[stevey]

greetings. my local shop has an Alpinestars TZ-1 suit. anyone know anything or have opinions about this stuff? my current leathers are two-piece and i'm looking for a good suit for track use and the local mountains.

 

[Fillmore]

I have an A-stars GPU 1-pc suit. As far as I can tell, the quality, materials, and construction are nearly identical to my Dainese 2-pc suit for 60% of the price.

Based on my GPU, I'd have no problem recommending Alpinestars and in fact they'll probably be the first place I look in the future for new leathers.

--Fillmore

 

[terrible_viking]

I have crashed twice in my Alpinestars (2-piece) suit, hard, and it has held up very well. It's comfortable, too. Buddy has the TZ-1 and he crashed in that twice as well, one time on the track in a high-speed lowside that totalled his R6. The suit still looks good and very servicable.

-R.

 

[CRASH!]

I have some Alpinestars Cordura and have seen quality problems. I have winter gloves with separate removable liners. One of the liners is coming apart because the seame was cut too close. I have cordura pants on which two of the three zipper tabs broke off almost immediately and one of the armor pockets had to be repaired. Again, cutting too close to the seam.

It's a bit disturbing that each piece exhibited a quality problem. Having said that, All pieces are still functional and I have been very happy with the design.

Another disclaimer, I believe the leather and textile gear are manufactured in completely different factories. FWIW

 

[terrible_viking]

True about the zipper tabs. I broke one off my left sleeve after getting that arm stuck between someone's rear wheel and hugger at 30mph. Might've been that that's what caused the thing to break, so I'm not complaining (plus, without the tab there's less bulk under the cuffs of my gloves). However, the main zipper tab in the front broke off as well after about a year of daily use, I put a key ring through the zipper thing and that works much better - I can easily pull the zipper open and closed now, even with my racing gloves on.

And yet one more thing: the zipper that zips the jacket to the pants is completely useless. It's made of plastic and very thin and flimsy. Mine broke after maybe three days of use, due probably in part to my crashes. I had Z-Leathers put in a copper replacement, no problems since. You won't have that problem since you're looking for a 1-piece, of course.

Despite the problems I still think it's quality gear, especially considering the price.

-R.

 

[stevey]

 

[iamic]

I have an A*s TZ-1 jacket. I like it a lot. It is very comfortable, and cut rather slim, which is perfect for a skinny guy like me. I also have A*s SP-1 gloves, which I like. They seem to be quite high quality (yeah, my zipper tab pulled off too. I use a zip-tie now). The jacket has a nice heavy feel to it and I feel quite protected. A friend crashed in his TZ-1 at a moderate/low speed and I can

 

[AllyCat]

I have a Alpinestars Jacket with a zip out liner and armor. I love it I just zipped in the liner this past weekend. I have thrown it in the wash and it still looks brand new. Good stuff and I think they priced very reasonably.

 

[terrible_viking]

care to elaborate on how you ended up in that situation ? !!

Guy parked it at the entry to turn 4 at the Streets of Willow. I rear-ended him, and as I fell down along the left side of his bike my left arm got caught between his tire and undertail. Dragged me along on my back for a few yards, my arm ripped off his hugger and exhaust can. He continued on into the pits. My bike flipped and landed on my left foot. No injuries except for some mild soreness all over the next day.

Only damage to my gear to speak of was a superficial cut in the stretch fabric on the left sleeve. The stretch part seems to be double-layered: the stretchy stuff on top (which go cut), and some sort of Kevlar/ Keprotec material underneath (which held up great).

This happened about a year ago and I've since replaced my cheapo Joe Rocket gloves, all the rest of the gear remains the same.

-R.

 

[feltted]

My A-stars GP Plus Gloves rock. NO crash test yet.

 

[dreamse83]

I have the TZ-1 jacket. It is awesome! I had a rough crash where I got thrown into/over a guard rail. I slid on some pavement and some dirt. Not one scratch on the jacket. It protected me perfectly. I recently pulled the black plastic thing on the main zipper right off. No bid deal, it's just a little metal hoop that connects it. On that note, I think zipper stuff like that is common with a lot of jackets, it's all that repetitive zipping. Think about it, how many times a riding day do you open and close your jacket at breaks? My buddy has a Joe Rocket (balistic or something? I don't know) and his zippers did the same thing, only sooner. ALPINESTARS HAS GREAT PRODUCTS!!