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.

The jacket liner can be set at 105 or 60 watts depending on the electrical output of your motorcycle.  This is accomplished by connecting or disconnecting two wires that can be found in a zippered pocket in the waist of the liner.  This is a nice feature for those riding motorcycles with a smaller electrical system as the liner can be adjusted so that it will not leave you with a dead battery following an extended ride.

Rapidfire Heated Glove Liners

The heated glove liners have a box finger design, are waterproof, breathable, and contain Thinsulate for added warmth.  The liners also contain the same nanotube wiring that is found in the jacket liner so there is virtually no wiring to deal with.  The liners have a single power port located at the back of the gauntlet that allows easy connection when used in conjunction with the heated jacket liner.  The jacket liner has a small zippered opening at the end of the sleeve that exposes a connection wire that can be plugged directly into the gauntlet of the glove liner.

These glove liners are very thin and will fit under winter gloves if there is a small amount of space available.  I do tend to buy my gloves very tight and my current winter gloves were a little too tight once I introduced the glove liner to the mix so I was forced to purchase a new set of gloves that would fit nicely over the liners.  Keep this in consideration if you plan on using the liner with your existing winter gloves.

The liners have pretty standard sizing, I usually wear a size large glove and a large in the Rapidfire glove liners was a perfect fit for me. Powerlet does have sizing charts on their web site that can help you get the perfect fit for the glove liners and the jacket liners.

Dual Wireless Temperature Controller

The dual wireless temperature controller allows you to mount it anywhere on your bike for easy access, and allows you to independently control the heat to the jacket liner and the glove liners.  The heat controller has a red and yellow knob that allows independent control of the jacket liner and the glove liners.  The red knob controls heat to the jacket liner and the yellow knob controls heat to the glove liners.

I used velcro and mounted the temperature controller to the reservoir on the left side of the handlebar.  This provided easy access to the controls to adjust heat as I traveled down the road.

Having independent heat controls for the jacket and glove liners is a nice feature.  I typically set the glove liners to a higher setting than the jacket liners and receive a nice balance of heat from the system.

The wireless controller sends the on/off settings and temperature settings to the jacket liner via a small receiver that is placed into the waistband of the heated jacket liner.  This receiver plugs in line with the harness wiring for the jacket liner and allows the jacket liner and glove liners to then be wirelessly controlled.  A small LED light flashes briefly on the wireless controller when you adjust settings to let you know the signal is being transmitted to the heated gear.

Rearset Yamaha FJR Dual Keylock Kit

So far I have talked about the Rapidfire Jacket liner, the glove liners, and the wireless controller.  The last part of the system is the wiring harness that gets power from your motorcycle battery to your heated gear.  If you purchase the kit which contains all the pieces mentioned, you do get a wiring harness that connects directly to the battery and plugs into the waistband of the jacket liner.  Since the battery of the FJR1300 is located in the front right of the fairing it was a bit of a stretch to get the wiring harness to the jacket liner.  The only route was to run the wire under the tank and bring it out at the front of the seat.  While this would work, it was not a nice clean install to have a loose wire hanging out near the tank of my FJR.  So, after a little searching on the Powerlet website, I found a custom made Dual Keylock Kit made just for my FJR.  The keylock kit attaches to the existing subframe of the bike to the lock that secures the seat.  This provides dual powerlet power sockets to the left side of the bike under the seat; a perfect permanent solution for providing power to my new heated gear.

Like all the other products reviewed here from Powerlet, the Dual keylock kit is very well made.  It provides dual power with spring loaded covers to keep dirt and grime out of the socket when not in use.  The power points can be used for providing heat to two riders at once, for charging your battery, charging cell phones and cameras, or anything else you might need to get electrical power to on a motorcycle.  Powerlet provides custom made kits that fit a large variety of motorcycles.  It is attention to detail like this that truly sets Powerlet apart from other companies.  Not only do their products function as advertised, they also provide a customized solution to power the accessories on your particular motorcycle.

Install of the Rearset Yamaha FJR Dual Keylock Kit:

The Install of the rearset keylock kit was pretty straight forward with one caveat on the FJR.   The kit wires directly in to the battery, the wire runs under the tank and then drops under the seat where it connects with the dual sockets that are attached at the lock for the seat.  The only hitch on the install was fishing the wire from above the seat to below the seat.  The FJR has a very tight tolerance under the seat, I think you could pour water in that area and it would take a few minutes to drip through.  I left the install to the capable hands of the fine folks at Bikers Bay in Bedford.  With the exception of oil changes (which I do myself) they do all the work for me on my FJR.  Bikers Bay in Bedford provides great service and very reasonable prices.  If you need a motorcycle mechanic in Dallas or Fort Worth, look them up.

Function

We have talked a lot about the features of the heated jacket liner, heated glove liners and all the other parts that make it work.  What you care most about is how well it works, so lets dive into that.

Rapidfire Heated Jacket Liner

The carbon nanotube technology gets rid of all the annoying heated coils that you can feel in most heated motorcycle gear.  I have used a Tourmaster heated vest in the past and, while it was nice and did its job admirably, it contained several heating coils that you could feel running throughout the liner.  Traditional heated liners take some time to heat up (kind of like an electric blanket takes time to heat the bed).  The Rapidfire Heated Jacket Liner provides almost instantaneous heat. Not only do you feel heat the moment you turn the system on, it is a more even heat that is spread nicely through out the torso, sleeves and neck of the liner.  The heat seems to start at the lower torso but quickly spreads through out the rest of the liner.

When the heat settings are adjusted correctly, you almost don't realize how much the jacket liner is doing for you.  I rode to work one morning with the temperatures in the upper 20′s. I had the heat settings set just a little past the midway point. I didn't feel hot; I just did not feel cold on my ride.  That was, until I dismounted my FJR after my 50 minute commute.  As soon as I got off the bike, I felt how cold the temperature really was.  My 3 minute walk to the building was infinitely colder than my 50 minute ride at 70 mph.  I don't wear a heavy winter riding coat, in fact, my riding coat is classified as a 3 season riding jacket; spring, summer and fall.  With the addition of the Rapidfire Heated Jacket Liner, my three season riding jacket can easily be worn in what ever winter conditions mother nature throws at me.

Not all motorcycles are created equal.  Likewise, not all motorcycle electrical systems provide the same electrical output.  That's why the simple addition of dual wattage settings is such a smart idea.  At the high end, the jacket liner can provide a full 105 watts of heating power.  If your motorcycle or scooter is electrically challenged, you can simply unplug one chord located in a zippered pocket in the jacket liner and reduce the watt requirements down to 60 watts.  Dual wattage settings is a very bright idea that makes this jacket liner accessible to many more riders.

The fit of heated gear is very important since you want to keep the source of heat as close to your body as you can.  The addition of the stretch panels in the arms, shoulders and torso of this jacket liner provides a very comfortable fit while keeping the liner close to the body.  Not only is the liner comfortable, it looks good on as well.  Most heated gear is better off hidden under layers of clothing, but the Rapidfire jacket liner looks as good as it functions.  I cannot say enough good things about the attention to detail that Powerlet has put into their products.

Rapidfire Heated Glove Liners

So, the jacket liner is doing its thing and keeping your torso warm, but if you have ridden in cold weather you know the first thing to get really uncomfortable on a cold winter ride is your hands and fingers.  Heated grips are great, but they only keep the part of your hand warm that is touching the grips.  The rest of your hand is exposed to the wind and cold and begins to ache in very short order.

That's where the Rapidfire heated glove liners work their magic.  The liners have the carbon nanotube technology on the back of your hands, between your fingers and thumb.  They provide the same instant heat that the jacket liner provides, and will keep your digits warm and nimble on cold morning rides.

Do the glove liners get hot? Yes.

Do they get hot?  Maybe a little too hot if you're not careful.  Let me explain…and at the same time show my stupidity.  On my first ride to work with all my heated gear on, I had not mounted the wireless controller to the handle bar yet.  I simply turned on the heat settings (too high), placed the controller in the jacket liner pocket (now two layers down after donning all my gear), and set out for my morning commute through Dallas/Fort Worth traffic.  Needless to say, once I was on the highway there was not an easy place to pull over in the craze of city traffic. Even though I felt a slight burning sensation on my hands, I decided to forgo the discomfort and continue to ride.  What I did not realize ,until I got to work, was the burning sensation was actually leaving a sunburn-like burn on the back of my hands and between my fingers.  When I removed the gloves from my hand, I could quickly map out the exact location of the carbon nanotube wires from the burns on the back of my hand.  These burn marks lasted throughout the day, but were gone the next morning and I was a little bit wiser from the experience.  Keep the heat controller in reach; start with a low heat setting and work your way up.

Dual Wireless Temperature Controller

The wireless controller is a god send…when you keep it in reach.  It has dual controls so you can independently adjust the heat to the gloves and the jacket liners.  I hate for my hands to be cold and I don't require as much heat for my torso.  This controller allows me to adjust the heat settings to my liking for both my hands and my body.

If I am going to nitpick a little on the Powerlet Rapidfire heated gear system, it would be with the wireless temperature controller.  The knobs that control the heat are free turning.  What I mean by that is, there is no small click or resistance as you turn the knob up and down the heat settings.  While this is fine if you are holding the controller in your hand while sitting stationary, it makes it difficult to tell if you are actually turning the knob or how far you have turned the knob with gloves on while moving.  I would like to be able to feel some slight resistance or clicks as I adjust the heat settings with the knobs.

The wireless controller is a nice option mainly because you can mount the controller where you want on your motorcycle.  If you are looking to save some money on the complete package, I think the inline dual controller might be a good way to save some hard earned cash.

Rearset Yamaha FJR Dual Keylock Kit

The dual keylock kit is a quality piece of hardware.  It performs as advertised, provides an additional outlet for a passenger or other accessories, and looks like it came with the bike.  I like the option of having another outlet available as I often run video on my rides and this will give me the option of charging a camera while still having the heated garments if need be.

If you are looking to save money on your heated gear purchase, you can use the wiring harness that comes with the kit or even a single socket kit if you don't have need for a dual socket kit. The fact that Powerlet has so many custom kits that fit virtually any bike shows me the attention to detail that this company has.  If you are willing to spend the money, they will provide the best setup that money can buy.

Pros

Rapidfire Heated Jacket Liner

• Very Comfortable
• Heats quickly and more evenly than other heated gear
• Provides heat to torso, arms and neck
• Virtually wire free

Rapidfire Heated Glove Liners

Dual Wireless Temperature Controller

• Can be mounted anywhere
• Independent heat controls for hands and torso

Rearset Yamaha FJR Dual Keylock Kit

• Looks like it came with the bike
• Extra port for passenger or additional electrical needs

Cons

Rapidfire Heated Jacket Liner

• When used with the wireless controller, the receiver is a bit bulky in the waist band

Rapidfire Heated Glove Liners

• Can get too hot, adjust heat incrementally
• Although thin, they may not work with tight fitting outer gloves
• Electrical connection point in gauntlet a bit intrusive
• Liners can be a bit binding under outer gloves

Dual Wireless Temperature Controller

• Hard to adjust settings accurately on the go

Price

The base package price can be a bit daunting at $420.00.  If you add a few extras, as mentioned in this review, the total price comes out to $588.75.  Is it worth it?  If you are looking for the best money can buy I say yes.  You would have a hard time finding better cold weather gear for the money.  If you are on a budget, there is another way to look at this; with current gas prices so high, extending your riding season on two wheels could help pay for this in a season or two of riding.  While the price for the Powerlet gear is not cheap, you can rest assured that they are providing a top quality product for your money.

Check out the RapidFire gear on Amazon.com for great prices.

Recommendation

Staying comfortable on a motorcycle in the winter can be a bit of a challenge.  The Powerlet Rapidfire Jacket Liner Package is the best gear I have tested to overcome cold weather challenges, and make riding in the winter a pure pleasure.  With its even heat, comfortable design, and custom parts made specifically for my motorcycle I cannot think of a better cold winter riding package on the market.  This is high praise for Powerlet, but their attention to detail and craftsmanship can be felt as soon as you start using their products.

I would recommend this heated gear package to any fellow rider without hesitation.  If you want to extend your riding season, this is the best gear I have tested that will allow you to ride in comfort and brave the elements no matter the temperature outside.