Remember---get all dolled up in Electric lines, gloves, etc and if you are serious riding, you can darn near freeze to death when the electric stuff doesn't work for whatever reason.

I almost frooze near Monterey Mexico when my electric vest quit. AND and I had no feather jacket along to wear under riding suit.

Also, hooking yourself up to wire, etc, pain in butt to me. Having ridden for 55 winters and several mid winter coast to coast, both solo and sidecar---feathers work best for me and professional quality riding suit----think next bike should have grip heat.

Why ask electric system to do something it wasn't designed to?

Actually riding in the cold can be fun----sidecar in snow real blast. Just need the right equipment to keep warm.

John Grinsel

While in Alaska for 10 years we used Bunny Boots ( Army winter foot ware) ski bibs and ski jackets. Heated hand grips where excellent but even there medium was hot enough. gloves where interesting I must have tried and owned dozens of types and the ones I used the most where just cotton work gloves with the hot grips. in serious cold my wife made me insulated covers that covered each of the handles and all of the controls so your hands where inside. we used with the work gloves. Balaclavas for our heads under our helmets and would cover all exposed skin particularly our neck and face, the full face helmet was essential for it's wind protection and insulation. The clear face cover could be lifted in stages for ventilation. Like my maxi scoot the windshield was a great benefit. The heat from the engine was vented into the space between you and your windshield. In Alaska I would carry some tools, tow rope, MRE ( meals ready to Eat), Matches, bow saw. and snow shoes for the trail rides. the small bow saw was always useful to clean limbs from the trail but once it was essential when the lead machine went throw the Ice on the Chatinnika river. we cut poles and used a rope and A- frame poles to lift the machine back up onto the bank. We found another crossing. How Fast would we Travel? The rivers had no limits and my machine would cruise steady all day at 65 mph and could do 75 if i bumped it. it was a slow wide track made for hauling stuff and back country trail rides. everything else went faster.

I spent 36 years of my life living in NW and SE Alaska. In the 60s and 70s living in the Eskimo Village of Kotzebue I got by with silk glove liners and military leather gloves with knitted liners. Over those I'd wear wolf hide mitts with the hair inside. When flying for hours in a Super Cub (no real cabin heat) on a hunt in -30F temps or worse it wasn't too bad. Same riding snogos and dog sleds. But apparently old age has caught up with me and I can't bear much cold on my hands. My new Gerbings heated gloves are a godsend on my GW and soon will be on my SW once I get the new wiring harness connected. I have avoided electrically heated cold weather gear for exactly the same reason papa johns mentioned, the possibility of electrical failure. It's not a major problem on the bikes because I always carry enough gear in the trunk or under the seat to get by with if the gloves or jacket liner or the bike's electrical system go kaput. It's a foolish man who travels without the gear to keep him going if the transport breaks down in remote places.

I reread my Post and noticed that i missed snow in snow machine. Just so there is no misunderstanding my Alaska riding was on one of the three snowmobiles that I owned in that time.
I loved living in Alaska it was the great adventure of my life. I lived in Fairbanks and in my time I traveled to Kotzebue and several towns and villages including Barrow, Tannana, Nome nuisut and Tok. I hunted Moose and in 1996 I harvested a 1600 lb moose with a 63 inch rack. In May I would go halibut fishing at Valdez and then return for Salmon in late August.