Rukka Suki Ladies suit first impressions

FINLAND, nation of Father Christmas and extreme temperatures. And premium motorcycle brand Rukka, of course.

And while I’d love to take a trip to the Scandinavian country, time restraints mean that I’ve had to settle for a set of Rukkas – and at £1,529.98 for the jacket and trousers, the cost is comparable.

The Rukka Suki ladies suit is easily the most expensive, luxurious and stylish set of riding gear I’ve ever owned. The quality is fantastic and the finish excellent – there’s not a loose thread or bungled seam in sight. Made of Kevlar, Cordura and Gortex it’s both protective and waterproof, with the latter negating the need for an internal waterproof layer and keeping the kit compact and relatively lightweight (the jacket weighs 2.55kg and the trousers are 2.1kg).

Inside, there’s a detachable liner with 60g insulation and Outlast phase change materials – a temperature regulation material that absorbs, stores and releases heat to continually regulate body temperature. It sounds pretty complicated but impressively this NASA technology makes for an effective lightweight liner.

The Suki suit made its debut on a 250-mile tour of the Lake District last month, and stood up to snow, hailstones and freezing temperatures on the very first day I wore it. The (detachable) storm collar was a godsend, and saved my neck from certain frostbite.

While a couple of layers – Dainese D-Core Thermo and a fleece – were required underneath, the Suki suit kept me impressively warm throughout two long days of riding and filming and I was grateful for whatever magic the thermal liner was made of.

The £849.99 jacket and £679.99 trousers come in two colour options of black with silver reflective detail or black with pink reflective detail. I went for the former as I wasn’t too keen on the pink pinstripe look.

It’s available in sizes 34 to 50 – that’s 8 to 24 to you and I. The size 8 fits me spot on, however – and this is an industry-wide complaint – I am by no means the smallest of female motorcyclists, yet wear the smallest size that Rukka make. They do offer shorter (and longer) trouser lengths, but slighter riders are not catered for by this premium brand.

While the sizing is true, the gear is a little difficult to get on and off – the liner pulls out when you take it off then is tangled when you put your limbs back in. A couple of times now the liner has completely unbuttoned itself and I’ve found myself wrestling my way into the kit. Also the zip is a little fiddly, especially when starting it off.

Finally, one of the best things about the jacket has to be that every bit of Velcro can be folded in on itself. For a girl with long hair like me this is a lifesaver, and means that my plait can hang free without danger of getting caught on various Velcro closures.