Alinestars Motorcycle Jackets info. request

Griffo

Griffo

Griffo

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Afternoon,

I popped into J&S Accessories today to see about getting a textile jacket and trouser for the old motorcycle lark (when I get one, but lesson tonight on a 500, DAS in 2 weeks).

I quite liked the Ricard WP textile jacket, i'm not planning on commuting on the bike, more day trips, and end of june a trip up the coast of Holland for some concert by some sea or other. It fits very nicely on me.

So I ask: Anybody got this and like it? They say it's a new for this year thing. I'm also thinking maybe I should save 60 quid and get the T-Flat, but then if it rains shall I be sorry? or one of these air flow ones they're doing now, only 70 ish quid.

I don't want to spend millions of yen on my first jacket, only to discover a couple months down the line it's either over the top, or not good enough, you dig?
 
I take it the brands you mean are Alpine Stars and Richa (or possibly Rukka)

Alpine Stars gear is reasonable quality, quite a few of my mates swear by it.
Richa is probably more toward the budget end of the spectrum, but by no means rubbish.
Rukka is very expensive and very good.

I don't own any textiles gear, but have a couple of sets of waterproofs. Both my leathers are Wolf (and seeing as you are in London, Harper race shop in Essex can tailor them to fit you perfectly and aren't overly expensive).

I would say spend as much on the protective gear as you can afford, it can save your skin (litterally).

If you want to go with AlpineStars or Richa niether is a bad choice at the end of the day.

A couple of things though;

Invest in a back protector, I know at least 2 people who aren't in a wheelchair because they did.

Get a decent helmet, not just for protection, but for small niggly things, my first helmet was a cheapo one and I never wear it since getting an Arai. The Arai is more comfortable, quieter and offers better protection (I've not tested this and would rather not)
 
Thanks chap :) The jacket in question is this:

https://secure.jandsclothing.co.uk/view_detail.php?cat_code=Alpinestars Ricard WP Jacket

It does feel well made, and heavy, more so than a few others I tried, and the armor sits correctly too.
The only thing I possibly don't like is that it's all black (with a couple flashy strips). However on my CBT with that yellow day-glo jacket on people still tried to kill me, so I suppose it's just best to expect it etc etc.

Back protector, yes I am dead set on getting one, I hear very good things about Forcefield ones and may go and get one now when I pick up the jacket.

I bought me a lid t'other week before the CBT, Shoei Raid 2 which fits excellently and I love it. I tried on some others such as HJC I think, but just didn't fit right.

Right i'm off to buy that jacket and go and have my first lesson on a 500!
 
Alpinestars stuff is mainly too expensive for what it is, and not fantastically made... It's like Dainese, you pay far too much for the logo. Though at least Alpinestars don't burst like paper bags if you fall off, like a lot of Dainese stuff does.

I've never actually seen that jacket, but I bet you money it's not waterproof. The standard rule is, water resistant on the label means it's as waterproof as a sieve, waterproof means it's water resistant, goretex means it's waterproof ;)

It's quite hard to argue with Hein Gericke kit at the lower price ranges. I've also been very impressed by Teknic and Wolf lately- I had a pair of Teknic Sprint 2 trousers which worked better in a crash than some leathers, they were destroyed but I was unscratched so they did their job, and I do like my Wolf Techstyle trousers (yes I know you're buying a jacket, but my jackets are all either very old, or out of your budget)

What sort of riding do you have in mind? Modern textiles are good but crashwise they're not as good as leather, but on the other hand textiles are far better for all-weather riding.
 
Thanks Northy,

Well i'm going for trousers to shortly so it's all helpful advice!

Usage wise as said i'll not be commuting, it's purely a fun machine for the evenings/weekends with occasional annoying motorway journeys from London to Brum. So i'll aim not to be out in the rain hehe, as likely as that is!

I know you can't beat leather, and i'd go for it straight off, but hmm... I think i'll have to try some leather stuff at the weekend and maybe try and blackmail one of the parents.

This learning to ride lark gets expensive! I'm taking a few lessons seperate and before doing the DAS so I can get some experience, first one last night only on a 125 but crikey first time getting the thing to 60, hella fun/windy.

I'll try and find a HG shop nearbye for my lunch trip...
 
Wyvern971 said:
I can't be, but I trust the judgement of the docs who treated them.
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Would you care to recommend any good back protectors? I've been thinking about it as my Arlen Ness jacket has minimal built in back protection stuff...

Don't care about price as long it'll do what it says on the tin!

Yes - I know how to use Google, and I have been, but looking for some opinions on best ones to go for from people who have purchased them before!
 
Griffo said:
I discounted HG stuff as somebody sometime said "oh it smells like a pencil" or some other awful slur against it's quality.
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:D It's not great stuff, mainly- though some of the higher range stuff is very good, their goretex textiles are first class and at a good price. They're more "OK but cheap, and better than Frank Thomas :)". I have the PSXR trousers- don't wear 'em often mind- and they're solid at a very low price, which is exactly why I bought 'em. Then again, there's other contenders on the market now that weren't really there when I started riding.

Bottom line is, you can spend as much as you want on bike gear. My daily gear just now is a £300 Furygan jacket, £300 goretex Rukka trousers, £250 worth of Arai, £70 of gloves and £130 of boots. Added up like that, it makes me feel a bit sick :D It's all brilliant, brilliant kit and I wear it all the time but still. That's more than my first bike.

But, my first set of kit was a Lookwell textile jacket from a sale for £70- very good, still got it, I wear it through autumn... A £70 HJC helmet , which served me well enough but wore out fast and wasn't very comfy. A pair of Belstaff trousers for £40 with knox armour (which I retired after breaking my hip, they had no hip armour, but they were still decent enough and protected me in 2 crashes), £20 gloves, and a pair of cats. Now, most of that stuff didn't last- if you buy cheap it tends not to- but it got me on the road and reasonably well protected, for less than the cost of my Arai. Don't think you need to splurge, is where I'm going with this.

Oh yeah, hip armour. Nobody thinks about this, but you wouldn't buy a bike jacket without shoulder armour would you? Yet crippling hip and pelvis injuries are something like 3 times as common as crippling arm or shoulder injuries, it's one of the most exposed parts of the body. So if you can, think about hip armour, it would have saved me 4 months on crutches and a permanent dodgy leg. Lots of gear has pockets for hip armour but they're empty, seperate armour is about £20-£30 and worth every penny IMO. It's become a bit of an indicator of quality for me, as far as I'm concerned any pair of bike trousers without proper hip armour provision is badly designed, you can always add it but if they can't get that right I don't trust them.
 
Rossmac said:
Would you care to recommend any good back protectors? I've been thinking about it as my Arlen Ness jacket has minimal built in back protection stuff...
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T-Pro Forcefield, I'm not sure if it's still the only level 2 back protector but it was for a long time, and it's very good. Flexible too.

I wear a Knox Stowaway, which definately isn't the most protective. Very ordinary bit of kit. But, the best back protector is the one you actually wear, and because the Stowaway's so unobtrusive, and because it stores easily if I take it off, I wear it constantly. With the T-Pro, or most others, they're a pain to carry or stow.
 
yeah i hear forcefield is pretty damn good and beats nox for protection apparently.
Yes hip armor not many trousers seem to have it included but i will get some now when i get the spine thing.
Going to hg and j&s at weekend so hopefully get everything!
 
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Back protectors are down to personal preference. If it's uncomfortable or annoying to carry around you won't wear it other than times you know you will be caning it. (the obvious problem with that is when you go for a sedate ride and happen to bump into friends......)

I've got a Knox contour back protector, which once I'm on the bike I forget I have it on. Unfortunately when off the bike it can be a pain in the backside. I'm going to live with it until I get a tailored set of leathers done with a pocket for back armour, then I'll just get a slip in one.

The forcefield ones look reasonably sturdy, my mates Alpine Stars one saved his hide (he went over the bars and the bike landed on top of him).

Best advice is to try them on :) hth
 
Wyvern971 said:
Best advice is to try them on :)
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Well, my mate is going to Crossons in Newry to get himself a new lid on Sat, so I'll be joining him with the anticipation of trying on some of the Knox backprotectors they have in stock. This shop is awesome for fitting guidance so they'll hopefully point me in the right direction yet again!

Something to look forward to the weekend for then... :)
 
I got a jacket from Kawasaki to match my bike.

Was a lot cheaper than 'brand' jackets, and the quality is fantastic.
 
That's a lovely green! heheh
When I was thinking of the ER-6F (Ninja 650R sounds much better) I thought the green one would be hilarity, green leathers to match yay.

But now i'm settled on the SV650 Sport.

Anyway, a duck tried to kill itself using my bike last night, that was fun! Idiot bird.
 
Griffo said:
When I was thinking of the ER-6F (Ninja 650R sounds much better) I thought the green one would be hilarity, green leathers to match yay.

But now i'm settled on the SV650 Sport.
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Both nice bikes... I love my SV, though to be fair it's only about 60% SV these days. It should do you proud. You buying new then?
 
Northwind said:
Both nice bikes... I love my SV, though to be fair it's only about 60% SV these days. It should do you proud. You buying new then?
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I reckon so yep. Some days (most days) i'll be swaying towards the SV650, as most people agree it's the more capable as you grow your skills, and it's useable on the track, which I intend to try at least once! Where as another day i'll fancy the ER-6F, but most agree that it isn't quite as good... though I saw some kwak in Ninja green with the word Ninja on it this morning and wanted it again! Damnit! Green leathers to match would be funk.
 
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