Ta-Rider raises a very good point above, something we all need to be aware of.

The Gore-Tex material itself retains its 'waterproof' characteristics as time goes by, but all of the various seams and joints on the garment need to have their waterproofing renewed periodically by application of an appropriate spray or liquid.

To put it another way, if you join two pieces of Gore-Tex fabric together by stitching them, the seam where they are joined will leak (right from brand new) unless it is waterproofed. Normally, manufacturers of Gore-Tex motorcycle wear waterproof all the seams after the garment is constructed, but before it leaves the factory.

Also keep in mind that it is rare for a garment to be '100% Gore-Tex', this because there will always be little bits of material used here and there that are not made of Gore-Tex - for example, zippers and so forth. Those items also need to have their waterproofing renewed periodically.

Michael

I can recall the time when Mr Gore's main patent expired, but I didn't realise how long ago that was!
Gore - Research Papers - Melissafever1

Anyway, that led to further innovative products (or "knockoffs" as per the link) and now we have many choices on the market for clothing.
Personally, I have never owned a riding jacket that even claimed to be water proof/resistant, so it's "oilskins" for me when the heavens open.

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Dave

I would agree 100% with this. I ride in England for the most part, so I tend to wear a Goretex jacket and trousers 99% of the time, what with our frequent sunshine When I travel to sunnier climes (i.e. anywhere else) I love my Companero suit. It's not cheap, so that's a down side. It will last a long time (fingers crossed), so that offsets some of this. I have to store the 'outer' jacket and trousers, so that takes some room.

I've used it in torrential rain - no ill effects at all. I was in Florence last year where the storm was so bad, I rode through a foot and a half of water for what seemed like at 1/2 mile getting to my stopping point, trees had been cut down by lightening and there were widespread power outs. It was some of the worst rain I've ever had. My bum felt a little cold where the water had pooled on my seat, but it wasn't wet. No where else even felt chilly!

I've ridden in Morocco in August at 43* C - the mesh suit (the main part with all the armour) was wonderful On the move, I managed to stay alert and the airflow was amazing

I would buy this suit again in a heartbeat. If you can live with having to find some storage space, it's easily (for me) the best set up for all eventualities. The best bit? In Germany, you can buy it with or without a TT logo

I just googled the price.

Nearly £2000... That's more than my bike cost.

Nice if you can do it though... It does make a big difference to be comfortable and dry on a bike. Changes the whole experience. Being too hot to breath or shivering and wet through is the perfect way to ruin your day and even trip..

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I used different types of jackets in my early days that were useless in most condition till I bit the bullet and bought a BMW rally suite at the time cost me an arm and a leg, it had three layers that was very heavy but very good,,,,well very good to what I was used to,,, I got my money's worth out of it cost 7 years later I sold it and I got over £300 for it second had,,,,,
As its been pointed out the three layers is a problem with riding in hot rain weather you tend to over heat quickly that's ver dangerous also when it wet it's really heavy, when you stop for fuel or coffee then you have to put it back on, it very uncomfortable,
Luckily I'm in a better position now I went for the klim adventure gear it's the best suite I've ever had, the suite was not as much as the BMW suite so that's a bonus, just remember this suite will last many years how many cheaper suites do you think you will use in that time,
With most activities it cost money biking costs more than most, as you get older you find that you will be able to accumulate better quality items and clothing.

All true. We use a product called "Seam sealer". Like glue. But does not last. So you have to go over seams about once a year to maintain watertightness.
Also, DIRT ... the enemy of Gore-Tex.

I thought Goretex somehow renewed their patent rights? Not sure. You still see the Goretex tag on garments and I know they have to PAY EXTRA for that and have to get garments tested by Goretex labs. (or so I hear??)

I'd never heard of the Companero suit before, but googled it and wow! That is certainly a high end piece of kit... very nice!

But what I find interesting about the design of that suit, plus almost every comment I read on here is that ultimately, my theory of what to wear on long motorbike trips is right. Maximize airflow in your main riding gear, then carry a separate waterproof layer for when you need it.

So in one sense, this makes me happy as it seems like I'm already doing the right thing and don't have to buy any extra stuff from what I already have. In fact, my Rukka AiRider jacket is made out of the same Cordura AFT airflow fabric that the Companero suit is made out of I believe.

Though, I was kind of hoping someone would post to say that their £17,000 TouraBMKlimRukkaW suit with 'Magitex' fairy dust construction was able to air condition their sweaty nuts while being watertight to 5000 feet and makes the wearer irresistible to the opposite sex at all times.

Alas, seems like the old ways are still the best... waterproof overjacket and overtrousers it is!

This is only true if you buy it in the UK, which I didn't

Between the exchange rate (€ to £) and buying it in Germany, I paid quite a bit less than that. Even factoring petrol to get there I still came out ahead!

There are, however, many ways to create the same principle: mesh armoured jacket with something waterproof over the top, something like that mentioned above. Cheaper ways, too!

It's too true - removable waterproof liners are all round useless. But what are you guys using to to put over the jacket/pants? Some sort of Berghaus, etc? Do you have to buy a much bigger size and so cannot wear it comfortably off the bike?

Before I bought my current suit, I had a Rev'it mesh jacket / trousers and Berghaus jacket / trousers. This was a good combo. I bought a size larger jacket than I need; bizarrely, I can still wear it now and it fits very well, even being a little larger. It looks and fits fine. This combination was good. The reason I changed was more down to the desire to improve on the Rev'it gear as opposed to the Berghaus.

Most rain only jackets are sized a bit larger than listed, so should fit over your riding jacket OK. I use a First Gear rain jacket ($70) ... but use only when doing an "All Day" rain ride, otherwise my main jacket works pretty well. No waterproof liner so no heavy, wet jacket to lug round and no misery putting a wet Dog on first thing on a cold morning. The outer layer of my First Gear is waterproof, yet breathable.

This jacket has a built in Hood that you can unroll from collar and put up over your head. Keeps water from running down your back. It works!

For rain pants I have several common Moto, Ski and hiking ones I buy at the Good Will store for about $3 to $5 each. Some are super high quality, others China made crap. I buy the good ones when I find them ... now have a stock of spares.

For a full day in rain they may only keep me dry for a few hours or so.
But my leathers are treated with SnoSeal and resist water really well. I've never gotten truly wet yet ... but I don't live in UK ... YOU GUYS are truly the RAIN experts! I really was impressed how FAST and HOW well your local bike cops could ride in rain in London traffic. These guys are GOOD!

I wear a set of commonly available waterproof over trousers. Not breathable. About £20. I think mine are made by Spada but they're all generally the same. On top I wear a gortex jacket that fits comfortably over my bike jacket. Available from any camping shop. I'd stick to gortex. Pay the extra.

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

This is an interesting one. In Northern Europe, especially the UK and Ireland a laminated gore-tex jacket and pants works best and doesn't have to break the bank.

Of course there are other materials with the same properties that work in the same way but they aren't necessarily tested as thoroughly as Gore-tex with its lifetime guarantee (garment lifetime that is, not yours).

Spidi make the xtour which uses their own membrane and has 'waterproof' vents, so should be cool enough for the warmee weather in northern europe too. They guarantee their membrane for something like 10 years too.

Now when touring in areas with huge temperature ranges and weathers that's when the problems start. Take South America for insrance. You can be in the hot and humid Iguazu which will easily be over 39c then a week later in -10 temps up on the dry altiplano.

Gore-tex or any other semi permeable membrane will leave you soaked in the first instance (due to the breathability), whilst a mesh layer is dead weight in the second as it provides no insulation even used in a layering system.

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I'm starting to wonder whether a 2 jacket system is the best option. Obviously that takes up a lot of room, but may be the way to go. I'd have a vented goretex jacket as my main jacket for 90% of the riding, then also something like this to wear as a standalone jacket for wearing on slow, hot off-road sections and in city traffic - Knox Venture Shirt - RevZilla

Obviously, no abrasion resistance, but that should be less of a problem in slow riding. And in high speed riding the vents on a goretex jacket should make it bearable.

Just an idea I've been kicking around...

A lot of people do that. Use an amour layer for off road and hot conditions, then combine it with a jacket (for abrasion resistance and cold) that they've removed the armour from.

It's much more difficult to do when 2-up though, as even without the armour in the jacket, it still takes up a lot of space. Shouldn't be a problem riding solo though.

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