James McMinn of North Oxford Garage (NOG) spoke to the BMW Club Newsletter recently about the new BMW Motorrad Rider Equipment range for 2020 – “soft equipment” as James put it – The aim is to protect you whilst riding and enjoying your motorcycles. The BMW Rider Equipment range is large, so we asked James to pick out highlights for BMW Club members. Remember BMW Club members will get a 10% discount from James at North Oxford Garage with your membership card!

BMW Motorrad invites representatives from the dealer network to a pre-season launch of the Rider Equipment range, usually in October, where the dealers give feedback and ask questions about the new products. Last year the launch was hosted in Leipzig, this year in Shropshire, who knows next years might be virtual if the Coronavirus takes hold! Dealers use their knowledge to order what they think will sell and that is what we see in the showroom. All other items are available for NOG to order from BMW Motorrad in a few days for customers to try and/or buy.

So, what products did James rate in the 2020 range?

1. GS Rallye Suit – GS Trophy Special Edition

I was surprised that James picked this item but apparently the GS Rallye suit is NOG’s biggest clothing seller and James was confident that the new GS Trophy colour scheme would go down well. The waterproof jacket insert has changed for 2020 and can now be worn inside or outside the jacket – this should make the system much easier to use. The original BMW thinking was that a Gore-Tex liner could be damaged by thorns or branches when worn off-road so they must be happy that the new liner is tough enough!

2. BMW X Ride Suit

The XRide suit is a new development for BMW with a mixture of leather and synthetic materials aiming to give maximum riding comfort combined with very high levels of protection. The suit comes with waterproof ‘outserts’ that can be put on to waterproof the garments. James thought this would appeal for more sporting rides whilst offering touring levels of comfort. StreetGuard, EnduroGuard and Rallye suits are also available with a different balance of integrated waterproofing, venting, protection etc. BMW is certainly covering all of the options with its range of suits!

Whilst we are on the subject of suits the BMW Race leather suit can now be made to measure, perhaps an option for those members with flexible waistlines, and wallets to match? It won’t be cheap!

3. BMW PureXcursion Jacket

The new PureXcursion jacket is certainly an attractive jacket with its brown finish and orange highlights, it looks both fashionable and practical. The jacket is adventure style but has a focus on comfort and could be worn off the bike, rather like the useful BMW Boulder Jacket. There is a new Ride Inner Rain Jacket for the PureXcursion (and other BMW Jackets). It will be interesting to see how this insert compares with the most recent Boulder Jacket insert which was actually a pleasure to wear (I have owned plenty of the older BMW inserts and some of them are pretty unpleasant to wear by comparison!) The jacket comes with a rear pocket to hold the insert when not in use, as seen on the BMW Airflow jacket.

James reckoned this jacket will be a good seller and plans to stock them.

4. BMW CruiseComfort boots

This is actually the relaunch of an old favourite, the BMW Allround boot which will be familiar to most members. The new boot has a much-improved zip and a larger flap but otherwise is much the same as the old Allround boot and offers a very competitive price for a Gore-Tex touring boot.

Socks are also very important to get the best out of your footwear and BMW has changed the summer touring socks which are now knee length, rather than ankle length. The rest of the boot range has received minor tweaks.

5. Other changes

There are new colours for the System 7 helmet. The BMW 2-in-1 gloves, manufactured by Held, have an improved design, note this does not yet include the shorter EnduroGuard version. The 2-in-1 gloves are good value as the nearly identical Held version topped a Ride test but the BMW product is significantly cheaper. As a versatile riding glove they are worth investigating but on a longer trip I would take the BMW GS gloves for hot weather and the Summer Rain gloves as backup.

James pointed out that BMW has invested in a new Heritage range to support the RNineT and new R1800 models due later this year. The products are not cheap but if this type of clothing appeals it may be worth a look.

Conclusions

BMW Motorrad has developed an extensive range of Rider Wear over the years. Some of the products may be a good match to your needs and in terms of value for money, BMW have always been strong particularly for gloves, boots and helmets. Trying the products and getting the right fit for your intended use is important so try before you buy.

North Oxford Garage offers convenient ordering, support and a 10% BMW Club discount for members. James is also keen to encourage members in trying out new products, with a BMW Oxford Newsletter review is created after testing to communicate the results. To this end James will offer products at cost to testers! If you have a product you would like to test please get in touch with the Newsletter Editor, Carl Flint to see if that is possible.

Originally posted 2020-03-25 19:23:00.