Rallye jackets - recommendations

[Matt Roach]

I am looking for a new 4 season off-road rallye / enduro jacket, although it is most likely to be used in hot desert climates, so effective ventilation is very important.

I have tried out the BMW Rallye 2 Pro jacket and it looks and feels good, but is rather expensive - does anyone have any thoughts on how much abrasion protection there is in the event of a crash?

I have also checked out the Hein Gerike and Rukka jackets online, but these seem more touring orientated, rather than enduro or rallye based.

Recommendations please!

cheers

[MarkLG]

KTM do a couple of Rallye style suits along similar lines to the BMW. I've got one and find it's very flexible - removable thermal and waterproof linings, loads of zipped vents and leather reinforcements on high wear/impact areas. Cost was £260 for the jacket £200 for the trousers. The only downside is the colour scheme - bright blue and orange, with big KTM logos - may be a bit too much for some. They also do a grey/black variation which is a bit cheaper, but is more touring than rally style.

http://www.dirtbikebook.com/acatalog/EnduroRoad.html

[Mr. Ron]

I would recomend the BMW Savanna II, in grey. It's a bit heavier than the RalleyII and very well vented, keeps you nice ad cool in the heat. They can be had on E-bay for a good price and are always available, if your patient. I've been told that abrasion resistance is second only to leather.

[Matt Roach]

Thanks all.

Mark - I was looking at the KTM Rallye jacket, but saw some negative feedback on Adv Rider about the quality of the construction - just little things like seams / zips etc. Have you had any problems?

I would also be interested to see if any KTM factory riders actually wear their own kit, as most of the rallye privateers seem to wear the BMW suits.

But at least, since I ride a KTM, buying KTM kit will mean i don't have to remove the BMW label!!

[mollydog]

I've owned a lot of different jackets and got a few free ones to test

[Lazer Kid]

I totally reccomend the BMW rallye 2 suit - i bought mine second hand (it had only done a few thousand miles).

Since then i have ridden 35,000 miles (in 16 months)....the last 200 miles were in lashing rain and i arrived at my destination dry. If i need a new suit, i will look to buy another.

Only down point is no waterproof pockets.

....and the temptation to fill all the pockets and make the jacket very heavy!!!

Mark
www.etribes.com/markstowe

[ct_miller13]

Aerostich make's a few jackets designed for all riding conditions. They have different types of removable protection. They also have different denier's of nylon used to make the Roadcrafter, Darien and Darien Light jackets. They have pants as well. They all come with Pit Zips, adjustable waist and cuffs. They can be custom taylored for an additional price.

www.aerostich.com

[RiverRat]

Aerostitch makes good gear but doesn't vent very well. The darien is cooler then my Roadcrafter but still too warm for hot weather. The BMW Rallye suit is well worth the money it vents so well I didn't need my mesh jacket anymore and very durable. If I had to pay full price I probally would've bought the Rev'it Cayenne jacket instead. It is very similar to the BMW jacket but much cheaper and comes with a insulator liner too.
http://www.revitusa.net/acatalog/Tex...ollection.html

[mollydog]

Wonder if the Rev 'it is any better than this?

[Margus]

Another vote for the Rallye 2. I thought i'll never buy a BMW kit for myself, but after a huge deliberate search and research about the suits, this one was the only one to "dead end" with.

And now i have no question why it's the most used suite in the Dakar rallye by privateers.

It's the best clothing i've ever owned so far. I got it with 40% discount since R2 was updated with R2 Pro with few minor modifications only, so it easily beat out others with the price as well. Worth a check, some of BM dealers still have the "older" R2s in the stock with 30-40% discounts.

Rev'It is a copycat from BMW Rallye suite, year ago i was about to check it out too, but it was too new in the market back then and not much feedback. So maybe now it's time to check it out, MAYBE they've done a worthwhile copy from R2, don't know myself...

Also, if you aren't that critically minded about the protective clothing you wear, then HG Tuareg Rallye (the expensive version of Tuareg that is) is seriously worth a check.

Happy cloth hunting!

[Tully]

I'm pretty happy with the Rallye 2, but one grievance is that the zips connecting the sleave to the shoulder tend to leak in rain that isn't particularly heavy. I'm not to sure why BMW has removable sleeves on these jackets. If you're prepared to remove the sleeves on a jacket that's well ventilated to begin with you might as well ride with it off. And that defeats the purpose!

[MarkLG]

I saw these for sale a few weeks ago at £260:

http://www.revitusa.net/acatalog/Tex...ollection.html

It seemed extremely well made, had loads of vents, removable sleeves, removable waterproof layer, thermal liner and loads of pockets.
If I didn't already have my KTM kit then this is the one I'd go for. It's got everything the BMW stuff's got and is a lot cheaper, and the quality of construction seemed just as good as the BMW.
They also do matching trousers, and a cheaper version without some of the features.

[mollydog]

Better than anything else? NO, not from what I've seen.
If you want status and cache', then the BMW or KTM products are for you,
but keep in mind....you don't alsways Get What you Pay for!

[MarkLG]

I don't know about prices in the US, but in the UK the Rev'it jacket sells for £260, which is the same as the KTM, and a lot less than the BMW at £400, so I certainly wouldn't descibe it as overpriced.
You're right in that there's cheaper stuff out there, and some of it's pretty good - I've got a Spyke winter jacket which cost me £115 and is excellent quality, but is far too hot in the summer.
The Tourmaster jacket you recomend isn't available in the UK, and from what I can see in the specs the waterproof liner isn't removable.
It's OK taking the thermal liner out, but unless you can take the waterproof liner out as well then the jacket still gets far too hot for summer use. I once made the mistake of going to France wearing a Dainese textile jacket. It was fine on the way down, but even with the liner removed it was pretty awful when the weather got hot.

My KTM jacket has been excellent in all conditions. It's pretty warm with the thermal liner in place, waterproof, and with the liners out and all the vents opened up it's the coolest jacket I've worn in hot conditions.

[htdb33]

In my experience there really is no such thing as an all season jacket. If you try sooner or later you are going to find yourself either too hot or too cold. It really all depends of the temperture conditions you mean with you say all four seasons.

The closest I have come is an armored mesh jacket. I use a Joe Rocket Phoniex 3. I then wear a Gerbing electric jacket liner underneath. I managed to stay warm down into the high 30s (f) this way. If it gets too cold for you add a good wind block layer either over the mesh or between the mesh and the electric liner. As the temps rise; turn off then take off the Gerbing and you are OK to the 90s. Wet your shirt or get a cooling vest and you will be fine even above that.

In my opinion when it gets really hot, vents just dont do the trick. You really need that all over mesh.

Yankee Dog