Heated Women's Motorcycle Gear

After a chilly ride the other day, I thought about what I'm going to do to keep my fingers from freezing to death while out riding. Because at 50F + windchill it feels like 40F; it's COLD! 

So what is the best option for staying warm while riding your motorcycle? Two Words: Heated Gear.

In 2011, when I was first introduced to the world of Heated Jacket Liners. TOASTY!

You might be debating whether or not to go this route. If you've decided you're going to take the plunge, it's important to know what the best options are for us as women riders. Before I dive into some recommendations, let's review some basics.

How Should My Liners Be Worn?

When it comes to wearing heated gear, keep in mind that heated liners are meant to be worn Underneath. You need to block the wind so that you can actually feel the heat. These also do not offer any type of protection when it comes to abrasion resistance or impact protection. Also, it’s crucial that it fits CLOSE to your body, as fitted as your riding gear. How else are you going to feel all that delicious heat?

However, keep in mind that you must also wear a baselayer because the heating elements are hot so you need to wear a long sleeve shirt of some kind as a barrier between your skin and the gear. Not a heavy sweater or thick fleece jacket, but a breathable winter weight baselayer.  Otherwise you will get burns as you turn up the intensity!

So the order of layers is:

1. Thermal, winter weight baselayer
2. Heated Jacket Liner or Pants
3. Armored Riding Jacket or Pants

7Volt vs. 12Volt

As you start shopping, you will see these terms thrown around on various types of gear. It’s important to know the difference, especially when riding motorcycles. One will work very well for us, the other will not.

7Volt or 7V, refers to Battery Powered Heated Gear. That means there's a little battery in your pocket that allows you to adjust the heat while you're out and about. It lasts anywhere from 3-6 hours depending on how much heat you're using during any given time. I actually have a 7V vest that I bought just for working at the time (3 years ago) because the store I worked at was So cold inside. I tried using it just riding across San Francisco, but it didn't have enough heat no matter what jacket I wore over it. You cannot plug this into your motorcycle's battery to power the vest. And you only have heat squares that cover the upper chest and back. Another reason why this doesn't provide enough heat to your body while riding.

You will see a ton of 7V(olt) options on the market from many brands including Gyde (formerly Gerbing), VentureHeat and MobileWarming, but these 7V options do NOT provide enough heat to keep you warm at riding speeds. Maybe if you're riding a bicycle, but bump that speed up to 45-55-65-75mph and now that 7V vest can't keep up. And, you don't have heat down your sleeves, back, arms and neck like you do on a 12V jacket.

12Volt or 12V, refers to heated gear that you can plug directly into your bike's battery to provide continuous, intense heat. YES! Now you have more options to stay warm.

The reason I would recommend the women’s specific lines is because the fitment can be much better in the shoulders, sleeves, waist and bust. You also don’t have to size up to accommodate your chest/bust fit as you will with mens lines. 

Now, let's go over what the options are for 12V gear and the various combinations you can put together to stay warm. I'm going to list the options on WarmnSafe.com's website. Remember that all the women's heated gear offered through FirstGear is a WarmnSafe product. When you buy any of the women's specific heated accessories, you will find both logos on the garments.

12V Options:

1/ Generation 4 Women’s Heated Jacket Liner. $199.99-$239.99 This version uses a new heated material that sounds less bulky and softer overall. I’m very tempted to upgrade to this one because I’m hoping it heats better than the wires do. The wires are large and you can definitely feel them in the Gen 3 Liner. It also has a newer collar and reflective piping on the back, which I’m not sure how you would see since you should be wearing this Underneath your riding jacket. These liners are NOT meant to be worn alone.   The 90Watt generates more heat, and I believe it draws very similar power to the 65Watt. 

• 65watt; XS-XL $199.99 This version is probably being discontinued as Large is no longer available. You do save $40, however.
• 90watt; XS-2XL; TALL SIZES available! $239.99. This is such a great option for those of you who need longer sleeves and torsos.

 

2/  Generation 3 Women’s Heated Jacket Liner $199.99, XS-2XL I'm wearing this one in the picture above, and it's also the one that's sold through the brand FirstGear. No difference from the one sold on WarmnSafe's website, just comes with a FirstGear logo. If you're already considering spending $200 on a heated jacket, you may as well spend a few dollars more and get the Generation 4 model above. This one is still offered in 65W and 90W options, however Tall sizes are not available. Read my full review here.

3/ FirstGear Heated Pant Liners. There are two options for the pant liners as well!

• Gen4 Heated Pants Liner: XS-XL, $199.99; I’ve seen this one in person and it fits like a legging. Not as thin of course, but thin enough to wear under your riding pants. I was impressed by how well they fit. They seem true to fit.  “Heated zones cover thigh and knee and upper butt“

• Generation Windblock Heated Pant Liners: XS-XL; $239.99 Looks like the Windblock version has a couple key differences:
  • NEW WindBlock Pants Liner! Front Panel Made From Stretch Gelanots™ to Block the Wind.
  • NEW Run the Pants and Socks together or on Separate Heat-trollers
  • I can't tell any differences aesthetically, they look the same on the outside and the fit appears to be the same as well.

4/ Warmnsafe Women's Heated Gloves.  $129.99, S-L I’m pretty sure these gloves run loose. If you need XS, I would recommend the Heated Glove Liners instead. I personally prefer riding gloves that offer more protection such as palm sliders and hard knuckles, so for me, these don’t work. But if you’re searching for a toasty glove to ride in, you’ll probably love these.

5/ Firstgear Heated Glove Liners, Unisex XS-2XL; $79.95. These are the ones I want! These liners should be thin enough to wear under your gloves. If you have the jacket, then all you have to do is plug each glove into the cable on each wrist. Atomic Skin also offers liners, but you cannot plug them into another brand's heated jacket.  

So there you have it, all the heated stuff, all the time. Stay warm, everyone.

Time to go ride!

My New-To-Me 2012 Triumph Street Triple R

IMG_7122

On Monday I picked up a bike that I've been lusting after for over 5 years. A gently used 2012 Street Triple R! Oh boy. 

A couple weeks ago I sold my SV650 to my coworker. She was looking for an upgrade, and I happened to have exactly what she was looking for at the right price.

2006 Suzuki SV650

So I started my hunt and got very lucky with this gently used, 2012 Street Triple R with 5,000 miles on it. Pretty much in perfect shape, with a few minor scuffs.  Meet Goldie!

Yep, those are gold wheels. I couldn't say no. It was the perfect price and I just couldn't pass it up.

2012 Triumph Street Triple R

I cannot wait to shave off those chicken strips!

2012 Triumph Street Triple R

I picked her up yesterday and had a very, very cold ride home. But it was an awesome 45 minute ride home. It's exactly what I imagined and felt better than I remembered. I think it's been 5-6 years since the test ride I had back in San Francisco. I remember thinking how much I wanted one, but definitely couldn't afford one. I knew I would get one someday, just didn't know how long it would take!

It's been worth the wait. Having ridden my husband's Speed Triple many times, I knew I had to have one. But a smaller, lighter version of his. And that's exactly what I ended up with. I've never ridden on Pirelli Diablo Corsa tires, but they felt fantastic. Since I had a rather straight ride home, I didn't have much of an opportunity to lean her over much but I'm looking forward to the weekend.

It was missing some turn signals, but I reinstalled the rear and need to order some aftermarket options for the front. My plan is to install handguards with integrated turn signals. Before I rode home I installed my heated liner harness real quick. Then when I got home I installed Oxford Heated Grips.

This install took forever, much longer than the SVs took. I had to shave the entire throttle tube down, because the ridges were making the handgrips too thick to slide the Oxfords over. But now I have glorious heat! Is that considered a farkle? If so, then I guess that would be farkle #1. The next set of farkles include:

• Techspec Gripster Tank Pads

• CRG Shorty Levers!!! I couldn't help it and had to order the matching gold ones. :D

• Battery Tender Harness

• Coax adapter for my WarmnSafe

Warm n Safe Jacket Review

WarmnSafe Gen-3 Heated Jacket Liner $199 MSRP, up to 30% with GearChic discount. Pricing and details here. Sizes: Women's XS -XL and Men's S-3XL Additional Accessories: Single or Dual Mounted and Portable trollers. All the necessary instructions and screws are included in the troller package. You just need the right drill and bits to mount the troller to your fairing/control panel. You'll also find helpful installation videos on WarmnSafe's website.

Overview

You may recognize WarmnSafe heated liners if you’ve ever seen First Gear and their line of heated liners, which are actually WNS liners. Hopefully the name gives you an idea of what they had in mind. Keeping you warm and safe! The less distracted you are by how cold you are, the more you can focus and concentrate on riding. The minute you start shivering is a sign that you're cold. If you find yourself coming home after a ride, and are so cold inside and out that it takes a good 20-30 minutes for your body temperature to come back up, it might be time to consider heated gear. Or maybe you don't find your winter textile to be warm enough, with all the added layers you're wearing, in addition to your removable thermal liner.

Even if the temperature is only 50 or 60 degrees, if you're doing any sort of distance on the freeway, you also have wind chill to deal with. It can be manageable if you're just riding a few minutes across town. But as soon as you jump on the freeway to get to work, school or wherever, it's going to get cold fast. If you're a year round rider like me, you probably love to ride as much as you can. Wearing a heated liner gives me the freedom to ride to on days that I never would have considered before. I currently don't have a winter textile jacket and have been relying on my Ignition, which is primarily a spring/summer/fall jacket. Having a WNS has allowed me to stretch this jacket to temperatures as low as 45 with wind chill. I'll be honest, when I rode in that temperature on the freeway (on my way to Hwy 35/Skyline/4corners!) it was cold. But I didn't feel so cold that I needed to pull over. And it was never so bad that I couldn't get warm after getting off the bike. I could just feel the wind counteract the heated liner. I wouldn't recommend buying a heated liner to 'convert' your summer jacket to a winter jacket if you're riding in any temperatures below 50-55 degrees.

You know when wind starts to go down the front of your jacket and chills your core to the bone? Thank god I never felt that. I was just warm enough to stay above that and make it all the way to my destination.

If I had a proper winter textile jacket (without mesh or ventilation) I would've had better wind protection, which is what I was sorely lacking. So I ended up turning up my mounted temptroller ALL the way up! When I'm riding around the City, even in 40s, I never need to turn it up that high. There's just not enough wind chill. Typically I have it turned up halfway at the most. It actually heats up tremendously fast. I have a mounted troller and it gives me full adjustable controls. It only takes about 5 minutes to get to the level of warmth I need. I’d say that from the moment you turn on the troller to when it starts to generate heat is about 2-3 minutes. Its heavenly!

Fit

I typically wear a US 4, so an extra small was perfect for me. It should fit snugly so you can feel the heating elements. Typically you don’t want to wear a super thick layer underneath your WNS (ie wool sweater). I wear a long sleeve shirt and its all I need for the most part. On that cold ride to Alice’s, I wore my Schampa Skinny shirt which also helped me survive the chill. I’m able to layer this with my Ignition's wind / water liner as well, although I wish i didn't have to. But its the only way I can stay dry when its raining or foggy.

I found the jacket tapers nicely around my waist and then go out a bit over my hips. The sides also have stretchy panels so there's a little room to um, grow after a hefty lunch. Its not too long and not too short either. I’m able to wear them comfortably with my overpants, which do come up a little higher in the back. Since the side of the jacket is a little higher it makes it easy to tuck the back into my pants a little bit so I can zip my jacket and pants together when its chilly out. (less wind going up)

There’s also a heating element all the way around the collar, which totally makes a difference. I don't even feel the need to wear a neck warmer, except on 40 degree long rides. It zips up a little high, right at the point where looking down feels a little uncomfortable. But, how often do we ride while looking down anyways? (Never!)

It lays pretty flat under my leather collar. It feels a little too tight for me so I usually leave my top button undone unless I’m really cold. I think if I were riding something upright like a Suzuki DRZ, I wouldn't notice it as much.

And when I tried on the Dainese Xantum, i found it to fit perfectly under that collar too. I think this jacket would fit under any textile or leather comfortably, the only problem I've had is sometimes the wires on my right elbow come up a little high and rub against my elbow armor. A quick shuffle and shimmy with my sleeve and it goes back to where it was.

As far as the wires, there are three zippered pockets with cables. The first is on the left pocket. It's only about 4 -5 inches long. And when you're not riding with it connected to the small cable coming up between your seat and gas tank, you can tuck it back in the pocket.

On the inside of the left pocket is another smaller zippered pouch, for a portable heat troller if you dont want to be connected to the bike. This would make it convenient to wear during other outdoor activities.

Finally each sleeve has a small 3-4 inch zippered pocket if you ever decide to get heated gloves and that way you can plug the gloves into the jacket then plug the jacket into the bike. Im not sure if a portable troller is powerful enough to heat both at the same time.

I only have the jacket so I’m connected to the bike via a single mounted troller. Since my battery is under my seat, I ran the line from the battery, under the frame, along the left side of my frame under the gas tank to the underside of my left front fairing. I then mounted it to the left of my instrument panel, where a small hole already exists, presumably for aftermarket accessories. Installation took about 20-25 minutes, once we figured out where to mount the troller. I didn’t want to drill a hole in my bodywork at the time, but I may move it for easier access.

Yes, you will have to connect yourself at least once to a cable but its soooo worth it when you're riding in 30-40 degree weather and you arrive toasty and warm to your final destination. I could see how short trips here and there wouldn't warrant heated gear but for any long trips, or longer commutes (~30+ miles each way), a heated jacket in that kind of weather is a must.

After you have heated gear, you kick yourself for not investing in it sooner!

And heated gear isn't just for drivers. if you're a passenger and you find yourself always cold, you'll never be with a warmnsafe.

I will post photos as soon as I get back from Washington DC.

Warm & Safe Heated Jacket Liners

Ahhh, Winter. It's that time of year again. I have never had the pleasure of using a heated jacket. I hear that these mythical garments can change your riding life. If that's the case, I wish I would've thought of getting one years ago. I guess I'm just a sucker for punishment.

But after one too many rides freezing my arms, chest and upper body off, it's definitely time to put an end to needless suffering. It's also perfect timing since I've entered the winter riding season without proper winter gear. I can't wait to try out a heated liner underneath my leather/textile hybrid jacket, which is definitely better suited for spring/summer/fall riding seasons vs. winter.

So why bother getting a heated jacket liner anyway? I live in San Francisco and luckily, we don't have a frigid winter like most of you across the country do. (Side Note: San Francisco weather is completely opposite of what the weather is like for cities just 10 miles north, south or east of here. In the summer, while everyone outside of San Francisco is enjoying the summer temperatures, I'm freezing my butt off from the marine layer that blankets the city. Foggy, windy, cold. Fast forward a few months to October and we finally get the mild, fairly warm temperatures (70s). Then, throughout Thanksgiving and Christmas through New Year's and into spring, we are a good 10 degrees warmer than the inland areas. Again, due to the marine layer. So, moral of the story is, visit San Francisco in September/October, NOT June/July).

However, there's a little something called Wind Chill. Riding on the freeway at night from say, San Francisco to Walnut Creek (where my family lives) in winter can actually be quite cold. The temperatures easily dip down into the 40s inland (my definition of inland: anything ~20 miles north, east or south of San Francisco). Add wind chill to that and you've got a heinous temperature of at least 25 degrees to deal with. *whimper*

I'm a firm believer that the right gear improves your ability to ride in so many ways. Heated gear can definitely do this too. Anytime something distracts you from the act of riding, it can make you far more vulnerable to an accident. Just like someone in their car talking on their cell phone pulls them away from the moment, so can thinking about how cold you are, or how uncomfortable you are while riding your motorcycle.

How many times have you gotten home after a very chilly ride, unable to get warm until you've either: a) stood under a hot shower for 20 minutes or buried yourself under a pile of down comforters to get your body temperature back up to normal? That's a sign that your body temperature was probably starting to drop and you need something more than your textile or leather jacket to keep you warm. Well, I have something that's going to help.

I am excited to announce a referral program in conjunction with Warm and Safe heated gear to all GearChic readers (men and women!). To take advantage of this amazing pricing on heated liners for WarmnSafe, you must send an email to Rose Kincart and tell her you saw the post on my blog. Below is the pricing on Women's heated jackets, pants, gloves and the heat troller. You can't get this pricing on their website or through any other retailers. You must contact Rose directly and mention Me in order to benefit from this pricing.

WarmnSafe recommends that wearing a high performance base layer like Klim or any high moisture wicking material will help keep you warm and comfortable as well. NO Cotton! Wool really is the best option. Smart Wool fabrics like those made from IbexWear and Ice Breaker are as soft as cotton, breathes and performs better than cotton.

For additional pricing on other products on their website, you can email her for that information as well.

Happy Riding, hope this helps keep you Warm and Safe. :)

PRICING

Women’s Heated Liner

Gen-4... *New Soft Heat Panels (no wires) Gen-2, Gen-3 …*The Generation 2 & Generation 3 are identical in quality, design, weight, thinnest, in ALL WAYS except the Generation 3 is a MICROFIBER Polyester. The difference is the material we use. the Gen 2 is a breathable non-coated Nylon Taffeta. The Gen 3 is a wind stopping, water repellant, wicking, breathing microfiber. *Designed to be worn over a single layer of clothing like a basegear, a t-shirt or other lightweight garment. A protective outer jacket should always be worn over it. *Keep in mind what other accessories draw from your vehicle–refer to your owner’s manual for its maximum amperage output.

Women’s Heated Pant

Gen-3, Gen-4... *Form fitting, close fit for optimum heat transfer to body. Made of Spandex® fabric allowing full range of movement for any activity and fits easily under your outer garments.

Heat-troller

Mounted, Portable or Remote... Single or Dual *The dual versions allow you to control the heat levels on the liner and gloves separately, highly recommended.

Women’s Gloves

Riders or Passenger (both Waterproof)

You must send an email to Rose Kincart and tell her you saw the post on my blog for “Special Pricing” or contact Rose @ 623-204-8043.

View all products at www.warmnsafe.com.