Intro
Finding the ultimate suit for adventure riding in Australia is a bit like….as a family friend used to say….”Harder than picking fly poop out of black pepper with boxing gloves on!”
Our big brown land can see massive extremes in temperatures. Personally I’ve ridden in -4 to 44 degrees celsius and I’ve seen temperature swings of 20 degrees in an hour or two. Trying to find an adventure riding suit for these extremes is very tricky.
There are three key things I consider when looking at motorcycle riding gear:
- Protection
- Looks
- Functionality
After getting a solid 18 months and some 40,000km of faithful service out of my last Alpinestars Calama suit I was ready for a refresh.
The good blokes at Monza Imports hooked me up with a new Alpinestars adventure suit just in time for the KTM Adventure Rallye in March 2017. Heading into the Blue Mountains of NSW in March could bring any sort of weather so I was looking for something with protection from the wet elements.
Features – Jacket
First of all, one thing I noticed and appreciated immediately is the lighter weight of this suit overall. Because the waterproof membrane is part of the outer shell it keeps the overall suit lighter.
I have to say the fit of this suit is a very slim “euro” cut that is probably a little more aimed at road riding as it is a very close fit and has very little excess fabric around the arms and legs. This means you have to be careful in your size selection. I really appreciate the slim fit, many suits look like you are wearing a garbage bag but not this one.
Wrists have two lots of Velcro and zip to secure them. One Velcro tab sets the opening diameter, the other tab is used to open and close the cuff each time. Set and forget!
- Thermal liner feels very warm with good bulk.
- Vents are in good locations and are a decent size allowing great airflow. Zips on cuffs are double zips so when you pull top zip down toward the cuff it opens up the sleeve for airflow whilst still keeping the cuff secured for safety.
- Vents on chest running vertically.
- Vents on shoulder blade running vertically at rear to draw warm air out.
- Looks sharp. The slim fit helps here keeping the lines clean.
- Adjustment tab on bicep to take up slack in arms.
Armour supplied is sastec armour in elbows and shoulders. The standard armour supplied for chest and back is just perforated foam so opt for the upgraded armour kit to really look after yourself.
Pants
Knee guards are really too small to be useful in a big off but they do an okay job in your average low speed off. The armour pieces are sastec.
Leg vents are good size and well positioned but probably really need exhaust vents to be effective?
High waist will be effective at keeping drafts out and kidneys warm in cold weather.
Pockets are deep and have zips to keep your chewy secured.
Braces are supplied to help keep the pants up but easily removable with their Velcro tabs. Now braces may seem daggy but I actually like wearing them a lot of time for off-road riding because when I’m accelerating hard out of corners it helps to keep the strides up and everything in the right place.
First impressions
On the very first ride I had in the Yokohama suit I got dumped on with rain! And, I stayed dry!
Winning!
I think the value of having a waterproof outer shell as opposed to a waterproof liner proved it’s worth in my first outing. In the face of a liquid onslaught of biblical proportions I stayed basically dry inside. I was wearing a grey marle t-shirt that is brilliant at showing any damp patches and the only tell tales were minor dark patches at the back of shoulders were I forgot to fully close the ventilation zips. A great result in my book.
Comparison
To give you a point of reference I have had two BMW Rallye suits in the past few years and those suits were not waterproof in the slightest.
I really appreciated that outer shell of this Alpinestars suit is waterproof, as opposed to relying on the inner membrane to provide waterproofing. The problem with relying on the inner liner is that the water soaks into the outer shell greatly increasing the cooling effect and also making the suit heavy. By stopping and shedding the water at the outer shell is more sensible in concept and more effective in practice.
Long Term Review
I’ve been using the suit for about 6 months now and it been great.
We’ve just come back from 7 days riding in Tasmania and the suit was ideal for winter riding down there. Normally Tassie is a mecca for motorcyclists but literally I could count on one hand how many other bikes we saw on the roads over the week. I guess most people think it’s too wet and cold in July, but when you’ve got the right gear this needn’t be a real concern.
I normally really feel the cold so I tend to rug up with layers more than the next bloke. For the whole week we were in Tassie the temperatures remained in the single digits and the ice warning flashed on my KTM’s dash several times each day signalling temps were 4 degrees or below. The sum total of what I was wearing included:
- Cotton t-shirt
- Polypropylene long sleeve thermal
- Heated vest (only turned it on 3 times)
- Yokohama jacket with quilted lining
This always kept me toasty warm. In fact a couple of days I had to strip off the heated vest (even though I didn’t have it turned on) and throw that in my tail bag. I think the wind stopping ability of the outer shell really works here.
Another fact I was pleasantly surprised by is how well the suit sheds water. Day 3 of our ride was spent the entire day in rain. Not only did I stay dry but I had fun that day. Being warm and dry in a little cocoon will have that affect.
When we got back to our hotel room that evening it soon resembled a Chinese laundry with gear hung up everywhere trying to dry. We went out for dinner and on our return a couple of hours later I was surprised to see that the suit had pretty much already dried. This is something I’m not used to! With many adventure riding suits having a textile outer and waterproof inner, it takes hours for that outer shell to dry off once it becomes wet.
Durability wise the suit has been good but has suffered from a slight tear on the right knee after I locked up the rear wheel and low sided over an erosion bank in 3rd gear after a brain fart!
I also had an issue with one of the pocket zips separating at the seam sealing but this was sorted under warranty by Alpinestars. I think this may have actually been brought on by me setting the spin cycle too fast when washing. I think the fast spin speed might pulled at the seam too much. I recommend washing your gear in max temperature of 30 degrees and spin speed no faster than 400 rpm.
Pros
- Waterproof outer shell is awesome.
- Venting is highly effective.
- Pricing is quite a bit cheaper than some other popular brands.
- Styling is clean and sharp looking.
Cons
- Close fit means I can’t comfortably wear my bulky plastic knee guards under the pants.
- Due to the waterproof outer shell this suit will likely be hot once temperatures get above mid-twenties (celsius).
- Compared to my last suit I did occasionally miss not having pockets on the thighs of the pants or on the back of the jacket but I don’t always pockets use these anyway.
Where To Buy
Alpinestars is available from many motorcycle stores but Alpinestars have set up a number of dealers around Australia as Tech Touring specialists and as such they will have the full range on their hangers for you to try out.
Get in touch with us and we can hook you up.
Conclusion
I highly recommend this suit for any adventure touring riders in cool and wet climates. It’s warm, dry and comfortable in sub-zero temperatures and up to high twenties.
For warmer desert climates I’ll be reaching for the vented Santa Fe jacket & Sonoran pants which I’ve found really good in the hot extremes.
I might even pair that up with the summer under garments. Stay tuned for that review!