A few of these things launched last Fall but I haven’t had a chance to share them until now. Enjoy!
This season is full of sporty new styles, ultimate mesh, curvy / plus size jeans and some casual, perforated leather. Lots of new gear to explore this season. Post your thoughts, opinions, questions, at the end!
Alpinestars SMX Plus v2 Boots
Riding boots with substantial protection (in the forms of impact and lateral support) are few and far between when it comes to women’s motorcycle gear.
Only black for now…
Track / sport style riding boots have always been less popular and minimally designed as far as protection goes. I think pants and riding boots are the last two things that most riders think about, especially women. And that’s unfortunate because your hands and feet are vital to having precise, solid control of your motorcycle.
In my experience, most women buy casual, relaxed riding footwear like sneakers and cruiser style boots. Unless you ride a sportbike, you’ll likely never look at boots like these, although everyone needs this type of protection regardless of what they ride.
There has been a mens version of the SMX Plus for a while now. What makes these a step up from the popular SMX-6’s is the extra ankle protection that they offer. Also a much more secure calf adjustment with no velcro. If you have a track style pant or track suit, you’ll have a solid fit with no chance of the calf opening while riding.
The huge stretchy/accordion style panel over the ankles should also allow for more range of motion as you increase your body positioning work from dropping your knee to dragging your knee. Woo hoo!
Although Alpinestars has always offered Euro 36-37-38 in the men’s track boots, the women’s specific model should be a tighter fit around the heels/ankles and instep. If you do need more room in those areas but still have a foot at the length of a Euro 36-38, then I’d probably still recommend trying the men’s versions. $399 MSRP.
Alpinestars Stella GP-R Tech Air Jacket
(just FYI, Stella just means womens, so whenever you see that it’s not a style name, it’s just acting as a pronoun)
When Tech Air was announced from Alpinestars, it was mainly focused on the men’s segment but now it’s our turn. Just like the men’s jackets, it has the ability to take in the Tech Air Race Vests which are sold separately.
In addition to this jacket, there’s also a Missile Tech-Air 1Pc Suit for women. $599 MSRP.
I have the older womens Torques which I was SO excited about when they came out. What makes Dainese boots stand out is that they offer lateral ankle protection and, a lower profile overall.
I don’t see any substantial changes from the previous model other than this eye catching white / fluo red! If you’re wondering why, it’s because it matches perfectly with a couple of their suits.
As Dainese is always Dainese, it’ll likely be a very narrow fit in the toes, instep and heels. So for comparable protection and a wider fit you’ll want to try a different brand.
Dainese Killalane PERFORATED Suit
Holy colorway Batman. Colorway is retailspeak for colors. :D
If you’re looking for a completely different color option that is unique on the track, I think this is it.
I’m thinking Captain Marvel? :) And check out that Black/Teal combo. Woooo. Also, absolutely no pink. I know how controversial the pink theme can be, but Teal is still a very beautiful color, in my opinion. And something that hasn’t been beaten to death with marketing over the past 20 years the way that pink has. MSRP $999.95
Dainese Carbon 3 Gloves
Let’s not forget matching teal gloves. I am really drawn to these colors for some reason.
Maybe it’s the asymmetric pattern? I don’t know. But I like it!
A little hard to wear unless you already wear all black or black/white. Of course there’s also black if that’s your color. MSRP $179.95
RUKKA STRETCH AIR JACKET AND PANTS
Rukka is one of those brands you’ve probably never heard of. But it’s a brand that you want to know because their mesh jackets are magical. That’s really the best word I can use to describe them.
This jacket is particularly wonderful at keeping you comfortable in ungodly hot weather. What really makes this brand unique is the application of Cordura AFT fabrics.
It’s a very unique application of mesh that you can only find with Rukka. As you can see, it can be cost-prohibitive and not very many people can spend $500 on a mesh jacket. Fitment for women’s Rukka can be challenging (fairly straight except for roomier shoulders and bust space, so slightly inverted triangle shaped) as well. The pants tend to run a bit slimmer in the hips with some extra room in the waist and then slimmer legs/calves. I’ve never ridden in one of these, but I hope to try one out this Summer to see if I like the fitment.
I’ll be honest, the only real reason I haven’t flipped a switch to Rukka for summer is simply styling and aesthetics. I much prefer how my Revit mesh looks. Vain, I know!
If I weren’t so vain, I’d spend a little extra on this suit in a heartbeat. MSRP $499 Jacket, $449 Pants.
Cortech Lolo Jacket
The Lolo is one of the few leather jackets that I’ve found that fit really well for very curvy girls.
Not only does it (and all Cortech womens jackets) offer plus sizing, but also a roomy chest, shoulder, bust and waist with a slightly shorter sleeve length. The leather looks great in person, not too shiny and not too worn. Available in brown and black. MSRP $299.99.
Firstgear Bancroft Gloves
This is a brand new style for FirstGear and I think it offers a tremendous amount of protection for the price point. As the brand goes, you’ll find these great for shorter, wider hands and shorter fingers.
Full wrist coverage and a palm slider. For $99, it makes for a great Spring/Fall/Mild Winter waterproof glove.
But if you don’t like longer cuff gloves, try the shorter versions, the Electra.
Bull-It Tactical Straight Fit Jeans
I haven’t found any pants (with the exception of Oxford Leggings) that fit as curvy as these do. I would call these a Plus Size Fit Jean because the rise is so high and because the waist fit is so generous.
They aren’t the highest protection or performance, but they do offer a fitment that simply doesn’t exist in women’s riding pants.
And for that reason I highly recommend them.
You can amp up the protection with D3O level 2 armor from Klim or Icon if you want a little more. MSRP $129.95.
ROLAND SANDS MIA LEATHER JACKET
I like this jacket because it’s super stylish for riding, but also perfect off the bike. The hoody is a removable, stand alone softshell jacket. Per usual Roland Sands fit, it still has a slimmer profile. But with the huge stretch panel that runs vertically from the shoulder to the waist along with the small hip gussets, it works well for lean, pear shape and some curvier body types. Not quite as curvy as the Lolo but not super slim like the Italians (Dainese, Alpinestars, Spidi). It’s been hugely popular in the Showroom and looks beautiful in person. I think you could make it work on any riding style, even sporty bikes (without the hood because if you ride extremely forward, and wear your full face helmet, it will definitely be in your way when you try to move your head back or check your blind spot.)
If you don’t love black, don’t worry there’s also a lovely light grey and dark brown. MSRP $599.
ROLAND SANDS TRINITY PERFORATED LEATHER JACKET
A casual styled leather that’s also perforated is really, really hard to come by. In fact, I want to say the Trinity is the first one I’ve seen. This is essentially the perforated version of the Mia. So what does that mean? It means when it’s 80F out, you’ll get to wear this pretty leather jacket if you’d rather not wear textile mesh!
The biggest difference is that there’s no removable liners. The Trinity has the same stretchy panels along the back from the shoulder down the sides of the torso. This makes a huge difference for fit, allowing for a more versatile fit that can be worn by multiple body types. It won’t have the slimmest fit like a European brand but it comes pretty close. And when a woman who does need a little more room around the bust or shoulders needs the space, it’ll allow for that as well. Kudos to Roland Sands for the smart design on this and the Mia. MSRP $450.
