BMW Motorrad Riders’ Apparel: Riding Suit, Boots, Gloves, Rain Gear & More

I’ve been wearing BMW Riders’ Apparel for more than ten years. When it comes to design, durability, functionality and overall look and feel, nothing comes close. There are a lot of options for riding jackets, suits, boots, rain gear and more—and I’ve tried all the usual suspects in these groups. I keep coming back to BMW Riders’ Apparel. The company stands by the product, I know because I’ve had a few warranty claims. BMW fixed the problem without question.

The very first BMW Rallye riding suit I owned, I paid for myself. Even now, some of the BMW products I’m using, I’ve paid for. Don’t tell BMW this, even if they stopped supporting me, I’d still buy the BMW product.

What I’m Wearing From BMW Riders’ Apparel:

I love this suit. It has fantastic venting, bone and skin protecting armor including Kevlar inserts in  the pants. leather padding on the knees and it’s wind and waterproof. It’s breathable but not constricting like a jacket or pants made out of entirely Gore-Tex. Instead, the textile material provides breathability and yet doesn’t have the contracted range of motion like pure Gore-Tex suits do.

The Rally suit does come with a snap-in Gore-Tex liner. While this works fine in light and medium precipitation, I find in thundering downpours the outside jacket gets too wet and heavy. So I also have a BMW Riders’ Apparel Rain Suit, too.

When it comes to choosing the best adventure motorcycle boots, I need two things: protection and comfort. The Gravel Boots by BMW Riders’ Apparel give me all this plus thanks to the hydrophobic full grain leather outer combined with the Gore-Tex membrane between the leather and inside the boot is water- and windproof and breathable.

I’ve tried a bunch of boots over the years, and while full-on motocross boots will give you the best protection and safety in the event of an accident or fall, was a world riding and gobal motorcycle adventurer the times that anyone needs that level of protection are slim. Remember, it’s important to get off your bike as much as it is to ride it. When you’re off the bike, even if it’s for a quick photo-op or to chat roadside with locals or fellow riders, the boot must be comfortable enough to walk in.

Granted, no motorcycle boot worth anything is going to compare to the Mephisto shoes I wear when off the bike, but the BMW Gravel Boots are the best I’ve tried. They’ve got two adjustable clamps that allow me to secure my boot, food and heel, in the boot, plus a large Velcro panel allows me to comfortably secure it around my calf and leg.

The boot has reinforcements around the gear-shift area, suite on the shaft for hugging the bike, and a non-slip rubber sole. Is that technical enough? How about this; I love these boots so much that I barely use my old favorite Aerostich Combats and Sidi Discoverys. I’m a convert. Love them.

These are smart gloves. These gloves have the usual protection you expect in a high-quality motorcycle riding glove. Yet what sets them apart is the Gore-Tex 2 in 1 technology. There are actually two chambers for which to slide your hand. Which one you choose depends on the weather. Raining? choose the waterproof chamber. Classic sunny riding day, choose the more breathable and cooler layer.

Of course, there is a clever windscreen or face shield wiper blade build into the glove on the left index finger, and the index finger and thumb are touch screen sensitive so you can use your interactive screens on smartphones, tablets, cameras and GPS units.

As noted above, while my Rallye Suit offers Gore-Tex snap and zip-in liners, when faced with a serious downpour and hours of driving through incessant rain, I choose to don the BMW Riders’ Apparel Prorain Oversuit.

This one piece bright yellow suit, I call it my banana suit, is of course wind and waterproof and includes an inner waterproof pocket where I can have quick access to my wallet and smartphone, there are also outside pockets with drainage for my microfiber cloth to wipe my face shield and any other noncritical items.

The whole banana suit packs up into a football (or maybe slightly larger) sized stuff sack. This suit keeps me warm in those cold windy and rainy days like I battled in Norway, Finland, and even comfortable in warmer storms like I faced in Albania and Greece.

BMW offers a two piece (Rainlock Oversuit) rain suit, and I may try it in the future. My only complaint about the Prorain is that the non-slip material of the suit combined with the slip-free material of my boots sometimes makes it a bit tough putting on roadside during a storm. That said, there are extra long leg zippers which make this better than most one-piece rainsuits I’ve worn.