The Intelligent Thermostat is what Jack Fassel calls his heated clothing invention. Since I recently purchased a motorcycle that has a real alternator (R1100RT), l find that my old Gerbings vest gets too hot. My R100RT would start discharging my battery after about 20 miles and shutting off the switch to the vest was the only cure. After shopping around for information about thermostats, I found an ad in American Motorcyclist magazine and e-mailed for more information. Jack e-mailed data on his thermostat and a nice chart that compares various other brands. He closed by saying that "I'll be gone for a week riding my K100, contact me when I get back". My kinda businessman.
The little black box is about 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 3 1/2" and has an off/on/temperature knob with a two color light. The indicator light gives you continuous status of your charging voltage - Green is OK, Red is oops! If the red light comes on, the device shuts off your heat. One of the advertised features is that the sealed relay itself gives off very little heat, proving that all the current goes into your clothing and is not given up as heat from the box, like in some other units. The box is waterproof and guaranteed for one year. Installation was pretty straightforward. The unit comes with two connectors that I cut off right away and installed a BMW plug to the long lead and my vest connector to the short lead. As the instructions state, and I found out, you cannot hook it up incorrectly. If the wires are backasswards the red light comes on and stays on, just reverse the wires and go ride. We gave the thermostat a road test going to the March meeting in Tuolomne City. I obtained the optional leg strap for the device and when strapped on, it sits in a perfect place right on top of my left thigh. It heats up fast and is very controllable. Now I can ride all day in warmth.
Bottom Line- (Dislikes) The main criticism I have for the unit is the hook up wires. Supplied are two sets of single straight wires going from the unit to the vest and to the plug. After getting use to a coiled cord this method seemed primitive and inflexible. The other nit- the temperature knob needs a little bit more turning friction. I reached down to scratch my leg and accidentally turned up the heat. (Yikes) Just like my vest, I will not ride without a thermostat again. Once you try it you're hooked. I like the leg strap; because it's portable, I can use it on all my bikes, and I don't have to mount the unit to my bike or carry it in my jacket pocket as a big lump. Makes for a good conversation piece at gas stops too!
The Intelligent Thermostat is priced @ $59.95, with strap $68.50 (+s/h) from 5204 Summit St., West Linn, OR 97068, Phone/Fax: (503) 650-9336, sidejack@aol.com
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