#Alpinestars

The latest generation of Alpinestars' airbag is slimmer, lighter, and lets you change modes directly from the vest.

Not to wax poetic, but choosing the right gear requires a little introspection. What are we going to use it for? What do we expect out of our gear? What is the meaning of life – well, perhaps the last one is a bit too heady for a boot review, ladies and gents. Italian motorcycle safety apparel manufacturer Alpinestars is here to help simplify the existential gear selection process with its heavily updated do-it-all road-going boot, the SMX-6 V3.

Slightly taller coverage makes all the difference

While top-of-the-line racing suits are the things of envy, often we overlook the suits on the other end of the price spectrum. Alpinestars GP Force Lurv one-piece suit is the least expensive one-piece suit currently in the Alpinestars lineup, selling for around $1000. And sure the name might be funny, but what it offers is anything but. If you're more of a canyon rider who does the occasional trackday, the Lurv is worth a look. Here, we break down what makes it a better suit (in some circumstances) than the higher-end, MotoGP-derived alternatives.

It’s been a while since we’ve put (proverbial) pen to paper. But luckily, not for anything as glum as what kept us at bay the last time. While Ana is indeed still hard at work in Colorado fulfilling a few personal goals as an ADV tour guide, I’ve been traveling – a lot – for work, hustling and riding and touring the Italian countryside then off to the Pacific Northwest to begin (officially) training for Red Bull Romaniacs. But before we dive into that grand adventure, our visit to Italy was quite fortuitous, and it subsequently inspired today’s post. This particular exploit led us to the headquarters of our Seat Time gear brand of choice: Alpinestars.

Following on the heels of its street- and off-road airbag systems, Alpinestars has unveiled its Tech-Air MX airbag system at the Belgian round of MXGP. The full press release is below.

Equipping a motorbike racer with an airbag system sounded like an absurd idea the first time I heard about it twenty years ago. What, was a big white beachball going to blow up around us as we embarrassingly bounced past some fans, then ricochet off of one wall to another? I could only imagine myself finally rolling to a stop, my feet still kicking out from the bottom of it, shouting over muffled laughter, "Hey! Is anybody there? Help! Corner Marshals? Somebody get me out of this stupid thing."

Astars brings off-road airbag protection to the masses

Longtime readers will know that we are big proponents of motorcycle airbag equipment here at Motorcycle.com. Our own Troy Siahaan experienced the benefits of the technology first hand, after the airbag on his Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 vest deployed in a collision with a car.

Going fast and looking good

Boots: Alpinestars Supertech R Vented

When I find riding gear that I like, I tend to wear it quite a bit. With the exception of the discontinued waterproof Dainese boots, the items I wore at the 2023 Harley-Davidson Road Glide CVO and Street Glide CVO introduction are the current uniform I wear on almost all of my rides. It is comfortable, practical, and if I weren’t in the business of reviewing riding gear, it would keep me happy for years to come.

For years, if you wanted to be protected by Alpinestars, you could get all kinds of coverage from your toes all the way to your… neck. The single piece of protective gear missing – and it was a glaring hole in the company portfolio – was helmets. The dirt guys got their wishes answered a few years back with the Supertech M10 helmet, but street and track riders were still missing out.

Unless you’re a world-class rally racer, an afternoon spent riding with Red Bull Factory KTM’s Toby Price aboard his booming 450 isn’t a common experience. Note I said riding with, and not alongside Price. The only time I was alongside the man was when he stopped and I caught up. End the day with a cozy fireside chat including Price, Monster Energy Honda’s Ricky Brabec, and Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Skyler Howes and you’ve the ingredients for memorable uniqueness.