During my recent trip to Hoxter in Germany, aboard my faithful ‘77 Z1000 A1, I discovered that my boots weren’t waterproof, the inners of my venerable Hein Gericke gloves were no longer attached to the fingers (making it impossible to put them on in anything other than the most arid conditions), and that my Oxford Bone Dry suit was anything but. Riding long distances with my taters floating in cold water was very unpleasant. I also discovered that the waterproof covers of my Oxford panniers were no longer keeping the rain out. As my wife and I were planning a fortnight touring Ireland, a country not well known for its droughts, I decided that I should invest in some more upmarket riding gear. Having the right gear for touring is essential, and substandard gear can change a rainy day from an inconvenience into absolute misery.
Getting the kit right
I have always preferred wearing leathers rather than textiles, from a safety perspective as well as looks, but when I asked for some gear that was guaranteed to be dry in all weathers, I was informed that I would have to go down the textile route. What I hadn’t realised before was that most textiles aren’t actually waterproof at all and have to have a waterproof lining
