#alpinestars

Once upon a time, textile riding gear was the red-headed stepchild of motorcycle safety gear. Well, the manufacturers got wise and started producing high-quality riding gear made out of something other than the hides of dead critters. With textile gear, you now have the option of some of the most current protection technologies in styles that you’ll be happy wearing for years to come. So, we thought we’d put together a selection gear that shows the full breadth of what’s available from top-shelf gear makers.

The deals on motorcycle gear keep coming and going, but just today we received the announcement that Revzilla is further slashing its prices on closeout Alpinestars gear, and there’s a lot of good stuff in the mix to choose from. In total the list runs 83 items long, including boots, gloves, jackets, and even a handful of full race suits. Granted some of these items are lower on the discount totem pole—in the 10-15% range, but there is still a lot to choose from in the 30-40% range, including many items that are not limited in terms of sizing and availability. Here’s a quick look at some of our favorite pieces in the sale.

We’re keeping it brief because time is limited on this one. Revzilla’s closeout deals are always a good place to shop a bargain, but as an added bonus they’ve offered up a promo code to save you even more as you get geared up for spring. With the code PRESEASON19 you’ll save an additional 5% on marked down helmets, jackets, gloves, boots, and other gear from your favorite brands, including SIDI, Alpinestars, Icon, and plenty more. Beyond that they’re also discounting parts and accessories, so even if new tires, brakes, or a battery (for example) are on your shopping list, you can save more on that stuff as well. The full sale is an astounding 3,685 items long, so you’re gonna want to get browsing fast. That said, even without the additional 5% savings, there are plenty of good deals here.

You know what’s better than being wet and cold while riding a motorcycle? Not being wet and cold while riding a motorcycle. A few months back I was headed to my homeland, the Midwest, with a promise of big V-Twin motorcycles, and crappy weather. Since I’ve been calling Southern California home for nine years now, I haven’t kept too many waterproof bits of gear around. It was only after I had attended back-to-back rainy press launches, spanning the globe from Spain to SoCal, that I decided I would contact the nice folks at Alpinestars to procure a full one-piece rain suit.

As we roll out of Winter and into Spring, you’re looking at primetime motorcycle gear shopping. Motorcycle helmets, jackets, and other types of motorcycle gear are popping up on sale across the web. In particular, Revzilla.com has recently opened up a significant closeout sale featuring all sorts of gear from Alpinestars, with savings up to 40% off!

As we roll into fall, you’re looking at primetime motorcycle gear shopping. With roughly half the continent reaching the end of riding season, motorcycle helmets, jackets, and other types of motorcycle gear are popping up on sale across the web. In particular, Revzilla.com has recently opened up a significant closeout sale featuring all sorts of gear from Dainese, Alpinestars, Icon, and many of your other favorite brands, with savings ranging from 20% to 65% off!

Behold and covet my brand new jacket, the aptly named Yaguara, as that’s the kind of jungle cat I feel like when I’m wearing it. Grrrrr… The reason it’s $650 is because it’s designed to work with the Alpinestars Tech-Air inflatable airbag vest, that’s right, the same one they use in their high-end roadracing suits. Well, not exactly the same one, as there are slightly different Street and Race vest systems. More info here, but basically there’s an optional vest that zips in, plugs in, and will inflate – in 25 milliseconds – via a pair of argon inflation cartridges to protect your torso and shoulders, when it determines you’re about to have a real adventure. That’s 1/40 of a second.

Lately, motorcycle riding jeans have been popping up like mushrooms on a well-fertilized lawn after a spring rain. That’s good news for riders who want protection but don’t want to look like they’re ready for the track or are wearing a space suit when they’re off their motorcycle. While we have to acknowledge that riding jeans don’t offer as much protection as more technical riding gear, the inclusion of aramid abrasion panels and armor makes them significantly better than the Levis that riders have been wearing for generations. Where selection of denim motorcycle gear was once so limited that we could count the quality riding jeans available on one hand, we’ve now got no less than nine pairs of jeans in one buyer’s guide. We know we’ve barely scratched the surface, but we only wanted to include jeans that we’re actually wearing on a regular basis.

By now you already know what happened at the snooze fest that was Austin MotoGP (and if you don’t, I highly suggest you read Mr. Allen’s always wonderful MotoGP recap). Marc Marquez stole the show for the sixth straight year, leaving some fans disappointed with the day’s racing. To be fair, Moto2 and MotoAmerica Superbike provided some good racing; the former with the interesting battle for the lead, and the latter with a tight fight for the podium.

Yeah, we know that we constantly say that you should buy the best gear you can afford. We think it’s time to show you some  glove bargains. So, we’re gonna pull back a little and show you how nice gloves that cost less than a C-note can be. In fact, some of these motorcycle gloves are almost inexpensive enough to buy two pair without breaking our self-imposed ceiling. Our reason for undertaking this exercise is to illustrate the breadth of gear available to riders who maybe just spent all their scratch on a new motorcycle and don’t have much left for gear.

The relationship between motorcycles and safety has forever been a troubled one. Riders are unencumbered by protective cages, exposing them to impact danger in ways car drivers aren’t. Autos are equipped with doors, bumpers, crumple zones, and airbags. Wait, airbags, you say?

Alpinestars has released its Spring 2018 collection, which emphasizes lightweight and breathable gear as well as technical apparel. We are also now beginning to see more Tech-Air compatible garments for the street with a focus on touring jackets for use in all weather conditions. 

When I was told I would be tasked with putting together the $250 and up category of our 2017 gift guide, I must admit, I smirked on the inside. What an easy thing to do! Motorcycling can be expensive and the parts we pine after generally are expensive. So here is a list of items in the $250 and up category for that someone speciale in your life. The sky’s the limit!

There are many motorcycle gear brands out there on the market these days. Some big, some small. Something to remember though, every brand has a story and an origin. Stories that might surprise you if you took the time to learn them. All too often we forget that behind each company, no matter the size, there were real people who worked hard to found them. More often than not, there are interesting bits of information to learn about the process and ideas that unfolded from these entrepreneur’s creative minds.

Alpinestars Crank Riding Jean delivers a subtle, euro-styled, option for those looking to find a balance between safety and style.