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Air Conditioner for Motorcycle?

Actually, I just tested the entrosys at the MSTA STAR rally in Lexington KY a couple of weeks ago. It works as advertised. You hook the system up via an insulated air hose to a vest worn under your jacket. The more sealed the jacket, the better. I didn't have a heavy jacket with me, so I sealed the vest inside my rain suit top. I ran it in 85 degree, high humidity conditions. Upon start-up it immediately began pumping cold air into the vest. It has a 3 level setting for both cold and heat. Obviously I didn't test the heat settings. After the first 5 minutes, I had to dial the cold setting down to minimum level, as the vest was freezing me out. I rode about 2 hours with the unit and was comfortable the whole time. Or rather, my core/torso and arms were cool. I did notice it made the temperature difference between my enclosed upper body and my legs very noticeable. Imagine driving your car with your a/c on in hot weather, then rolling down your window just enough to stick your arm out in the hot air. That's what it felt like. It definitely kept my core temp down. When I returned and took my rain jacket off and the unit vest, my t-shirt underneath was cool and dry.

The system hooks either to a fuse panel or directly to your battery via a fused line. The hose looks bulky but once attached to the right side of the vest you don't notice it. We didn't put a meter on it, but the rep said it draws about 11 amps on high heat, less on lower setting or with the a/c function. I had it hooked directly to the battery and it didn't seem to impact the m/c electrical system.

Overall assessment is that it does work, and functions well in cooling the upper body when utilized correctly. Would I buy one? It depends. If I rode everyday in blazing heat (think Phoenix in summer), maybe. On the other hand, I ride in FL year round and the heat/humidity doesn't really bother me, so probably not for my current riding conditions. Current MSRP is $1500, but you can probably work a better deal, since the rep was offering a deal at the STAR rally.

Here's a pic of the unit mounted on my GS. The hose attaches to the vest on the rider's lower right side:

entrosys.jpg
 
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