Alpinestars S-Moto Suit

Alpinestars S-Moto Suit

CW EVALUATIONS

Supermoto-specific riding suit

CONSIDERING THE RECENT GROWTH explosion of supermoto, it was inevitable that an apparel manufacturer would produce riding gear as specialized as the bikes themselves.

Alpinestars ’ new S-Moto suit features a longer torso section to suit a sitting-upright or standing rider, plus a straighter sleeve cut with outstretched arms in mind. Thanks to generous use of stretchy kevlar, the arms have a tailored fit that doesn’t induce armpump, and the tapered, raw-edged cuffs don’t bunch under gloves.

Leather flex panels along the torso and across the lower back allow increased mobility to handle the jumps and whoop sections not found on roadrace courses, and accommodate back protectors such as Alpinestars’ Tech ($140).

Those accustomed to roadrace leathers will at first be shocked by the absence of integral knee pads. Instead, the oversized knees are surrounded by leather and kevlar stretch-zones meant to accommodate Alpinestars’ Bionic MX knee guards ($70) or other brands of knee guards or braces. The other obvious omission is any provision for attaching knee sliders, owing to the footout riding style employed by most-but not all-supermoto pilots. It would be nice to have the option.

The S-Moto suit does have built-in elbow armor, however, made from injection-molded plastic backed by dual-density foam. Highmodulus thermoplastic guards are grafted to the shoulders, as well.

Multiple-stitched main seams bind the 1.2 to 1.4mm-thick full-grain Italian leather. Perforations make the suit cooler and more pliable than traditional roadrace leathers, and the zip-in nylon-mesh inner-suit is removable for washing.

The S-Moto suit isn’t perfect, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

DETAILS Alpinestars USA 2780 W. 237th St. Torrance, CA 90505 310/891-0222 www.alpinestars.com Price~..$1000 A Forward-thinking A Safer than moto gear owns v What, no knee sliders? v Knee guards and back protector sold separately