I was in the flagship BMW shop in Stuttgart with a friend of mine from Germany this summer...I asked him if the costly gear hanging on the walls was made in Germany or overseas. He felt sure they were made in Europe. I strolled over and started checking the tags...Made In China. Article after article, same thing. My friend joined me in the search, surprised to see that everything was made in China. Oh well, welcome to globalization- Chinese quality at a German price. None of my gear is BMW, but I'm sure most of it comes out of China! Kind of ironic I think, as the Chinese won't let me (outfitted in Chinese gear) enter their country to ride!!! Perhaps I can show customs all my tags at the border in lieu of a carnet? Ride safe folks. H.

Rukka
 

I bought Rukka Allroad jacket this year and stitching inside one pocket was broken when new. After 1 week of use stitching at the end of sleeve broke loose from rubbing against glove. The thread used there is very thin compared to rest of the suit, so I'm pretty sure this will happen to other sleeve as well.
The suit itself is generally very well made and very expensive but on some reason things like that still happen. :confused1:

It appears to be the case that most clothing on sale in the Western world is made in China. It does not matter what its purpose is - fashion, bike riding, climbing, whatever - the big and cheap factories are based there.

For what it is worth, one can read the threads in here that describe experiences with Chinese manufactured motorbikes.

So, I guess it does not matter what the designer label is, the source of the manufactured goods should be taken into account - does Hein Gericke manuf in Germany nowadays? I'm off to check the labels on my riding clothes!! :rolleyes2:

My BMW Rallye 2 GoreTex inner suite is made in China, which isn't any problem for me. Chinese can do the same quality work as any european, but at much lower price. Their production quality is decided what materials and machinery is given to them, just like everywhere in the world.

So there's basically no point to produce in Europe anymore, that why many makes move to India, China, Taiwan etc areas where stuff is made much more cost-effective, many of them just forgotten to buy them a good production plants tho :P

Only complaint I have on my R2 is the red colour is faded because of the sun's UV (no UV protection treatment in jacket's textile?) But that's the prob for all the older R2 jackets I've heard. Otherwise stunningly brilliant suite - I've compared with some other purpose clothing, including much more expensive Rukka and I got to say R2 fits my needs like a glove. And I got it half-the-price off from BMW stock after the Rallye 2 Pro came along, so it has been unbeatalbe for me in terms of price/performance.

My g/f-s Savannah 2 jacket was made in Portugal, GoreTex part in Bosnia if I remember correctly. So looks like it depends... And Savanna 2 is more expensive than Rallye 2 too. :)

Thanks for all feed back guys.
I will do a formal complaint to the board members of BMW as soon as I get to Buenos Aires and find a decent cybercafe that does not crash on me when I´ve just finished a long email!!!!!! Complaints to customers services would be a waste of time!
I will make sure to copy this link! There is weight in numbers !

And while you're complaining to them Maria, please ask them to ensure that they don't start making their motorcycles in China. That would really be a bit too much!! :nono:

My wife and I did tons of research before buying our riding gear and came up with what we think is the best stuff out there. It easily exceeds Aerostitch beacuse of rain worthiness and hot weather riding.

MotoPort

It is made in the USA, has the strongest seams I have ever seen and the outer mesh shell is made with Kevlar. We have ridden in the cold, rain and heat and the clothing performs perfectly. It is a triple layer system. Outer Kevlar lined mesh contains the new soft padding that hardens on impact and is lined, so you can ride in just the shell in the heat. Inside that is a fantastic rain suit that breathes, then the third, optional piece is the long sleeved quilted liner (top only) We are in the Utra II suits.

Our boots are Sidi Canyons. They have also performed well, kept our feet dry in all-day rain.

Sidi Canyon Gore-Tex Boots @ Extreme Supply!

Steep

Jep the famous "german build quality" is no longer there.

even the germans themselfs say so.
i prever italian "quality" these day's, fiat build the machines the germans used in the eighties to build bikes and cars.

Oh, they have. The Elefant 650 would be fun, but I'm only 5'6". Sure, there's shorter people that ride them but I like getting one foot planted instead of touching the ground.

My 250cc bitsa does well (except when I grenaded the piston and crank). I'll have to see what happens when I go completely crazy and get myself a Ducati Cucciolo for a long trip.

--Dave

Thanx for reminding me of the Elephant, Dave! Almost forgot about that one.

Actuallly, it's the first time I hear complaints about the BMW gear. I have been using a BMW Tourance jacket for over a year and it has served me well and it keeps water out great.

Maria - I hope BMW come through for you - I do not know how well they deal with customers in these cases.

Also - when you run a large production line, I do think you occasionaly come across an item that fails the normal quality standards, but naturally this does not mean Rukka make poor quality gear. If the company is any good they have a great warranty in place and will replace the item immediately without an argument. Rukka have a 5 year manufacturer guarantee on much of their gear I think, which speaks volume. Ahh yes and my next jacket will be a Rukka. :innocent:

I two have the Airmesh Ultra 2 Jacket (winter liner & water proof liner) and find it to be the perfect compromise. They are expensive for Australians to buy as our dollar is RS to the green back, but it is worth every cent.

I have ridden in snow in North America and 40oC heat in outback Australia all without drama. I recently purchased a pair of Kevlar jeans for Motoport, the only downside is that the Kevlar mesh is that abrasive that it is damaging the paint on both sides of the tank.

Please note that ordering from a supplier in another country does not always run smoothly as you can't just walk up the road to return clothing. I will be sure to make my requirements a lot clearer next time. I forgive you Wayne.

It is good gear and all made in the States to order not China.

:thumbup1:

Most of the stuff available locally is Cordura crap made in China. I had a Dririder jacket that lasted all of 2 weeks and 5000km before most of the important stitching and zips gave way. It was returned to place of purchase and a full refund given.

It seems that if the Chinese used a better thread that most of us would find the overall quality bearable.

Glen

Sorry to hear about your problems with your BMW gear. I too have seen a decline in quality of certain BMW articles (including bikes) but the Rally Pro 2 I have is fortunately not one of them. FWIW the jacket is from Kroatia and the pants from China. I had a get-off last year when I dropped my bike on me and the suit was fine. The seams are all good and so is the Gore-Tex liner. I have 45K miles on this suit and so far it is holding up very well.
I hope that BMW comes through for you as some dealers and regional managers for BMW are idiots. It is rare a dealer will stick his neck out as corporate BMW seems to think their poo doesn't smell. If enough customers complain I am sure the bosses in Munich have to wake up some day.
Unfortunately Germans are very stuborn and don't admit to mistakes easily. If their bottom line drops however they may change their tune somewhat.( I hope)
Good luck!!!

Exchange?
 

Hey Loxsmith,

How long has it been since you checked the exchange rates?? I am paid in US and now I am actually loosing money given that it is over 90 cents!

Therefore, buying gear direct from the US is cheap for us now if your paid in Oz$! Buy up big mate, we never knoow whats going to happen to it.

I have some BMW gear which is made in China, Portugal, etc and most is ok, but I do have several items that are rubbish, ie: gloves, helmets, visors. I had 2 x system3, 2 xSystem 4 helmments and the foam inside used to deterioate if not used for a time. BMW said that there was nothing wrong with it but then I see that the next model helmet came out with detachable washable lining! A coincidence???

Cheers

BMW's made in China and Taiwan
 

Actualy they do have plans to make the engines of the new 650 series in China and the new G450X will be build by Kymco in Taiwan............ Just read it in a bike magazine here in Holland. No use in buying European anymore. :-(