What exactly is clothing? Looking at the picture of the various items on the floor, you’d think it was electrical equipment. Yet it is Gerbing clothing accessories. However, they are crucial to the success of the Gerbing clothes. It’s heated gear. This could be a vital accessory as we ride through Virginia in November, or the high elevations of New Mexico in early March.
Let’s set the table here. I’ve rebuilt car engines, completely rebuilt motorcycles, and performed technically challenging repairs on bikes.
This Gold Wing intimidates me.
I think it’s the decorative plastic covers. I know, it sounds stupid, but I get all wobbly legged thinking about working on this bike.
Pile electrical repairs on it, and I’m a wimpy bowl of jelly. Wires, fuses and connections make my skin grow cold.
After weeks of dilly dallying, I decided today would be the day I would face the Project.
I removed the side cover. No screws, no bolts, just a plastic cover fitted with grommets. Unscrewed two battery leads, attached four wires and routed them.
I proved to be so simple, it was pathetic.
Then I faced the menagerie of wires, most of them on the clothes; some for the power source, some for the gloves, pants, and jacket. Perused various instructions.
Directions are written by engineers. I’m sure they don’t mean to confuse. But when it reads, “Gloves connect with the jacket or can be used separately by using the provided Y- harness.”
What Y- harness? The picture showed a plug that looked like any other. Finally I did what any man would do.
Be brave, men.
I called the Little Woman down to give me a hand.
She came in and hung around a few minutes, told me I knew what I was doing and left.
Finally, I put on the pants, gloves, and jacket. I plugged in the white female wire to the white male. Black to black. And so on. Plugged myself into the bike. (That is a weird feeling!) and started it.
No smell of burning insulation, good. Yes, I would recognize that smell. Turned on the thermostat. In a matter of seconds, the jacket heated up. Turned the other dial and the pants heated up. Fast. How fast?
Faster than a hot woman saying, “You come here often?”
That hot, that fast.
Since the garage temperature started around seventy five degrees, I didn’t do exhaustive studying of the gear.
But it works, apparently really well.
And the hookup was simple.
Just had to screw up a bit of courage.
Hats off to Gerbing, who may have made this upcoming trip much more tolerable in inclement weather.
We’ll test the gear on Mount Charleston, about an hour or so away, at 9,500 foot elevation.
Cool.
How cool?
Cooler than a hot woman saying, “Get lost, buster.”
That’s cold!
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