Is the BMW riding gear worth the extra money?

[starky]

I have recently bought an LT and am looking for riding gear for my wife.
1.5 years ago I purchased an Alpinstar touring jacket and am very happy with it's performance.
The BMW riding gear catalogue that I recetly picked up at my local BMW dealer, Budd's BMW,Oakville Ontario is as thick as a phone book with alot of different jackets, pants, gloves etc. It all looks very cool, co-ordinated and high tech. The jackets I saw at the dealer seemed well constructed and used what look like very high tech materials inside and out, ie: the armour on one jacket was both durable and flexible and is purported to be as strong as a rock. However, compared with the Alpinstar jacket it is almost 2.5 x's as expensive ( almost $1,500) The kevlar jean jacket and pants is approx. the same money.
So my question is, are these items worth the extra money.

Thanks for the input and all of the advice that gets dished out on this site.

Joel

[simoncharles]

It's probably some of the best on the market, and they definitely make you pay for it.
In Europe they normally have end of year sales, with discounts of up to 50% on some lines.
Around 3 years ago I bought a YOKO outfit from Finland and would like to buy another, but in the meantime, they seem to have disappeared.
Anybody out there know anything ?.

[BkrK12]

It's good stuff and I have quite a bit of it. But, I seriously doubt that, as a return on investment, it is worth the premium price. Plenty of other good stuff available. Travel to the local bike shops and look at the things they sell. Look on the Internet.

[Ted]

http://www.aerostich.com/home.php

These guys make great 1-piece and 2-piece suits - and also make a good argument of why you don't want Kevlar.

[starky]

I've gone ontothe aerostitch web site and can't find anything about kevlar.
Can you provide some direction.
The aerostitch suits look interesting especially in the hi viz yellow.
Any experience with that?

[petepeterson]

BMW gear is probably the best you can buy... Sure there is gear out there that is close to being just as good, but if I have to go down I want the BMW gear...
Its the best I've had in 40 years of riding.. The price is a killer... My dealer gives me a good brake on whatever I buy cause I bought the bike there and they do my service, plus its one of the best dealerships I've ever been in of any brand..

Capefear BMW of Wilmington NC.........Regards Pete

[CKeller]

I have owned a BMW riding suit with the Gore-Tex moon boots for over ten years. It still looks good and works well. Fortunately, I have never put it to the ultimate test.

Recently, I got the itch for some new gear and looked seemingly at every piece made. In the end, I bought another BMW suit. I just couldn't come up with any reason that I should make a change. As with many things, once you get over the initial purchase price, the years of enjoyment far outweigh the money.

I found a new BMW Rallye 2 suit at 30% off. They had one that fit and I wrote the check. It will be under the Christmas tree on Sunday. I am eager to put it on and use it for the first time. If it gives the service that my old one has, it will be a deal.

I hope this helps.

[Malki]

I was looking today at BMW riding gear , but at £795 (US$1379) for pants and jacket it's a bit steep for me :( was not even near the top of the range, and just no discounts going over here.

[Ted]

http://www.aerostich.com/files/readings/2001Catalog/straightstory.html

I have a red/grey 1-piece roadcrafter that I am very happy with - purchased in July 2003. Someone here reported a while back that the hi-viz yellow was overkill. Although I've never seen a hi-viz yellow in person I'd tend to agree - the reflective areas on the regular suit are plenty - especially coupled with the higher profile of the LT.

[onions]

Have to agree that the BMW gear is excellent. The price downunder is astronomical (about 50% more than in the USA), so I have purchased a number of items off eBay from around the world. My favourite pieces are my Tourguard jacket and leather pants (with gortex lining which is bonded to the leather), FULLY waterproof (and I have put it to the test) comfortable and I feel secure in the amount of protection I know it will afford me in the worst should happen... If I do go down, I'm sure I will be happy about the exta $$$$ that I initially spent...

Merry Christmas,

[cfell]

I like TourMaster. It's all I ride. Good quality, usable, flexible. This enables me to have 2 sets. One for warm the other for cool/cold. The warm weather jacket has liner for rain. The cold weather has liner for increased layering and warmth.

Just some thoughts... might like to look into it....

[km5bh]

I have owned a BMW riding suit with the Gore-Tex moon boots for over ten years. It still looks good and works well. Fortunately, I have never put it to the ultimate test.

Recently, I got the itch for some new gear and looked seemingly at every piece made. In the end, I bought another BMW suit. I just couldn't come up with any reason that I should make a change. As with many things, once you get over the initial purchase price, the years of enjoyment far outweigh the money.

I found a new BMW Rallye 2 suit at 30% off. They had one that fit and I wrote the check. It will be under the Christmas tree on Sunday. I am eager to put it on and use it for the first time. If it gives the service that my old one has, it will be a deal.

I hope this helps.
I am glad that you bought that. I went with my wife and that is what she bought me today. I had been looking at them for a couple of years, but couldn't bring myself to buy it at the price they were asking. We got in on a 15% off sale and I will have my Rallye 2 on Christmas Day. Hmm, Do you think this is what all those people ate talking about when they say Merry Christmas' ?

Lewis

[patrick2000]

I've gone ontothe aerostitch web site and can't find anything about kevlar.
Can you provide some direction.
The aerostitch suits look interesting especially in the hi viz yellow.
Any experience with that?


Starky,
Here you go.

http://www.aerostich.com/files/readings/2001Catalog/straightstory.html

[patrick2000]

Starky,

In my opinion the BMW stuff is good and worth every penny in the long run, however I believe the Aerostich product is better value and fits me better. Additionally, Aerostich provides an alteration and repair service, I'm not sure if BMW gear offers this.

Hope this helps.

[tvguy]

I am riding with Joe Rocket gear and I like it a lot. I am saving my pennies to buy an aerostitch suit. Most of the club guys I ride with have them and love them. They are cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Very very durable and they will fit you over the phone. Not to my folks can make it to Duluth, Minnesota.

Most of the women in the club ride with BMW gear (Savannah line) and they complain that they are not very water tight when the going gets wet...

[Ted]

"They are cool in the summer & warm in the winter"...

That's why I love 'em....very versatile...in Sept 2004 did a Saddlesore1000 from Ventura, CA to Zion, UT. Temps thru St. George, UT on the way to Zion were near 100 degrees, and leaving Vegas on the return temps hit around 40. My riding partners would adjust their clothing many times when we stopped, and we even made a special stop outside Vegas when it hit 40.

In fairness - I started the ride with a sweatshirt underneath not knowing how cold it would be once I hit the desert - took it off in Vegas on the way - but never put it back on.

[km5bh]

I did pretty well for Christmas!

My wife got me a Rallye 2 Jacket. And she also got me a pair of Gerbing Heated Gloves. Too bad it is in the mid seventies today here in the Houston area.
My daughter bought me a pair of Gerbing socks and I just picked up a jacket liner last week.
Along with some Ipod nick-nacks and a few DVD's I'd seemed to have been good boy this year. 8-))

Lewis

[starky]

It seems that function will be following fashion as far as my wife is concerned.

When she decided to ride a while back she had thought yellow would be the best colour for her jacket. I began checking things out on line this morning and logged on to the Aerostitch site to se the high viz jacket and pants. A real shocking lime yellow but apparently very conspicuous.
One look at the colour and my wife vetoed the jacket. Said she doesn't look good in THAT kind of yellow. THe BMW women's Belice jacket was the one that caught her attention. From everything that has been said so far on this thread I am happy to know that the BMW clothing is worth the money. It seems like my purchase choice has been made for me.
Seeing as she is just getting going with riding pillion I want to start off on the right foot and keep all the aspects as positive as possible.