Heated Jacket
.
Last fall I went to a dealer asking about heated gloves & jackets. Mostly my hands suffered being in the direct wind stream.
I couldn't afford both at once, so I asked if I should buy the gloves first, or the jacket first. They recommended the jacket.
I'm glad I got the jacket.
The jacket heats your body core. Your heart then pumps warm blood to the extremities. So as it turns out, now I don't really need the gloves. (Don't need to wear leather chaps as often either.)
I purchased the Gerbing brand, which is in the form of an inner jacket that I wear underneath my leather motorcycle jacket. (The inner jacket like a light windbreaker, except that it has heating wires sewn inside the liner.) The inner jacket should fit snugly in order to avoid air gaps. It also has connectors in zippered pockets near the wrists, in case you buy their matching heated gloves later.
I find it very effective down to about 40 degrees. In fact, it's better to wear a T-shirt underneath, because the heat transfers to your body better than if you had worn layered clothing.
The other major benefit is that when you arrive at your destination, you're not having to cart around an extra 10 pounds of clothing under your arm.
On the inside of the jacket just above the waistband, and on the left side, is an electrical connection panel. With the included wiring & inline fuse, you can run the power wire through the narrow gap between the bike's left side panel and the padded seat, towards the bike's 12V battery.
There's also an inline connector jack midway between the jacket and battery, so that you can quickly & easily disconnect yourself when dismounting. A short length of wire is left hanging from from the bike after you park.
Gerbing has an optional thermostat control (roughly $100). It turns the heated jacket on/off automatically at the desired temperature.
I chose the manual lighted toggle switch (about $20). It hangs about 3 inches below the waistband near my left leg. It's accessable either while riding, or if you get too hot waiting in traffic, you can switch it off while sitting at light. You can reach down and turn it on again once you're back riding into the wind.
I'd have to say this is one of the best accessories that I've ever purchased for a motorcycle. It's extended my riding season by at least 3 months.
.
.