I did something I rarely do. I purchased Venture Heat heated motorcycle gear without reading reviews. But what did I expect to happen 2 beers deep and 30 minutes before closing time at the International Motorcycle Show?

If it’s dry, we ride. But our “cold” Southern California winter was putting the kibosh on racking up more moto-miles.

It was time to fix that!

Disclaimer: We picked this up on our own dime. Nobody’s sponsoring this review. We are simply trying to find gear so we can experience more adventures together and wanted to share in hopes it help you too.

If you purchase anything through the Amazon Affiliate links below, we get a lil’ extra beer money at no extra cost to you. Thanks in advanced!

Heated Motorcycle Gear

My pre-show research helped me determine that I didn’t want wireless/rechargeable. Lots of folks reported these 7v versions didn’t have a lot of umph.

The 12v Venture Heat products impressed us with the super toasty instant-on heat that only required an easy pigtail installation on the battery.

Sizing

So I made my own dressing room and awkwardly stepped between the booths to try on the pants. The stretchy material in back and heated panels in front make for a comfortable fit. But I found the pants to run a bit small.

The pant and jacket liners fit great under my slightly stretchy Levis and moto jacket without adding a lot of bulk.

At 5’9”, 155 lbs, and 36C this is what worked for me:

* Small Jacket Liner 12v with wireless remote controller GT-40 (draws 7 Amps on high)
* Medium 12v Pant Liner GT-30
* Small 12v Heated Carbon Gloves

In attempt to do some due diligence, I asked how their gear compared to the others. They said the other brands have coils that some folks complain to be a bit uncomfortable or easy to break. Venture Gear uses heated panels that can’t be felt.

With 15 minutes left until IMS staff kicked us out for the night and an eagerness for warm rides, we were sold.

When I came back home, I noticed the other guys’ had more and better reviews. Did I make a bad choice?

After 4 months and more than a dozen cold weather rides, I gotta say that this has been the best uninformed purchase I’ve ever made, toasty-hands down!

I liked it so much that I bought Honey pants and a jacket for Christmas. Now we’re both a bundle of warm muffins!

The wind and water resistance helps on days that we did get hit with some rain drops and actually helped to dry our clothes faster.

We didn’t install the wireless remote for vanity reasons. But I can easily reach the button flaps to adjust the temperature.

Although it can be a little difficult to see what color setting you’re on in the light, I usually count my clicks, feel the temp difference, or wait until I get to a stop-light to dial in the right level of toastiness.

Since the gloves plug into the jacket and both the jacket and pants plug into a y-splitter, I only need one pigtail for myself.

Due to the amp load and distance to the sidecar, I installed a second pigtail and picked-up another y-splitter for Honey.

NOTE: Be sure to use the correct fuse for your amp load to avoid damaging your gear. It’s simple to calculate with the included guide and variety of fuses. Venture Heat recommends using the y-splitter when using the jacket and pant liners to protect your fuse.

Battery Load

We also found that the 2 of us were straining the OEM battery. Even though it was in good health, the 65% charge after a full day’s winter ride wasn’t enough to startup the next morning. An easy swap to a Shorai Lithium Iron battery (LFX21A6-BS12) took care of that.

Like a good scout, we’ve also invested in a jump pack and quick connect cables.

NOTE: Quick connect cables (aka pigtails) typically used with a battery tender are not rated for jump starts. These EarthX Quick Connect Cables are!

After chatting with their super friendly and helpful sales manager, we decided to go with the EarthX Jump Pack as well.

We’re not rocket scientist, but they say their jump pack is way better then the leading ones on Amazon.

BONUS: You can use it to charge your phone or GoPro and even jump start your other vehicles!

Now we can finally venture up the mountain roads to Newcomb’s Ranch to chow some burgers on snow days with confidence and warm buns!