S-burg Ron Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Has anyone mounted a permanent dual gerbing controller on one of the new RTs. Wondering where the best place is to install one. Ron Link to comment
dirtrider Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Afternoon Ron I can't answer your question directly as I haven't found any gain in mounting a dual controller on the bike. With dual controller mounted on bike there is a need to run (2) wires from bike to rider. With dual controller mounted on riders belt, or pocket flap, jacket, etc, then only (1) wire is needed to be run from bike to rider. Link to comment
mneblett Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 My experience is different. I have and use both permanent and portable controllers on different bikes. It is very convenient to have the permanent controller knobs in exactly the same place, in exactly the same orientation, whenever I want to tweak an output. Even with the portable controller being clipped to my Roadcrafter at the same place all the time, 1/2 the time I have to futz around getting my fingers to find the knobs and verify which one is in hand before adjusting. For me, the instantaneous convenience and minimal driving-distraction of the permanent controller is more than worth the minor issue of having to plug two wires in instead of one at the start of the ride. Definitely a YMMV subject. Link to comment
dirtrider Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Afternoon Mark I ride lots of bikes with heated gear on (some not even mine) so having the controller in the same place on my body beats the heck out of looking all over different bikes to find the darn thing. Plus I use my heated vest in my truck on real cold mornings & use my heated gear on my snow plowing tractors. Negative 24 degrees here yesterday morning so heated gear was something of comfort. Link to comment
RSH Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I found the best place to mount the permanent controller female outlet is on the left side where the cords come out of the heated gear. Sit on your bike and let the cords dangle out and see where they fall (passenger too if that is why you have a dual controller.). On my 2012 RT I have the cord outlet just below & slightly forward of the seat on the left side. I mounted the the control unit (knob for adjusting the heat) on the left fairing piece where the radio controls are. Where it is convenient for me to reach while riding and not take my eyes off the road. Again, sit on your bike and reach to several areas that would work for you and mount the control knobs there. I then bought the coiled extension cord from Gerbings, plugged that into the heated gear. The coiled extension cord gives you a little latitude on movement. If you get off the bike and forget to unplug the cord, it stretches a bit to remind you. I leave the coiled extension attached to my heated gear permanently. I used shrink tubing to hold the coiled extension in place for good. The down side is you will have to wire all this up and make sure the connections are very solid. Double insulate & solder all connections to make sure they will never wear thru and expose bare wire, causing a short. And you must drill holes into the bikes fairing at the areas you want to mount the control knobs & cord outlet. It will be time consuming routing the wires all thru the bike to the various areas you will permanently mount the the controls & outlet. I have done this on all three bikes I have and have had no problems & I can plug-in on a moments notice, then adjust the temperature with very little effort, while I am on my way. In addition to all this, I do have a portable controller I carry if I ride another bike, rent one or if the permanent one should fail. Good luck! Link to comment
S-burg Ron Posted February 21, 2015 Author Share Posted February 21, 2015 Thanks for the input. I have been using the Gerbing portable controller for several years but find it distracting when trying to adjust it on the move. The knobs are so close together that it's hard to operate with the heated gloves on. I just ordered a permanent controller so I can place the knobs in a convenient area that I can both see and reach easily. I appreciate your suggestions. Ron Link to comment
Jim VonBaden Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 My experience is different. I have and use both permanent and portable controllers on different bikes. It is very convenient to have the permanent controller knobs in exactly the same place, in exactly the same orientation, whenever I want to tweak an output. Even with the portable controller being clipped to my Roadcrafter at the same place all the time, 1/2 the time I have to futz around getting my fingers to find the knobs and verify which one is in hand before adjusting. For me, the instantaneous convenience and minimal driving-distraction of the permanent controller is more than worth the minor issue of having to plug two wires in instead of one at the start of the ride. Definitely a YMMV subject. Same here. I love my mounted dual controller. I wore the Gerbing controller for years and it was always getting tangled and caught. Here is what I did with my GS: Not a big deal to run a few extra wires at all. Jim Link to comment
Kitsap Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Another option is to mount a portable wireless controller to the top of the clutch reservoir with 3M Duolock. That's my setup on my RTW, easy access and easy removal if needed. Link to comment
WBinDE Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Another option is to mount a portable wireless controller to the top of the clutch reservoir with 3M Duolock. That's my setup on my RTW, easy access and easy removal if needed. What I do too. Best of both worlds - just one cord and the controller is always in the same place and easily visible. Well, during daytime, anyway. Link to comment
S-burg Ron Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Jim, Thanks for the picture. What dual controller did you use on your GS? I like them better than Gerbing. Link to comment
Jim VonBaden Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Jim, Thanks for the picture. What dual controller did you use on your GS? I like them better than Gerbing. It is a Warm N Safe. I have also extended the wires and run one like this: Link to comment
AndyS Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Hi Jim I have been looking on the Warm n safe website and cant see the controller that you used, or is that a picture of 2 single controllers next to each other. Any link to it available. Where on the bike do you have the pig tail come out (where you plug the jacket trailing lead into)? Link to comment
Jim VonBaden Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Hi Jim I have been looking on the Warm n safe website and cant see the controller that you used, or is that a picture of 2 single controllers next to each other. Any link to it available. Where on the bike do you have the pig tail come out (where you plug the jacket trailing lead into)? This is what I used: http://www.warmnsafe.com/dual-handgrip-heat-troller/ The leads are long enough that you do not need to mod it. Jim Link to comment
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