Since I have two BMW sockets just waiting to be used, I decided to look at heated clothing at places like newenough, leatherup, even Amazon.

Pretty expensive, and not often in big sizes.

But during the course of my google search, I found out how to make my own.

For instance, I have a leather jacket made for me years ago by Just Leather in San Jose CA. It is still soft and supple, despite surviving the low side that totalled my ZX11 in an uphill 90 degree off-camber turn on a chillier-than-usual San Jose fall day.

This jacket has a zip-in quilted liner. I will turn the liner into a 2-purpose liner. It can be used just for its quilting warmth, or I can pull the cord out and plug it in for heated warmth.

I might do it for my nylon Tourmaster because I love the built-in armor. It has a zip-in liner as well, so I'll do the same thing.

Then I can use the liner from my Tourmaster with any jacket in the future.

How do you make your own? The trick is really simple. You have to find a fine gauge wire which is not brittle, so it won't break from twisting, flexing, normal throw-it-in-the-top-case-any-old-way routine. There is 32 AWG wire that meets this requirement, and it is in a plastic sheath so it is waterproof.

So you have to "sew" the 32 AWG wire into the front of the liner (chest, front of arms) with a lot of loops, and not so much in the kidney and backbone area. Just make sure that you have a continuous loop and the two ends meet at the same place.

Then attach an 18 AWG pair to those ends, and a plug on the other end of the 18 AWG pair, about 3 feet away, and you've got heated gear.

There will even been a non-resistor variable heat pot available sometime this summer, so you can hook one up to your BMW socket in series, and mount the pot beside the socket wherever you put them, and then control the heat of anything plugged into that socket.

Plus, once I can get that variable heat pot, I can use one to control my heated grips from 0-100% without a resistor.

Doing this, I'll have heated gear (jacket liner, pants liner) for a mere $50 or so. I think I'll just buy the gloves, I don't want to fool with glove liners.

You could just harden the f!ck up and enjoy the cold

Just stiring by the way lol

* Last updated by: matt1414 on 3/12/2011 @ 1:26 PM *

I have a nice set that I bought off of "CozyWinters".Sounds girlieboy....but they work quite well....I think they are actually made by Gerbings,but not positive.

* Last updated by: blue07 on 3/12/2011 @ 2:32 PM *

I purchased a Gerbings jacket liner and a set of G3 gloves back in the fall of 2008 and wondered why I waited so long to do it. I've been riding the street since 84. Now I smile inside my helmet when people in cars look at me like I'm nuts when I ride my bike in freezing weather. It makes the early and late season riding much more pleasurable.

Heh, Matt, good one:

You could just harden the f!ck up and enjoy the cold

I don't do that anymore. I was a bad arse mfn' airborne combat leader and did all that stay up for days freeze my arse off cook my head in the heat rah rah shite when I was young.

Now I'm happy to just be a wimp and be warm when I'm riding in cold weather without looking like I have 4 layers of clothes on.

I'll look, Blue:

I have a nice set that I bought off of "CozyWinters".Sounds girlieboy....but they work quite well....I think they are actually made by Gerbings,but not positive.

Most of what I find won't fit my beer belly.

My riding Jacket is an older one....it's a REIMA Cycloack.It's the best cold weather/midweather jacket I've ever used.Works really well...fully adjustable...good armor(inside).Maybe you could find one on the net somewhere.Just using a couple of layers of underclothes keeps me way warm in the coldest days.Even without the heated gear.Might give it a go if you can find one.It's my exclusive all rounder.(yes...can be worn on 70,80 degree days as well....fully vented.

* Last updated by: blue07 on 3/12/2011 @ 5:37 PM *

That's awesome, i purchased a Gerbings jacket liner, gloves and dual zone thermometer a couple of years ago, the gear was VERY pricey (i think it was something like $600-700 all things said and done). Yes the heated gear turns you into a wuss... i used to ride anytime it was +5C or warmer, but now when its +15C i still turn on the heated gear (granted, i now ride as low as -5C), but pulling up to the next stop nice and warm while your buddies are frozen solid makes it worth while (not to mention extending your riding seasion by anohter 2-3 months).

1 major problem i ran into with the gerbings in the connectors they used for their gloves, after a year of use the wires just past the boots on the connectors broke internally and i had to snip them off and replace them with spares connectors i had from left over parts. Gerbings did offer to repair them under warranty, but they also pointed out that i'd probably pay more in shipping then buying the connectors and replacing them my self.

If anyone has suggestions on replacements i'm all ears.

Guess I've been lucky...there's plenty of times I've "forgotten" I'm hooked up to a power cord.Yep...pull that puppy right apart.So far...two seasons...I've had no wire failures.Good point on that little fact!I'll TRY to remember.

It IS nice stopping at a light or something and feeling nice and toasty...gotta say.Worth every penny IMO.Just getting glove liners(electric) for my first heated clothing gear set...what a world of difference they made.That's pretty much what convinced me to get the other stuff.Definitely extended the season for my old azz.So far...these "cheaper" ones(cozywinters "warmgear")have held up fine..plugs and all are working fine.

* Last updated by: blue07 on 3/14/2011 @ 1:21 AM *

I found a really good source for a kit (its all the company does, sort of a cottage industry) and you can get kits for the jacket, and pants either with or without heat controller.

They also have a better version of the standard heat-troller that HotGrips and others sell. Theirs draws very little juice when not heating. You could leave it turned on, with the garment disconnected, and it would not drain the battery at all.

Cannot say the same about many heat-troller products.

I'm going to buy the jacket kit soon, and put it in the liner for my Tourmaster Courtech nylon jacket, because when the vents are closed, it is waterproof. So it can be my cold-weather jacket as well.

Kustom Komfort