After being a keen motorcyclist for over 30 years the time came this year for me to hang up my crash helmet for various reasons.
I bought a NC PRHT as a bike replacement so that I could still have freedom,but with the added safety and comfort of a car. I only take her out when it’s not raining and I can have the roof down.
Winter is now on it’s way and it’s getting a bit chilly even though the heater is brilliant and I have heated seats, so I’ve recycled the heated jacket that I used for winter riding on my bike and fitted a 12v supply for it in the central cupholder/cubby hole.
I’m now very warm and toasty with the roof down, even at night (I have been getting some strange looks from other motorists), and loving the freedom of open air motoring.
The 12v power socket is used on most CCTV systems and very cheap on eBay. I wired it to the cars lighter socket via a 10amp fuse.
It’s one way to keep warm for sure and may suit some, with the combination of heated seats and a nuclear level heater I’ve never felt cold in my torso in an MX-5.
I sometimes wonder how Dad’s generation survived in their pre-war cars, convertible or otherwise, (he had an Austin Seven ragtop and he also had an m/c) without any sort of heating.
Not quite my Dad’s generation, but for the cold weather on the bike (late 1960s) I had a sheepskin jacket and sheepskin lined boots, and a proper helmet with visor because I needed glasses. The bike also had a full white Avon fairing, just like the Police bikes and the reg number 609AFC was exactly where it normally said POLICE, amazing how the traffic cleared out of the middle lane on the old 3lane A-roads. One winter going between London and Bristol on the old A4 I didn’t realise quite how cold it was until I stopped for a coffee, and the instant I put my foot down the cold came up through the boots like I had stepped in an icy puddle barefoot. On that old Thunderbird the exhaust pipes ran underneath ones feet to keep them warm.
In the NC if lid hid in the winter I wear a ski jacket and a woolly hat, seat heaters on, climate control on auto at 21C. Toasty warm.
Don’t forget to unhook it before you exit the car.good idea though.
Reminds me, pulling up at my local NT site mid winter hood down the chap said you must be mad this weather. I said you’ve got your halogen heater, hot coffee and numerous layers of clothing on, bet you ain’t as warm as me, he said he was freezing his whatsits off.
I have to turn the heater down sometimes, my other half complains about the heat.
The heater in the car is absolutely amazing and I do love my heated seats. I don’t think that I would go out and buy the jacket for use in the car and I only did the modification for the heated jacket because I had one available from my biking days and I love tinkering.
It has been lovely the last couple of days wearing it for my 10 minute commute to work and back though.
Sunday morning at 07.30, display showing 3 degrees, and I’m in sweater (and jeans, shoes obviously) without hat or gloves and 70mph on the A12. Perfectly warm with aircon at 21 and heated seats at 3…
My dad was a sales rep with lots of driving for his living and he started driving before heaters were standard. Right up to him handing his licence back in 2015, his winter driving outfit consisted of a large overcoat, scarf and hat, with the heater control resolutely set to cold. Old habits die hard I guess!
I only realised this after visiting HMS Belfast. They turned off the heating in the turrets etc in the ship on the Arctic convoys to prevent them icing up INSIDE. The gun crew lived in the turret and had to cross the open deck to get to food, wash, latrine etc. If it is all at outside temp one wears appropriate clothing…
