Okay, here's the deal: I'm a RICH Geogia country boy: I have TWO cars jacked up in the yard. That means that as a general rule, I ride my motorcycle to school (I'm a middle school counselor in Cherokee County, GA). Lately, its been stark raving COLD out there, and what with necessity being a mother, I came up with a greaT IDEA! I've got a 400 watt power inverter, which turns the DC from cars trucks & motorcycles inot AC. Last week, I took my first run, temps in low 30s, with an electric heating pad plugged in to my inverter. Worked GREAT! Battery didn't drain, no problems at all. So, I wanted to expand, since the heating pad only covered my torso. The parts that freeze and fall off are my fingers and toes.
SO - I struck out at Good Will first (that's where I buy ALL my stuff) and then went to Walmart. I got a small electric heating blanket, and tried it. She don't work. Not even when I wiggled all them little wires and stuff.
As I said, the inverter is a 400 Watt inverter, and it had NO problem driving the heating pad, which draws 50 watts, per the label. The stupid stanky electric blanket says IT only draws 180 watts! How come it don't work? The inverter has an alarm that goes off when it goes into overload (sorta like Uncle Steve's lower intestine) but the alarm didn't go off. The only thing that happened was that cutesy little LCD control goes 'blinky,blinky,blinky' and the wires in the blanket doen't hrat up as far as I can tell.
Now, I KNOW some of you guys got this here electricity thing down to the bone, so tell me please: I a Kool-Pop on my way to school! Outside temp now in Woodstock, GA = 21 degrees. Hep, y'all! I'm a fixin ta have stuff shrivel up and hide inside my body cavity and won't NEVER see it again!
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Greetings from Woodstock, GA, cultural center of the universe.
ever thing about getting a snowmobile suit???? or if your a good ol boy from down south how about a heavey pair of carharts????
you havent seen anything till you seen a guy ride a harley on the 25 of dec. with a santa suit on up here in the state of michigan... he was warm but his face was cherry red.....
Do a continuity check on the blanket. Sounds like its no good.
I understand riding in cold weather!
My worst experience ever was just a 100 mile trip. I had a back pack with change of clothes. It got really cold, really fast. I put socks on my hands to ride. Still to cold. I warmed my hands on the engine and melted the socks.
That was the most miserable trip I ever did.
Get a fairing. Theres no way to stay warm unless you divert the wind off of you. Wear a snowmobile suit and a throat coat(thing that tucks inro your coat and velcroes to your helmet). Wear a fleece lined Kmart leather coat over the snowmobile suit.
Hmm, this gives me a great idea for a new line of clothing products....any inventors here on G&G? I am not a biker really so I'd just as soon pass this idea on to someone who can make good use of it
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Don't let their ignorance and hate intimidate.
I seriously doubt that blanket draws 180 watts - if it does you better get yerself a bigger blanket cause that thing will not get very hot. I'm a bett'n that thing draws upwards of 1KW, most heating coils eat up alot of energy.
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They should have stopped at "Congress shall make no law"
Stopper is correct.
Any resistant heat uses tons of energy. 180 watts isnt much. AmpsXvolts=watts.
12 volts cant deliver a lot.
Get a warm suit!
And by the way, I'm certified by the electric league of arizona. That dont mean crap
I ride in twenty-odd/thirty-odd degree weather here - the folks at work think I'm crazy. I keep telling them - it's just a matter of "layering"! I use Sweatshirt/pants under my work clothes, henley shirt replaces T-shirt, M65 liner in my riding jacket (a ventilated Joe Rocket mesh armor jacket), and a heavy coat over it all, Add some good deerhide leather gauntlets and a balaclava hood 'neath the helmet. I get a bit of cold air up under the faceshield - I need a good full-face helmet to replace my open-shell model.
My commute is 8.5 miles in, 12 miles home (differing routes due to heavy evening traffic). No problem.
Some northern riders on our KLR forum have power sockets wired into their bikes, and use heated grips and suits/jackets. Taller windshields too.
I'm an anachronism - took my piddling little windscreen off - much less wind buffeting now! I like "clean air".
Jesus Christ! Bigdog wears a mesh jacket on a KLR in the winter. I'll bet you hunt bear with a slingshot too. I doubt anybody on a KLR is concerned about a little thing like winter. The KLR crowd doesnt use bridges either. They just ford the river at the low spot.
Snakebite, help me out here, to see if I'm do this right.
My heating pad said it was 50 watts;
the blanket said 180 watts.
I've got a fan and a clock on my desk;
the fan says 120 VAC & 0.5 amps,
the clock says AC 120V, 8W.
Amps x Volts = Watts Therefore,
Amps = Watts/Volts and
Volts = Watts/Amps so for heating pad,
Amps = 50/120
= 0.416666667 and for fan
0.5 x 120 = Watts
= 60 and for clock
Amps = 8/120
= 0.066666667 And inverter produces
Amps = 400/120
= 3.333333333 And blanket uses
Amps = Watts/Volts
=180/120
= 1.5
SO: Why isn't my 400 Watt inverter able to drive the electric blanket?
As mentioned, there is an overload buzzer, and it doesn't trigger.
Do you suppose that it could be the fru-fru controllers, with all the cutsy little LEDs and dials?
What gets the blanket hot? Are the wires non-conductive or are they studded with resistors?
Help me Obi Wan - Y'all jist might be keepin me frum freezin my furry white butt off.
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Greetings from Woodstock, GA, cultural center of the universe.
Your bikes alternator wont put out enough to run much more than the headlights etc. Im surprised you got the little pad to work. You can also burn out alternators. Ive burned out alternators on touring bikes just running extra watt hi-beams. The big Goldwings have beefy alternators to run extra gizmos but most bikes are using lightweight alternators.
"The KLR crowd doesnt use bridges either. They just ford the river at the low spot."
Spot on, Zen!! We're riding while the Harley riders are polishing their chrome!
Each model of bike is different, but the KLR is regarded as having about 75 watts of useable power after the lights and other bike systems are powered.
We can save a few watts here and there, like using LED tail lights.
So when I wired in two 55W driving lights, I can only power one at a time with the headlight burning. But, I use them mainly as emergency lighting IF my headlight goes out at night. Then I can use the full 110 watts.
So . . . I wouldn't be able to power that E-blanket either. The pad would be close to the limit.
Pony up for an electric vest or jacket.. www.aerostich.com sells top of the line stuff.. Buy some.. It'll last you the rest of your life, and your relatives can sell it for more than you paid for it..
Keep your core temperature up, and the rest of you will be warm, too.. Get an electric vest. I've ridden my bikes to work in 12 degree temps, comfortably..
Basically, I put my bike away when salt flies up here. I don't care how cold it is, if the roads are clean of salt.. My V Strom, KLR and 150cc scooter all have electric vest plugs..
One mile down the road, and you'll be going "Ahhhhhh!!!" and laughing at cold weather..
My 10 mile ride to work is great if the roads are clean.. If they wouldn't spread salt on the roads (sometimes inches thick) I'd ride everyday...
Temp isn't an issue on a ride that short, if you dress for it..
I have a pal who quit riding years ago. He was riding on the freeway in a winter rain and suffering cold to the marrow. He said an RV slowly passed him. He looked over to see several people sitting down plaing cards and drinking coffee. He took the next exit to get a coffee at a gas station only he took the exit a tad too fast and ended up face first in a mud puddle as he jumped the curb. He suffered no physical injuries but he was left with a bad aftertaste for motorcycles so he never rode again after that trip. I guess he never heard of solitaire.
