Nothing wakes you up more than the first time you accelerate past 30mph on a cold morning. The sudden chill focuses the mind on that extra layer you were sure you wouldn’t need … until now.
I don’t know why that first cold morning comes as such a surprise. Every year, we look at different ways to stay warm on a motorcycle through winter, and every year, we come back to the same answer – heated clothing.
It all boils down to one simple fact – If you don’t add heat, all you can do is slow the rate at which you get colder.
Wind Chill
OK, so heated motorcycle clothing alone will struggle to keep you warm. The wind chill factor increases the faster we travel, and at 60mph, the temperature of 2°C when standing still becomes -8°C
| Wind Chill Table | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambient Temperature | 20 mph | 40 mph | 60 mph | 80 mph |
| 4°c | -1°c | -3°c | -5°c | -6°c |
| 2°c | -2°c | -6°c | -8°c | -9°c |
| 0°c | -5°c | -9°c | -11°c | -12°c |
| -2°c | -9°c | -12°c | -13°c | -15°c |
Keeping the -8°C wind blast away from our skin reduces the rate at which we feel the cold, so good winter clothing is needed, but without added heat, we will still get cold. It is just the rate that is going to vary.
Add enough heat, and the reverse becomes true – you get warmer and stay warm.
The closer we are to the heat source, the more we feel it. Stand close to a fire; it is hotter than when you stand ten feet away. This is why heated jackets and waistcoats (Vests to our American readers) should be snug-fitting and ideally have elasticated panels so they stay close to your body as you move.
If the heated clothing is too loose, you are heating the air around you. If it is heating three layers of clothing before it gets to you, at best, it will take longer to warm you up. At worst, you may never get the full effect of the heat.
The closer you get to the heat source – although don’t put it directly onto your skin – the more you will feel the benefits.
Batteries or Plug-In
The more powerful heated clothing coming onto the market this year (2023/24) doesn’t support portable batteries. Gloves still have a portable battery option, but even with the developments in heating panels, heating larger surface areas and generating higher temperatures requires more amps than portable batteries can deliver.
Portable batteries that could support the higher power requirements for a useful amount of time would be bulky and quickly pass the point where plugging the heated clothing into the motorcycle’s electrical system is the most straightforward answer.
It is also worth noting that motorcycle-heated clothing typically requires a 12-volt supply, not the 5-volt associated with USB power.
I have one of the earlier Keis heated vests and a battery pack. For riding, I prefer my jacket that I power from the bike’s battery, but the older style heated vest and a battery are a wonderful way to stay warm during off-the-bike winter activities.
There is always the case that full power may be too hot, so ensure your heated clothing comes with a controller of some sort. I once plugged my Keis heated socks into the battery and overcooked my feet. I’m not talking warm … I do mean painfully hot when run on full power and unregulated.
Rev’it H2O Liberty Gloves
The keen observers of Itchy Boots on YouTube may have noticed she is using Rev’It Liberty H2O Heated Gloves while touring India.
There is no option to plug the gloves into the bike, as they are powered by USB rechargeable batteries, which are included with the gloves.
For those likely to be on longer rides, additional battery sets are available, and if you have a USB port under your bike’s seat, one set can be charging while you use the others.
The Rev’It marketing material mentions their “Thermotronic technology system”, which keeps your hands at the ideal temperature of around 33°C, regardless of the weather.
I’ve not tried them, but as they offer four different power settings, I’m guessing it is a question of you picking the heat setting most aligned to the outside temperature rather than it being anything automatic.
Rev’It and Keis both get extra brownie points for using hard scaphoid sliders on their gloves. Nice touch.
Keis Ultra Flex Heated Clothing
Keis have two new variants of their heated clothing coming in November 2023: The J601RP Keis UltraFlex Heated Jacket and the B601RP Keis UltraFlex Heated Bodywarmer. Both use the updated version of the micro carbon heating panels that replaced the traditional heating wires a few years ago.
The Ultraflex Heated Jacket has an elasticated outer shell, ensuring the jacket moulds around your body for maximum comfort and heating efficiency.
The heating panels in the chest, back, sleeves, and collar combine to deliver 65W (5.4A) of heating power. The new jacket draws the same amps as the current model, but the improvements in the micro carbon panels give you more heat for the power.
The other improvement is that the sleeves extend over the wrist, and there is a thumb hole to ensure that the sleeve stays where it should when putting on your main jacket. The sleeves also have power cables for heated gloves built into them.
The J601RP Keis UltraFlex Heated Jacket also looks lighter than my current heated jacket. It has never been a problem wearing heated clothing under my outer jacket – I don’t use the thermal linings – but anything more flexible is always welcomed.
The B601RP Keis UltraFlex Heated Body Warmer has all the same advancements seen on the jacket but, naturally, without the sleeves. The new model has also copied the heated collar from the jacket, which I’m in two minds about.
The heated collar is a great cold weather seal, stopping annoying cold draughts, but occasionally, I wish my heated jacket came without a collar as I have the neck of my outer jacket set tight. [Such a first-world problem ~ Ed.]
Gerbing
Gerbing doesn’t appear to have anything new this year – not to say anything is wrong with their existing range. If it isn’t broken, why try to fix it?
To make sure, we contacted Gerbing, and they told us about their year refining the range. Things may look the same, but several subtle and mainly invisible differences exist.
If a jacket had a weak point, they have re-enforced it. If the gloves had a hot spot, it has been evened out.
This winter, it is evolution rather than revolution. A more refined warmth awaits you.
Bottom Line
For advancements in motorcycle-heated clothing, that was all we knew about as the first of this year’s cold weather arrived in Europe.
I test-fired my Keis heated jacket, gloves, and socks a few weeks back, and everything worked. I’ve lost count of how many winters my oldest Keis heated body warmer has seen. Regardless of its age, it is still cooking.
Clarity
The header image is based on an original work by Suleyman Seykan and is used under license.
