In October 2021, I agreed to go on a three-province run from Gauteng up to Limpopo and back to Gauteng through Mpumalanga.
We did about 1,100km in one day and while I would never subject myself to that again, the part of the ride that was particularly uncomfortable was not the seat of the 2020 Moto Guzzi V85 TT I was riding, but rather the temperature.
I made the mistake of wearing two-piece leathers, which didn’t leave much room for layers beneath — I discovered this heading to the meeting spot in the early hours of the morning — and my summer riding gloves.
For the first two hours heading to Polokwane, over the Long Tom Pass, going from Sabie to Dullstroom, which was cold and covered in fog, and the final stretch back home in darkness, I was literally shivering on the motorcycle.
While I have since learnt my lesson when it comes to what gear for what ride and how many layers to have beneath, I have added heated and climate-controlled gear to my ever-growing wish list of motorcycles, motorcycle accessories and gear. I figure, as we stumble out of winter, it will give me enough time to plan and prepare for next winter.
The two most recognised brands in the space are Keis and Gerbing, providing everything from jackets and gloves to pants and jacket liners.
Gerbing’s MicroWirePRO Premium Jacket Liner is a 12V heated jacket that can be worn underneath your riding jacket. It has a Thinsulate (synthetic fibre thermal insulation) soft shell lining, heating element pads on the chest, back, collar and sleeves, and is made with a water- and wind-resistant nylon shell. It is lightweight and compressible for packing, so it won’t take up too much space. It's got to the point where having a section in my wardrobe just for riding gear would come in handy.
The interior and exterior pockets also have water resistant zips. In the sleeves, there are sleeve plugs to connect Gerbing heated gloves and the wiring is such that you can control other Gerbing products, like trousers, from the jacket. Gerbing also makes heated insoles, socks and sock liners and has both 12V and 7V products.
The one thing to consider when it comes to getting heated gear is whether it is operated by battery pack, is connected to your battery or both. Most of the ones on the market are connected to your battery but regardless of which one you get, there are usually additional accessories required to both connect and to control the temperature.
Gerbing’s 12V products connect to the electrical system of your motorcycle and require adapters, temperature controllers and connectors while the 7V products need batteries, chargers and the like.
When it comes to trousers, I do like the look of Keis’ T103 Heated Trousers which uses a Micro Alloy-Fibre Technology to ensure that it isn’t bulky, which is useful considering it is worn underneath armoured trousers. It wouldn’t work for my riding jeans but would be comfortable under my touring pants, which is probably what I would wear on longer rides in the cold.
The T103 has three temperature settings with the heat distributed across your bottom half, particularly thighs and knees which often take the brunt of the cold wind when riding. It is also waterproof and plugs into the motorcycle’s 12V power system. A portable battery is also sold separately for when you are not on your bike. Keis also gives you the capacity to use a Bluetooth power controller or a standard one, with a controller flap on the trousers.
And while box Gerbing and Keis have gloves, REV’IT’s Liberty H20 heated gloves look dope, if just for the large button on the top of the gloves which enable you to switch between the four heating levels.
The flexible softshell on the upper part of the gloves, leather on the inside of the hand, a grip patch on the palm, hard-shell knuckle protector, and what they call Connect Finger Tip fabric to help with using your phone’s touchscreen, all add to the Liberty H2O’s appeal.
Plus, it is waterproof, insulated and even has visor wiper fabric on the index finger while using REV’IT battery-operated Thermotronic heating technology.
