BMW Rallye 4 suit?

[captainmarko]

Anybody?

Bueller?

I find myself ready to spend the money for a good riding suit, and the reviews seem to indicate:

BMW Rallye 4 suit, Klim Badlands, or an Aerostich Roadcrafter 3.

The Klim stuff is just SOOOOOO expensive. About $2,000 for the jacket and pants. I know you get what you pay for, but...really?

The 'Stich's fans are legion, and, according to them, it can do no wrong. But it's just a shell, which means many layers underneath for warmth in the winter, which means bulky, which annoys me. And the only drawback this legion of fans WILL admit to is that it's a "bit warm" in the summer. And being in Vegas (yes this means the winters are relatively mild, but we will regularly see 30's and 40's) the summers are long and hot. So that gives me pause. Price point is the cheapest of the bunch at around $1,200.

Which leaves the Ralley 4 suit. At about $1,500 it sits in the middle, price wise. The reviews are mostly positive. And the layering seems to be effective, making it year round with minimal bulk in the cooler months. The only real drawback is I become a walking fanboy. Parking my RT, and walking away in my BMW suit. All I need is the week old beard, the thousand yard stare, and a rainy backdrop and I'm an advertisement! Which I can handle if I'm happy with the gear.

So what say you, denizens of the asphalt? Anybody out there using this gear? And if so, what are your opinions? Both positive and negative.

Thanks in advance for your time.

 

[lkchris]

Recommend BMW Airflow over Rallye. Who wants to sit on their jacket?

 

[sailorlite]

How about the BMW TourShell suit - seems very functional and maybe even 4 season capable.

I've observed that very frequently when a member is trying to decide among 2 or 3 choices, we all ignore his question and propose a fourth choice - like I've just done!

 

[shortythorne]

From what I gathered, you really had rather not wear the suit off the bike soooooooo, I am recommending the one piece AeroStitch over your street clothes. I have yet to find one suit that does it all. You may get a little warm or a little cold, or be a little bulky,etc. The Roadcrafter is just hard to beat, especially for guys as it seems to fit men better than women. I think it is very reasonably priced, and you will not beat the companies service. Just my two cents. Also, all you'll need in winter is Gerbing jacket over a long sleeve tee. Not very bulky.

 

[captainmarko]

From what I gathered, you really had rather not wear the suit off the bike soooooooo...

Actually, I was just making a joke about turning myself into a walking BMW advert.

I have no problem wearing the gear off the bike. In fact, when I travel, I pretty much live in it from day to day, only taking it off at the end of day.

I've seriously considered the Aerostich, but they won't make "custom" suits. Their quotes, not mine.

They will sell me something off the rack and then alter it and I am responsible for shipping costs back to them. Do that twice and it's not so cheap anymore. But, really, it's not the money that's the issue. They said 6-8 weeks to make the suit and then an additional 2-3 weeks for every alteration. So I could conceivably be looking at 3-4 months before I have it in hand. That doesn't interest the Veruca Salt in me.

I can go down to my dealer and try on both the BMW and the Klim gear, and get it immediately. Or a couple weeks if they don't have my size.

Something about spending that kind of money makes me want to touch the item in question and at least be able to try it on before plunking down the cash. More than once I've ridden away in a jacket, gone 15 miles, turned around and returned it because something was wonky. What can I say. I'm picky. And Las Vegas BMW has always been extremely helpful and accommodating. It's one of the reasons I get me gear from them. There's a Cycle Gear about 2 miles from my house, but all they carry in stock is the Bilt and Sedici junk. They can GET the good stuff, but you have to pay first. The BMW dealer has tons of the good stuff on the floor.

Perhaps I should stop typing and just ride over there.

It is my day off.....

 

[greenwald]

Since you restrict opinions to only those 3 choices, I have no opinion.

 

[akbeemer]

Aerostich tailored my pants and Annie's pants and jacket.

 

[shortythorne]

I don't understand the part about AeroStitch not customizing?? They did for me also. Also, you can visit their factory and it is pretty neat little place. You can get personalized service such as precise body measurements, etc. How can you beat that? IMO Klim is good stuff,but is sorta a trendy thing right now. The "latest" in the adventure rider look. I love BMW gear when I can get what I want (for women). It is good too. All in all, you will not beat AeroStitch unless you are more about the "look" than the function and versatility.

 

[captainmarko]

Tough crowd, tough crowd!!!



Greenwald- I was not restricting comments to those three options. Those are just the three I've been considering.

shortythorne-I actually emailed them and asked them if I could send them my measurements and their response was "we don't make custom suits". See my second post.

I was hoping to find some folks who were using the Rallye suits, but I guess my optimism was too great.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

 

[36654]

Aerostich tailored my pants and Annie's pants and jacket.

I have a pair of extended length pants for my 2-pc. Aerostich.

Perhaps, things have changed

 

[36654]

Tough crowd, tough crowd!!!

View attachment 52718

Greenwald- I was not restricting comments to those three options. Those are just the three I've been considering.

shortythorne-I actually emailed them and asked them if I could send them my measurements and their response was "we don't make custom suits". See my second post.

I was hoping to find some folks who were using the Rallye suits, but I guess my optimism was too great.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

http://www.aerostich.com/alterations#Roadcrafter

It was a language thing....You didn't want a custom suit.........You wanted "Alterations"

 

[marcopolo]

I have a BMW Rallye suit (can't recall whether it's a 3, or 4, but it looks like what you see on the BMW website). I like it. My only negative comment concerns the liners (jacket and pants). In theory, aside from providing some protection against cold, they're also supposed to keep you dry. I've never used them for that purpose because the notion of standing on the side of the road taking your pants off, to then install the liner, is silly. This is my second Rallye suit and I've never used the pants liners. I have used the jacket liners, but only for warmth. If it rains, I carry a Rev'it rain suit (pants and jacket) to put on over top. I also like the fit of the BMW suit.

As for Klim, I'm not sold on the idea of the permanently attached Goretex layer. Seems to me like you're needlessly making yourself warmer 100% of the time, when it only rains, say, 20% of the time. Of course, it saves the hassle of having to don rain gear. Not sure that outweighs the downside of "Goretex all the time". That said, some will claim that the vents will keep you cool. I can't really say, as I've never owned one. A friend bought a Badlands suit a few years back. He liked it, though the pants were not a good fit at all (seemingly a common complaint at the time). He had to pay to have the pants tailored before he could use them. Sounds like they've improved the fit since then. It may have been their snowmobile suit heritage showing. They're certainly expensive and also very popular now.

As for Aerostitch, I've never worn one. People who have them seem to love them. Personally, I find them rather -- flame-retardant suit on -- ugly.

 

[captainmarko]

Interesting.

So, without the liners, you wouldn't say the suit was waterproof?

That's part of what I'm looking for is NOT having to don rain gear. I want one suit that I can wear all the time.

 

[greenwald]

I have a BMW Rallye suit (can't recall whether it's a 3, or 4, but it looks like what you see on the BMW website). I like it. My only negative comment concerns the liners (jacket and pants). In theory, aside from providing some protection against cold, they're also supposed to keep you dry. I've never used them for that purpose because the notion of standing on the side of the road taking your pants off, to then install the liner, is silly. This is my second Rallye suit and I've never used the pants liners. I have used the jacket liners, but only for warmth. If it rains, I carry a Rev'it rain suit (pants and jacket) to put on over top. I also like the fit of the BMW suit.

As for Klim, I'm not sold on the idea of the permanently attached Goretex layer. Seems to me like you're needlessly making yourself warmer 100% of the time, when it only rains, say, 20% of the time. Of course, it saves the hassle of having to don rain gear. Not sure that outweighs the downside of "Goretex all the time". That said, some will claim that the vents will keep you cool. I can't really say, as I've never owned one. A friend bought a Badlands suit a few years back. He liked it, though the pants were not a good fit at all (seemingly a common complaint at the time). He had to pay to have the pants tailored before he could use them. Sounds like they've improved the fit since then. It may have been their snowmobile suit heritage showing. They're certainly expensive and also very popular now.

As for Aerostitch, I've never worn one. People who have them seem to love them. Personally, I find them rather -- flame-retardant suit on -- ugly.

That's funny. Whenever a group of us are riding, and we stop for a break, bystanders always mistake those Aerostich dressed guys as "our mechanics."

 

[dbrick]

So, without the liners, you wouldn't say the suit was waterproof?

That's part of what I'm looking for is NOT having to don rain gear. I want one suit that I can wear all the time.

If the suit comes with waterproof liners (like the Rallye 4), it isn't going to keep the rain out unless you stop and add the liner. The downside to liners is having to put it on, and that while you might stay dry, the suit itself gets wet; that can be heavy and messy when you get to where you're going.

OTOH, if the suit has a waterproof shell (like the Klim and the Roadcrafter), it's already waterproof. The downside to waterproof is that while GoreTex does a pretty good job of keeping rain droplets out and letting the damp escape your body, the fabric itself doesn't vent large volumes of air, which necessitates extra vents to make the garment wearable in hot weather.

I share your desire to wear one suit all the time, and to do that I accept the warmth penalty. The AeroStich Darien (which I wear) is another choice in this field. I tour in all climates with the shell and a long-sleeve Gerbing heated liner for cold times, and a fleece vest for cool. I don't have the removable long-sleeve liner; my years-ago experience with AeroStich heated liners is that they're great jackets but poor heaters. I'm sure there are (by now) decent Darien competitors out there at lower prices, but I don't know what they are and don't know if the manufacturers will customize the garment for you. AeroStich service and repair is first-rate, and IMO worth the price if you like their gear. I do.

 

[marcopolo]

Interesting.

So, without the liners, you wouldn't say the suit was waterproof?

That's part of what I'm looking for is NOT having to don rain gear. I want one suit that I can wear all the time.

Definitely not waterproof without the liners. It will repel light rain for a short while, but then it will penetrate. That's why I carry rain gear. And as dbrick points out, even with the liners in, while you may stay dry, the jacket and pants may well be soaking wet. That said, I still like the Rallye.

Klim would presumably keep you dry without the annoyance of donning rain gear. The only question is whether having gotetex fused to the jacket and pants makes you uncomfortably warm when it's not raining. I also found my friend's Badlands suit very stiff feeling. That was in 2011, so it's worth having another look because things change.

Finally, I'd never buy a riding suit without being able to try it on, and being able to hop on a bike to see how it feels.

 

[dukekaboom]

Klim, BMW or Aerostich

I have no experience with the Klim or Aerostich other than to say that those who have them seem to love them. I have had a Rallye 3 jacket and pants for four years and have found them to be an ideal 3-season set -- they even work on cooler summer days (<80F). If it gets warm (>85F), I go with my BMW Air Flow suit. I don't think you'll be unhappy with the BMW set but I think you should go with what fits you best.

Kent

 

[bravo616]

I have the BMW Rally suit and love it. For me, I just wear the Klimacomfort rain suit over top should the weather turn bad. I have yet to find the one suit that does it all. Everything is a compromise.

 

[captainmarko]

Thank you all so much.

I appreciate your taking the time to post your thoughts.

I may have reconciled my urges and chosen a direction.

I will alert the media upon purchase.

Stay tuned.

 

[derekw68]

I know this is a few weeks old, but I went with the aerostitch Darien. I know it's 2 pieces but it has worked great in the heat and in the cold. It is waterproof. Easy on and off when stopped. When it's cold I use my heated liner and I have been good to go.

Just another opinion if you have not made a decision yet. I love aerostitchs customer service and it's made in the USA.