Hi,

I need new riding pants and a new jacket. I have been looking at Rukka.
But is it just me or is 1300 eur. a ridiculous price for a suit. I can spend the money on it if I know that it is any good.
But for how long will it be good. If I spend 1300 euros on a suit I don't want it to be thrashed after 3 years or so.
So if one is planning a large trip, let's say to South-Africa is he better off with a 500 euro or a 1300 euro outfit.
I have been reading a lot on this subject and it seems I cannot make up my mind.

Thanks,

Kris

hi Pwyll,

it depends largely on the type of trip i guess, an RTW is different as 'just' going through africa, me think. If it is africa you probably want good ventilation and protection. RTW might call for a suit with goretex built in or as a separate liner.

what rukka are you looking at?

i took my rukka allroad from alaska to ushuaia and it's a great suit in hot weather. although by heavy rain/cold i prefer an external raincoat instead of only the goretex liner (cools off too much, take long to dry). also, for allroadtouring i think the protection is insufficient (didn't try it yet though, knock on wood).

good luck with your choice.

sanderd

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Have to say in my experience buy a decent comfortable and lightweight vented jacket that you can fit warm gear under comfortably and a good quality nylon outer jacket for keeping the wind (windchill is the killer here) and rain out - over the top leaving your gear inside warm and dry - so when you come to stop / camp/ etc you peel off the wet nylon outer and are left with nice reasonably dry gear - also if you have a fall a nylon outer is cheap to replace / repair a holed jacket or trousers that was Goretex lined and super expensive is not so easy to replace. Also almost everything that is waterproof is too hot in warmer climates, and too cold in cold wet climates as the exterior in most cases soaks up some water and acts like a heat sink with the low temperatures. In warm wet weather open all your vents on your protective layer and pull on your nylons oversuit you stay cool and dry -try to get a vented nylon jacket.
PS I have owned and tried Rucca, top gear from Hein Gericke, leathers etc etc still think the simple cordura rallye jacket with lots of vents (not waterproof) works best fully armoured and reasonable level of protection costs about £150.00 worked for me in almost every climate from sub zero Arctic to 40 degrees with various layers and oversuit. much more versatile than a very expensive suit. As sanderd says seems to go beyond the point once you need to pull a nylon over a goretex garment but its the only way to kill the cold.

Thanks for the insight, guys.

I think you guys solved my problem. I'm going for waterproof trousers and a good ventilated non-waterproof jacket over which I can pull a nylon raincoat.
The stuff I ride with now is a non-waterproof jacket and leather pants and I have to put on full raingear when it's raining (mainly because none of it is waterproof, but also because my leatherpants have a bit to much crotchventilation at the moment, not cool when it pours!!, or actually a bit too cool). Not a problem to put on when on vacation, but when I'm late for work there's no time to put on the rainpants (which happens more than I like to admit). And when I go to Africa I can remove the waterproof-liners from the pants, so that it is well ventilated and put on the full nylon rainsuit when it rains.
So I guess it'll be the Rukka Kalahari trousers.
And does anybody know a good brand of light rally jackets?

Thanks again!

Kris

Have you looked at motoport? I was looking a Rukka as well & almost pulled the ptrigger until I found motoport's stratch kevlar gear. It's certainly not any where near as stylish as Rukka,but after reading how breathable and incredibly durrable it is I bought the jacket & pants. I read testimonies not on the motoport's site that told of going down at 70mph,tumbling 10x's,and was not injured or it didn't destroy his gear. They even now make mesh kevlar which will allow more ventilation for something like S Africa. They have a 100% waterproof zip in rain liner as well,and armor. Something to look at,but it's expensive!

1300 euro!!! That's unbelievable

I think I'd rather risk getting a bit more cold/wet/hot/sweaty/whatever, and add an extra two months to my trip instead.

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UK to Mongolia 2009, on a DR350

Thanks for the motoport tip, found a link to Difi there. They seem to have reasonable priced jackets. Great!
Hey Nath where did you find those saddlebags?

If you like Rukka, but not their price, have a look at IXS.

I have had two of their jackets, between them lasting me about 9 years. One I sold second hand the other I still have. Both waterproof.

Cheaper than Rukka, but not cheap. However, I would invest in a decent back protector: like most off the shelf jackets the armour is OK, but not as good as dedicated armour...

That might have changed since I bought my last one in about 2004

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(so ride what you like, but ride it somewhere new!)