BMW gear.....

[wanderer]

In summer I wear it with a T shirt. In winter with a Gerbing. I've stayed warm in winter, cool, or at least as cool as anything else I've had, in Eastern and Western heat, and most of all I've stayed drier than anything else I've ever owned. On an 800 mile day at 40* and an all day rain I like that a whole lot. I have about 40k on the suit. Oh yea, I broke off the main zipper pull, a dealer replaced it for free in about 5 minutes. I had put a split ring on it which a salesman noticed and offered to repair it.

I had a minor get off and abraded the left knee a bit, didn't feel a thing at the scene or later. Fits great and the flexibility feels like I'm wearing a mesh suit. At the same time it feels like and is very well armored. Price? Much less than I spend on tires in a year.The jacket zipps together with the pants, is shorter in front and longer in the back and doesn't bunch up in front like a rally length does. By the way, it does all this stuff with no liners. No stopping when it turns very, very gray.

past suits: Darien top and bottom
First Gear Air mesh top and bottom.
First Gear Kilimanjaro and HT overpants
Jeans and leather on Harleys in the 70's

[lkchris]

IMHO NO! It is not worth it. Unless you like to spend money to look pretty.

Which, of course, is the same thing you did when you bought a BMW motorcycle.

If you bought the bike simply for function, well BMW rider wear is that, too.

Cheap rider wear on a BMW is a bit like the Caddy in front of the mobile home, no?

[88bmwjeff]

All to justify the $550+ cost of the item.

Worth it? Anyone wearing it?

I have a Rally Pro 2 suit and I love, and it was worth the price. It is the most comfortable suit I've worn (compared to a Darien Jacket, Joe Rocket Alter Ego mesh jacket and pants, and Motoport kevlar suit). I've tried many other brands with little success in finding pants that fit me. Most BWM pants don't fit me properly. But, the Rally Pro 2 pants did. So, for me, it's well worth the money.

Most important (in my books) is to find good gear that fits properly. A $550 item that fits properly is a better buy than a $300 item with a poor fit.

[barry5k]

Anything you buy specifically for motorcycles is way overpriced and anything with the BMW logo is incredibly overpriced - a fact of biker life!

[balancemyact]

I bought my first BMW full two piece suit back in the 80's. It cost me 800.00 bucks which at the time was hard to afford and seemed out rages...but almost 25 years later i just handed it down to my son in perfect working order...I would now say that was a great value.Lets face it everything is expensive these days...
I tour,sport ride and dual sport so it's hard to cover all the bases with just one suit.For dual sporting and dirt i use a fox jacket with water proof breathable thor pants,the whole set up cost me 250.00 bucks and i expect to get at least five years or more out of them,because they take a lot of abuse...
I bought an Atlantis 3 suit a few years back from BMW and thought 1600.00 dollars was crazy,but i love it ,The older it gets the better it looks and feels...and the leather offers incredible protection along with the high tech pads...and it's water proof and breathable but leaks at the seams without the gore tex liner.The liner is a pain in the butt.But the new Atlantis 4 suit has heat tape sealed seams and is completely water proof and needs no liner...
On my K1200s i find these suits to work well throughout the whole riding season here in Vermont.In the summer i wear a high moisture transfering tee under...and in the fall until snow i wear heated liner. I've ridden in temps as low as the teens with comfort...
Now that i own an R1200rt also, i find the jacket to be too warm on the hot summer days...
I read about the new BMW comfort suit last summer and it seemed too good to be true...high tech materials that allow air through when it's hot and not rain and seals up when cold or raining and yet always allows moisture out!! pretty remarkable if it works. 1300.00 dollars again seemed like a lot of money,luckily my local dealer gives me 10% off on special orders. Well at first i didn't think it was so "comfortable" the collar rubbed my neck and i expected more warmth. It seemed too breathable in the early morning and evening temps...with the Atlantis suit i never needed to wear any insulation under until temps really dropped. Over time i learned that while using the Comfort suit i had to be prepared to insulate...now that i've accepted that, the suit works perfectly, i really love it and it offers ultimate protection. Until i used extensively in the rain i always carried a rain suit,but it has proven to keep me completely dry no matter what...I no longer carry a rain suit if i'm wearing the Comfort suit...IT'S GREAT!!! Not having to wonder if you should put your rain suit on as the skies darken or as the few drops start to fall...How many times have you put on your rain suit only to have to take it off again because it ended up only being a sprinkle or no rain at all. And rain suits are like being in a sauna, the comfort suit isn't.
Just remember it's really only a shell and you have to acheive your comfort by what you wear under it....
I say buy it if you're in the market for a new suit...that's my two cents or three or four...
See Ya at the rally michael

[shire2000]

Hmmm, let's see, what BMW clothing have I ever owned? A couple of hats is all that comes to mind. If I find myself in a BMW shop, I will look at the clothing there and check out quality and pricing. I usually shake my head and say to myself, I can do much better elsewhere. You see, to me, it is all about quality, fit AND price. I do not believe that just because it costs a lot it is the best there is.

When I need some new riding gear, I look around at a lot of different sources. I look for quality in manufacturing, fit and price. In that order. I do NOT buy just because an item has a particular logo (except for those 2 BMW hats). Some of my gear is very old, but because it was high quality when I purchased it, and I took very good care of it, it still is very serviceable.

An example would be my rain gear. Back in 1979 I purchased a brand new BMW R100RT. I knew I needed to get some good rain gear as I was going to be doing a lot of long distance riding that would definitely hit rain. I looked at what was available. BMW had some nice 1 piece suits available at a hefty price. I looked further and found some pretty crappy stuff out there as well. I settled on a Belstaff one piece rain suit that I still have today. Paid approx. 1/4 the price of the BMW suit. The Belstaff suit is still water proof and in good serviceable condition. It does not look all that pretty, but then, I am not a fashion model either. Function is much more important to me.

3 years ago I was looking for a good longer jacket to wear. I again looked at what was available at numerous shops. Checked out what others were wearing and talked to lots of riders. Looked at the BMW stuff and laughed at the exorbitant pricing. Talked the BMW sales staff at a few different shops and they all said that the BMW stuff is the best on the market and that all others had to be replaced every couple of years as it fell apart. Yeah, right, typical sales crap. Went to Yamaha dealer and bought a Joe Rocket jacket that fits me perfectly and does what I want. The jacket I bought is still in great condition and showing no signs of wear.

My custom made Drospo Leathers were made for me one summer when I was in Montreal. Cost me less than the off the rack BMW leathers that were available at the time. The custom made leathers have served me well for many years and as I take good care of them, they look like they will continue to do so for many years to come. They are presently over 15 years old. Again, it was quality over pricing.

Yes, I am "old school". So what? You can't tell me that just because a shirt, jacket or pants has the BMW logo on it makes it any better. Oh, and maybe someone should have a look into who actually makes that BMW clothing. As I recall, BMW is a manufacturer of motor vehicles, not in the textile industry.

I don't go out and buy new gear all the time as when I do buy it, I look for stuff that will last me a long time. I am willing to pay for quality and function, but not willing to pay extra to "look pretty".

Yes, there is the old adage "You get what you pay for", but also remember "A fool and his money, is quickly parted."

[marcopolo]

I have a Rallye 2 Pro suit and an Airflow 3 suit. They're great gear, but there's no question it's pricey. I've use the Rally 2 on a number of cross-continent rides in all sorts of weather. It worked really well. Is it worth it? I don't really know, but I bought it didn't I?

[Rob Nye]

Hmmm, let's see, what BMW clothing have I ever owned? A couple of hats is all that comes to mind.

So in other words other than a hat no. I feel for ya, just about anything of real high quality is very expensive when you pay in loonies.

To the OP, the opinion of the folks who own the gear is that is has been worth what they paid.

As always YMMV.

[shire2000]

robnye,

It is not that I could not afford the pricey BMW Logo gear. It is that I can get equal or better (IMHO) for less. I see no reason to pay more.

For those that like it, great for them.

This all reminds me of a friend that bought herself a Harley. then had to go out and get all the Harley gear, jacket, pants, chaps, gloves, boots, belt, sunglasses, coffee cup, etc. I bet she even got a Harley logo on her bra and panties, not that I want to see that. All because she bought into the Harley image, hook, line and sinker.

Whatever floats your boat.

[knary]

I have a Rallye 2 jacket that's got gobs of miles on it. I've used it in damn near every kind of weather. It's holding up very well after five or six years (I lost track). When I was shopping for it I was looking for a do everything jacket. At the time, the choice was between a couple brands of inexpensive and clearly lower quality gear, all of which was black, or the BMW stuff. Today there are more choices.

I'd look closely at the Rev'It gear. It's comparable to the BMW stuff in quality and a bit cheaper - though not as cheap as First Gear, Olympia, etc.

I bet I'll have the jacket for another couple years or so. I've got it paired with some Rev'It Dakar pants and am very pleased (and so happy to be rid of those heinously hot Darien pants).

[balancemyact]

I certainly didn't buy any of my BMW riding clothing because of the logo...and BMW doesn't make their own clothing you're right,but they do make motorcycles and ride motorcycles so they understand our needs and what kind of function we need.BMW sources out the materials and technology to construct design ideas that they themselves much of the time come up with.They were one the first clothing designers trying to make their riding gear safer for the rider.Their clothing is highly visible and extremely padded with not just foam or hard shell plastic but blunt force absorbing materials that remain funtional and comfotable...It's tough to find other clothing where so much thought has gone into it...
I'll bet you most of us commenting here don't own mugs,or tie clips,pens or any of their street clothing etc. and if anything the purchase of a hat with a BMW logo is more image driven than function driven...

[justabmw]

For me, I appreciate being able to buy from a brand known for quality. I bought my first bike, F650Gs, not knowing what to look for in regards to quality. But I felt more confident given BMW's reputation and "discovered" the quality features as I rode and worked on the bike. I guess I am saying that buying a brand known for quality is a safer bet than other approaches when I really do not know what I should be looking for. Reading this forum helps me learn what to look for, and why I spend so much time here.

[shire2000]

To all those that buy the BMW gear, and feel that they are getting high end quality gear, and are happy with it as the years and miles roll by, I say, "Good for you. I am happy that you are happy."

To any others that purchase other gear and are happy with that, again I say ""Good for you. I am happy that you are happy."

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and is free to make whatever choice they feel is right for them. You gave yours and I gave mine.

Now let's all just get out and ride. There are places to go, people to see and experiences to be had.

[Rob Nye]

robnye,

It is not that I could not afford the pricey BMW Logo gear. It is that I can get equal or better (IMHO) for less. I see no reason to pay more.

For those that like it, great for them.

This all reminds me of a friend that bought herself a Harley. then had to go out and get all the Harley gear, jacket, pants, chaps, gloves, boots, belt, sunglasses, coffee cup, etc. I bet she even got a Harley logo on her bra and panties, not that I want to see that. All because she bought into the Harley image, hook, line and sinker.

Whatever floats your boat.

I didn't mean to imply you couldn't, I was pointing out that most of the Candians I know have a different value calculation. I always thought it was due to a lot of imports into North America being scaled to the USD and that you got a bit of a raw deal.

FWIW, Chace and I have a room we have dubbed the "Adventure Room". It has two rolling coat racks of riding gear from at least five different manufacturers. I still have all the gear I've ever purchased and amazing enoug it still fits. The BMW stuff is not always the first choice but it does get the most use.

[kbasa]

robnye,

It is not that I could not afford the pricey BMW Logo gear. It is that I can get equal or better (IMHO) for less. I see no reason to pay more.

For those that like it, great for them.

This all reminds me of a friend that bought herself a Harley. then had to go out and get all the Harley gear, jacket, pants, chaps, gloves, boots, belt, sunglasses, coffee cup, etc. I bet she even got a Harley logo on her bra and panties, not that I want to see that. All because she bought into the Harley image, hook, line and sinker.

Whatever floats your boat.

Don't confuse drinking the kool aid with having a different definition of value. I don't like to waste my money, but for the riding I do, the BMW stuff works very well and is worth the cash I've dropped on it.

Same with my 'stich. The current one is about 8 years old and just keeps going. It wasn't cheap at purchase, but value for me is defined by functionality, durability and protection balanced against cost over time.

It's interesting that you haven't ever owned any BMW stuff but feel free to make judgements about their efficacy.