BMW Rallye II suit
 

The BMW Rallye II suit deserves a post here.
Had the unfortunate experience of testing it's durability on a sealed surface and found it amazingly tough. No injuries on me at all (except a tiny graze where the jacket and pants could have been zipped together). The suit is fine also - no rips, tears or failed components. The pads protected all the right bits - shoulders, elbows, back, knees. A few excess kilos provided additional cushioning!
The GS Adv a bit sad though...still, could have been worse.
The suit gets a glowing recommendation from me.
Cheers, Wolfy.

Well, happy to see that you made it without bruises !
I've got a question for you about its resistance against cold and wind.... what are your experiences?
Can it be used throughout the year, including very chilly winters of -10°C?

Thanks. Good question - haven't had to ride in temperature that low but in Tasmania the weather turned sour on me and found riding in 0+ degrees ok. I had thermal leggings under the suit with the Gore-tex liners. Under the jacket I wore a fleece (plus Gore-tex liner) but only have the GS gloves and couldn't stop cold air getting up my arms. Thank god for the hand warmers!! There are a lot of vents on the jacket - just remember to do them all up. My findings are the suit is just O.K. in cold but with adequate warm clothes and not just a t-shirt underneath. I don't know BM's rating for cold on the Rallye gear but for an all-rounder it's a good compromise. Haven't tried the BMW electric vest but you can buy a lot of wiskey to warm up with for the same money!!

Cheers, Wolfy.

PS - I don't recommend compromising on being warm. It's easier to cool down than warm up while riding.

[This message has been edited by Wolfy (edited 15 April 2005).]

How is the suit for water. Is it waterproof or water resistant ?

Excellent - using the liners is tricky in hot weather. You don't want to be sweating under the Gore-tex. It keeps the sweat in as good as keeping the water out. In summer I tend to not wear the liners unless it's a wet day. I've riden through a storm, got drenched, then was dry half an hour after (lots of vents). Keep in mind it was a bloody hot day in western NSW!
As far going through rain - great. And I've done a lot of it too.