I bought a Dainese D-Explore jacket and trousers after my Dainses Carve Master jacket sprung a leak and had to go back to have the Goretex seams re-taped under warranty. When the set first came out and thought they were great ... until the first major downpour. The zipped panels are excellent for ventilating like no other jacket I've ever owned, but the reality is that the zips are crap and compromise the waterproofing. It didn't take long for water to find its way inside the outer later, then find their way by capillary-action around the goretex layer, and then to you! D-Explore is a great spring/summer/autumn kit so long as you don't have to subject it to constant rain. Also, the nice colour schemes are pointless if you ride in built up areas as they get dirty very easily and before long your nice new jacket makes you look like a pikey - considering the fact that if you buy jacket and trousers you wont have much change out of £800, it's not great. Since then I've brought a combination of a Rukka Armaxis jacket and Rukka Cosmic trousers, purely because the trousers worked better for hauling a leg over a taller bike - I found the cut of the Armaxis trousers were quite restrictive, and Gore-Pro shell can be quite stiff and takes a fair while to break in. I've always been a dyed-in-the-wool Dainese customer as I've always enjoyed the quality and functionality of their kit, not to mention the styling. There is nothing worse than "buyer's remorse", especially when you've just done £1000 on a new jacket and trousers and due to Dainese' slipping QA in recent years I've started to look elsewhere for gear which is suitable for my daily-year-round commute in all weathers. Dainese D-Dry stuff .... forget it, move on, it's not even close to proper Goretex, and is complete rubbish. Goretex .... it's ok, but Goretex is just a layer under the outer jacket and once the outer shell is wet then it's only a matter of time before the water will find it's way some part of the Goretex layer. In short, the Goretex doesn't even get to work properly because invariably the jacket's integrity is already compromised by a rubbish zip, or a badly designed storm-flap on the front, or something else. Gore-Pro Shell .... now this is the stuff you want. It's not the same as Goretex so don't be fooled. It's a laminated material made up of the outer material, then the goretex later, and sometimes a third layer to help wick away sweat so you don't get damp from the inside - and it's all compressed into one composite ply-sheet of material. The benefit being that the Goretex material is integral and is therefore in almost every part of the jacket. Because it's joined to the outer layer, water cannot get passed and soak the outer layer, and that is the key to proper storm-proof gear, but it comes at a price. Zips .... always overlooked but is every bit as important as the rest of the jacket. No good having an awesome material and design if the zips can't keep water out. Most jackets just don't have proper water-proof zips, and not many have water-resistant zips either. I don't know what they are called, but go have a look at the zips on the top end Rukka jackets. They have a rubber component to them and they are water-proof and some are the similar type of zip that they use on Scuba dry suits. I'm told that some of these zips cost as much as some entire mid-range jackets, which is actually the main reason that the top end Rukkas cost so much. You won't find these zips on much else and they work amazingly well. The jacket doesn't even have a storm-flap as the zip is so good it doesn't need one, and they are on the pockets and ventilation points and everywhere. Another thing to keep in mind with the top-end Rukka gear, is that you're actually buying two jackets, and not one. The inner thermal jacket works really well as a nice casual softshell item which I frequently wear on it's own. I go to work in the whole garb but when I pop out for lunch I just wear the inner and so I don't look like a weather beaten biker. I've tried some of the best that Dainese has to offer and it doesn't come close to Rukka. I've not tried the Dainese Stradon, which would be their top all-weather offering, but I wear my Rukka gear all year round in all conditions and I wouldn't swap it for anything at any price.
I have Dainese Stradon and Rukka Armaxis. The only aspect that the Dainese even comes close to the Rukka is on fit. I can live with the Rukka not fitting my shape quite so well because everything else about it is better.
You can pay a lot less than this at the moment. Armas jacket is down to 750 at M & P and pants from bikerland.de are 419 motolegends do a price match plus 10% so it's considerably cheaper if you want to fork out for decent gear. You really can't go wrong with bonded gore tex
Arma-S, Armaxion and Armaxis are all different jackets. I've not seen an Armaxis anywhere for £750. I bought mine a year ago for £900 and lately I've only seen them go up in price.
also arma-s has been replaced. had that gawd awful Gore front zip that they've now got rid of. Had those zips on the stradon and they were unreliable there too.
Go visit m&p.co.uk And then motolegends for a price match And there you will see Think it's discontinued now for a newer model But you can still buy em , I know this because I've just done it
Furygen junky here, first textile jacket and trousers has lasted 5 years plus the fit is ace. Only French thing in the house though after a bad Peugeot
I must admit I did find it funny when getting the multi that some seemed to think they all had to have adventure suits, I just used the old stuff of an oxford jacket and rts leather strides, Seems to work well
When the weather's nice and the Rukka kit starts getting a bit much I go for a regular 2 piece set of leathers, or if it's a really hot day and I'm not going far then I've got a Dainese Airframe and a set of Prattville jeans and Dainese Vera Cruz boots. That's probably the least amount of gear/protection I dare ride with, but very far from an adventure suit. Not sure why people without an Enduro would buy an adventure suit, because you're not likely to take a non-Enduro Multi off-road (not saying that people don't, I'm sure some folk don't even think about the consequences of going off road with a 17" front wheel). I definitely view the Multi as more of a tall sports bike.
I had also considered a flip-front lid, but decided that I feel safer with a decent conventional fullface lid, so I flit between a Shoei GT-Air in the winter and the Shoei X-Spirit III in the summer.
Rukka Armaxis and armaxion pants winter, Dianese 2 piece leathers and scrambler hoodie jacket and Kevlar jeans for trip to the pub
It's good to have a range of clothing, textile for touring & weekly use. Full leathers for track-days & fast ride-outs during the summer.
I'm not overjoyed with my Dainese Goretex gear. Got a Carve Master jacket and the Travel Guard Gortex trousers. Haven't had any trouble with zips or vent flaps but the cuffs get drenched and the damp wicks up my arms whichever way I wear my gloves, to the point that my underlayer from mid forearm down can be wrung out, and although the Gortex barrier has kept me dry in heavy rain so far, it feels cold and clammy even in high summer unless the (very bulky) thermal liners are fitted which then leave you too hot unless its raining. The worst is the crutch and inner thighs. The liner sticks and chafes and gives the exact impression that you're wet through even though on checking, you're not. Its a good suit for day riding in the summer. Its much lighter, cooler and freer moving than leathers and it'll keep you acceptably dry if you get caught out in rain on the way home. But the thought of turning out of a hotel, or worse a tent, on a tour and facing a day of wet riding does not appeal having done it once. I was lucky. I only paid just over £200 for the Carve Master in a sale otherwise I would be having a touch of buyer's remorse, or buyer's feckin pissed offness which is how it affects me. On the other hand I don't feel too bad because I couldn't have afforded Rukka anyway.. I was tempted by the Halvarssons laminate gear but the Dainese was cheaper and got good reviews so I took a punt. I also read in a press review that the Halvarsson trousers soaked through the seat after a while.
Can't fault my Klim Badlands top & bottoms. No silly zip lock zip like some Rukka stuff. More vents than Rukka too; plus cheaper as well. I ride all year round so to me the Klim stuff is worth the outlay. It isn't lined but that doesn't bother me. Only gripe is the jacket outer pockets aren't waterproof!!! You get a Goretex wallet in one of the pockets for a phone or wallet etc. I had the too spec Halverssons 2 years ago. Very comfy and good vents but the waterproof liner wasn't and the jacket&trousers when wet weighed a tonne. Anything with a Gore laminate like Klim means the water runs off. I'd buy Klim again in a heart beat. Deals can be found.
Rukka have moved away from the 'lock-out' zip style interweaving grooves. The new YKK vislon aquaguard zip is a brilliant addition to rukka coming from the scuba diving world.
My Rukka kit is now on year 7 of use and the inner linings on the trousers are torn and the jacket is ripped in a couple of places but has done me still through this recent winter but will again need reproofing in the summer Last year i bought a Dianese Ridder Goretex jacket (got it at 200 quid instead of 500 in a stock clearance) with the intention of it replacing the Rukka but i am using it as a warmer weather jacket as it has loads of vents but is still waterproof. I have been soaked a few times in it but dry underneath. I dont think its warm enough for a winters commute hence retaining my old Rukka kit and if i am honest i think the Rukka would be better in a crash as its thicker and more durable
Anyone got a view on either Dane Sealand, Alpinestars Managua, Rev'it Poseidon (jackets)? I'm looking for Goretex (not a drop liner) and something that would keep me intact in a spill. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
i have the Poisedon, already clocked 5000km on it. It has been thru many thunderstorm and heavy rain, temperature ranging from 16 deg C to 36 deg C. Not a single drop inside the jacket and the vent system is great !
