TECH: All-weather riding kit

Indian Motorcycles has filed a patent for some futuristic biker gear which’ll make riding all-year round even easier…

How’s it going to do that? The American firm has come up with an idea for some clever kit which has both heating and cooling technology and is linked to the bike through contact points, rather than cables.

Heated gear is nothing new. We’ve all heard winter riders wax lyrical about the benefit of a wired-in vest or a battery-powered pair of gloves. But Indian’s planning to take this stuff one step further, with designs for full climate-controlled kit

The patent doesn’t go into great detail about the whos, whats, whys and hows – but it does give us a few hints about how exactly it’d manage to be wireless. Inductive charging points.

Just like the latest phones, Indian’s designers reckon that by installing contact points on to the handlebars, seat, footboards and backrest of its bikes, they can power a rider’s gloves, jackets, trousers and boots.

The filing also suggests that the technology would be capable of working out how the rider’s body is reacting to temperature, airflow and humidity – and would be capable of making automatic adjustments to make sure everything’s set up just so.

What do you reckon? Brilliant idea or a bit of a gimmick?