BMW Rallye Motorcycle Suit Review

BMW strives to maintain its premium image as a motorcycle brand, which carries over to its apparel. We’ve tested all sorts of BMW-branded jackets, pants, boots and gloves over the years, and the general consensus among our crew of use-it-and-abuse-it testers is that the gear may be expensive, but you get what you pay for.

BMW’s Rallye Suit, the gear of choice for GS riders the world over, is a perfect example. At $899 for the jacket and $649 for the pants, this $1,548 ensemble is on the high end of the textile suit price scale. What you get is a rugged, versatile suit designed to withstand the rigors of adventure/enduro riding and touring. The outer shell is made of water-repellent, breathable Cordura 500 with more highly abrasion-resistant panels in impact zones. The pants also have leather panels inside the knees for added grip for stand-up riding, as well as Kevlar stretch panels for a wide range of movement. Inside is a stretchy athletic mesh with spacer fabric to promote airflow. Removable waterproof liners have three zones—Flow, Comfort and Shield—with different levels of breathability and waterproofing, as well as thin fleece in key areas (knees, seat, shoulders, neck). In cold weather, you’ll need to add warm base layers or heated undergarments.

Kudos to BMW for giving the Rallye top-of-the-line crash protection with CE-approved armor in the elbows, shoulders, back, hips and knees. The back protector is one of the biggest and thickest we’ve ever tested in a jacket, and the knee armor wraps fully around the sides and is height-adjustable. All of the armor is easily removable for those who prefer to wear an armored jersey under the jacket and/or knee braces. Vents, fit-adjustment straps and pockets abound, including two waterproof outer pockets and a back pocket for the accessory 2-liter TrinkPak Hydra water reservoir ($29). Also, removing the jacket’s sleeves converts it to a vest, there’s ample reflective material and a 16-inch zipper connects the jacket to the pants.

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Having been refined over several generations, the Rallye suit is well made with thoughtful attention to detail—from the already broken-in feel of the Cordura fabric to the handy zipper pulls and rubber-covered buttons. The suit feels comfortable on and off the bike and its vents move a lot of air. It comes in a range of men’s sizes in two color schemes: Blue/Gray is available in sizes 36-56 for the jacket and 36-56, 40-50 long and 38-52 short for the pants; Gray/Red is available in sizes 36-50 for the jacket and pants.

For more information: See your BMW dealer or visit bmwmotorcycles.com

6 COMMENTS

  1. There is no reason in the world that I could come up with to honestly tell anyone to pay 1500 dollars for a riding suit. Anything over 900 is bad enough. I recently priced some of the 2016 bmw bikes that have already hit the shops and of course I noticed the increase in price. Even on the lower end bikes like the F800r and the f800gt. And now I read a article that talks about a 1500 dollar riding suit. That equals to 5 of my bike payments. I don’t think so.

    • I feel ya’! I like my affordable Fieldsheer Aqua jacket just fine, at a fraction of the Beemer apparel and with a great wear experience. Just sayin’…

  2. You’ll realize what you pay for the first time you lay down the bike and slide your ass over the asphalt. I have had that experience twice and the money I paid for the then shredded suit was pennies for what I have seen in emergency rooms of folks riding in jeans and on the cheap.

  3. I must have been incredibly unlucky with the kit I got from BMW. I started off with an Enduroguard suit, gravek evo boots and 2 in 1 goretex gloves. Gloves replaced under warranty due to stitching coming out along edge of index finger. Boots replaced twice due to leaking within 4 weeks of use. Jacket replaced 3 times due to leaks after 2-3 weeks of use. Trousers replaced twice due to leaks. One replacement pair of trousers didn’t even make it out of the box as the fastener on the waist was broken before use! Kit swapped for different boots (worn for 3 weeks and thrown in the attic), jacket and trousers changed for Paceguard Tour. Trousers replaced after 4 weeks due to leaking and swapped for Pacedry. The Pacedry trousers were swapped again before use as they look like a cheap 90s shell suit! Jacket leaked after 6 weeks. Kit returned for full refund and bought Rukka kit. Hasn’t let me down once yet! I’ve spent £50 on better jackets than BMW churn out for more than 10 times the price. Cannot fault their warranty or refund policy though!

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