It’s that time of year again – the nights are drawing in, and the mornings are noticeably colder.

To continue to enjoy the freedom of commuting on two wheels through the winter months, now is the time for bikers and scooter riders to invest in decent winter motorcycle clothing.

This year I’m going to be putting a Rukka Armaxis jacket through its paces – and it’ll be quite a test: my weekly commuting mileage includes around 200 miles of motorway riding, plus 80 or 90 in and around the street of London.

Rukka are a renowned manufacturer of outdoor all-weather clothing. They’ve been doing it for more than 60 years, and have become acknowledged as one of the leaders of their field - making some of the most technically advanced all-weather motorcycle clothing.

The Armaxis jacket gives a great first impression – it feels comfortable and extremely well built. Even though the weather isn’t yet anywhere close to the worst British winter temperatures, it feels as though this is a jacket that will keep the occupant warm, dry, and safe.

The technical specification is impressive – the Rukka Armaxis Jacket has a Gore-Tex Pro shell, meaning that it is guaranteed to keep 100% of the weather out, whilst allowing sweat and moisture to escape. An ‘aqua seal’ front zipper ensures that no drafts or water can enter from the front.

For safety, key areas of the jacket (such as the shoulders and elbows) are reinforced with extremely strong fabrics including Kevlar and Cordura; these are high tech fibres that offer great abrasion resistance to prevent the jacket from tearing or wearing through in the event of an accident.

The Rukka Armaxis also comes with a uniquely strong type of (CE approved) removable body armour built in. Known as D3O Air limb protectors, these are body armour panels at the elbow, shoulders and back which are made from a special material which is soft in normal use, but which hardens immediately upon impact to absorb and distribute the force to protect the rider.

On the first few rides, the Armaxis jacket feels great. It feels as though it has been built with contours to give a natural ‘fit’ for a seated riding position; it’s very comfortable. The four outside pockets are easily accessible even with gloved hands, and provide decent storage for wallet, keys and a mobile phone.

It’s a stylish jacket too – which means it looks in place even in the trendiest of London bars or cafés.

So – a good first impression on all fronts.

Weighing in at nearly £1,000 you’d expect that.

But it also feels like a sound investment. In the coming weeks and months as the weather gets colder and wetter – I’ll report back on how it fares as a four season jacket – stay tuned!

Rukka Armaxis jacket specification:

Gore-Tex Shell Armacor technology Waterproof Aqua Seal front zip Removable Gore-Tex stretch windstopper and collar CE approved D30 armour in elbow, shoulder and back Soft neoprene collar Adjustors on upper and lower arms and sides Zip to connect to trousers

For base layers – I’ll be using Rukka’s Merino wool shirt top and pants, so I’ll also be reporting back on how they perform as the weather gets colder.

TranAm is the sole UK importer of Rukka motorcycle gear.

To see the full range of Rukka clothing and to find your nearest Rukka stockist, see http://locator.tranam.co.uk/