BMW Savanna 2 or Rallye 2 Suit ?

[Stevo]

All good stuff boys. I have looked at Dainese and it's very impressive for the price ( not cheap but G'Tex and not BMW prices). The colour choice appeared to be black or red only, fairly dull colours but they may produce a wider range than the ones I saw. Today I tried on the Rally 2 and the Savanna suits. Nice but can't make up my mind ( wot a woos I hear you say). I spoke with a guy from Australia who happened to be in the dealers at the time. He said Rallye 2 were great on their 3 month world tour, but the trousers did leak at the crotch where the water poured down the front of the tank/seat. Eh. ?? £280 for the trousers and they leak like my Heine Gericke's.
I think I am getting paranoid. Surely there must be some 100% reliable product out there. Keep the experiences/comments coming - please.

 

[beemerboy9]

If you want something that does not soak up ANY water then find a Jacket with the goretex laminated to the outer cordura shell. BMW (on the Streetguard and Tourguard lines) and Rukka offfer this type of material.
I cannot see this material matching a mesh jacket in extreme heat.
People in Florida (very hot, very humid) use an Airflow Jacket/Trouser base with a heated jacket for warmth and Klimakomfort Goretex oversuit for rain prtection.

 

[Stevo]

Beemerboy Thanks for the comments. I guess Gore membrane laminated to the outer shell is the answer, except as you suggest, not so good in extreme heat.
By the way, I'm sure you are aware that we don 't often enjoy Floridian heat here in Bonny Scotland, in fact usually quite the reverse. As I write though, it's 25 degrees here and a Savanna Jacket would be nice tonight !!

 

[Stevo]

Savanna - The Final Word

It's done. Got the Savanna jacket today after all the faffing about.
Done 100 miles in it already, superbly comfortable and if it keeps the rain out when I get caught in it, I am a happy bunny.
( Bought the Grey/Black/Mandarin one as I don't like this year's red only offering.) Thanks for all your comments gents. ( Just got the new trousers to sort out now.) Considering Dainese as they are a bonded Gore-tex membrane, so always waterproof with or without the thermal liner and appear to have lots of armour protection. Anyone have experience of them ?

 

[HODADDY]

Rallye 2 Jacket by BMW

It is not worth the money. I sent mine back and BMW replaced the front zipper with a much bigger one that could be pulled/zipped with gloves on. BMW refused to change out the arm vent zippers which jam up/rip every single time you attempt to open or close as you are riding for comfort. Then it takes forever to unjam the zippers from the lining! Forget it!! If it was half price then I would say ok. It is made over there in the land of sweat shops with cheap labor costs. the price reflects-ripoff! I think that the way to go is to always try to stay with leather. Also, some of these high tech materials can be hard to clean and get marks on them very easily! really over priced for the quality of the design. $600 plus tax of 6% in Florida. later.

 

[Mel]

Sav vs rallye 2

I have a rallye 2 (6 months) and an aerostich roadcrafter www.aerostich.com (6 years).

The rallye 2 isn't going to make it! It's lovely to look at and works well in all weathers - hot and cold - wet and dry - but it's just not up to BMW's usual standard - tabs that connect linings to jacket have snapped - zipper pulls have come adrift - not much in the scheme of things but for the money it should be perfect. Why isn't it? Cos it's made in China I suspect where the small details are not given the same attention as the rest of the suit. Mine is going back under warranty.

The road crafter however has been thru 30,000 sometimes filthy miles and has needed 1 'service' in that time - a replacement zip and some new zip pullers. Cost $5! I used a Storm wash system on it recently (£7) - soap and proofer and it now looks like new - it' s just not that, well, flash!

And a final note - I bought the Roadcrafter on the recommendation of BMW Park Lane when I told them i wanted a suit that would take all weathers and keep me warm and dry. So hats off to Park Lane.

 

[Stevo]

Woops - Just when I thought I had won the battle !! Have to say, I wore the Savanna over the amazing heat of last weekend and, felt less exhausted than I have done in the past. The zippered vents work well and really make a difference. However, I did get one of the arm vent zips stuck, but freed it quite easily.
I really see it as a warm weather jacket and a laminated Gore-tex jacket has to be best for wet weather and year thru if you need it. A bit expensive though, having to have a jacket for every type of weather. Still not settled on trousers yet - Haven't seen anything with better protection ( outside of leather) than Dainese.
Still open to suggestions though ????

 

[Jason P]

Stevo,

Went to London today in the Dainese combo, but the non-goretex trousers. Great in the heat, but the goretex would've been better. My old ones have less padding than the new ones (kneepad whereas the new ones have shin protection as well) and even though they're a bit bulky they breathe really well. I've also just bought a new jacket (the old one was fine but had that 'ingrained dirt' look about it - and they were in the sale!) and the attention to detail is really good on the new stuff. I'd certainly try the trousers.

Jason

 

[beemerboy9]

Stevo, I went out this afternoon in a BMW Airflow jacket and Savanna trousers - this is the gear that I would take on a European trip in the height of summer. A rainsuit would keep out the damp and some of the cold.
Winter wear is completely separate.

 

[Stevo]

Thank you Jason & John for your trouser comments.
So far, I have to say that the Dainese appear to be well made and offer the best safety and weather protection. However, there is little doubt about the benefit of Savanna trousers in the sort of heat we have had over the past week, albeit that it has been extreme for the UK. Maybe I should risk divorce and buy a pair of each !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Scoomacher]

Stevo
In my humble opinion having had a Rallye 1 and with a pal who has Rallye 2 and Savanna I would suggest you look at Streetguard. The Goretex is built in to the fabric and there are thernal liners to improve insulation if you want. Only downside is the fact that the colour way options are mainly dark so there is a little extra heat when the sun is shining. BTW way I wnet down to Italy over the Alps in Rallye and found it to be pretty good even with one full day of torrential rain and it was cold. Just wear afew more layers!
Scoomacher

 

[Stevo]

Thanks for thast Scoomacher.
It really does appear to be the case that "layering up" is the way forward. That way you can have lightweight clothing in the heat, and "beef it up" when the temperature drops.

 

[Baz]

Anyone tried the aerostich Darian two piece.

I can get my brother to bring one over from the states for just under 500 quid.

Baz

 

[Bagpuss]

Stevo,

I have Rallye & Savanna suits (oops, I couldn't help myself! )... The jackets are great and have good ventilation when you are moving.

I have found that the arm vent zipper jams very easily, so when closing the vent put one finger under the zipper and pinch the top of the zipper with your thumb. Then pull the zipper shut, the finger under the zipper acts as guide keeping the net fabric from getting jammed in the zip.

It does work, honest!

 

[The Other PaulG]

Advice from Touratech

I was interested to read about a South American equipment testing trip the guys and girls from Touratech undertook and documented in their latest catalogue.

In terms of jackets, they raved about the BM kit (can't remember whether it was Savanna or Rallye but I'm sure you have all read the same report) and then they concluded with something like "..but in really heavy downpours we wore a waterproof oversuit over the top..".

What?

We're talking about expensive all-weather kit, aren't we, am I missing something here?

Paul G
(the other)

 

[Stevo]

Bagpuss, thanks for the zip tip !
I have elready encountered the problem of catching the mesh lining in the zip, so must practice your method of getting dressed with minimum fuss. I have to say it is quite common to have linings drawn in to the zip when closing, so won't be too hard on Mr.BMW for this one.
With regard to the next comment about Touratech/waterproof oversuits etc., yes it does seem a bit rich after lashing out all that money on a "waterproof" jacket. However, I have already experienced several hot days biking, and the Savanna, without liner is as good as it gets for staying cool. With a laminated Gore liner, the shell would of course be 100% waterproof, but there will always b a trade off between what you want to wear on a hot day, and having a totally waterproof jacket. Obviously the outer shell will "wet out" but if the Gore-tex liner does what it is guaranteed to achieve, you should be dry inside.

 

[JAY]

Touratech rate both jackets. I'm very pleased with my Savanna 2 and have got use to stopping the zips foul up the mesh linings. My only gripe is the total lack of waterproof pockets - the waterproof pouch they provide is not really a good substitute.

I can see why TT put waterproof gear on over the top though. A real pain to have to stop in the middle of the South American jungle and fit the goretex inner liner when it starts to piss down!