Heated Clothing on the cheap!

W/r J. O'Grady

Like most things between Motorcyclists, this whole discussion started as a simple BS session and evolved into a; He said, I saw somewhere, etc, etc.. When I got done scratching around 'n getting my $0.02 Internet edgeumakation on the subject, I thought some others may be interested in what I had discovered. With input from a coupla friends and a few hours browsing.. Here tiz.. littered with links to folks who write much better than I.

The BS issue became cold weather riding when one person sez "man it's cold but that heated vest, jacket liner, sox, etc is WAY to expensive.." Other sez hey.. don't need it anyway, got lotsa winter clothes!" Yet somebody else sez "I saw something on-line that explains how to make it!!" And, "What the hell is HYPOTHERMIA!!" Cold weather don't bother me!

Starting with the medical word.. HYPOTHERMIA. It's NASTY stuff!! Ya really don't want any.. However, without knowing about It, it's hard to defend yourself against it.. Basically, as a biker riding in cold temperatures you stand a greater chance of being stricken than kids playing in the snow at freezing temps. In Layman's terms here'z why; Click here for a very good detailed MD version in Adobe Acrobat format

The fundamental consequence of using your body to cut through the cold air at speed is that, as the velocity increases, the wind-chill factor multiplies in proportion. End result is the actual temperature felt by the body is actually considerably lower than that of the ambient temperature. In factual terms, this means that even on short journeys the body will dissipate heat very quickly, it also is aggravated by the reality that overall body movement is minimized while riding. Windproof outer garments with under layers help but have limited effect over time and temperature.

There are two implications of this heat loss;

The first is the bone chilling cold!!.. As in the PAIN coupled with numbness we feel in our extremities as the temperature drops. This usually manifests itself as fingers feeling frozen, throbbing toes, burning facial skin, a bright red nose or other such everyday occurrences that we are used to and tend to suffer reluctantly.

The second has much greater impact and is known as Hypothermia. This situation results from your torso cooling down below normal operating temp. Robotically, the body's primary function is to ensure that the core and its inherent parts, heart, lungs, kidneys and other organs are kept up to the required temperature. In order to do this it will instinctively divert warm blood from other areas of the body, firstly from the hands, feet and other extremities and then, and MOST dangerously, it will divert blood from the brain. This, in its first form, will SNEAK up and give you a spaced out feeling, eventually leading to blackouts or unconsciousness and likely death when you unknowingly execute an uncontrolled CRASH.

OK.. All that said, and keeping in mind I did NOT imply the word "cold" always meant freezing weather, do you believe in fairy tales? Reason I ask is that many people, and marketing led companies especially, would have you believe that it is entirely possible, using conventional clothing, to always stay warm while travelling at speed on a motorcycle. This, quite simply, is scientifically NOT possible! Once the body/torso begins to "cold soak," besides some rigorous exercise (try that while riding..), the only way to warm the body is to increase the outside temperature by reducing the wind-chill factor. This means stopping and warming the body by an external process. Remember the last time you stopped (for lunch maybe) to get warm… Once ya got the shivering to quit, didj'a really feel like climbing right back aboard to head back home?? In a nutshell, externally heated clothing (vest/jacket) overcomes this problem by supplying a (warm fuzzy) heat source inside the clothing and next to the core. The rest, heated grips/gloves, trousers and sox are icing on the cake.

The future of Wizz-Bang (e-Textile) clothing is something once thought of as impossible, but you already know how that goes.. Yup!, some of its here, and if you have deep pockets, its available from "North Face" (look for, Intelligent Garment Technology™) The heated stuff they currently offer is for those that just gotta have their head in the clouds. The fabric was manufactured by Malden Mills of Polartec fame. An exception to the previous thought is this http://www.ele.tut.fi/research/personalelectronics/projects/tesc.htm??? It was obviously designed by an engineer who is most likely held captive in a secure rubber room for his/her own protection. The object appears to be for real but sure looks like it belongs in a Si-Fi flick.

For some of us, there are a number of manufacturers of heated clothing one can choose from, the most popular being Gerbing and Widder, both made in Washington state, and each company having a slightly different philosophies regarding it's functionality and use. Both are available on-line. Andy Popoli, an authorized dealer listed on Gerbing products website highly recommends (and I concur) a visit to a dealer to insure correct fitment of the clothing. Unfortunately, it appears that Bob's BMW in Jessup Maryland is the closest. Locally, I only know of Widder being available on the shelf at Adventure BMW. I believe all the Harley Davidson dealers can provide their version listed in the "official" catalog. There are a few more commercial listings here. Again I'm only familiar with Gerbing (which I own) and Widder (some friends own) but I'd be happy to post first hand info on others.

For the remaining unafraid pioneers, handy with their hands, and getting back to the original reason I scribbled this down.. My objective was to list some sources to "roll" your own, enticing some into making Heated Clothing on the cheap. Currently I only know of one person attempting the process and he isn't finished as yet.

This is a Heated Clothing construction primer, sorta! Actually it's a product review of commercially available stuff but good for basic info. http://www.motorsports-network.com/ProdTest/electric/electric.htm

Next up is this informative page on wattage, this one on construction and this one on Heat-Trollers. And here is a IBMWR, Heated Clothing instruction sheet with what appears to be excellent detail.

Finally this one from Giali UK which has some history and other info. If you read it you'll recognize some words I borrowed in an attempt to make this scribble somewhat legible.

With the onslaught of the first really noticeable cold winter in a couple of years comes the yearning for better ride'n weather but It's gonna get worse if you believe the Farmers Almanac. It appears there'll be some down time while wait'n for the snow/ice to melt, 'n plenty more time to ride in the cold.

My thanks to all the folks who took the time to post the info I harvested to present here. Additionally, I wish all who make the effort to "manufacture" there own Heated Clothing the best. I believe you'll find great satisfaction in an endeavor well worth the time as you cruise in warm comfort thinking off all the bucks saved. Let us know how your project worked out.

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