Alpinestars – great kit for biking

Well I’ve been back biking now for around 3 months and for anyone familiar with my first blog you’ll know that I went out of my way to get good kit so as to keep my dad happy.

For me that meant Alpinestars, great reputation and fantastic styling too. I started out initially, in late summer, with a two piece set of leathers (GP Plus jacket and Missile pants), SMX6 WP (waterproof) boots and SP8 lightweight gloves with knuckle armour. More recently with winter setting in I have invested in some waterproof textiles, choosing the Andes Drystar jacket and trousers with the fluorescent shoulders for improved visibility.

So far I haven’t been disappointed, even if one too many Almond Magnum ice lollies has meant that my two piece leather trousers are now rather more snug than at first.

Although there’s definitely a knack to getting the trousers in both the leathers and the textiles zipped to the jacket, once it’s done they are both very comfortable and as a rider you feel warm and very well protected in the unpredictable British weather. My only complaint (and it’s not about the kit really) is that you tend to get icy wind blowing in and up between your helmet and the tops of the jackets on both outfits. I’m going to invest (or rather the kids are getting me one for Xmas) in a motorcycling specific snood/scarf to keep the drafts out on cold days. The GP Plus jacket didn’t come with any back armour so I invested in one of last year’s forcefield Airo vests to go under it – I looked at both Alpinestars and Forcefield inserts however opted for the vest as it provides extra warmth in colder weather and importantly I can wear it under both outfits – at £80 it was a total bargain too – who doesn’t love a bargain really? 😉

I bought the leather outfit from J&S in Leeds and as I picked it all up at the same time managed to get 10% discount on everything, getting me up and running in the warmer weather for around £730 – I imagine I could have gotten all of them for a few pounds less if I’d shopped around online however being able to try them in the store gave me the confidence that I was getting the kit I wanted in the size that worked first time.

The Drystar textiles were picked up in late October at Motorcycle Live from the Infinity Motorcycles stand; the jacket and trousers were on special (isn’t everything at the show?) for £250 all in, which by my reckoning was a saving of around £120 or more on RRP – thankfully they had them in my size (I’m a big unit) – happy biker!

So, all in all I’m very chuffed with the quality and usability of the two sets of Alpinestars kit. The leathers are sleek, well fitted, feel the business, and go well with the carbon finish of my Shark Spartan. The Drystar outfit is super warm (although I’m told it works just as well in warm climates) and although I’ve not really rain tested it yet, it copes perfectly with the road spray and the bright colour really makes me stand out on the road, especially at night time.

Hardly an exhaustive review (about 1,000 miles in total) however I’ve been impressed by the quality and fit and have no concerns to speak of so far, beyond the slightly baggy fit of the armour in the textile trousers. When stood straight the armour drops below the knee, although admittedly it’s spot on when sitting on the bike. That aside everything is perfect!

coolbikesofharrogate

#leathers #alpinestars #review #motorcycles