Introduction
Staying warm on a motorcycle in the winter can be a challenge. Basically, you have two options: bundle up or plug up. Bundling up will keep you warm for shorter rides, but can limit your movement and comfort on a bike. Plugging up costs a little more money, but you can control the level of heat and you don't have to have as many layers to keep warm and comfortable. In my most recent review on RiderGroups, I introduced you to the A'ME Heated Motorcycle Grips. Heated grips are a great first step to help keep your hands warm on a motorcycle, but are not the complete answer as temperatures start to drop into the freezing or below freezing range. If you still want to ride your motorcycle as the temperatures get this low, you will need something a little more substantial to keep you warm. That's where the Powerlet RapidFire Jacket Liner Package fits in very nicely. The Powerlet RapidFire Jacket Liner Package is not just a heated jacket liner, but a complete heated system that in my testing made a huge difference in winter time riding.
The Powerlet RapidFire Jacket Liner Package contains the Rapidfire Heated Jacket Liner, Powerlet Temperature Controls, Rapidfire Heated Glove Liners, and the Powerlet Adapter Cables. In addition to the package items, I also received the Rearset Yamaha FJR Dual Keylock Kit and the Dual Wireless Temperature Controller. Powerlet has all the parts that can keep you warm on a motorcycle in any weather condition, and they have custom parts for many makes and models of motorcycles that will make the install clean and custom.
Because this is a complete motorcycle heated gear system I will try to break this review down to its individual parts and tell you how the complete system works together.
Design
Rapidfire Heated Jacket Liner
The first thing you notice when you pick up the Rapidfire Heated jacket liner, is the quality that is built into this product. It is very thin for a heated jacket liner so it will fit very well under your riding gear. I removed the winter liner from my Tourmaster Riding Jacket, and replaced it with the RapidFire jacket liner. This provided a decrease in bulk with a dramatic increase in cold weather comfort.
The liner has stretch panels along the arms, shoulders and sides that help you get a tight fit but remain comfortable with the movements necessary to pilot a motorcycle. A tight fit is necessary in heated gear as you want the heat source to be close to the body.
The collar of the liner has a very comfortable fleece lining that feels very nice against the neck and it is heated as well. When zipped to the top, the liner covers all of the neck and has allowed me to ride without the neckgaiter that I have used in the past to keep the wind off my neck in cold weather riding.
The jacket liner is wind and water resistant and has a Polyurethane coated nylon outer shell. On cooler mornings, where powered heat is not required, the jacket liner does a very nice job without its heat source of providing comfort down in the 40 degree range. Because the liner is very comfortable, it is not intrusive to be worn as a secondary clothing layer. Most heated gear is in the way when you don't have the intention of plugging it in.
One of the very nice features of the liner is the zippered pocket along the back of the liner. This pocket can be opened and the liner stuffed inside to make a nice storage pouch for the liner when it is not needed.
The liner contains nanotube technology to provide heat; making it virtually wire-free. The torso, neck and sleeves have very small (nanotube) wires running through them that are so minimal you can not feel them unless you really search for them. Along the waist of the liner and the end of the sleeves, it does have wires that provide connection points to the wiring harness and the glove liners. These wires are out of the way and do not adversely affect the comfort of wearing the liner.