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REVIEW: BMW Rally 2 Jacket

90288

New member
I have had my BMW Rally 2 jacket for 6 months now and it's the best $550.00 I have ever spent on motorcycle gear.

With the zip out Gortex liner and the vents in the arm, chest and back I have never been hot in this jacket and I have yet to be cold.

When I first bought it I was concerned of the "stiffness" of the jacket but it is now broken in and it still holds it's form well.

If you have been sitting on the fence about whether you should get one, I would suggest you go for it.

It's really a great addition to your riding gear.

GS
 
can you tell us about your previous jackets, so those of us with older stuff have a reference point?

whats the hottest temperature you rode in? (i cant imagine ever being hot in milwaukee. :D )
 
username said:
can you tell us about your previous jackets, so those of us with older stuff have a reference point?

whats the hottest temperature you rode in? (i cant imagine ever being hot in milwaukee. :D )

I have a rallye 2 jacket that I use with some darien pants. I have ridden in temps as high as 102?? F and been reasonably comfortable. My previous serious gear was an Aerostich Roadcrafter that I used for a bit less than a 100k miles.

Rallye 2 (jacket)
pros: GREAT ventilation. Very comfortable in hot temps. With liner in, it has proven to be very waterproof. decent protection. With liner in, fairly windproof.

cons: you have to put a liner in, or over, to make the jacket waterproof. Not as much reflective material as I'd like. EXPENSIVE. Not as quick to don, with pants, as the old roadcrafter. not as much protection as the roadcrafter (lighter materials). Not a single piece unit, so drafts up the back are possible.


Roadcrafter(suit)
pros: very comfortable fit. quick to don. excellent protection. good reflective patches. well built.

cons: mediocre ventilation. Virtually unwearable, for me, above 95??F and damned uncomfortable above 85??F. Not always waterproof. NOT windproof (read: cold).

In the end, for me, it came down to choosing between the annoyance of having to put in a liner and not being able to put it on and take it off in a few seconds vs. being miserable when the temps went up. I obviously decided that I'd rather be comfortable on a hot day than have a better commuter suit. I don't commute.

My plan is to get a Darien jacket when money allows to supplement the rallye 2 jacket, but so far the rallye 2 is proving to be a very versatile piece of gear.
 
I'm on my second Roadcrafter (RC). The first was a two piece suit and the
current, a one piece.

Riding point-a-to-b, the one piece is ok. But if you're constantly stopping,
a two piece is better. Allows you to take the jacket off and be comfy--at
least not have it drag behind you as with a one piece.

The RC is nice because you wear it over street clothes. With a two piece, like
the Rallye 2, the pants are meant to be worn with minimal clothing underneath.

The Rallye 2 and the Savannah 2 both require a liner to make them water
proof. Whether it's the "official" liner or something like a Windstopper jacket,
you still need the liner to make it water-proof. Not so with the Roadcrafter.
One thing worth mentioning is that a two piece suit has a seam at the waist
and if you're not careful with the liner, you could end up with water down
your pants. DAMHIK.

With regard to ventilation, the S2 is probably better than either the R2 or
Roadcrafter. In fact, the RC is at the bottom of my scale with respect to
venting.

The Rallye is a better all around jacket when compared to the Savannah 2
or Roadcrafter two-piece.

I can't really compare "crash resistance" because I have no experience with
anything mentioned.


Ian
 
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