Why the best motorcycle suit is a Rukka. And why you don't need one

No motorcycle suit does everything, not even a Rukka one. Some people think that if they spend enough they will be able to avail themselves of an outfit that will work in all weathers. Unfortunately, this particular Holy Grail does not exist.

Any motorcycle clothing with a waterproof membrane will start to become very uncomfortable once the thermometer hits 25 degrees. Same applies in a situation where you are working hard off road, and generating your own heat. Having good vents might improve the position if you are moving through the air at speed, but the truth is that when it's hot a membrane will always cause you to become even hotter. The more extreme the conditions, the greater the level of discomfort. Ultimately, you can find yourself staring down the road at heat exhaustion. And that can be more dangerous than an Amazon van driver who's playing catch up!

Now, if you are going to be out in the very worst and wettest conditions, and if you're going to find yourself in conditions like this frequently, or for long periods of time, you're going to want a laminated suit.

This article is going to be long enough already, so I am not going to go into great detail about the differences between laminated and drop-liner garments. If you want to better understand the two forms of construction, click here to watch our video that explains it all. But the bottom line is this. Laminated garments don't allow the rain to pass through the outer chassis. And so, in extreme conditions, you will stay warmer and dryer in a laminated outfit.

But there is a problem with laminated clothing. Most of it, frankly, is not up to the job. The majority of laminated garments are poorly put together. These days, every manufacturer wants a laminated suit in their range. But laminated garments are notoriously complicated to put together, and in order to keep their prices down most makers cut corners, especially in the crucial area of seam taping. A laminated jacket or pant needs to be very carefully taped. If this isn't done properly, and with the best-quality tape, the jacket or pant will let water in.

If you're the kind of rider who, actually, rarely goes out in the rain you may find that your laminated suit works fine. But the more miles you do, and the more often you find yourself in inclement conditions, the more likely it is that your laminated suit will fail. That's the truth of it.

The only laminated garments you can rely on to always keep the wet stuff out will come with a membrane supplied by Gore. Now Gore's membranes, it is widely accepted, perform better in terms of waterproofing and breathability, but that's not why you can rely on them. You can rely on Gore's membranes because Gore has a valuable brand that it wants to protect. And because of that, Gore controls how manufacturers incorporate their membranes into garments. Gore dictates how these garments are put together; and as a result it's almost impossible for a manufacturer to cut corners on a Gore-Tex jacket or pant.

But there's another reason to trust products with a Gore-Tex membrane. And that's because Gore backs all products that use its membranes with a lifetime warranty for waterproofing. And it's a warranty that works. If your Gore-Tex jacket or pant leaks, Gore will usually either send you a replacement or a cheque!

Which is why we come to the conclusion that if you want the best, most reliable waterproof suit, it has to be one with a Gore-Tex laminated membrane.

Choosing a motorcycle suit with a Gore-Tex membrane

Now, there are lots of manufacturers that work with Gore, and many of them are what you would call mid-market brands. We're talking about brands like Bering, Richa, Revitt, Alpinestars, Dainese, Held and Dane. And I am sure there are others. Now it is not our aim to sit in judgement about the various brands here but, in our view, in terms of quality, there are three makers that sit head and shoulders above all the other Gore-Tex brands.

These are Rukka, Klim and the lesser known German brand, Stadler.

For the purposes of this discourse we are going to discount, perhaps unfairly, Stadler.

Stadler makes superlative, high-quality gear. They supply suits to every single German Police force. They may not make the most comfortable suits, but into them they incorporate huge, if somewhat cumbersome, armour that means they are about as protective as it gets.

But, right now, there's not a Stadler suit we feel we can recommend. We don't like the way their current jackets fit. Frankly, we feel they just don't work. In different circumstances, we might be suggesting that Stadler makes the best waterproof garments that money can buy, but today we don't feel we come to that conclusion.

Which, for us, leaves Klim and Rukka.

Now Klim does two Gore-Tex equipped, laminated road suits: the Kodiak and the Latitude. And they are both very good. Both, though, are 'A' rated under EN17092. The Latitude only comes with Level 1 armour, and so for us that means that it's out of the running. There's something to be said for an A-rated suit with Level 2 armour, but an A rating and Level 1 armour doesn't quite cut it in this company.

The Kodiak is also a great suit. The jacket has every bell and whistle you could ask for, and its armour is Level 2, although unlike the Stadler and Rukka suits, the D3O armour it comes with is off the shelf, and of off-the-shelf dimensions. But the real reason for us passing on the Kodiak suit is the trousers. They are simply too wide and flappy for road riding, in our opinion.

Now, Klim is very much an adventure brand. The Kodiak is their premier road-riding suit, but our view is that it has been difficult for our American friends to get their heads around riding in a boot that doesn't come with lots of buckles. And indeed, the pants for both the Latitude and the Kodiak will easily go over even the company's own, mighty impressive, 'Adventure' boots. And for most riders in the US that might be fine, but the width of the Kodiak’s trousers means that they simply won't fasten snugly around the ankle of something like a Daytona Road Star, which is what you would want, and expect, of a European, road-going, winter pant. The Kodiak is a fabulous suit, but for commuting through the misery of a wet, British winter, its trousers mean we don't think it would be the best choice.

And so that leaves just Rukka.

Now Rukka has been around for a while. But not everybody loves it. Just about every biker has heard a story about somebody who has had a problem with their Rukka jacket or pant. But at times I think that unrealistic expectations surround the brand. We sell a lot of Rukka motorcycle clothing, and certainly we don't see that there are any systematic failings with the quality. What we do see is gear that gets huge amounts of use and abuse. If you do a long daily commute, or ride in a professional capacity, the chances are that, if you can afford it, you'll plump for Rukka.

Now, when a Rukka zip does get caught and damaged, or when a Rukka button does get detached, people seem to get very disappointed; distressed even. But most of the time I don't think that these people are being reasonable or realistic. If you wear something out through heavy usage, there will come a point where something may need to be replaced. That's not warranty; that's wear and tear. But even the most well-heeled bikers, we have found, can feel it's unfair that, four or five years down the road, they should have to pay out of their own pocket for a new button, or to repair a zip!

In our view, and we deal with a lot of high-mileage bikers here at Motolegends, Rukka makes the very best, most robust gear. But these guys are not magicians. You can wear a Rukka suit out. Do enough miles, and eventually you will do. And if it happens, you may just have to take it on the chin, and pay for a repair!

Anyway, excuse me; I just wanted to get that off my chest!

Now Rukka has a more comprehensive range of laminated, Gore-Tex suits than any other manufacturer. At the time of putting this review together, they had six. In terms of protection, all except one are AA rated, although our favourite, ironically, is the single-A rated Rukka Nivala!

But here's the thing with Rukka motorcycle gear. Rukka’s A rated suits are equivalent to anybody else’s AA rated outfits. Whilst their AA rated suits are more protective than anybody else's. And that comes down to the huge, Level 2 armour that Rukka has D3O make specifically for them.

Now EN 17092 is merely a measure of abrasion and tear resistance; that is all. It is emphatically not a safety standard, whatever the insurance people at Bennetts might have you believe! The standard takes no account of armour even though, in an accident, the armour will often play a far more important role than the abrasion resistance of a garment's outer chassis. Simply put, abrasion burns are not pleasant, but it's the armour that protects your bones, and potentially your internal organs too.

Now because Rukka's armour is so much larger than anybody else's, it gives more protection from impacts than the armour you get in any other suit*. But here's the thing; armour also plays a critical role when it comes to abrasion resistance. When you're sliding down the road at speed, a very large piece of Level 2 armour between you and the tarmac can come in mighty handy, and save a lot of skin! And so we reach the conclusion that there's not much out there that matches Rukka when it comes to protection.

But we also happen to think that Rukka's gear is better thought through than anybody else's. The detailing is impressive. Neoprene built into the collar. Storm collars. GTX cuffs. The company's Antiglide and AirCushion systems in the seat. And so on. And with six different laminated suits to choose from, you can decide which one has the features you need, and don't need.

After all these years, Rukka also has sizing pretty much sussed. The gear just fits. The elbow and the knee armour sit where they're meant to. And whilst not everyone can be accommodated, their jackets go from a pretty small 36" chest up to a largish 56". Whilst nearly all Rukka pants come in short, regular and long leg configurations.

It is taking all of the factors we have discussed here into consideration that causes us to come to the view that Rukka really does make the very best, wet-weather, winter-riding motorcycle gear.

Rukka has been doing laminated, motorcycle wear longer than anybody. And so they know, by now, how to do it properly. Buy a Rukka laminated suit, and it's most unlikely that the Gore-Tex membrane will let you down. You will be as well protected as you will be in any textile suit. You can choose the outfit that has the features you feel you need. You will get a suit that works on the bike, and you stand a better chance than you do with most brands of getting a good fit. You won't find a better made suit. And, of course, once registered, you will get the benefit of Rukka's six-year warranty.

All things considered, if you want the best, laminated suit for cold- and wet-weather riding, you've got to go for a Rukka.

*Stadler is the only brand that has armour as large as Rukka's.

All well and good, but the truth is that very few motorcyclists need one

Of course, I accept that for many people the bike they ride and the gear they wear often has less to do with need, and more to do with want. A lot of people, we know, buy Rukka because it's expensive, and because it confers upon them a certain level of kudos and credibility.

And that's fair enough, but the reality is that, if we're being totally honest, a Rukka laminated outfit is way over the top for most of us.

In fact, there are actually only a couple of scenarios where laminated gear is of benefit at all.

The first is where you find yourself riding in three or four hours of heavy rain. In these conditions, a drop-liner suit will start to become wet and heavy; it can reach a state that we know as 'wet out'. This is not just about your clothing getting wet; in the rain your gear is always going to get wet. 'Wetting out' is when your gear is soaking, sopping wet, a state where the jacket will drip water on to the floor when you hang it up. And we admit that when this happens it's not nice. Technically, if a jacket or pant does 'wet out', your skin often won't actually be wet, but all the water swilling about between the membrane and the garment’s chassis can make you feel as though you are. More importantly, you can very quickly start to lose body heat through this wet environment. It's not nice.

But be honest with yourself. When did you last ride for three or four hours in heavy rain? For me, and I do about 10,000 miles a year, it was well over five years ago, and therefore a laminated suit would be a waste of money. Don't forget that you will still stay perfectly dry in a drop-liner suit in anything less than three hours of rain. And if you do go for a drop-liner jacket or pant, you will save money, enjoy greater reliability, and be both more comfortable and warmer.

The second scenario where you might benefit from going laminated is where you commute more than an hour into work. Of course, even then, you won't usually need a laminated outfit on 99% of your rides. But if you ride into work in a veritable downpour for an hour or more in a drop-liner outfit, your gear won't have wetted out by the time you get to your place of work, but it will potentially be quite damp. Damp such that it might not be totally dry by the time it comes to go home eight hours later. And on a cold and dark November's evening that's not always very nice.

But here's the thing. You can prevent a drop-liner garment from ever wetting out by putting a Scott waterproof over the top. You'll potentially save yourself a lot of money, and actually a waterproof over a drop-liner garment makes for something that works better than a laminated one!

But there's another point I wanted to make about laminated Rukka gear.

As I have said already, a lot of people buy themselves an expensive Rukka laminated suit because they think it will also be appropriate for when they head south on tour. And it's simply not. In fact, a Rukka suit is pretty much always the wrong thing to wear when you're somewhere hot.

Of course, you'll be well protected if you do find yourself riding all day in the rain when you’re on tour, but the fact is that when we cross the channel, and head south, we normally do so in search of sunnier climes. And as soon as the temperatures rise above twenty five degrees, you are going to regret being clad head to toe in Rukka. Not, of course, that you'd be any better off in anybody else's waterproof suit. In these circumstances your enemy is the membrane; any membrane.

If you’re going to be riding somewhere warm, you really don’t need, and almost certainly don’t want, a laminated Rukka suit. It won’t be any worse than anybody else’s waterproof gear, but it won’t be any better either. There’s a tool for every job. And if the job is to cope with warm weather, then Rukka is simply the wrong tool.

In hot weather the best thing is to layer. To wear something without a membrane, and then to wear a waterproof, when you need it, as your outer layer. But that's a whole other story!

You can buy Rukka motorcycle clothing with free next day UK delivery online, or visit our store in Guildford to try on a suit.