Dreds askew at beach in Yarmouth, MA. Temperature: mid-40s. Gerbing under Ballistic.

This trip was essentially a shakedown for my new Gerbing jacket liner. The '01 VFR800 has a digital thermometer for engine temperature and ambient temperature. According to the various billboard thermometers that I passed, the VFR thermometer may skew as much as six degrees fahrenheit over actual temperature. The lowest reading on the bike was 21 degrees. That was a couple of hours after sunset as I crossed into Rhode Island on I95. I was toasty wearing a Joe Rocket Ballistic 1.0 jacket and pants (circa 1999) over the Gerbing jacket liner, a zipper-collar cotton turtle neck sweater, a t-shirt and thermal long johns. On my hands I wore Thinsulate-lined leather gauntlets. Boots were unlined. Full-face helmet by Shoei.

Why the detail? Well for one thing, Gerbing recommends wearing only one layer under their heated clothing. And there's something to that. While my torso was toasty, my arms were almost excessively warm. The T-shirt was making that difference. Given the never-airtight zippered vents on the upper arms of the Ballistic jacket, the two-layers on torso, one layer on arms arrangement wasn't all bad.

This route is a straight shot that I have been travelling virtually since I was born. It's about 500 miles roundtrip. I95 in NY, through CT to I195 in RI. Then in MA, Rt 25 to Rt 6 at the Cape Cod Canal. Rt 6 runs the length of the Cape.

The temperature was in the mid-30s when I left NY at 4 p.m.. For a little variety, I started on the Hutchinson, and crossed over to I95 on side roads in Mamaroneck. Connecticut has computerized signs that inform you that you are going VERY slowly because there is a Rush Hour Traffic Delay for the next umpteen exits. I usually try to plan around this crawl because it is the most boring riding for me. I had to work to stay alert while thinking about how all these low RPM miles might affect the VFR's ability to sustain the extra voltage required by the jacket. I had read on the VFR list that Gerbing owners recommended dialing down the Gerbing temp when doing around town riding. This was slower than most around town riding, so eventually I pulled off on a left shoulder and turned off the liner.

I opted for the Gerbing Heat-troller to use with the liner. In the coldest weather I only took the heat up to three-quarters, so I definitely recommend going the extra 70 bucks for that unit. You can also use it to hook up heated pants, gloves and socks by Gerbing.

The 10-15 mph Stamford crawl added almost an hour to my trip. Just east of New Haven I exited at Frontage Rd. for a quick dinner at Friendly's. In general I was comfortable temperature-wise, but somehow I neglected to change into thick socks, so my feet were very cold. Right next door to the Friendly's was a WorkWear store that had great Carhartt wool blend socks that cost 10 bucks, but were worth every penny in those conditions. If I had had time, I would have stopped at Libby's in New Haven for high MX socks, but that would have taken me too far afield.

My Friendly's dinner included a sundae. I wasn't hungry after dinner and was more interested in seeing how the sundae would do on he back of the bike. I was travelling with saddle bags and a tank bag, but decided to put the sundae on the pillion seat under a cargo net.

Results: When removed from its paper bag at the Sun Valley Motel in Wyoming, RI, the sundae, including whipped cream, was frozen. My feet weren't much better off, but every other part of my body was fine.

I've gotten caught in the Providence, RI rush hour traffic in the past, so waited until about 9:30 to hit the road in the morning. That also allowed for warmer air. It was a bright sunny day, and the temp was in the 30s at 9:30. Snow covered the grass on either side of the Interstate.

The only significant traffic delay in that leg of the trip was on the bridge heading into Fall River, MA. I briefly considered exiting in Fall River to visit the Vanson HQ store, but I knew that I would only have a short time on the Cape, so I decided to push on. I arrived at my mid-Cape destination just before noon. I had about twenty-four hours to visit with family and make a quick stop at a Yarmouth beach before returning to NY (early enough to miss New Haven and Stamford traffic). I switched to insulated boots for the ride home. Even in the summer you have to keep an eye out for sand on the Cape roads, but there's even more of it in the winter. Also, watch for ice in the shady corners. You can see some snow in the shadow of the bench in the photo above. Sunny weather, but still challenging riding.

Conclusion: There is no way I could have made this trip without the heated jacket liner. I am very pleased with the fit and quality of the Gerbing liner. The battery harness was very easy to install. I chose the Portable Heat-troller. There is also a permanent one which might be more of a challenge to install. Installation instructions come with the product, and are alson on the Gerbing site, and a quick search of the VFR mailing list will also give all kinds of installation variations.

The bike started on the third try after spending a night in open air in RI. According to weather reports the temps dropped to the mid-teens. The VFRs are notorious for problems with their regulator-rectifiers. Still the bike did start, but I will be keeping an eye on its charging abilities.

I've used high-tech wicking clothes, polar fleece, and all sorts of comfy, old-fashioned sweaters and vests to keep warm in cold-weather riding, but this heated liner takes comfort to another level. If you're interested in shopping around, in addition to Gerbing, Widder, Vanson, and Harley-Davidson now offer heated clothing.

If there were one thing I could change on the Heat-troller, it would be the actual dial/knob. You can attach the component to your tank bag with Velcro or keep it in your outer jacket pocket. With a more resistant "jog-wheel" type of dial, I could have changed the settings without taking the unit out of my pocket and taking off my heavy winter gloves.

If you're in the NY-CT area and want Gerbing, head over the Branchville Motorsport in Ridgefield, CT. They have two buildings, one for bikes (Triumph, Moto Guzzi, Victory), and the other for Vespas, clothing and accessories. The service and selection were excellent. Call 203-544-7900 and ask for Christine.