For a number of years I’ve been aware that heated waistcoats and the like are available which are alleged to make riding the bike in the dead of winter more bearable. Last winter I was able to borrow a BMW heated vest. So, I took a few cold dark evening and spent some time roaring around the Hampshire lanes to test the product. It was sort of OK. The problems, I felt were that (on a R1150GS anyway) my arms were still exposed to the full flow of the wind and felt a tad cold. Also, my neck didn’t stay that warm.

Many of you will know that for all the praise heaped on heated grips, the ends of your fingers get very cold, as very few, if any, of us wrap our hands completely round the grips, thus meaning that the finger tips are open to the flow of cold air.

So, when my kids told me that for my birthday they were clubbing together to buy me some heated gear, we started to look at what was available. We settled on Gerbing kit. I chose the liner rather then the Gerbing jacket with the heating built in. After all, I already owned a very decent waterproof jacket and trousers.

Slightly unsure about what size I needed to order (XL seems to vary so much from company to company), I phoned the UK distributor in Kent. They couldn’t have been more helpful, so with the passing of my VISA card number, I sat back and waited for my heated gear to arrive. I expected a week or more, but the box arrived next day. Splendid service! Even better, the company has been in business for 30 years and they offer a lifetime guarantee on the wiring. I’m not sure if it’s the lifetime of the clothing or my lifetime, mind!

What did I buy? Well, being a wimp and hating to get cold, I bought the lot. That is a heated jacket liner, trouser liner, gloves, socks and a heat controller.

confess that it took me a few weeks to get round to wiring things up to the bike, but mainly because we were going through a cold damp spell and my garage is unheated. Also, with the evenings being dark, I was left with weekends to work things out and, with three teenagers,weekends are often busy.

Anyway, I finally set to and sorted out the wiring. Although you can use the BMW power socket, the full kit takes slightly more than the 7.5 amps that the fuse will bear. So, I took the fused power lead that Gerbing sent and wired it right on to the battery. Using cable ties, I routed the cable along the frame and left the power socket hanging just under the seat below my left leg.

Then, I put the gear to good use.

Firstly the jacket-liner and gloves. The jacket-liner has heated sleeves and a heated collar. It’s thin enough to wear under the winter lining of my jacket, or as I usually do without it. I went out on a cold slightly frosty evening and was simply blown away. The effect of the Gerbing gear was tremendous. I was actually warm.

Indeed, after the first 5 minutes when everything warmed up, I had to use the heat controller to turn the heat right down. And I was toasty!!!!!! My hands were completely warm, right to the finger tips. The Gerbing gloves are Gore-Tex lined and have been totally waterproof. My body was very comfortable, with my arms nice and warm, and perhaps the best bit, my neck was nice and warm. Later, I tried out the trouser liner, and again I was blown away by how effective it was, and how comfortable it made me.Then came the socks, and to have totally warm feet on the coldest of days is a real treat.

Even better, every bit of clothing plugs together, so you only need one power lead, I plug that into my jacket, and then link everything else from the jacket. At the ends of the sleeves are connectors for the gloves, and at the waist a connector for the trousers/trouser-liner, and at the bottom of each leg is a connector for each sock.

I bought a two-channel heat controller and run two circuits from one power inlet. So, the bottom half of me is on one circuit and the upper part on the other, giving me the option to vary how much each part of me is heated. There are two versions of this. One is mounted to the bike and the other is portable. The portable device does mean that you have affair bit of ‘loose’ cable to tidy away through a belt loop or something similar.

I even found that on one ride, when the heavens opened, that I got home with a certain amount of wetness creeping into parts of me (especially my neck!!), the Gerbing gear kept me warm and the water didn’t really cause me any discomfort.

I have discovered that I can cope quite well without the trouser-liner and socks, as long as it’s not too cold. It would seem that just keeping my trunk and hands warm are good enough for most days. But, if it’s very cold (you know, bright frosty winter days) or there is the promise of rain then it’s great to put the whole lot on.

In short, this clothing has transformed my riding life. I wondered how I’d managed to ride bikes for 35 years and not be aware of heated clothing. No longer are cold winter days a reason to sit back and leave the bike in the garage. My riding season has extended to a full 12 months.

Now, OK, there is a price to pay for staying warm. The total cost was around £380, but then a decent new winter jacket would have cost that much. The gloves are first class and stay dry. The liners are not bulky and fit under my original clothing even if I insert the winter liners. Only the socks have been a tad tight, and that’s because my BMW Transition boots are a snug fit.

Another pleasurable fact is that if you mention in your phone call that you are a user of the www.ukgser.com website, you will get a 10% discount on your order. You can also link direct to the Gerbing website from the www.ukgser.com website.

Was it worth it? Oh, yes!!!!!!!!! It’s transformed my riding experience. I’m now wondering if they could make a heated balaclava to keep my head nice and toasty............

Addendum:

When I was at the Bike show at the NEC I asked the guys from Gerbing about a heated balaclava. And .................. they’re working on it. Got one in development, apparently, because there is good evidence that warming the brain by a couple of degrees in cold weather helps with all manner of brain function and concentration. The problem they’re encountering is that helmets usually fit tightly, and heating wires would dig in a bit. They’re looking at making a balaclava using some of the new electro-conductive fabric.