Alpinestars Racing Absolute V2 One-Piece Suit Review

Motorcyclist

Motorcyclist Magazine evaluates the Alpinestars Racing Absolute V2 one-piece suit ($3,799).  Video: Adam Waheed  Motorcycle Riding Gear Worn  Helmet: Shoei RF-1400 Suit: Alpinestars Racing Absolute V2 Gloves: Alpinestars GP Tech V2 Boots: Alpinestars Supertech R Vented  Read the best motorcycle news and reviews: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/  Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motorcyclistonline/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motorcyclistmag/

Transcript

00:00 Hey folks, good morning! Here we are in Sonoma, California at Sonoma Raceway.

00:07 Today we're gonna be taking a look at a new special product from Alpine Stars.

00:14 We are going to try out its Absolute Racing Suit V2. This is the top of the

00:23 line Alpine Stars one-piece leather suit for all of you street bike riders and

00:29 track day riders and racers out there. Let's take a look at it.

00:35 Alright folks, here it is Alpine Stars Racing Absolute V2 Suit. This is a size

00:44 42 US, 52 Europe. This is the size I typically wear. I'm 6 foot tall. I weigh

00:53 205 pounds right now but I should weigh 175 pounds so it'll be interesting to

00:58 see if I can wedge my body in this thing. Let's unzip the suit. Now with purchase

01:05 Alpine Stars includes this leather apparel package. It includes some

01:11 leather conditioner and a sponge to help preserve the leather quality of its suit.

01:18 It's interesting to know because another Italian suit manufacturer has been

01:24 offering that for years on even some of its lower level suits. So it's cool that

01:29 Alpine Stars is stepping up and offering that to its customers. Now this suit

01:35 retails for $3,800. $3,800 US dollars for this suit and for that price you get a

01:44 lot of features. Now this whole outside is constructed of kangaroo. This is the

01:49 first time Alpine Stars is using full kangaroo construction on one of its

01:54 one-piece suits and it's pretty light. It's not the lightest thing out there

01:57 but certainly not the heaviest either. So kangaroo construction, perforation

02:03 throughout the chest and quad legs. There's also some perforation panels

02:09 right here on top of the arm. Now Alpine Stars has engineered this new

02:16 material right here which allows the suit to expand even more. You have to

02:23 remember the ability to move on the bike is absolutely paramount. That's why you

02:28 want to have all these big accordion panels and the special material that

02:33 literally stretches as you move. Also not only do you want to have excellent

02:40 movement on the vehicle, you also have to remember that nowadays Alpine Stars and

02:45 other companies offer very sophisticated airbag systems. This is Tech Air 10. This

02:51 is the top of the range airbag system which is designed to be used inside the

02:57 Racing Absolute V2 suit. So this Tech Air 10 system with the hip protection can be

03:04 fully installed into this suit. All you have to do is open the zipper and remove

03:09 this liner and that is how you install it. So we're not going to actually

03:14 wear Tech Air 10 today. We're just going to go mano a mano man style and just wear

03:19 the suit as it is. It'll probably be good that way just because I'm a little bit

03:23 heavier and thicker and it'll just be easier for me that way. Alright folks

03:27 we're going to talk to official Alpine Stars US Communications lead, Heath

03:34 Coffran, and he's going to give us a rundown of some of the technical features

03:38 that allows Alpine Stars product to stand out from the competition.

03:44 Here he is, Heath Coffran. Heath, please give us a rundown of some of the key

03:48 features of this $3,800 Kangaroo Alpine Star suit because it's a lot of money so

03:54 the folks out here in the US are going to want to know what they're getting for

03:58 that $3,800. I'm going to start. This is designed for top riders. We're talking

04:04 very advanced. You're either racing or you want the best protection you could

04:10 possibly get. So within this, like Adam said, 100% Kangaroo main chassis. So

04:18 you're getting a leather that's very flexible, very lightweight, and also

04:23 through the ventilation, lots of breathability. Why would you want

04:27 breathability in a suit? All top athletes need breathability. Additional

04:32 breathability because of the airbag systems that could be integrated into

04:36 this. One of the biggest things that sets this off, this is the Racing Absolute V

04:40 2. The V 1 version also allows you to integrate the Tech Air race system

04:47 behind the liner. Why would you want that as a racer and a rider? Ease of use. You

04:53 don't have to put the system separately. You put it underneath the layer and then

04:58 you just put on the suit and you go. That's the ease of use. That's what

05:01 athletes want. That's what top racers want. Ease of use. Kangaroo, we talked

05:06 about that. Another material that you'll see here, ACS. What does that stand for?

05:13 Alpine Stars composite stretch system. Not exactly a system, it's a

05:18 material. So why would we use this material versus what other material is

05:24 usually in those areas? That's this, accordion stretch paneling. This is 9%

05:29 lighter than leather. So one of the benefits is weight. Another benefit is

05:36 stretchability. It's stretchier, offers more stretch capabilities than leather

05:41 does. It also offers more abrasive resistance than leather does. It also

05:47 offers more breathability than leather does. It keeps it very lightweight, very

05:53 condensed, and also you're able to add a lot of abrasion resistance to this

05:58 material while keeping it lightweight. We talked about lightweight as a big

06:03 feature and a focus within this system and this whole suit. That's exactly what

06:07 we're doing by using that. That material isn't all that also just used here, but

06:12 here's also, this is also being used in MotoGP right now. If you look at suits

06:18 that are being used, this material is used in MotoGP. That's where it was

06:23 developed. That's where it made its debut. And now this is the second suit to offer

06:27 that material. The GP+ V4 also has it. Coming down to the suit here, right above

06:34 the knees, you're also seeing that ACS material. There it is again. Keeping it lightweight

06:39 where this is traditionally leather accordion stretch paneling. Really

06:43 quickly, while we're here, this is for grip on the inside of the leg

06:48 for the tank. That's sick, dude. It feels like rubber. It's very sticky material. It allows

06:53 added grip. If you're an advanced rider, you use the inside of your leg to grip

06:59 the tank. When you're leaned over, you pull that outside leg into the tank. It helps

07:04 bring the bike over. So this offers grip, additional grip in those areas. Sick.

07:10 Outside of the suit, we'll be real quick here. This basically takes a very high

07:15 slide impact area by adding this additional material. It adds additional

07:20 abrasion resistance material to the outside of the leg where traditionally

07:26 in a crash, this area gets a lot of impacts and slides. So by having this

07:31 here, it protects a very highly bendable joint system area. And so when a rider

07:39 crashes, basically it adds additional abrasive resistance strength. So accordion

07:45 here, why would you need accordion that comes down to the hips? The answer, TechAir

07:50 10. So TechAir 10 has airbags that come all the way down to here on your hips. So

07:58 when that airbag deploys, you need space for this to expand. So that's why we see

08:05 the accordion stretch paneling curve down to the rider's hips. So you'll see

08:10 that in all leather suits moving forward for Alpine Stars because all of them

08:15 will incorporate the TechAir 10. You wanted a nutshell version? Let's get to

08:21 you real quick before we get Adam out there on the track. This is not a

08:26 traditional Alpine Stars HRSF, high resistance stretch fabric. This is Kevlar

08:32 backed material. So even on these not so abrasive areas within where a typical

08:39 crash might happen, this material is Kevlar backed. Added abrasion resistance,

08:45 but you're not losing breathability. So it still flows air. Still flows air.

08:49 Fascinating. But you have highly abrasive resistant material behind the stretch

08:54 material. Sweet. You'll see a little bit of ACS here. You see right here, built with

08:59 Kevlar. Real Kevlar. And nice. This is Kevratec. This material right here.

09:05 Kevratec. Why would we put that there? Think about when a rider crashes and

09:10 your arm is sliding. When you have two materials bonded together, the seam could

09:16 become an area where perhaps the rider slides in that area and the seam could

09:21 come loose. But by having Kevratec here, it offers flexibility but also added

09:27 abrasion resistance where the connection pieces align. So if you crash right on

09:33 this seam, you have this extra bit of abrasion resistant material to help with

09:38 that seam, keep it strong and give it strength. But also it bends. So when

09:44 you're bending your arms, you want the most amount of freedom of movement as

09:48 possible. So the Kevratec material allows that. That's used here on the inside of

09:54 the arm. It's also used on the outside of the arm, giving these high areas of

09:59 abrasion an extra additional length. One more thing before we go, Adam, I know you

10:04 want to go and ride. I'm dying to ride, man. You and me, I love riding my

10:07 motorbikes. So look here. Do you see an interesting texture to the back of the suit?

10:12 It's raised, dude. So this is Kevlar backed. For the reason, what it adds is, think of

10:21 high-speed slides. This is an area where you would slide for a very long period

10:27 of time at high speed. What happens to leather when it slides with concrete,

10:32 with asphalt? A lot of heat. Incredibly hot heat. It becomes incredibly hot. So

10:37 what this does is it allows to take the heat away from the rider's skin. So

10:43 having that area here, you also see it on the arms, because typically when you see

10:48 guys slide, a lot of heat is conducted within that material space. So by having

10:53 it backed with a Kevlar, it allows the heat to dissipate through the different

10:58 areas within the suit. Number one, keeping the rider safe, keeping it lightweight,

11:03 keeping it breathable, using the best materials possible that have been

11:07 developed in MotoGP, and now you, the person that rides every day, can have the

11:12 same level of protection, not only on the outside of the suit, but on the inside

11:17 with the Tech Air 10 being integrated. This is the Racing Absolute V2. Check out

11:22 Adam for more. He's going to give you a review. Check out our website for more.

11:26 But thank you motorcyclists, viewers, and riders. Hopefully we'll see you on track.

11:30 Hey, thanks for the great rundown. We can't wait to try out this suit and see

11:35 if we really feel like Marc Marquez. Thanks guys. Alright folks, we're about to

11:40 put on our Racing Absolute V2 suit, but before we put it on, we wanted to tell

11:46 you that we're wearing our Alpine Stars Ride Tech Summer One Piece Onesie. This

11:53 retails for $170. And the cool thing about these onesies are not only do they

11:59 make you look super skinny, but they just allow you to get inside the suit and

12:05 take it off when you're done riding. They do a really good job of wicking away

12:11 moisture and just make riding way more comfortable. So if you're going to spend

12:17 the money for a new suit, make sure you get a new One Piece Onesie. And the

12:22 reason why I like these One Piece Onesies as opposed to a two-piece

12:27 bottom and top is just like cycling, there's no pressure on the

12:33 waist. It's just like wearing a onesie, you're way more comfortable. So any of

12:37 those cyclists out there, they'll know what we're talking about when you don't

12:41 have any pressure on your waist with a onesie type undersuit. Alright folks,

12:48 let's put this thing on and go ride! Alright folks, one more tip. Today we're

12:53 wearing our fantastic Alpine Stars Super Tech R Vented Boots. I love these boots.

13:02 One thing when you put these boots on is you want to take the inner booty out. You

13:08 actually put the inner booty on first and then you're going to put your

13:11 leather on top of the inner booty and then you're going to insert your foot

13:16 into the leather boot. That is how all the factory racers put their shoes on.

13:21 You can do it just normal person style where you just have the inner booty in

13:25 the boot and you just slide your feet in and have the leather all wishy-washy

13:29 around it. But that's not how the factory guys do it. The factory guys do it the

13:33 way this is the way. Hey folks, welcome to Sonoma Raceway. There is Heath

13:41 Coffrin getting some nice BTS vertical images for us to post on Instagram. We

13:50 are operating Yamaha's 2023 MT-10 leader-class naked bike with Alpine

13:58 Stars Racing Absolute V2 one-piece leather suit. This is all new for the

14:07 2023 calendar year. It replaces the Racing Absolute V1 suit which

14:15 was originally released for the 2019 model year. So this is at the

14:23 top of the line for Alpine Stars and it's one-piece leather suit. All Kangaroo

14:32 construction. We're wearing a size 42 USA size 52 euro. 6 foot tall, weigh 205

14:43 pounds. I weigh so much that I realistically can't really wear a back

14:51 protector or airbag vest because I'm too thick and not in a good way. So if I

15:00 wanted to wear a back protector or a Tech Airbag system I'd have to

15:07 go up to a size 54 euro or 44 USA but then the legs would be a little bit too

15:16 baggy for me because I got skinny legs because I don't do anything.

15:22 So that's the conundrum. But in size 42 this suit without a back protector or

15:30 airbag just fits me like a glove. I feel really good in it.

15:35 Now I got long lanky legs and typically with suits it's really hard for me to

15:41 get good flexion in the knee just because the suits don't have enough

15:47 mobility in the knee joint. And this production suit does. That's why I'm

15:52 always like oh man I need a I need custom suits because I need the length

15:59 from the waist to the knee to be longer so I have good knee mobility. And while

16:05 this suit's not quite to that level for an out of the box suit I do have good

16:12 knee mobility which is a big deal for me. I can move around the bike pretty nice

16:18 pretty well which is awesome.

16:23 Yes!

16:26 I love this MT-10. Some people might be wondering why I'm riding an MT-10 and not

16:33 a traditional sport bike. These MT-10s they're upright sport bikes!

16:40 For all of you folks who want to haul butt at the racetrack but be comfortable.

16:47 So this suit fits me literally like a glove but to be fair I'd have to go up

16:53 the size if I wanted to wear a back protector or a tech airbag system.

17:01 Fitting the arms is also very pleasing. The arms aren't too long they're not too

17:07 short. I really like that fabric that neoprene cuff that's been elongated at

17:14 the wrist. It really allows for good wrist flexion especially on your right wrist

17:20 when you're gonna be holding the throttle wide. Well maybe for a couple

17:25 moments I'll hold the throttle wide.

17:29 Yeah!

17:32 It sure is nice having that high level of abrasion protection as well.

17:43 Hopefully we never have a chance to actually try out that abrasion

17:49 protection but it's really good to know it has it. God I love this bike. What a

17:55 hood this thing is!

17:59 The ventilation on this suit oh boy! It's not a particularly hot day it's

18:05 probably 75 degrees. 75 degrees with a medium level of humidity.

18:15 And this suit plates so good. Feels like I have air conditioning. Who's that speed

18:22 racer guy? He's probably on racing slips.

18:28 At least I can tell myself that. And the ventilation gosh I feel like I have

18:34 AC on. The ventilation's all the way around from my arms to my torso. I even feel it in my legs.

18:41 Excellent!

18:47 Whoa we got a little hot there boys and girls. Sorry about that.

18:53 I upshift a little bit too much too.

19:02 It's hard to try to wail at the racing circuit and give a coherent evaluation

19:11 of a high-tech piece of riding gear like the Racing Absolute V2 suit.

19:20 Yeah! I really like how much this suit ventilates. It just helps keep you

19:26 comfortable when you're stringing together laps at the circuit or even on

19:33 the street.

19:36 And that's really what you want when you are picking a suit. You want a suit

19:41 that's gonna offer excellent fit. It's almost like the same as if you tailored

19:47 a suit for a wedding or for business purposes. Yes you can buy an off-the-rack

19:53 suit that will no doubt be awesome but when you tailor it and have the fit

19:58 where it's just exquisite fit that's when you're running with the big dogs.

20:02 And for an out-of-the-box production suit, these suits have come a

20:08 long way and they offer much more tailored-esque fit.

20:14 There's another R1 guy. R1YZ, R1M. Pre-2020 I believe. God those bikes rip.

20:28 So far so good in this Racing Absolute V2 suit. Price on this thing $3,700.

20:39 It is not cheap. It's over a thousand dollars more than its predecessor

20:45 which is a lot of money. But if you're looking for a lightweight kangaroo

20:53 leather it's worth noting that kangaroo leather suits aren't available for

20:59 purchase in the state of California. The Golden State has a

21:05 five-decade-old law that prohibits the sale of kangaroo goods. So if you're

21:11 someone in California you're not going to be able to buy this suit.

21:16 It's a legislature. But in the other 49 states you're good to go. And if you want a

21:24 lightweight, extremely breathable and very precise

21:29 fitting leather suit that's going to give you ample protection and mobility

21:36 on your high-performance sport bike or naked bike, I think this suit will be a

21:44 good option for you folks. That price though $3,700 is pretty crazy.

21:55 I gotta hand it to Alpine Stars though. There's a reason why basically almost

22:01 not everyone but the vast majority of the MotoGP paddock and the professional

22:06 racing paddock worldwide choose Alpine Stars.

22:12 They have a commitment to motorsport like no other and they're always up for

22:19 changing gear and using improvements they find at the racetrack and

22:24 implementing those improvements into the gear that you and I wear. I mean just the

22:33 the Velcro area that attaches when you zip up the suit

22:40 and you close the Velcro area, that area was tweaked because of Fabio Portoaro.

22:49 So it's nice to see a manufacturer not messing around and relying on top-tier

22:58 talent to sway and influence the product development of its stuff.

23:08 I think that's really neat. God this bus stop corner I'm always so

23:13 bad I always feel like I'm gonna something bad's gonna happen always creeping through there.

23:20 I love this racetrack. Jeez Louise a repave would be splendid.

23:29 Well folks that's a quick... well folks that's a quick review first ride review

23:39 of Alpine Stars Racing Absolute V2 suit. It's expensive but initial thoughts are

23:46 pretty good. I either got to lose 30 pounds so I can fit my back protector or

23:52 Tech Air system in this thing or get a larger size and deal with the baggy legs.

23:59 I think I'll try to do the first one. I think that's better for me.

24:05 We're gonna pull it after this lap and wrap things up. Give you some final

24:11 thoughts about this suit. Well folks that was a fun day trying out Alpine Stars

24:17 Racing Absolute V2 all kangaroo construction leather suit. This suit's

24:24 pretty neat. I'm really impressed with how well it ventilates. I haven't ridden

24:28 a suit that pushes as much air through it as this thing does. You have to

24:33 remember Sonoma Raceway is not crazy fast so for it to be pushing air like it

24:38 does that's pretty neat. The fit on this suit fits super precise. If you're

24:44 someone who's looking for a precise fitting suit that's gonna offer you good

24:48 mobility in your shoulders, elbows, and especially the knees I think this suit's

24:53 gonna be good for you. You just have to remember you kind of have to be in

24:58 decent physical condition to fit within the suit. If you're a little bit big or

25:03 overweight you're gonna have to upsize the suit to wear a back protector or an

25:07 Alpine Stars Tech Air product and then you have to deal with a little bit

25:11 of bagginess in the legs and and vice versa. If you're a little bit shorter but

25:17 you are more more big you're gonna have to up you're gonna have to go to a

25:23 taller size and have that little bit of bagginess. So that's the one thing that

25:27 you have to really remember with this suit. But if you're looking for a top of

25:32 the line Alpine Stars product that's got excellent ventilation, all kangaroo

25:38 construction, and the latest and greatest features born from competition from

25:43 MotoGP competition for everyone this $3,700 Alpine Stars suit could be the one.

25:50 Well folks make sure to surf on over to MotorcyclistOnline.com that's where

25:55 all of our content comes to life. Give this video a thumbs up if you liked it

25:59 thumbs it down if you didn't because we'd love to hear from the naysayers out

26:03 there. Everyone's opinion counts over here and we'll see you in the next

26:07 episode. Thanks for riding with us!

26:11 [Music]

Category

Transcript

Recommended