Rukka Kastor 2 Sleeveless Vest Back and Chest Protector

Brand details

Rukka was founded in a Finnish farm kitchen in 1950, initially called 'AB Sportsbeklädnad Urheiluvaatetus Oy’.

Shortly afterwards they bought their first "welding" gear, enabling them to make waterproof seams and launch their first range of waterproof clothing. Thankfully for international audiences, they changed their name to the less-intimidating "Rukka" in 1966, which was the nickname of founder Roger Störling. Nowadays, Rukka is an independent division of one of Europe's largest sportswear manufacturers.

Things have moved on since the PVC waterproof of the 80's, Rukka are at the leading age of motorcycle clothing development, working with leaders such as W.L. Gore and DuPont on new materials and testing. Every material is extensively tested by Rukka and the material manufacturers in every condition you'll find motorcycle riders.

The flags in the Rukka logo spell Rukka in the international flag alphabet, a tribute to Rukka's roots in sailing, which, along with motorcycle riding, can create the most testing weather conditions any of us are likely to encounter.

Why Would You Choose Rukka?

There are a great many motorcycle clothing brands competing for your attention and cash, and at Infinity Motorcycles we carefully filter the brands we offer so that they all excel at something.

Rukka, hailing from Finland as they do, excel at creating clothing that is useful in harsh winter climates and is extremely tough. Many consider it to be the highest-tech motorcycle clothing available on the market today, and we certainly wouldn't put up a counter-argument.

Being hardy, tough and well-built, it naturally lasts a long time – so the adage "buy cheap, pay twice" is definitely relevant here. Rukka is more expensive than some other brands, but can last much longer and consequently comes with generous warranties, so factoring this in you can get a lot more clothing for your money with Rukka.

One of the reasons for Rukka jackets' toughness is the attention and care taken during construction. The stitching and attention to detail at wear points on Rukka products has a legitimate claim to being the best in the business, and it is an aspect of motorcycle clothing that is often ignored by the cheaper brands, resulting in excessive wear and a need to replace your motorcycle clothing more frequently.

What most people think of when they think of Rukka, even more than their extreme toughness and weather resistance, is features. Rukka have more features, clever additions and high tech fabrics than any other brand we can think of that caters to the same audience. From armour and armour pockets on every stretch of jacket, to the advanced Gore-Tex and Superfabric materials that make the jackets weather and abrasion resistant, respectively – their special features run the gamut from life-saving, to leg-saving, to simply day-saving.

That's the short version of why you would choose Rukka – for the long version, with a hefty dose of personal experience, come into one of our Infinity stores and talk to one of our knowledgeable staff.

Why Not Rukka?

It's also important to recognise that you might not choose Rukka for some roles. While Rukka make very versatile motorcycle clothing (great for off-road, sports and touring – a really rare combination), it's not Dainese race gear, and it doesn't want to be.

Similarly, if you're not sure if you'll still be riding motorcycles in five years’ time (for whatever reason), some of the advantages of Rukka motorcycle clothing will be a bit lost on you. Although you'll still have the advantage of top of the range protection, it might not be so important to you that the construction is high enough quality to last for years on end, or that Rukka jackets and trousers come with a five year warranty & Rukka gloves come with a two year warranty.

All in all, however, we think Rukka are an incredibly good brand of motorcycle clothing, and deceptively good value for money.

Rukka at Infinity

Rukka make excellent clothing suitable for off-road, sports and touring motorcyclists. As the clothing is so good at such disparate roles, they make a good choice for the dedicated motorcycle rider looking for a single set of clothing to wear for all conditions.

At Infinity, many of our shop staff have worn Rukka as well as our other brands, and will have strong opinions on what's best for you and your riding style! We recommend coming in to our stores to take advantage of their expertise, as well as to take the most important step when buying motorcycle clothing – trying on the clothing for size.