Alpinestars Yokohama Drystar Suit

The need for a new textile suit came with the invite to the KTM Super Adventure launch in the Blue Mountains, just outside and a lot higher than Sydney. With the temperature scheduled to vary from 5degrees to 20degrees while riding a bike on and off the road, I needed an outfit that could cope with a bit of everything while also giving me the necessary protection should it all go a bit pear-shaped while I was showing off for the camera.

The outfit is made from a poly-textile material which is designed to offer decent abrasion resistance along with good weather-proofing properties from the Drystar® material underneath. There’s plenty of ventilation from the zip openings in the arms and chest, with exhaust vents at the back to let the wind escape. But when the temperature drops, a full-length thermal liner clips inside making the Yokohama outfit truly multi-purpose. Finally, large waterproof pockets at the front of the jacket mean I can stash everything safely without fear of water getting in.

Even though I didn’t get to test out the waterproof properties of the Yokohama suit on my trip to Aussie, what I did discover was just how windproof the material is. Stupidly, I decided to take the thermal liner out as I figured we’d be getting hot and sweaty muscling 200+ kilo machines around off-road, but forgot about the cold trip back to the hotel in the dark. Even though I really could have done with the thermal properties, the jacket and pants did an excellent job of stopping any wind getting through, keeping the chill away. Being an adventure-styled suit, the pants have big openings for a set of off-road boots to fit underneath, although plenty of adjustment is there so they fasten around road boots. Adjustments on the arms and waist also mean you can get the perfect fit. I did find that I needed to go a size bigger than usual on the jacket as the fit on the shoulders was a bit tight, and worryingly, two sizes bigger in the pants. I don’t think I had enough Easter eggs to warrant the increase in girth, so make sure you try before you buy. That’s why it always pays to go to a decent dealer with stock.