riding kit
 

Look at the SPIDI range of stuff I`ve got a set and its the best bit of wet weather kit Ive had plus its got thermal extractable linings , Its been used on & off road , crash tested in the Ozzie bush. Its not cheap ( not robbing a bank expensive either). My jacket has covered arund 60,000 miles in all weather and not leaked once.
:palm:

FirstGear "Ranier" jacket and "Escape" pants
 

I bought a set of the above recently in the States.

Jacket is waterproof outer, with zipout windproof "dress" jacket liner. Well vented front and rear, heaps of pockets some "hidden", full armour, rear pouch.

Pants ARE waterproof!! zips up to knees for easy on/off, heat resistant lower legs, vented, a number of pockets.

Have ridden in teeming rain for hours - no leaks!

Good value:- jacket US$400, pants $289 (I think).

I bought the sand/grey jacket, and the black/grey pants, as there wasn't an option for Sand in the pants, unfortunately.

Check them out at Newenough.com (Firstgear TPG system)

I'd previously bought a pair of Olympia "waterproof" overpants for $189 - and was totally soaked within an hour of purchase. Not nice!!!!!

Ranier etc are very good value as a RTW setup.

Cheers

These Jofama - Motorcycle wear guys are good. Rukka quality but cheaper.

My kit of choice now is a mesh jacket with matching trouser and take a one piece oversuit for when it rains or it's too cold for the mesh alone.

I bought a pair of BMW Atlantis 4 leather trousers and am very impressed. They are very comfortable and completely waterproof but not hot and sweaty. They look pretty good too. I have ridden in pouring rain for up to 6 hours at a stretch hours and they kept me nice and dry. Good armour in the knees and hips too.

Clothing& camping
 

My advise is to buy allso a PVC rain-overall. Esppecially when camping. Codura jackets get soaky after a full day of rain. The clothing won"t dry in a tent and get smelly after a week. A rain-overall will fix that problem. Sort rain showers is no problem for all weather clothing

What Jacket for RTW trip?
 

Hi everyone,

I'm leaving with my wife for a RTW trip next year in May. Route: Europe - Asia - Australia - South America - Central America - North America. The bike is Suzuki DL 650 V-Strom and the trip is planned for 3 years. I'm looking into getting some good gear for the both of us. We're plannig to stay as much on the tarmac as possible but will definitely end up somewhere off the beaten track anyway.

I've done some reading and I think I've narrowed the choices down to:

1. Aerostich - Darien or Roadcrafter - I woudl be interested if anyone used these in similar climates and how did they perform? Price is reasonable approx. £600 for a set (trousers and jacket). Which one would you recommend?

2. Rev'it - Off Track Jacket + Dakar trousers - I've read the review made by XT Girl http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...879#post172951. Very good review btw. I understand you came back from the trip by now? Did the jackets perform well? Has anybody else used these? Quite a good price: £450 for a set.

3. Stadler-Bekleidung - Stadler-Bekleidung: Material. Looked at the traveller but it seems to be a little pricy - £1300 for a set (trousers and jacket).

4. Rukka - looked briefly at their products- quite a lot of jackets to choose from - anyone would recommend one that would suit our needs for RTW trip? Maybe Rukka AllRoad jacket beige this one? Again quite pricy: £1100 for a set.

5. BMW Rallye Pro 2 Jacket - BMW Rallye Pro 2 Jacket Blue/Grey - - A&S BMW Motorcycle Parts and Accessories. Approx £900 for a set (trousers and jacket).

All in all I know that we should get something really good and don't look at the money as a issues because this is what we're gonna be wearing for 3 years straight but then I don't want to go over the top if that's not required. We would like something that would keep us comfy and dry (warmth can be dealt with otherwise so not a big issue - you can always wear something more under the jacket), but also something that would have enough venting to keep us cool through the warmer parts of the trip. We want to be travelling mostly in the dry conditions that's how we're trying to plan the trip anyway so venting would be more important. I know that there are no perfect jackets out there and it's always a compromise between the two weather conditions. If you want a great waterproof jacket be able to sacrifice some of it's venting capabilities and the same the other way around.

Anyway after reading a lot of threads on the subject I kinda narrowed it down to these 5 above. I was initially looking at Aerostich but some people seem to be unhappy with it.

All comments would be appreciated as we will be buying our gear shortly.

Thakns a lot in advance!
Andy and Gosia?c?

I have Darien Light jacket and pants. Both leak, and have from the start--the pants around the front fly but also elsewhere, the jacket all along the front closure. Not too bad in showers or warm weather, but bad enough in heavy rain and/or all day riding to affect comfort and safety. In real rain I end up thoroughly soaked unless I add another waterproof layer over or under. Jacket pockets also leak copiously, which I find more irritating than others seem to (lots of water leaking in but no drains mean they actually fill up several inches deep).

Some of the detailing on the Darien Light are very scanty--tiny, lightweight velcro which doesn't grab very well, neck closure which won't close around a neck gaiter, zipper pulls which break almost immediately in use.

I haven't been pleased at what I got for the $900 I paid for jacket, pants and back protector. It would be one thing if the stuff merely leaked a bit, but I find the combination of bad design (Pockets which fill with water whenever it rains? A neck closure which I can't use in cold weather?) with lack of weatherproofing (I don't know what to make of ride descriptions by others which claim total comfort in drenching rains, but I'm sure jealous!) annoying. Note that I can't say how my experience might relate to the heavier weight Darien jacket and pants. Nor can I say how this compares to other brands.

On the other hand, this is what I own and therefore it's what I use. On the positive side, it still looks reasonably good after 55k miles in all seasons and a variety of conditions. Maybe that's what I paid for.

Hope that helps.

Mark

Thanks a lot for the reply Mark. It's a great help as I really wanted to buy aerostich = it was my first choice realy. Fair enough that I was a little less waterproofing wit hthe light varsion of Darien but it should still be ok anyway. After reading your comment I'm not at all sure anymore about the aerostich capabilities. The pocket that fills up with water is the last thing you want really. Must be really anoying.

Did you hear anything about the other brands? Know anyone who uses it? I've read that review by XT Girl and really fancy the Rev'it but then if I end up replacing it with something different just before the trip start then what's the point. The next would be BMW gear I think - I hate the looks but I heard it's good too. Rukka I've heard a lot of good aboutbut it's 1100 pounds for a set.

Still confused... the only way I guess is to buy it and check it out. That's a risk you always have to take i guess.

Thanks a lot again,

I think Aerostich is "almost" off the table.

Stay safe and dry :)
Andy

I've heard good things about ....
 

The Pharoa gear from Polo Motorrad and I can't help but feel that THIS looks familiar, but at €249 it seems a bit cheaper.

http://www.polo-motorrad.de/mb3_medi...b/20028003.jpghttp://www.polo-motorrad.de/mb3_medi...0028003_71.jpg

Yes it actually looks very similar - almost a copy of the BMW jacket. But I'm only concerned with the reliability. Bear in mind that we want something that will last 3 years and do the job. It's hard to decide really until you actually put it on and that's not always easy or at all possible. I'm gonna try that BMW jacket - there is a BMW motorrad shop hopefuly they got some in stock.

Cheers!
Andy

Also have a look at the Moto-port Kevlar offerings.

Kevlar Motorcycle Apparel - the Best in the World

I think a Kevlar mesh jacket & pants would be best for all-year, all-conditions riding, and here's why. If it is too cold or rainy, you can always add layers under or over mesh gear. You will likely have water- and wind-proof gear along anyway for use off-bike, so why not integrate it into your riding setup, instead of relying on a single riding outfit that is supposedly do-everything.

Any gear that claims to be waterproof without liners will have a tough job also flowing enough air to be cool. Then, when it is too hot, one is tempted to ride with the gear unzipped or without gear at all.

All that being said, my current riding gear is a Darien. I'm just trying to wear it out so I can justify replacing it with the Motoport. :mchappy:

Cheers
Sean

I have a Belstaff Discovery jacket from BMG [British Motorcycle Gear] ,it's very good and warm,they also ship to other countries .
You say you have a different solution for hot weather so maybe this jacket would fit the bill .
It's reasonably priced compared to the BMW and Rukka type gear .

I'm looking for a new jacket for a long trip.
My old Richa leather jacket has come to the end of its very long life (it's been an excellent choice), and my Frank Thomas textile jacket to the end of an even longer life (but was never waterproof). So it's a long long time since I ever bought any biking gear, and I just read this thread. Now I'm even more unsure about what to buy than before!
I can't get out of my head the fact that Ted Simon on his first RTW trip wore only a simply sheepskin coat. So WHAT is all this modern stuff about?
But I'm grateful to those that 'thought outside the box' a bit. (What a horrible phrase).
I'm going to get those Helly Hansen waterproofs (yellow or orange), wear them, and then I hope the answer to what jacket to wear underneath will present itself!
In comparison, the boots were easy. (My old conventional motorcycle boots have also long expired). I have nice new Lowa Combat GTX boots, which so far are wonderful.
And I'll stick to my ex-Swedish Army surplus unlined leather gloves, approaching 10 years old now and still waterproof. I don't know how they're still waterproof, but I have always worn them when applying the Renapur wax to my old jacket and boots.

I've been thinking of that. In preparation for my trip later this year, I must consciously keep myself from going on a shopping spree and buying super-expensive gear. You know what? I have had the same Cordura non-waterproof jacket for 12 years and with a plastic one-piece overall it is completely waterproof. Yes, with 25+ degrees Celsius and torrential rain it is extremely warm to wear, but I also don't have to worry about riding around wearing £5K worth of kit on me.

I like hassle-free solutions and in my limited experience exotic, expensive kit is usually sensitive and far from hassle-free. It can get destroyed by washing, rubbing, getting too dirty, ripping etc and you always worry about it being stolen/destroyed.

So I'd tend to go for simple, more traditional solutions, rather than looking for the ultimate kit that will just make the weather irrelevant. On a journey the weather is only irrelevant if you're on a plane or a car.

I've been struggling with the massive array of choices our consumer society presents, so I'll ask for your input on another thread rather than hijacking this one :-)

Alex

Bmw???
 

Hi all,

I think I've narrowed it down to two choices and both of them are from BMW family. Trailguard and Rallye Pro 2

1) Trailguard suit:

http://www.ascycles.com/images/produ...655-jacket.jpg

http://www.ascycles.com/images/produ...718705-743.jpg

Comparing this one to Rallye Pro 2 this one is a lot lighter (almost uncomfortable because of that :) - doesn't feel as bulky as Rallye Pro); It's "fully waterproof" on the outside whereas Rallye only has a goretex liner inside and that is the waterproofing; This comes with no liner at all but you can buy additional goretex liner (the same one as in the Rallye) and zip it in. Once I've tried it with the liner - quite comfy :). The great thing is the ventilation on these BMW jackets: Full length of the sleeve, half way up your belly you've got two big vertical vents and you've got vents on the back. Next good thing (after comparing to Rallye Pro) these come in women sizes as well (my wife is size 34 so it's quite hard to find something). And while I'm mentioning this - do you think that it matters if you both have the same gear? I personally don't know but think that it does - at least you feel the same cold or hot weather conditions the same way. Traiguard also has a couple of waterproof pockets, adjustable waist and elbows and comes in lighter colors for hotter climates. I think that for colder climates it's easier to put more stuff underneath then for hotter ones strip down when you've got nothing to strip down from - unless you take the jacket off thus NO PROTECTION. I don't know what you think but it seems like quite close to perfect jacket to me. Once you've put your gore tex liner inside you've got two waterproof layers so even if it leaks through the zippers or anything you're still dry :)

Pricewise it's quite competitive when compared to Rukka's £1100 or Stadler Belkeidung £1300 (approx. prices for a set jacket + trousers). Jacket : approx. £350; goretex liner approx £120; trousers: approx £200 = approx £670. This seems quite reasonable to me but let me know what you think guys.

Stay safe!
Gosia and Andy