Does anyone have a truly waterproof jacket? BMW aint!!

[freeloader]

BTW Hein Gericke have a 25% sale on at the moment, finishes Tuesday. I'm off to get an HG Journey tomorrow

My HG Journey 2-piece now lets in water, at less than 2 years old. The trousers started leaking about a year ago, and now the jacket's letting in too. None of the outer pockets keep the rain out any more, either...

(I lost the receipt before the trousers failed, and Aberdeen HG weren't interested without it)


After coming home from the GotC, I used the "contact us" page on HG's website to ask them if they were prepared to do anything about this. I'm still waiting for a response (apart from their "anti-spam" return email).

 

[Sgt Pepper]

My HG Journey 2-piece now lets in water, at less than 2 years old. The trousers started leaking about a year ago, and now the jacket's letting in too. None of the outer pockets keep the rain out any more, either...

(I lost the receipt before the trousers failed, and Aberdeen HG weren't interested without it)

I feel your pain Freeloader. I had a 'waterproof' Olympus camera leak on me and whilst I had the official stamped warranty card, apparently it was only valid with the reciept which I'd lost somewhere. They wouldn't help at all. In fact, they quoted me more to repair it than buy a new one !!

None-the-less, I hope your story turns out better than mine.

Regards,

Sgt.

 

[freeloader]

I feel your pain Freeloader. I had a 'waterproof' Olympus camera leak on me and whilst I had the official stamped warranty card, apparently it was only valid with the reciept which I'd lost somewhere. They wouldn't help at all. In fact, they quoted me more to repair it than buy a new one !!

None-the-less, I hope your story turns out better than mine.

Regards,

Sgt.

Thanks Sarge - my other half did say to to me that I should hit them with the "not fit for purpose" phrase, since apparently that overrides the need for a receipt. I dunno if that's really true, but if necessary, I might just give it a try - maybe you ought to try it with Olympus. If it was sold as a waterproof camera, you should expect it to be so, I'd say (as in my case too).

 

[Achim]

Rukka, every time. Great customer service - you really do get what you pay for! The 5yr warranty is cast iron, and if anything should go wrong during the warranty period, you will get a Rukka jacket on loan FOC.

Also, there's no faffing about with inserting GoreTex liners - which of course you've never got zipped in the jacket when it starts raining...

Achim

 

[Gazzabart]

+1

hein gericke gtx goretex, rode across europe camped over weekend in bavarian mountains and back home in febuary and not a drip got in despite drunken sledging,snow angels,and general stupidity,now 4 years old and been all over inc norway this january,it's the best

spot on +1

 

[Steve the Kiwi]

Hi Steve,

I'm afraid it wasn't as black and white as that. We did return one of the suits and got a replacement liner which.....also leaked. In the end we chose the practicality/ruggedness of the suit over its waterproofing, something we regretted not long into our journey. Whilst you say it is waterproof. (Full Stop), ours never were and we know we are not alone with this being a problem with the Rallye II's specifically. It does seem that the Gore-Tex, or the way BMW use the Gore-tex in some of their other suits does work.

As an aside I've just returned a nearly new pair of Merrell Gore-tex walking boots and a Berghaus Gore-tex walking jacket because they both leaked too.

At the end of the day I do think there are grades or ways of using Gore-tex which make it work or fail. I've had just so many bad experiences of it failing now BUT I do have friends with expensive Gore-tex products which work very well.

Regards,

Sgt.

I spent 8 years as a outdoor retailer in NZ suppling everyone from dog walkers, to hunters, hikers and Antarctic and Himilayian expeditions. I personally used to spend up to 80 days a year "in the bush".( the joy of being single) I'm not selling gear anymore so this not me waving Gore's flag .

It is extremely rare to have a gore-tex product fail - outside of Doris using her jacket as a cushion next to a thorn hedge, or it being chemically damaged - sunscreen, insect repellent, and your own skin oil. The chemical damage can be avoided by regularly washing the garment.

In my time in the shop i had very few maybe 20 fail out of hundreds of Gore products sold. So it sounds like you've had a whole lot of bad luck.

If the jacket doen't perform in "normal use" they need to fix or replace under the Gore warranty. if you feel your issue hasn't been handled satifactorily, i would recommend contacting W.L. Gore direct - And if you feel it's a design fault - tell that to Gore. really push that to them. They act very quickly to feedback. Give it a go you might find yourself with money in your hand or a new jacket. especially as you mention a couple of you brought jackets at the same time? send them back together ... Their stuff is too bloody expensive not to!

 

[Sgt Pepper]

I spent 8 years as a outdoor retailer in NZ suppling everyone from dog walkers, to hunters, hikers and Antarctic and Himilayian expeditions. I personally used to spend up to 80 days a year "in the bush".( the joy of being single) I'm not selling gear anymore so this not me waving Gore's flag .

It is extremely rare to have a gore-tex product fail - outside of Doris using her jacket as a cushion next to a thorn hedge, or it being chemically damaged - sunscreen, insect repellent, and your own skin oil. The chemical damage can be avoided by regularly washing the garment.

In my time in the shop i had very few maybe 20 fail out of hundreds of Gore products sold. So it sounds like you've had a whole lot of bad luck.

If the jacket doen't perform in "normal use" they need to fix or replace under the Gore warranty. if you feel your issue hasn't been handled satifactorily, i would recommend contacting W.L. Gore direct - And if you feel it's a design fault - tell that to Gore. really push that to them. They act very quickly to feedback. Give it a go you might find yourself with money in your hand or a new jacket. especially as you mention a couple of you brought jackets at the same time? send them back together ... Their stuff is too bloody

expensive not to!

Thanks for that Steve. It was encouraging to read that you have had a far better and a more objective experience than my own. Our Jackets wern't subject to any of the rigours you describe and were regularly re-proofed to start with, until we realised it was a waste of time & money. Whilst somewhat tainted by my experiences I still haven't yet quite given up on Gore-Tex but I will be far quicker in the future to throw any failing item back at a supplier, as, as you say, it is too expensive not to.

I have actually returned the walking boots and jacket but the bike suit is now 4 years old and very tired as I used it for an RTW, which incidentially ended whilst travelling your beautiful countries Islands between Decemeber 2007 & April 2008.

New Zealand is stunning, absolutely stunning. I really loved it, the scenery, people, riding...riding...riding, Did I mention riding ? and would serioulsy consider moving there if my circumstances in the UK were more straight forward.

Thanks again for the benefit of your experiences.

Regards,

Sgt.

 

[bmwbikeruk]

Hi, I have had a hein Gericke suit now for 7 years, want to replace it, but what with? Two mates have bought the BMW suit and troos and both leak like a leaky thing, on way to europe last year, mate was soaked in an hour, last week coming back from North West 200, other mate was soaked in less, had to borrow a nylon oversuit to keep dry. Is this the norm??
So, anyone got a BMW suit that keeps you dry?
Anyone tried the Alpinestars touring suit, new out.
Or do i stay with Hein Gericke?
Cheers me dears, ta.

Do you know which leaky BMW suits your mates wore? I hope it is not Streetguard 3 or Comfort Shell or Trialguard 2 from BMW clothing range or otherwise I'd be disappointed. I am about to replace my old worn Dianese gore-tex jacket which has served me well for 7 years or so.

 

[kirk71]

dont shout at me as i work at hein gericke but there are a few options for you fella.
No 1 would have to be the very popular Master 5 suit.
The Gore-Tex is bonded to the underneath of the outer fabric so it does not absorb any water, ride through a downpour, 2 mins later water has beaded off and your nice and dry, importantly your clothing stays light as it has not absorbed the rain. plus it has the Gore-Tex Pro Shell which is 25% more breathable. another attracting feature is the amount of ArmourCore which is featured all over the suit. this material is stronger than leather for abbrasion resistance. a definate winner for a suit that will serve you all year round and last for years.

if you want a more sports fit then the new PSX RS suit is the same as above, but also includes leather on the shoulders and elbows. this may not be suitable for depths of winter but again benefits from all the safety features as the above suit.

2 year warranty on zips and stiching, 5 year waterproof warranty on the Gore-Tex.

ironic but Williams BMW send a lot of their customers up to us and we do sell a lot of the Master Suits to them, and the Cruise 2 Suits which Greater manchester police wear.

hope this helped

 

[bmwbikeruk]

I'm in fact smiling because I do wear Hein Gericke Master V which has unfortunately been scarred by a recent accident leaving ugly marks on my elbow, back and on one of the external pockets. It is now 13 months old but I doubt if it can be repaired under warranty!

Although my Master V jacket is still useable, I am now looking for a gore-tex shell jacket replacement. The reasons I mentioned BMW Streetguard 3 or BMW Comfortshell are that they perform better in hot weather as they have vents. Comfortshell may be cooler as it has vents at front and back while Streetguard 3 has vents under armpits only.

It's really a shame that Master V has no vents for hot weather. Also Master V lacks storm cuffs which let cold air creep into my arm sleeves in cold weather riding. To get round this problem, I have to wear tennis sweat wrist bands which help reduce the inflow of cold air in a small way! If I wear gloves over the end of sleeves, water would run inside the gloves in the rain wetting my hands! I have tried Hein Gericke gloves with inbuilt storm cuffs but they are too fiddly to wear.

 

[Scottjo]

Rubbish Rukka

I'm really disappointed by my Rukka gear - I've had it three years now, leaks like a sieve - crease of my elbows and shoulder and all but one of the zips, the toggles have broken off through wear and tear. Really not what you would / should expect from a suit costing near £1500. Will probably go for Aerostitch or HG Master before the Winter.

Jon

 

[cookie]

I'm really disappointed by my Rukka gear - I've had it three years now, leaks like a sieve - crease of my elbows and shoulder and all but one of the zips, the toggles have broken off through wear and tear. Really not what you would / should expect from a suit costing near £1500. Will probably go for Aerostitch or HG Master before the Winter.

Jon

3 years? it's still under warranty then. take it back.

 

[Achim]

3 years? it's still under warranty then. take it back.

Can't agree more. Rukka's warranty is second to none.

I took my Rukka jacket back to the shop four years and 51 weeks into the warranty period because it had started to leak. The shop attendant was sceptical but as I still had the original receipt they were happy to send in the jacket.

Rukka sent me a loan jacket while they were looking at mine. Three weeks later the shop called me to tell me that my jacket was back. When I rolled up they had a brand new jacket for me. Hard to believe but true.

The stuff is great and so is the warranty. It helps to read the fine print which contains details such as "5 years warranty"...

Achim

 

[Scottjo]

I appreciate that the warranty is second to none but I have a slight problem in that my receipt was lost during a house move! Perhaps I need to call Rukka and Infinity Motorcycles in Clapham and see if they can do anything.

Thanks gents

 

[Jacal]

I'm in fact smiling because I do wear Hein Gericke Master V which has unfortunately been scarred by a recent accident leaving ugly marks on my elbow, back and on one of the external pockets. It is now 13 months old but I doubt if it can be repaired under warranty!

Although my Master V jacket is still useable, I am now looking for a gore-tex shell jacket replacement. The reasons I mentioned BMW Streetguard 3 or BMW Comfortshell are that they perform better in hot weather as they have vents. Comfortshell may be cooler as it has vents at front and back while Streetguard 3 has vents under armpits only.

It's really a shame that Master V has no vents for hot weather. Also Master V lacks storm cuffs which let cold air creep into my arm sleeves in cold weather riding. To get round this problem, I have to wear tennis sweat wrist bands which help reduce the inflow of cold air in a small way! If I wear gloves over the end of sleeves, water would run inside the gloves in the rain wetting my hands! I have tried Hein Gericke gloves with inbuilt storm cuffs but they are too fiddly to wear.

WOW you must have really slim wrists, once I have my gloves on I find it hard to zip the sleeves up, can't understand it cause I didn't give them to much exercise when I was younger

One thing tho, the bloody pants have only one pocket and if your a little mishaped like me, there's plenty of room in the waist but tight on the chest but overall a great warm and waterproof suit

 

[bustupbiker]

spot on +1

+ me as well.

 

[Loiq]

I used a Kushitani masaru goretex shell jacket and trousers with thermal liners for the winter it's the best kit I've ever owned.

 

[sijohnston]

i'm looking for some new kit. toying with either:
1. twat suit (temp in winter doesn't matter owing to heated vest).
2. HG master 5 (not sure about gore on outside owing to easy damage and muck ruining the membrane).
3. a dainese offering. anyone here any experience of their gore-tex jackets? they do seem nicely designed.
whatever way i go, it MUST be gore-tex, as own brands don't work in my experience.

 

[original_concept]

dont shout at me as i work at hein gericke but there are a few options for you fella.
No 1 would have to be the very popular Master 5 suit.
this material is stronger than leather for abbrasion resistance. a definate winner for a suit that will serve you all year round and last for years.


hope this helped

No, its not better than leather. Have you actually crashed in a Master V suit?

I managed to slide a off GS whilst going from 5mph to 10mph whilst turning a corner (winter slippy stuff); the suit ripped through to the white membrane at the knee and ended up with holes and other damage on the forearm. Riding in heavy rain meant I ended up with a wet knee.

I'll admit the suit is excellent and I wear a Master V almost daily, but to say its better than leather is pushing it more than a bit.

 

[jimbo]

Rukka Kit in Surrey

opps wrong place!