Venture Heat

[Anthony]

Does anyone have any experience with Venture Heat for heated gear? I just got back from a road trip on the Connie and all the days started out quite cold and I didn't have any heated gear. I know Gerbings is the go to gear, but I learned recently that ownership has been passed on to a younger family member who has moved production out of the country and the quality isn't as good any more. I tried Venture Heat a few years ago at the International Motorcycle Show and I really liked it but I haven't been able to find many reviews online for them.

[Daboo]

I don't have any experience with Venture Heated gear, but maybe I can pass on some info that'll be of use.

Gerbing heated gear started off with a small company here in Washington State.  The founder was Gordon Gerbing.  He ran into some health issues a few years ago and they sold the company and name to the present owners of the company.  The lifetime warranty of Gerbing gear soon went away with the new owners.  A few years back, the original Gerbing family started a new company, Gordon's Heated Clothing.  It looks like their clothing line has the old lifetime warranty on it.

Some general thoughts.

• Heated vest vs liner.  Don't waste your time (and $$$) on a vest.  Your arms will get cold too.
• Look for a heated collar on the jacket liner.  Less expensive gear won't heat the collar.
• Battery vs motorcycle 12-volt powered.  Even if a 7 volt battery will last through a commute, will it work for the return trip?  Or a weekend trip with friends?  I'd still go with the wired connection to the motorcycle.
• Gloves.  At first, I liked my Gerbing gloves.  I think I'd look at others next time.  I have heated grips and I think I'd look at gloves next time that heat the back of the hand and perhaps have most of the insulation in the back of the hand.  The heated grips will keep the palm warm.  I've also found the right glove is colder than the left.  The reason I've heard, is the current loss in the longer wire going to it.  I think I'd also look at buying glove liners instead of gloves.  With a liner, I can use any winter/waterproof glove.
• Connections.  I don't know about battery powered connections, but the 12-volt wired connections are all compatible.  So you could buy Venture gloves and a FirstGear jacket liner and connect them to your TourMaster controller.
• Reviews.  webBikeWorld has reviews on heated gear, but some of the reviews might be on older gear.  If I was looking for new gear, I'd check out reviews at Revzilla and Amazon.  Revzilla will give you a video review, plus customer reviews.  Amazon will have customer reviews.  I always look at the lowest rated reviews.  Those reviews either indicate flaws in the gear to watch for, or that the reviewer is a complete idiot and doesn't know what they are talking about.  But if the reviews reveal a flaw in the gear, that's where you'll find it quickly.

My only real regret on heated gear...is waiting so long to buy it.  It is really nice being able to simply turn a dial and get the temperature you want to feel comfortable.

Chris

[Anthony]

I don't have any experience with Venture Heated gear, but maybe I can pass on some info that'll be of use.

Gerbing heated gear started off with a small company here in Washington State.  The founder was Gordon Gerbing.  He ran into some health issues a few years ago and they sold the company and name to the present owners of the company.  The lifetime warranty of Gerbing gear soon went away with the new owners.  A few years back, the original Gerbing family started a new company, Gordon's Heated Clothing.  It looks like their clothing line has the old lifetime warranty on it.

Some general thoughts.

• Heated vest vs liner.  Don't waste your time (and $$$) on a vest.  Your arms will get cold too.
• Look for a heated collar on the jacket liner.  Less expensive gear won't heat the collar.
• Battery vs motorcycle 12-volt powered.  Even if a 7 volt battery will last through a commute, will it work for the return trip?  Or a weekend trip with friends?  I'd still go with the wired connection to the motorcycle.
• Gloves.  At first, I liked my Gerbing gloves.  I think I'd look at others next time.  I have heated grips and I think I'd look at gloves next time that heat the back of the hand and perhaps have most of the insulation in the back of the hand.  The heated grips will keep the palm warm.  I've also found the right glove is colder than the left.  The reason I've heard, is the current loss in the longer wire going to it.  I think I'd also look at buying glove liners instead of gloves.  With a liner, I can use any winter/waterproof glove.
• Connections.  I don't know about battery powered connections, but the 12-volt wired connections are all compatible.  So you could buy Venture gloves and a FirstGear jacket liner and connect them to your TourMaster controller.
• Reviews.  webBikeWorld has reviews on heated gear, but some of the reviews might be on older gear.  If I was looking for new gear, I'd check out reviews at Revzilla and Amazon.  Revzilla will give you a video review, plus customer reviews.  Amazon will have customer reviews.  I always look at the lowest rated reviews.  Those reviews either indicate flaws in the gear to watch for, or that the reviewer is a complete idiot and doesn't know what they are talking about.  But if the reviews reveal a flaw in the gear, that's where you'll find it quickly.

My only real regret on heated gear...is waiting so long to buy it.  It is really nice being able to simply turn a dial and get the temperature you want to feel comfortable.

Chris

Perfect! I am actually looking into getting Gordon's gear instead since it's the original family from Gerbings.

[ghostrider990]

In case you didn't see my post.

http://forum.cog-online.org/riding-gear/heated-gear-2017/

Not Gordon's or Venture, but this is what I decided to go with.

Customer service has been great, the owner is same day responsive to questions, and plenty of youtube videos for installation.

Just bought a Jacket and glove liners for my pillion, and remote troller for her own independent use.

gr

[Rain Dancer]

Side note, Gordon Gerbing passed away and there is a nice article on their home site about him.
I still have some very early Gerbing vests that still work. They were replaced with liners which worked until cut off by the EMT's.
Have tried a lot of different gear, and all I have worked for me, but I can only comment on the Gerbing (Gordon's) for long term durability, and it has been fantastic.