Best heated motorcycle clothing - tips to stay toasty!

Heated motorcycle clothing uses an electrical current either from a battery or your bike to generate heat and keep you warm as you ride. Its killer quality is that it actively generates heat and so can warm you up – rather than simply preventing you from getting cold like traditional thermal kit. Anyone who has tried heated motorcycle clothing knows there is a big difference.

Keeping warm on your bike if you like – or need – to ride in winter is crucial to make sure you stay safe physically but also, remain alert and can concentrate. There is nothing more distracting than being freezing cold; you can think about little else and won’t be giving your riding or other road users your full attention.

For the majority of conditions, layering-up will suffice. This means putting on multiple layers, each designed to do a specific task, to prevent your natural body heat from escaping and hence, you getting cold. However, this is based on insulating your body from the external conditions and if they are particularly bad, then you may need some extra help from heated motorcycle clothing.

Another advantage of heated clothing, which supplies heat, is that the actual clothing itself tends to be thinner and less bulky than non-heated equivalents. This can help with the feel for the bike, its controls and what it is doing – all of which are crucial in the kind of conditions that would warrant heated clothing.

Another thing to consider with heated clothing is power; some products come with a hard-wire kit to connect directly to the bike’s battery for unlimited power and duration while others may come with batteries for portability but possibly increase bulk. The choice is up to you, but using the bike’s power will mean you never run out of power regardless of how long your ride is but may add some extra faff.

Related: You can see how to connect heated clothing to the bike’s battery here

You can get heated motorcycle clothing for just about every part of your body, except for the head. Heated balaclavas are available but inevitably, their thickness would affect the fit of the helmet and generally, there is enough insulation in the helmet – comfort liner, EPS liner and the shell itself – to keep your head reasonably warm. The key areas are the hands and feet first, as they are the most exposed, then the torso and legs to maintain your core temperature.

Here is a selection of our favourite heated motorcycle clothing.

Hands

If you have a pair of medium-weight winter gloves that you like and know they keep the water out and your hands warm unless the temperature gets low, then a pair of these heated inner gloves from Keis may be the answer.

They are designed to fit inside your existing gloves and add gentle electric heating to banish the cold. Formed in stretch material and using Keis’ micro alloy technology, they fit snug to the hand inside your gloves.

Pros

  • Add heat to existing gloves
  • Stretch material for snug fit
  • Come with power harness to the bike or jacket

Cons

  • May increase bulk and reduce feel

These leather gloves are the shorter of two options; there is a longer 'L' version available with deeper cuffs, but these shorter ones work nicely with most jackets. They are waterproof and breathable, using a Hipora membrane to prevent the hands from getting too warm and sweaty, and have three levels of heating power, activated by buttons on the back of each hand.

They have hard-knuckle armour and padding on the fingers and come with a hard-wire harness to connect to the bike’s battery though optional battery packs are available.

Pros

  • Waterproof and breathable
  • Three levels of heating
  • Short to fit under or over most jacket cuffs

Cons

  • Hard-wire only – batteries extra

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Feet

Like hands, feet are typically exposed to the cold and wind-chill so keeping your toes warm is as important as doing the same for your fingers. These electrically-heated insoles from Keis will do that, radiating gentle heat upwards from the pads sitting underneath your feet.

They come with a bike-battery harness but can connect to trousers or jackets already connected to the bike or a battery pack.

Pros

  • Four sizes to suit boot size
  • Power from battery or the bike
  • Connect to existing heated clothing

Cons

  • Heat bottom of foot only

If you want all-around heating on your feet and ultimate portability, then a pair of heated socks are the way to go. These from Gerbing offer heating on both the top and bottom of the foot and can be powered from the included hard-wire kit or by batteries.

They can be connected using the supplied lead or via other items of Gerbing clothing, such as trousers or jackets.

Pros

  • Even heating of the foot
  • Connect to existing clothing
  • Use in any boots

Cons

  • Not cheap

Related: Best heated socks for motorcyclists

Body

This vest from Macna has a high collar to tuck inside your outer jacket to prevent any draughts yet provide gentle heating to the torso without adding bulk to the arms. It can be powered either by 7.4volt batteries or directly from the bike's battery (neither are supplied) and can be controlled via a Bluetooth app.

There are four heating levels as well as a battery level indicator (where fitted).

Pros

  • Vest design prevents bulk to the arms
  • Hard-wire or battery power options
  • Bluetooth control

Cons

  • Hard-wire or battery extra purchase

This inner jacket from Gerbing has full-length sleeves with heating elements in the collar, the chest and back and the sleeves as well, for all-round heating. It has a soft-shell outer and is compressible for when it is not needed with a snug-fitting design.

It can be powered by the included hard-wire harness from the bike or by optional batteries and has connectors for Gerbing gloves through the sleeves.

Pros

  • All-over heating
  • Compressible for when not needed
  • Dual power options

Cons

  • Separate temperature controller required

If you're serious about active heat generation and maximising your insulation, then this new heated puffer jacket from Keis could well be for you. It uses 3M Thinsulate insulation as well as carbon heating pads offering warmth across the chest and back.

The jacket has three heating levels and comes with a rechargeable battery and integrated control so it can be used as a standalone garment, on or off the bike.

Pros

  • Combination of insulation and heating
  • Includes rechargeable battery
  • Use on or off the bike

Cons

  • Heating life limited by battery

Related pages:

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Legs

These heated liner trousers from Keis are made in breathable soft-shell fabric and are intended to be worn close to the skin under your existing trousers.

They come with an integrated heat controller that hangs out of the hem of your jacket and a bike wiring harness is also included.

Pros

  • Snug fit
  • Strategic heating panels
  • Integrated heat controller

Cons

  • Becoming scarce

These heated trouser liners from Macna are made in polyester and have silver heat-reflecting technology built-in, to reduce their bulk under your existing riding trousers.

The whole garment is heated and they include a battery-life indicator for use with batteries and have four heating levels. Like the jacket (above) they don’t come with any form of power supply but can run with either an optional bike harness or battery pack and can connect to a jacket or socks.

Pros

  • Heat-reflecting silver liner
  • Minimal bulk
  • Elasticated ankles and waist

Cons

  • No power options supplied

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