Joe85

Annoyingly, over the last few very cold mornings, the bike has been very sluggish to start. OnMonday i had to disconnect all accessories and turn off the heated grips/seat before it started. I park it in a warm carpark at work, and when i start it at the end of the day it fire up fine.

 

Had the same today, however this time i stoped for petrol just near my house and the f**ker just wouldnt start. The battery voltage was down at 12v. I had an Optimate delivered today and its currently recharging the battery, but do you guys think it's a battery or alternator issue?

Glad your ok mate. 

Shite weather needs to do one.

Why not just buy an old banger form Autotrader or a scrapyard for £100, park it in the space, paint 3s all over it and declare it SORN.

On 20/01/2023 at 15:33, MikeHorton said:

That looks nice and suits the bike, I bet it sounds great. Dod you need to flash the ecu or anything or was it a straight swap? I'm sure it's a lot lighter than the standard can too!

Yeh just a straight swap. I'd only re-flash it with a full system. Stu is right that these modern ECU's adjust on the go, but i found (on the dyno) when i did my S1000R full system upgrade that it was running a bit too lean and rich in cetain parts of the rev range. This should be fine since almost all of the back pressure and wizardry that would effect the exhaust gases is done in the Cat or by the servo; both still in place.

 

Sounds nice and deep, a bit louder without beeing overly obnoxious, which was a big problem with the last bike (i had to roll down the street before starting in the morning).

 

Anyhow, managed to drop a bolt while removing the (ridiculously) tiny (and sold as) removable baffles that come with the bolts spot welded to the exhaust. Have one of those extendable magnet thingys to remvoe it other wise it'd have been wheelie position on the skylift

Put an Akra on it.

 

14 minutes ago, MikeHorton said:

I had mine applied I didn't think I'd be up to the task that did a good job cost £200 though

Kind of wish i paid someone now.

 

Having a bit of mare with this bike.

Bought some Paint Protection Film for the GS. Annoyingly the cut-outs appear to be a micron to big, particularly where it needs to fold over a corner.

 

It doesn’t help that I’m toilet at applying it, either.

17 hours ago, Fiddlesticks said:

I've quite happily filtered past traffic including a police car on a hatched area with a broken white line like this one.

 

No issues, as long as it's safe.

 

Crossing a solid line is a different story.

I believe they Highway Code refers to these as a ‘should not’ rather than a ‘must not’ or something to that effect.
 

They make for messy and protracted insurance claims, too.

Just now, Bender said:

@Tiggiewill have anyone  

I've been waiting for those three words my entire life.

I would like to attend (if you'll have me, of course )

Updated to include that Gerbing agreed to replace the Aux socket joint in both arms AND extend the cabels by a few inches to give more slack. Been impressed with their warranty service thus far. I also corrected the SPaG (as best as i can) since i type too fast and can't spell for shit.

4 hours ago, manxie49 said:

Really good review.  I also have the Gerbing heated gloves and have recently had the same experience as you in heavy rain.  They do have a tendency to become sodden after a prolonged riding in constant wet weather.  I was recommended Ducks wax, they sell it on the SBS site.  Well worth the money and time taken to treat the gloves, this stuff really does work 

 

Awesome, thanks. Will give it a go.

1 hour ago, Mickly said:

I was given a pair of Gerbing heated gloves for Xmas, but I’m yet to try them out.

I was very pleased with the present, less than impressed at the price of the 2Ah batteries and charger which  cost almost as much as the gloves.

Yeh, thats why i never bothered with them. Gerbing do include a battery cable in the box though, so i currently have 3

Thought i'd throw togehter a review of the Gerbing Heated Gear that i donated my left leg for in Decemeber ahead of a 4 day trip to France.

 

The Gear

 

Gloves: Gerbing Xtreme EVO Heated Motorcycle Gloves

 

Jacket: Gerbing Premium Heated Jacket Liner with MicroWirePRO®

Socks: Gerbing 12 Volt Heated Socks

 

So, going by past experience of winter riding, my legs never seem to get cold, so opted not to purchase the heated trouser liner too. All in I think i weighed out around £450 with promotional discounts of 10%.

 

Firstly, the gloves -

 

Build: 8/10. They have the option to be powered both by batteries that insert into the cuff or by a 12V Y-cable wired to the bike’s battery. The gloves are a standalone item, and the temperature controller is built into the cuff of each jacket, so no additional controller required (for the gloves). They have 3 temperature settings: Low, Medium and Hot. Very well, padded and suitably thick for winter riding, although that comes at a cost of less feedback and tactility in the hands. The temperature button is rather small, and so adjusting on the go is somewhat risky as you'll need to look at the wrist to press the button (loss of tactile response doesn’t help, either). They're advertised as compatible with smartphone screens, but unless you're rocking a full sized iPad, this feature is pretty useless and really works. There's also a small squeegee on the each index finger. It has a strap for tightening at the wrist and a Velcro strap for adjusting the cuff (along with a bungie cord).

 

Performance: 9.5/10. I road in temperatures that ranged between 10Deg-C and -5Deg-C for periods of 3-4 hours at a time. The gloves performed brilliantly and a no time did my hands feel cold. I fluctuated between the low and medium setting and, in combination with the heated grips on medium this was perfect. I’ve marked it down by .5 for two reasons, one, at medium the top of the hand can become uncomfortably warm after long periods, and also because the thumb doesn't seem to warm as well as the fingers - but this may be because the thumb is more exposed to the wind. Not cold, by any means - just an observation. I didn’t get an opportunity to test performance in the rain, however, as you may know, I did get caught in the snow storm the greeted our return to the UK. For the most part they kept the moisture out, however, after around 5 hours of constant snow they did begin to become soggy. By the time I got home they were pretty sodden.

 

Overall 9/10: Good value, perform exceptionally well in extreme conditions. Would recommend. 

 

The Jacket -

 

Build: 7/10. Like the gloves, the jacket has the option of being bowered directly from the bike via a 12v cable or via an optional battery. It does, however, require a sold separately temp controller. I ordered the pro digital temperature controller which only controls the temperature of the jacket and accessory (Socks or trousers). It comes with an inbuilt cable for the gloves that itself connects directly to the battery of the bike. Essentially the controller has one input and two outputs - one for the jacket and one for the gloves. If you buy this jacket and already own gloves that require a controller, they sell a dual temperature controller that has two outputs both of which are separately controllable (I hope that makes sense). As I’ve mentioned on another threat, the glove cable built into the arms is rather short. IT extends about an inch passed the cuff of the jacket which is just far to fiddly to connect to the gloves without stressing the aux plug when you connect/disconnect. In terms of fitment, i'm size small mens in t-shirts, jackets, jumpers etc so ordered a size small. The fit was pretty tight, but not uncomfortable. I will say that the neck is ridiculously small, however, and i couldn't zip the jacket up all the way because of it.   Overall the jacket quality is great, it’s very comfortable and looks pretty good too. All of the cables can be tucked away into hidden compartments, and when done it just looks like a normal jacket. It is not bulky at all and fits well under a textile jacket with the thermal liner removed.

 

Performance: 8/10. The jacket itself was excellent. The pro-controller provides 5 levels of heat. I found myself very comfortable between levels 2 and 3 (and very occasionally 4). The micro wires are spread generously throughout, so you feel the warmth all over you arms, chest, back and up to the neck (if I could close it all the way). At no point did I feel cold, and it remained comfortable through our 4-5 riding stints. I will recommend ordering a size up from your clothing wear. I'm built like an Olympian, so naturally, my 6 pack wasn't trouble by the tightness. You lads with the bellies may find it uncomfortable, however ;). I've marked it down purely because after 4 days of use, the right arm glove cable failed from the minimal amount of strain placed on the aux socket. This is a common issue with this type of joint, and whilst normally you can just purchase a new cable for less than a tenner, this one is built into the jacket. I've since returned it to Gerbing for repair. They are currently replacing the joint, although I’ve also asked them to extend the cable by and inch to alleviate the issue in the future (which they agreed to). Ultimately, it’s a very easy fix if it were to fail outside of warranty (4 days is worrying, though).

 

Overall, 7.5/10. It's brilliant bit of kit, let down only by the lack of cable slack in the arms for the cable. These joints are notorious for failing, so I’m surprised Gerbing didn’t account for that. Thoroughly recommend, however; It will change your perspective on winter riding.

 

Socks:

Build: 9.5/10. Not much to say really, just a pair of long socks (like football socks) with micro wires built into the foot area. The wires are provided in a 2" wide tape like material in the sock that starts at the top of the foot and runs over the toes and round underneath the foot, finishing at the heel. Also provided with the heated socks are some inner ankle socks for comfort (the tape is quite uncomfortable, so inner socks are required). The Aux socket sites at the top of the sock (one for each leg). The only mark down for the build quality is that the socket faces upwards, which is a design oversight imo, because it makes it a faff to pull your trousers on and stop the cable pulling out. The cable also has a tendency to pull out if you flex your leg and you haven't left enough cable slack in the trouser. This could have been eliminated entirely if the socket were inverted on each leg to stop it just pulling out. The socks come supplied with a long Y-Cable to enable connection to a temperature controller. In this instance i connected it to the accessory output on the jacket (which is controlled by the pro digital temp controller).    

 

Performance: 10/10. Not much to say here other than just superb. Warm feet, happy riding. The temperature adjustment is done on the digital temp controller so if you want to adjust feet temp, you have to adjust jacket too. This was never an issue. Level 2 or 3 on the controller was more than adequate for both the jacket and the socks. I thoroughly recommended heated socks for witner riding it really is a game changer. Not too difficult to get on, although do leave some slack in the toes before sliding the boot on as it will get pulled tight around the foot as you put on your boots.

 

Overall 9.75/10. Brilliant, let down ever so slightly by the faffery of the lead pulling out of the socket. I eventually solved this by just folding the sock over the socket (and by leaving some cable slack in the trouser.

 

As a combination, it's quite a bit of faffing around every morning to get all the gear on. Mainly the socks and trousers. The jacket with integrated cable works well. Previously where i just used heated gloves, the cable would often just disappear into the sleeve, meaning taking the jacket off, fishing it back through again etc. This is solved by the cable in the sleeve and is very convenient. The way all the gear connects together works well, and once you're set up, it’s very, very comfortable.

 

Overall, i remain pleased with my purchase. -5Deg-C riding never felt so good. I'm not exaggerating when i say that, with exception to my nose leaking all over my balaclava, it felt like spring in the French countryside!

 

9/10. 

 

*Fixed the spellings errors.

 

On 27/12/2022 at 17:50, MikeHorton said:

It's a very subjective question depends on you the bike and the fit so no hard and fast rule. For me it's the Scorpion exo 1400 carbon Air, super light comes with  a pinlock insert as I think they all should a clear and smoked visor and the cheeks can be pumped up for a good fit with a little air pump in the chin. Premium feel inside and well priced. 

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/382189

Second this. Excellent helmet at a very reasonable price.

On 31/12/2022 at 13:47, Throttled said:

Today I rode my up and down the motorway to try out my new helmet, which turns out to be the quietest I have owned so far. The Airoh Commander.

How do you rate it quality wise? Looking for a an ADV helmet and those look pretty cool.

I'm a bit pissed off actually. Noticed today that the crash protector i installed on the crash bar have dented the billet aluminium cover on the right side fo the bike. I feel like an idot for buying the aluminium covers anyway, now i feel like an even bigger fool for installing the crash protectors.

 

I just absolutely suck at keeping a bike pristine.

On 13/12/2022 at 07:34, Bulpitt said:

I’d like to know if anybody has received any form of compensation because your bike has taken so long to repair?  My son so far has waited over 3 months.  He’s paying for a bike that he’s not got. 

I’d be fuming if it were riding season. That’d be the biggest loss as you’d essentially have to wait a year before really enjoying the bike again. 
 

 

Can confrim that the front wheel also acts as an excellent wind break when i tested it on the same private road as everyone else. 

 

 

Thanks mate. The kindness of strangers is how. 
 

Captured it on the GoPro, will give you all a good laugh when I can be arsed to upload it.

I always thought the reason the fuel filler cap was a different material to the tank was so that you could rest your chin on it.

Well… that was f**king horrible. 
 

Dumped 5 times, all very low speed or stationary. Panniers and crash bars took the brunt.

 

Nightmare.

Massively dissapointed to report that the right arm cable in the jacket appears to have failed after 4 days of use. I know Gering products suffer from solder/cable-break issues at the sockets after a period of use but this is just poor.

 

One more ride to get home tomorrow, gonna be a painful one. More fool me for trusting this to get me through an entire trip without issue.

Heated clothing, though; game changer.

It’s fooking freezing.