Keis X300 heated insoles

Dual power | Battery pack | Controller | Product review | 2016/2017

We've been road-testing heated insoles this month, which is a first for us. Being riders mostly of classic bikes equipped with relatively low output alternators and generators, we haven't had much to do with this kind of technology. Usually, there simply isn't much electrical power to spare.

But when we were offered these insoles to test, and what with winter being upon us (and what with our years rolling away a lot faster than we'd like) we figured we'd give 'em a go and see if they made much difference in real-world riding. And the quick answer is that yes, they make quite a big difference. But this statement needs some qualification and explanation.

Firstly, the dual power X300 Keis package isn't what you might think. For £59.99, the product box opens to reveal a pair of insoles and some cabling/wiring. With this package there's no battery pack, no mains charger, and no controller.

The idea is that you connect the first half of the power cable onto your motorcycle battery. That cable is 48-inches long and terminates at a connector block. Next, using some cable ties, you need to position the connector block somewhere suitable on the bike (possibly next to the side panel or something). You'll also want to secure/lose some of the excess cable.

Then you trim the insoles to fit your boots. There are guidelines on the undersides to show you where to cut, etc.

Then you pick up another length of cable (supplied). The cable is around 60-inches long and splits into two. Think Y-shaped.

One side of that Y split is longer than the other, and there's a reason for that (as you will see). 

You need to lower the two lengths of Y-cable down the inside of your trousers. Each length connects to the 18-inch cable running up from the insoles in your boots.

Finally you climb aboard the bike and plug the single trouser leg Y-cable to the connector block that runs to your battery. Then you're off. The uneven lengths of cable that run down your trouser legs are intended to allow for the fact that the connector block is likely to be positioned on either the left or right side of the bike.

Sounds too complicated?

Well it isn't really. It just looks worse in print. In practice, you'll hook yourself up in a minute or so, and you won't need much brain power to figure it out. Ultimately, once you've hard-wired the connector block and secured it on the bike, there are only three plugs to deal with; one at the top of your trousers, and one for each insole.

There's a claimed 8-watts of heat going into each insole, and it certainly feels like it after a spell. Actually, we had to stop numerous times to switch off the heat. That's because there's no controller supplied as standard with this package, so it means manually unplugging the cable/lead. And that requires two hands.

If you're on urban streets or quieter roads, that's no problem. You just pull over and do what needs to be done. But if you're on a motorway and your feet are cooking, you've got some harder decisions to make.

Classic bikers with low output generators/alternator can opt for the Keis battery pack instead of hard-wiring the cable to the bike's battery. The bat-pack is about the size of a packet of 20 cigarettes, and it charges in maybe three hours, or thereabouts. You can hook that up to the leads from the insoles and stuff the battery in a convenient pocket. It will give you three to four hours of heat, and that can also get pretty hot.

Consequently, even with the bat-pack alone, you might find yourself pulling over to disconnect before you roast some flesh. Actually, it's not that bad, and the warmth is reassuring. But take note that as the battery discharges, the warmth reduces. So the last ten to twenty minutes of life isn't full power heat.

Classic bikes and heated insoles

Our Triumph T140 three-phase 180-watt alternator managed to keep the insoles pretty toasty. In fact, uncomfortably toasty at times. But you can certainly feel the power drain on the indicators and horn (which probably has something to say about our motorcycle maintenance). And what with the lights also switched on, we found the drain unacceptable.

Stop and go traffic was therefore seriously compromising the T140's electrical output, but riding at a steady 55-65mph seemed to keep our feet warm. But that was daylight riding, note. And we figure that you'd get much the same result on any classic British bike unless you've up-rated the electrical system and fitted LED lights or something (and that's probably part of the hard-wire solution here). And we didn't even try the kit wired onto the batteries of our BSA sidevalves.

So we ended up riding on the rechargeable battery only (as opposed to drawing from the Triumph's battery). And note, you can't top-up the bat-pack on the move. You have to make a choice.

But the rechargeable battery was fine. However, the faster you ride, the more heat you remove, and that drains the rechargeable. So for practical cold-weather purposes, on the bat-pack alone you'll probably be warm for a couple of hours, which might be all you need.

Heated insole points to consider before buying

The insoles themselves are pretty comfortable. We thought the connections to the leads (at the rear of the insoles) would feel awkward. But we hardly noticed them. Then again, none of us have boots that are too tightly fitting, and we were wearing medium thick socks. But if you've got tight boots and prefer very thick socks, you might have a problem here. Factor that in.

Also, the insole leads connect 18-inch up your calves/legs. So once they're inside your trouser legs, it's not easy to get at the connectors if need be. We did briefly wear the leads outside of our trouser legs. But it's a non-starter. The cables flap around too much. Yes, you could try securing the cables/leads to your legs in a couple of places. However, you're likely to catch them sooner or later. We recommend you avoid this.

We did have some concern that the point where the leads actually connect to the insoles could chafe and wear/fracture prematurely. We haven't actually had a problem there. We're just thinking ahead a year or so. We'd certainly prefer it if those leads simply plugged into the insoles on some kind of flexible/repairable connector. Better that the leads should merely slip apart rather than break off.

And while we're mentioning this, we should point out that these insoles are not designed for extended walking. In other words, hours of pounding the pavement or wandering around at race meets or bike shows will eventually damage the wiring underfoot. So you'll probably want to remove the insoles upon arrival, which isn't ideal.

The leads down your trouser legs, meanwhile, are not too uncomfortable. And once you're moving around you don't notice them. At least, we didn't. But if the leads were flatter, like those computer ribbon cable thingies, that might help a little.

Heated insole pricing

The ideal set-up is the Dual Power X300 package, plus a rechargeable battery, plus a controller. But that will cost more than £59.99. A heavy duty controller currently costs £29.99. A 2600mAh rechargeable battery pack currently costs £49.99, or £64.99 with the mains charger.

So, a complete Dual Power set-up (X300 insoles, controller, rechargeable battery and mains charger) will cost £154.97. That's probably discounted somewhere, but we don't much like getting on the discount merry-go-round, so we haven't checked. You have to decide for yourself if that's too high a price to keep your feet warm.

We figure that for short journeys, these insoles might be more trouble than they're worth—unless, that is, you have circulation problems, etc. But they're probably not intended for short hops. However, for medium to long hauls, you'll appreciate the warmth, and these insoles will no doubt make the ride more enjoyable. They could help make the difference between riding through winter, or not riding through winter.

Another option for classic bikes, or those with poor/no electrical output is to buy the insoles with two bat-packs and a single mains charger. And if you find that you need to control the heat (which you might not), you can pick up the controller later.

Either way, you can buy the product or products direct from Keis. And if you're riding anything fairly modern, you'll probably have sufficient wattage from your motorcycle alternator to comfortably run this kit. But you'll need to talk to Keis or someone with a sound electrical underpinning if you're also running heated grips or a heated vest or much other electrical equipment.

One final thing: make sure you specify a UK plug or a Euro plug. Our kit was supplied with the Euro plug which is no good in the UK. But we picked up an adapter at the local supermarket. It cost around three quid. If you're buying from further afield, you'll have to figure out for yourself how to handle this.

www.keisapparel.co.uk

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