As I ride in all weathers I decided to invest in some heated riding gear. I researched the subject on line and in the printed media. In the UK we have a publication called "Ride" whom performs longterm tests on all kinds of biking paraphanalia, recommended the Bike Tek product. This, along with finding an Ebay trader who was offering good prices on BikeTek gear swayed my decision.
OK, so the heated trouser liners are actually Chaps, and not full trousers as expected and come fitted with the necessary wiring harness and controller, only bug being the supplied harness is designed to connect to the bikes battery which will leave an untidy "umbilical" flapping about on the bike, A target for vandals perhaps but more importantly for me it will look terrible!
The insoles plug into a wiring harness that runs through the chaps as well as having another supplied with them in the package.
I've made the decision to do things. Firstly to affix the controller to the bike, I'm going to screw it to the right hand fairing pocket lid and run the cables through the pocket, the fly lead to connect the heated liners will tuck neatly out of the way between the seat and the tank and the power lead will follow the same route but go behind the right side bodywork panel where it will connect to the battery. I am also going to switch the controller so that it is only live when the ignition is on. I will achieve this by using a standard automotive switching relay, taking the switched feed from the headed grips.
Firstly, the chaps come up BIG on sizing. SO if you're gonna order a pair. best get a size smaller than you would usualy go for. They basically wrap round the legs/waist using velcro and dont feel very secure (hence the above decisions) but once under my outer clothes dont feel restrictive. Out on the bike (in -4 degree centigrade) they warm up quickly and evenly. I felt warmer overall as a result and much more alert. Making the morning commute (67 miles, about 90 mins) less of a chore.
The insoles fit into my boots perfectly (TCX infinity GTX goretex) although the boots felt a bit tight at first with them in. This soon passed and my feet felt toasty warm throughout the journey. I usually get knumb toes on cold mornings but these have cured that.
Overall Im happy with the products performance. I was dissapointed that the touser liners were chaps and not full trousers, but thats more a reflection on the discription given by the trader than on the product itself.
OK, so the heated trouser liners are actually Chaps, and not full trousers as expected and come fitted with the necessary wiring harness and controller, only bug being the supplied harness is designed to connect to the bikes battery which will leave an untidy "umbilical" flapping about on the bike, A target for vandals perhaps but more importantly for me it will look terrible!
The insoles plug into a wiring harness that runs through the chaps as well as having another supplied with them in the package.
I've made the decision to do things. Firstly to affix the controller to the bike, I'm going to screw it to the right hand fairing pocket lid and run the cables through the pocket, the fly lead to connect the heated liners will tuck neatly out of the way between the seat and the tank and the power lead will follow the same route but go behind the right side bodywork panel where it will connect to the battery. I am also going to switch the controller so that it is only live when the ignition is on. I will achieve this by using a standard automotive switching relay, taking the switched feed from the headed grips.
Firstly, the chaps come up BIG on sizing. SO if you're gonna order a pair. best get a size smaller than you would usualy go for. They basically wrap round the legs/waist using velcro and dont feel very secure (hence the above decisions) but once under my outer clothes dont feel restrictive. Out on the bike (in -4 degree centigrade) they warm up quickly and evenly. I felt warmer overall as a result and much more alert. Making the morning commute (67 miles, about 90 mins) less of a chore.
The insoles fit into my boots perfectly (TCX infinity GTX goretex) although the boots felt a bit tight at first with them in. This soon passed and my feet felt toasty warm throughout the journey. I usually get knumb toes on cold mornings but these have cured that.
Overall Im happy with the products performance. I was dissapointed that the touser liners were chaps and not full trousers, but thats more a reflection on the discription given by the trader than on the product itself.