, comfortable and heavy-duty external fabric without the dreaded "taffeta" Nylon windbreaker material on the outside. And while we're at it, how about a nice, comfy liner?

 

The perfect heated vest would also have to work well at low Voltages so that any bike, old or new, large or small, could power it.

 

Bonus points would go for a breathable membrane to let the moisture escape; a stretchy fabric that helped the vest cling to the rider's body, thereby keeping the heat where it will do the most good; and a robust wiring system and controller for connection to the bike.

 

The Bronze Filigree with Gold Oak Leaf Cluster would be awarded for some real out-of-the-box thinking, like maybe if the vest could run on a rechargeable battery pack that fit in the pocket, or how about solar power? And last but not least, what if the fabric was self-regulating; that is, if our wireless heated fabric maintained a constant temperature, with or without a controller, never burning the rider?

 

Sound like a fantasy?

 

Well, guess what - I've just described the new EXO2 StormRider heated vest! This vest is so far beyond anything else we've tried that it's no contest. From its quality design and construction to its warm, even flow of heat around the rider's body, the StormRider is wonderful.

 

The Fabroc material is some new type of wireless "self regulating" heating fabric that's supposed to be incredibly efficient and transmitting heat at very low Voltage. Like many of these high-tech products, it was developed for the aerospace industry and is used in things like deep-sea divers' dry suits, back supports and even in flooring and walls to provide warmth.

 

The stuff is light in weight also -- the entire vest in size large only weighs 1.5 lbs. (680 grams).

 

I'll admit that I had my doubts about it when we ordered it directly from EXO2 in the UK, but using it during the last week of mid-30's (F) weather, it has proven to be a phenomenal piece of equipment.

 

For example, I was saddling up in the garage today when the UPS delivery person drove up and she couldn't believe I was about to go for a ride on a motorcycle. The thermometer read 37 degrees (F) and the wind has been blowing all day with 30 mph gusts.

 

All I had on was a pair of REV'IT! X-Vent lined pants, a cotton turtleneck, the StormRider vest and the Tourmaster Advanced jacket, which isn't really the last word in cold weather clothing by any means. Top it off with the Roadgear waterproof and windproof gloves, which work great, and I was nice 'n toasty warm, staying out for way longer than I would ever imagine in this type of weather.

 

The downside? Well, the StormRider vest isn't cheap -- the basic vest is £189.00, which is about $327.00 at the current outrageous exchange rates and the controller is £39.99 (about $69.00). Add in £23.00 ($40.00) for shipping to the U.S.A. and the total damages are something approaching $440.00. Yeeowch!

 

But as tight as I am, I'm going to say that I think it's worth it. It doesn't show in the photos, but the quality of the StormRider's construction is first-rate; it really does seem like it will last for a long, long time. A a few bucks could probably be saved by not getting the controller, but it's hard to imagine using any heated vest or garment without being able to control the temperature. Without the controller, the vest works on a simple off/on switch.

 

The StormRider comes with a nicely made wiring harness that can be fitted to the motorcycle. It is well made and easy to install. The basic vest includes an on/off switch, and the heat to the vest is controlled by turning the power on and off. This seems like a crude solution, so I purchased the optional digital controller.

 

Installing the wiring harness is easy -- attach the positive and negative terminals to the motorcycle's battery ( the positive (power) cable includes a 10 amp fuse), route the cables for the controller and that's it. The vest connects to the wiring harness via a cable with a round connector in the right-hand pocket. I routed the corresponding connector from the wiring harness so that it hangs out the right-hand side of the Tiger with about 24" of cable. The right-hand pocket also includes two smaller cables that are used to connect the vest to the portable battery pack, which I did not purchase.

 

The controller is a small waterproof box with an on/off switch on top and a digital readout on the front. It has a flush membrane-type button to push, and it cycles from 0 (off) to 9 (full power). The only problem is that if you're at, say, setting number 7 and want to to to 5, you have to push the button all the way around through 9, then 0 then up to 5. But this isn't really a big deal, to be honest.

 

The controller comes with a metal L-shaped bracket, and I found a convenient spot for it on the Tiger. I loosened a handlebar mounting bolt and mounted it there. I did have to drill out the roughly 1/4" hole to 5/16" to fit the bolt, but otherwise it went very smoothly.

 

 

 

The StormRider heated vest does have all the other capabilities I mentioned above. A separate rechargeable battery pack is available for £66.49 ($115.00). The instructions say that the battery pack will last for a continuous 3 hours, but it's recommended that the vest is switched on and off only when heat is required.

 

The hot tip (pun intended) with any heated clothing is to wear a relatively stretchy jersey over it to keep the heated fabric close to your body for best results. The size large StormRider fits about like a U.S. men's size 43, which means that it is just snug enough on my size 44 chest to keep the heat where I need it.

 

Conclusion

It's my opinion that the EXO StormRider heated vest addresses all of the faults we found with last year's heated clothing reviews. It's just like wearing any other type of comfortable vest, except it puts out a nice, even blanket of warmth with no hot spots like the wired types. I think the quality is great; the product feels substantial; it's as flexible and "crushable" as any other type of non-wired street vest and even the two slash outer pockets have nice zippers with big pulls.

 

 

 

 

Edited by - BYKer Will on 16 Feb 2010 11:14:16

 

Edited by - BYKer Will on 16 Feb 2010 11:44:44

 

Edited by - BYKer Will on 18 Feb 2010 09:03:41

 

Edited by - BYKer Will on 19 Feb 2010 11:57:26

 

Edited by - BYKer Will on 19 Feb 2010 12:26:54

 

Edited by - BYKer Will on 19 Feb 2010 15:12:00

[Golf Juliet Tango]

Good idea:

I like the idea of the jacket liner. here

I would like some gloves but £120 is probablly too much (for a pair of gloves)

 

 

_{Democratic dissent is not disloyalty, it is a positive civic duty.}

 

Edited by - Golf Juliet Tango on 14 Feb 2010 10:08:14

[Baz Hemsley]

I find the club jacket at £50 is brilliant! It's my bl 🙆🏻 🙆🏻dy finger tips get cold. I have just ordered some silk glove liners, see if they work.

[Chris Cardwell]

Will

 

Would like to buy a jacket some time in the future.

 

The Caterham 7 heater is not very effective and adds weight.

 

Thanks for all the info on heated jackets.

 

HPC7 . . . Cosworth engineering back in fashion

[Petrolhead]

How about heated gloves for £15 here

[Big Dan]

Hi Will,

 

I could be interested in the stormrider vest if you can get the discount to the 15% mark.

 

Dan

 

www.solentse7ens.co.uk www.harbourcars.com

[RoyH]

Will,

 

I'd be interested in the Stormwalker heated jacket and power pack.

 

I would have no problems buying if you get a 15% discount.

 

Good luck

 

 

 

[Wile7]

So, let me understand this...folk take out thier heaters and all that stuff to lighten their cars, and then you load the weight back on with all this kit because you are cold (the job the heater did in the first place). Hmmm 😬

 

(Sorry Will - great idea 😬)

 

---

^{Dave Ardley - White Xflow with Clams}

^{The Bearded Clams - King Clam of Clam Hill!}

^photos

[BYKer Will]

Wile7 The heated clothing weighs virtually the same as normal unheated stuff so minimal weight gain.

 

I've never had the luxury of a heater but with aeroscreens does the heat produced do much to actually warm you up on the move?

 

 

 

Will

 

Edited by - BYKer Will on 16 Feb 2010 11:14:53

[RoyH]

Will,

 

No.

 

All it does is add weight, which is why I want to get rid of mine.

 

 

 

 

[BAZZA]

Will,

I would be interested in this @15% off.

 

Barry

R400 Duratec No. 001

[BYKer Will]

btt with discount details

 

W

[Big Dan]

Well done Will and thank you, order will be placed early next week.

 

Dan

 

www.solentse7ens.co.uk www.harbourcars.com

[Big Dan]

Will YHM

 

Thank you for organising this.