How does Heated Clothing work on a motorcycle?

A distinction needs to be made between 12V powered garments and battery operated products.

For motorcycle use, under extreme cold temperatures (wind-chill while riding), battery operated garments produce insufficient heat output. This is due to the fact that wattage needs to be restricted in order to make the batteries last. For instance, battery operated gloves produce about 7.5 watts of heat (each) for about 2 hours. In comparison, 12V bike power operated gloves produce 12 to 15 watts each for unlimited time. Battery operated gloves are great at low speeds.

12V motorcycle heated clothing is connected to the bikes electrical system. Larger and modern touring bikes usually have enough on-board capacity to power a 90 watt liner with pants, gloves and socks. Keep in mind that a full outfit like that could easily put you close to 15 amps. On sport, smaller or older bikes, it is advisable to keep the amperage draw down as much as you can. We have 65 watt (about 4 amp) liners and vests available.

Using a Heat-Troller controller is also crucial here. Not only are you controlling heat output to your body but by turning the controller down you are actually keeping power draw on the bike's system down as well.

First step: A battery cord is installed on the battery with a receiver plug left somewhere convenient to the side of the bike (behind a panel or under seat). This plug can also be used to keep the battery charged. Another solution is to install a permanent Powerlet (BMW-Hella) accessory outlet on your bike. It is like a cigarette lighter/accessory outlet in a car but smaller and designed to power heated clothing. (most cigarette lighter outlets are not designed for high draw heated clothing). Some bikes have such an accessory outlet factory installed.

Second step: A controller is connected between the battery cord and the heated garment. This can be a simple on/off switch or a variable electronic controller. For short trips (20 minute commute) a on/off switch is ok. However, the garment will always receive full power and it is therefore not the ideal setup. Investing in a Heat-Troller is the better way to go. Heat-Trollers come in single and dual (for 2 separate control zones) and portable, dash or velcro mounted.

Third step: Enjoy a comfortable ride.

With a single controller you can control the vest or jacket liner and any other item you connect to the vest (gloves or pants) as a single zone. However, if you do have other items connected, it might be better to be able to control, for instance vest and gloves, as separate zones with a dual electronic controller. You might want to turn the vest off while still directing power to your hands.

A dual controller is designed to control 2 heat zones for one person. It is not intended to control 2 separate garments for 2 people. Besides the safety aspect, 2 heated liners would have too much draw to be handled with one controller (15 amp maximum)