Rallye or Twat Suit

[CaptainSlow]

Other than making look me like a E&C fan/wannabee/groupie is the BMW Rallye suit any good? I want something that I can wear all year round (except when maybe we actually have a summer), that will keep me warm, dry and slightly cool.

Apart from that I also want to look like Ewan McGregor...

 

[Deleted account 250319001]

You'll get a load of for and against, I love mine, had it for three or four years now, Brilliant in the cold and even better in the heat. Good protection too, I decided to throw myself down the road in Madrid and all I had was a slight scuff on the arm.

My opinion only. Oh, and I don’t give two shits if I look like anyone else. I’m sure most of the people that slag off this jacket are just jealous, as it does cost a bit.

 

[CaptainSlow]

You'll get a load of for and against, I love mine, had it for three or four years now, Brilliant in the cold and even better in the heat. Good protection too, I decided to throw myself down the road in Madrid and all I had was a slight scuff on the arm.

My opinion only. Oh, and I don’t give two shits if I look like anyone else. I’m sure most of the people that slag off this jacket are just jealous, as it does cost a bit.

Thanks for that. I go for practicality rather than fashion (have to with what I look like)

 

[rockchunk]

IMHO good suit for the warmer climes and maybe showery weather but the problem i found was that when it is heavy prolonged rain the suit seems to hold a fair bit of water and though you are dry due to the gortex liner unless you have a fair amount of clothing underneath i tend to feel cold and wet i partly solved this by wearing the inner jacket from another suit underneath but this made it very bulky,, think i may go down the road of heated under jacket,,, any tossers out there got one for sale

 

[Deleted member TF]

You're opening a right can o' worms here! folk are going to tell you they're over-priced, you'll look a tw@, Rukka/Aerostich/Belstaff/ad infinitum are better, and rightly so.......that's what these forums are for.
As far as MY experience goes (36 years biking ) the RP2 is the best suit I've ever worn. And I've had all sorts of good stuff and all sorts of crap.
Warm, dry (although I have given it a liberal coating of TX Direct spray) comfortable,even after 9/10 hours on the bike,looks good-even though it's now covered in road grime and mud........... and easy access to ones spadger when one is dying for a piss at a petrol station in Drumnadrochit
Buy one.

 

[wildbeeste]

It is a three season suit as far as I am concerned - fine for everything except winter. Have a waterproof and very warm jacket for this time of year.
I am struggling to find a reason to get rid of the jacket - it four years old now and done a fair few miles. When it is autumn cold I wear layers of technical stuff and a sometimes a thin jumper.
It is brilliant when the temperature gets above 25 C as so many vents
The trousers look shite now as the leather has crumbled off and the roadstains are now part of the fabric - so I wear the BMW summer trousers - they unzip into shorts - with thermals. On forty mile trips I am almost too warm and open the vents.
With hindsight it was good value

 

[Bear]

If you want something from BMW but don't want an E & C lookalike then try the Santiago which is a similar costruction but not a twat suit. On the few occasions mine has been rained on it hasn't leaked. It's not a winter suit, having no thermal insulation at all, but is reasonably smart and, as mentioned, not a twat suit/E & C lookalike.

 

[CaptainSlow]

Thanks for all the replies. It seems it's a personal/taste thing. Maybe I'll buy a Rukka/HG and sew a BMW badge on it...

 

[Big Nick]

I've had a R2P and found it excellent, it even held up well in a big spill

That said I now have a Rukka Allroad suit which I actually prefer albeit I have only had a handful of rides in it.

 

[King Rat]

I longed for one of these suites, an deventually stumped up fo rone.

What a load of crap. I have to put up with it because it cost a fortune, but it is nowhere near as good as the price would have you indicate. It lets the rain in, even with the gortex liner. The legs are cramped, uncomfortable but I do have to say, warm, btu again the gortex liner doesn't work.

I have a cheaper jacket, an Ixon Ranger - it has the gortex IN the jacket, so the jacket stays dry too - the quilted liner is warmer than the rallye jacket. Style is not so good, but features are much better.

I ride roughly 40,000 miles a year. I am out most days doing reasonable mileage and I need a set of clothes that do what bike riders need them to do - the Rallye outfit is fit for May - October only. A very expensive mistake and one that I won't make again.

It is still the suit I wanted. I still like the way it looks, but it is a let down on the practicality stakes. Oh, and the cuffs - I have yet to find a way to stop the rain going up the sleeves, unless you wear old fashioned gauntlets.

 

[Deleted account 250319001]

I longed for one of these suites, an deventually stumped up fo rone.

What a load of crap. I have to put up with it because it cost a fortune, but it is nowhere near as good as the price would have you indicate. It lets the rain in, even with the gortex liner. The legs are cramped, uncomfortable but I do have to say, warm, btu again the gortex liner doesn't work.

I have a cheaper jacket, an Ixon Ranger - it has the gortex IN the jacket, so the jacket stays dry too - the quilted liner is warmer than the rallye jacket. Style is not so good, but features are much better.

I ride roughly 40,000 miles a year. I am out most days doing reasonable mileage and I need a set of clothes that do what bike riders need them to do - the Rallye outfit is fit for May - October only. A very expensive mistake and one that I won't make again.

It is still the suit I wanted. I still like the way it looks, but it is a let down on the practicality stakes. Oh, and the cuffs - I have yet to find a way to stop the rain going up the sleeves, unless you wear old fashioned gauntlets.

I'd take it back. It's faulty. If the gortex is letting water in

 

[Sgt Pepper]

I longed for one of these suites, an deventually stumped up fo rone.

What a load of crap. I have to put up with it because it cost a fortune, but it is nowhere near as good as the price would have you indicate. It lets the rain in, even with the gortex liner. The legs are cramped, uncomfortable but I do have to say, warm, btu again the gortex liner doesn't work.

I have a cheaper jacket, an Ixon Ranger - it has the gortex IN the jacket, so the jacket stays dry too - the quilted liner is warmer than the rallye jacket. Style is not so good, but features are much better.

I ride roughly 40,000 miles a year. I am out most days doing reasonable mileage and I need a set of clothes that do what bike riders need them to do - the Rallye outfit is fit for May - October only. A very expensive mistake and one that I won't make again.

It is still the suit I wanted. I still like the way it looks, but it is a let down on the practicality stakes. Oh, and the cuffs - I have yet to find a way to stop the rain going up the sleeves, unless you wear old fashioned gauntlets.

When a mate of mine and I first tried on a Rallye II suit we both fell in love with them and despite me having a knawing sense that I should get a Rukka I ignored it and we both ended up buying them for an RTW. They both leaked live sieves in the rain. He got a replacement Gore-tex liner and that still leaked -We met another English guy in Canada and his also leaked. We re-proofed the gore-tex and Scotch-guarded the shell and still they leaked. We both too regretted our decision when still, later in the evening, we were recovering from being wet and cold after a day of wet riding in Canada. This was a bitter pill to swallow. When you have shelled out around 700 quid for a suit for a 2 year trip and right near the beginning you're having to think about buying an over-suit it is gutting, especially having ignored the thought of 'Rukka' My original jacket was stolen on Peru so I bought another one hoping that would be ok.....that also leaked In the end I spent 3 years in my suit and I regretted it on so many occasions I can't tell you...or how often I was wet and cold because of it. I think that those who have Rallye II's that don't leak are in the minority as I've seen very few people defend them who regularly ride in foul weather.

All the connections for the various layers also started to fall to pieces as did the zips. I had a red jacket which started going salmon pink within a few months-Surely BMW can put some sort of UV resistant additive in the dye to keep them looking newer and fresher for longer !?! This is nonsense for kit costing this much. I could rant for still longer. In short they look good, have lots of pockets, good ventilation and the BMW logo on them. If you want to stay dry buy elsewhere or get yourself a good over-suit.

If I were going again I'd by Rukka or maybe Hein Gericke. I met a German guy in Perth who said he'd had his first Rukka jacket for 16 years before it leaked..

 

[cheesysalesman]

Xwat Suit

Had mine on today.. Left London in pishing rain and a balmy 6 degrees.. Got home in 2 hours in dreadful rain and spray and apart from the cuffs at the bottom of the trousers, I was dry as a bone. Gortex works a treat and the only mod to the jacket is that I removed the BMW badge on the shoulders and replaced it with Army issue Union Jacks - looks great now and slightly less twat like..

 

[Deleted account 250319001]

It's obvious, I have only used my jacket a small amount to you. So you would know. I would feel though that if the BMW jacket leaked, then so would the Rukka. I have spent days in the saddle in foul weather, it's never leaked

 

[Clarence Bottiker]

I've been using a Hein Gericke Cruise jacket & trousers for the past 3 years/42000 miles, warm in winter, reasonably cool in 'summer' and never leaked a drop. Ever.
Highly recommended.

 

[Sgt Pepper]

Hi Cheeseysalesman & Onahi,

I'm pleased that you guys have suits that don't leak.....I have read of a few others with the same experience as you but I've read & heard far more positive things about Rukka equipment, albeit that they also have some failures too.

Onahi I only mentioned about being on an RTW to set the context of how frustrating it was to find ourselves wet & cold so soon into such a big trip, not to belittle yours or anyone elses experiences.

Regards,

Sgt.P

 

[Doc Savage]

Rallye II weakness

The main problem with this suit is that the external shell isn't water proof, and as someone earlier noted is that it does get heavy, it does also give what I would term as moderate to good weather protection and has a good standard of armour, I've green laned in winter in mine and toured also and do love it -

It has weakness is absorbance -this causes excess weight and cold if you don't have enough base layers on in the wet

it has a lot of strengths too i.e. protection and ventilation.

People need to remember that this suit is an allrounder, so there are suits on the market that will offer better inclement weather protection in winter that you will find too hot in summer.... You could say that the R2 bridges the gap of both.

IMHO AFWIW

if you go out in wet and cold only for long distances.. Rukka

in between ridingRallye II or HG..Touareg

Commute - Stich or BMW coverall

Interesting to find out what other peoples three suit choice would be


DSMOB

 

[sockpuppet]

Agreed. Have the R2P after looking at the alternatives. I think on balance it does what I want it to do.

I don't care if I look like ewan/charlie etc. Having a Repsol sticker on your bike doesn't make it faster and wearing a man u top doesn't make you Rooney.

 

[Wingit]

For years I've used a top end HG Gortex suit - which leaked in torrential rain across Germany on the way to the Alps. It was hammering down. To be fair the kit faired well in the challenging conditions.

I've recently bought a twat suit and have recently been testing it in the Peaks in thirty knot winds, hammering rain and 3 degrees C.
OK, the Peaks are not exactly a RTW but all I can say is that the suit has kept me warm and dry. No leaks no cold spots. The fit is brilliant. The armour is significantly better than anything I've had in previous suits. I disagree that the suit is a three season suit. If you apply the outdoor clothing kit philosophy and layer up then the suit is good for 0 degrees C. I use a thin/lightweight Mountain Equipment Primaloft jacket as a mid layer under the BMW jacket and the combination is perfect for winter riding.

I think the RP2 is some of the best kit I've used to date and would recommend it. It's purely personal of course like walking boots, ski boots etc. What works for some people doesn't work for others.

I've just returned from the NEC bike show and was looking at a Rukka jacket. Cracking piece of kit with really good customer support. But with a discount from the nice people at the BMW dealership, I bought a full RP2 suit for the price of the the Rukka jacket.

 

[Doc Savage]

For years I've used a top end HG Gortex suit - which leaked in torrential rain across Germany on the way to the Alps. It was hammering down. To be fair the kit faired well in the challenging conditions.

I've recently bought a twat suit and have recently been testing it in the Peaks in thirty knot winds, hammering rain and 3 degrees C.
OK, the Peaks are not exactly a RTW but all I can say is that the suit has kept me warm and dry. No leaks no cold spots. The fit is brilliant. The armour is significantly better than anything I've had in previous suits. I disagree that the suit is a three season suit. If you apply the outdoor clothing kit philosophy and layer up then the suit is good for 0 degrees C. I use a thin/lightweight Mountain Equipment Primaloft jacket as a mid layer under the BMW jacket and the combination is perfect for winter riding.

I think the RP2 is some of the best kit I've used to date and would recommend it. It's purely personal of course like walking boots, ski boots etc. What works for some people doesn't work for others.

I've just returned from the NEC bike show and was looking at a Rukka jacket. Cracking piece of kit with really good customer support. But with a discount from the nice people at the BMW dealership, I bought a full RP2 suit for the price of the the Rukka jacket.

I love mine too... but it saturates after a day of riding and leaks (tust me Steve 73 and I have got the t shirt)... it isn't one for prolonged wet weather - cold yes I agree a world beater armour - great ! just don't fall into a false sense of waterproofness