get a 300 dollar olympia phantom if you want waterproof. Ive been through hundreds of miles of rain and no leaks . More money does not alway equal better.
Couldn't agree more. 300 dollar seems a bit excessive for a rain suit. I had a plasticky PVC two piece combo with reflective stripes for around 50 bucks that lasted almost twenty years, and never leaked. Getting back to the Atlantis: I realize that not everybody will be able to find it for 1300 Dollars; but once you are in the 1000+ dollar range I don't see spending that on a textile suit, when you can get a comfy sturdy waterproof real leather suit for about the same money. It just doesn't make sense to me, personally. Regarding this thread in general, I do understand that people are skeptical about the all-in-one aspect of the Atlantis; but poo-pooing it just because one can't imagine such a thing could exist and actually work, without any personal experience, is not all that productive. I'd like to hear more first hand experience stories, good and bad, about the Atlantis and other all-in-one riding suits.
One concern of mine is resilience. My general perception is that textiles protect from crashes but get ruined in the process. I was wearing an Atlantis3Pro jacket with BMW Summer pants when i hit an oil slick in a corner at about 20MPH. The pants now have holes through the right knee and left cargo pocket. The jacket must have caught on something around the handlebars and got a scrape on the left chest. That spot is no longer water proof, i guess it would be fixed by a factory recoat, but no problem from a crash protection standpoint. I went down at the same speed more recently, only with clean seperation rather than going over the tank, wearing an Atlantis 4 jacket with some unpadded leather pants. The pants had scrape marks on the leg with minor skin abrasion underneath and the jacket showed no sign of ground contact where the elbow went down, no bruising or abraisons underneath. Nothing conclusive in my experience. Textiles seem best if looking for the cheapest alternative, but have never felt as comfortable to me except in excessive heat. Considering more general factors, the Atlantis gear has seemed a more frugal choice, especially having found mine on eBay, plus it comes in a wider array of sizes which most other leathers mentioned here don't.
Ok guys, my following suggestion may not "politically correct", but hell: As alternative to Atlantis, look at the Harley Davidson riding apparel. Their FXRG leather jackets are really interesting. They are cowhide leather, waterproof and have enough ventilations on the front and on the back. For the new "FXRG leather jacket with pocket system" there is even a "limited long-life guarantee"
while not always true as there are many variables, but leathers will generally protects you better from abrasion damage in an off compare to textile - hence the attraction of leather. nubuck leather such as that used in Atlantis makes it possible for all weather riding - you can toss it in a front loader washing machine and still be highly water resistant. With all BMW products i only buy them when they are on sale - between 30% to 50% off - At that price point, some of their gear represents good value for money, but still not cheap.
I ended up with the Aerostich Transit. I'm pretty sure that Aerostich (famous for the textile Roadcrafter) claims that the Transit is their most protective gear -- which kinda backs up the folks that think leather is best. The Transit is claimed to be waterproof (water proof leather and goretex membrane) and therefore there is no need for a liner or rain gear over the suit. Nice. I have not yet tested the waterproof claims however. Given the goretex, this leather will never get as supple as a regular leather jacket/pants combo but is still pretty comfortable. The Transit is more comfortable in a wider range of temperatures than my Roadcrafter (warmer in the cold and cooler in the heat) but is still going to be pretty toasty in hot weather, I suspect. When it gets too hot I can switch to an Olympia Stealth mesh one piece but no way I feel as protected in the Olympia. The Roadcrafter still beats 'em all for ease of donning and doffing and is the best commuter solution in most cases. Like almost everyone else, I have spent too much money over the years trying to save money on motorcycle gear. You outta see my closet. Should have just gotten the better stuff in the first place.
I had a rukka. got rid of it. like a sauna. this 1 piece bmw suit works good. pretty stiff, also hard to get over my boots. I have rallye 2 and 3. will be selling the 2 soon. atlantis getting here on monday. hope i like it.
I've had my Atlantis 3 suit for a bunch of years and the greatest thing about it is comfort - so soft and supple right off the rack. I think it's best in cooler conditions - light rain is ok but when it really pours I just throw on a rain suit. I think you're really going to like it.
well since you did not put a location on your profile, i dont know where u r in the world and i am not sure my experience translate to the same. In australia, BMW seldom have sale. I happen to live close to the largest BMW apparel dealer in the country (or so they claim) - About once a year they would have some of their gear go on discount, 20% to 50% off essentially - i used to religiously check their website/store at least once every 2 weeks. So if u not in a hurry, and prepare to wait, you can get some gears on the cheap.
I don't think I have seen deals for Atlantis suits in the US. There are online dealers, but the ones I have seen are not cheap. Best might be, as suggested, to wait for a sale at your local BMW dealer (IF they actually include the Atlantis), negotiate a discount when buying a bike, or buy (in person, with VAT return) from Europe. I found mine on ebay Germany, but that's not for everyone.
I have both the Atlantis 4 jacket and the FXRG jacket and both have kept me dry in the heaviest rain. I find myself wearing the Harley over the Atlantis because it is more comfortable, and I like the regular leather finish over the suede.
This has been exactly my experience of GoreTex ProShell Leather too: Mine has been totally waterproof so far. I'm surprised how comfortable I've found Gore's waterproof leather. Amazingly comfortable for most British riding conditions. And, in changeable weather, it's wear-and-forget without any hassle. What a shame that Alpinestars, Held and Dainese stopped making GoreTex ProShell Leathers. (Though I benefitted from a closeout sale!) I don't think they marketed GoreTex Leathers well. Or perhaps you have to try the gear before becoming a believer? You're lucky to have Aerostitch Transit as an option in the US, because it's a lot cheaper than a Rukka Merlin suit.
Does anyone do any other treatments to their Atlantis leathers than the machine-wash-3-times-and-return-to-BMW-for-treatment treatment?
I just ordered a Atlantis 4 suit. I do not have any experience with leather what so ever. What really sold me on this other than the other BMW options where the custom sizes you can order in. and my only option was to mail order and hope they fit right. I would really like get some feedback regarding warm weather use. I live in Greece and from May to Oct its fairly hot. What do you wear under these? I've read elsewhere people where using underarmour type moisture wicking layer/ or underwear. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. I weight 240lbs or 110kg sweat quite a bit... Thanks PS: I know the op never chimed in...but apparantly this has been a great place to read the collective experience on this suit.
I find temperature comfort to be as much about the kind of riding as the actual conditions. I think i could be comfortable enough at any temperature as long as i'm in motion (i've noticed the limiting factor for me is heat off the road around 100F making it difficult to breathe regardless of gear). For around a city, the suit is very uncomfortable above 80F in stop and go traffic or having to walk somewhere off the bike. Above 90F i'm sopping in sweat and i'm pretty fit. Long sleeve synthetics as a base layer make sense theoretically, but i usually just ride in whatever short- or no-sleeve shirt i have on at the time and never did a scientific comparison. There are other brands with custom sizes including most of the rest of the BMW line, but a big selling point for me is that the Atlantis jacket is zipper compatible with the rest of the BMW line of pants. I find the Summer II zip-off pants make a good pairing for getting around town with decent protection and comfort/flexibility at the destination most of the year, using the Atlantis pants on longer trips. My main problem with the Atlantis suit so far has been the pockets. Every downpour i've been in has led to the suit leaking, which has turned out to be right under a pocket if forgot to zip up before leaving...
If you are moving above 70km/hr - Atlantis 4 is bearable till about 28c, if only zip up 3/4 way - Earlier Atlantis has zips in underarms to get some air there at the expense of waterproofness. Atlantis 4 sacrifice airflow in search of better water proofness
As I said in my PM reply to nickgoa, I avoid commuting on the bike above the mid-eighties (yeah, I know, luxury...). Stop-and-go is just the pits in ATGATT above 80 F. I have done a longer trip though (Chicago-Kentucky) in a Harro leather combo in high temps. As long as you stay hydrated you are fine. Once the air temp is above normal skin temps (93 F), too much ventilation (more than the minimum to carry the sweat away) hurts you anyways. At moderate to warm temperatures I find I don't even have to open any zippers on the Atlantis 4. The leather seems to breathe just the right amount. Anyways, good luck in Greece. Just don't get mistaken for a German biker tourist...
