Many motorcyclists need to travel on two wheels throughout the year and others, like me, want to venture out for fun for as long as the roads aren’t too dangerous to navigate. But keeping warm on a bike is not easy when the temperature dips below freezing and many a poor chap has come to a sticky end when fingers and toes freeze up or, worse still hypothermia sets in.

After spending a few uncomfortable afternoons swaddled in so many layers I could hardly move I decided to check out some heated clothing. Gerbing claim they are the company that introduced the world to jacket and trouser liners so I thought they were as good a place to start as any.

A quick phone call to their UK headquarters in Kent resulted in a jacket and a pair of gloves landing the following morning - what service. Full instructions and a lifetime guarantee came along for the ride.

In my case getting wired up was simply a case of plugging in the variable controller and attaching it to the plug socket on the side of my BMW F650GS. Other bikes are supplied with a connector to attach to the battery terminals.

My first road test looked set to be a bit of a disappointment. I woke up on my chosen Saturday morning to a bright and almost springlike day - in fact it was almost warm. Undaunted I decided to try out the gear anyway. I took out the winter lining from my Hein Gericke suit and dispensed with my fleecy under layer - simply wearing what I would normally wear on a warm summer’s day. I was highly impressed. The jacket with its heated pads radiated warmth all over by back and arms and I was warm as toast all day. I’m used to having warm hands thanks to my heated grips but the heat from the gloves was far more pleasant than that of the grips. Instead of a hot palm and cold fingers my hands felt pleasantly warm all over without any hot spots. The only problem was I’d ordered the wrong size and they were a bit big so after a mile or two I went back to my old gloves and heated grips for the duration of the ride.

The following week it was far colder and the jacket really came in to its own. After a scheduled coffee stop I forgot to attach the power cord and boy did I notice the difference. Within minutes I was frozen to the bone and had to pull over to plug myself back in again. By the time I got home I’d been out and about for more than eight hours in temperatures just above freezing and felt wonderfully warm the whole time.

The gear isn’t particularly cheap but I reckon it offers great value for money and would recommend it to anyone who needs (or wants) to ride in the winter. As well as the jacket and gloves Gerbing offer trousers and socks with prices ranging from £59. Everything can be fastened together so you only have one power lead going to your bike. You can even wash them without any ill effects.

To find out more log on to www.gerbing.co.uk or telephone 01304 827030

Post script. Gerbing replaced my gloves for a smaller pair without quibble. They are a much better fit although a bit thicker than my usual ones and it will probably take a few trips before I'm completely with the added bulk.

JS