MCN

‘Keeps me cosy to the core’

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Tested by Justin Hayzelden for four months

When I first started riding, the warmest winter commute was when I’d pick up my copy of MCN from the newsagents and slip it down the front of my battered Wolf leather jacket as extra insulation. How things have changed… for the past four months I’ve been flitting about in sub-zero temperatur­es with nothing more than Keis’ B601RP heated bodywarmer, a base layer and winter textiles. And it’s been absolute bliss.

Heating comes from micro carbon-fibre elements on the back, either side of the chest and around the nape of the neck, and once activated they become noticeably warm in seconds. The constructi­on is super stretchy and provides a figure-hugging fit that’s essential for effective warmth. It’s advisable to leave a little wiggle room to prevent the pads from staying in the same place too long, but in my experience just shifting riding position slightly seems to be enough.

Hooking it up to the bike is simple, you can either wire the supplied adaptor direct to the battery or use the accessory power lead (£22) to tap into a pre-existing socket. Either way, Keis provide a selection of fuses and a handy chart to determine which you’ll need, as you can connect various heated garments using the bodywarmer as a hub.

A handy controller is included, this plugs into a socket in the left pocket and allows you to turn the heating elements on or off and select one of three settings – low, medium or high. This is indicated by an appropriat­ely coloured LED on the unit. It hangs just below the hem of most jackets, and with a singlebutt­on operation is straightfo­rward to use, even in chunky winter gloves.

The first time I switched it to high on a proper cold ride was a revelation. I was a puffing through freezing fog banks on a dark, moonless night up the A11, and despite the bike’s ambient temperatur­e display reading -2°C, it felt like I had a Mediterran­ean sun beating down. Heated kit really does change the way you think about winter riding, and the Keis B601RP bodywarmer is a game changer. It’s flexible, comfortabl­e and produces more than enough heat to keep your core cosy. This is not only important for health, but also key for concentrat­ion, meaning you can give your full attention to the job in hand.

Quality Value keisappare­l.com

PROS & CONS

Quick warm up, easy to fit, simple to use, wide range of settings Waist-level connectors demand careful positionin­g

 ?? ?? You can combine it with other Keis kit
ON TEST
Mirco carbon filaments produce the heat quickly and evenly. Impressive!
No more copies of MCN down the jacket…
You can combine it with other Keis kit ON TEST Mirco carbon filaments produce the heat quickly and evenly. Impressive! No more copies of MCN down the jacket…
 ?? ?? Easy to control heat for the perfect winter ride
Easy to control heat for the perfect winter ride
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