alpinestars andes jacket, any good? (op bought rst tractech)

[talkToTheHat]

My HG Tourer STX jacket is on its fourth winter and i just bust a zip. That alone would probably be a repair job, but it has some patches that are wearing and it's had the armour from my leathers in it as the original armour has begun to deteriorate so it's probably replacement time. I could buy similar online, but there is no longer a HG nearby, and previous expereinces with buying online from HG have been dissapointing. My textile trousers are getting tight so they will likely get replaced before next winter, so I'm not feeling brand locked.

I've seen the alpinestars andes jacket and trousers at an attractive price. It's cheap for alpinestars stuff which makes me suspicious. Is it any good compared to kit for similar moneys?

My hg jacket wasnt perfect, but it was adequate. Girlfriend has RST kit, and their paragon jacket would be the choice as readily available locally and i don't think her kit has got her any wetter than my HG and IXS kit, but it does appear to have some vocal detractors. Leathers are RST so some compatability would be a bonus.

I can get zip adapters made locally if required, and I usually require an extention piece as my back is very long. This is why I'm looking at the longer adventure look jackets over the short sporty ones as there's more chance of my ass crack staying dry.

Anyone have any thoughts/recommendations?
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Bandit. does. everything.

[Northern Monkey]

Jacket seems ok, but the matching trousers always seem to somehow let water in at the crotch when it's really pissing it down.
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Fisty: after polishing the tank with the glistenng beads of sweat from my full hot scrotum, I filled the headrace bearings with 10cc of my manmilk

[Llama-Farmer]

I've found that lower end A*s stuff isn't great value.

I'd rather spend the same amount or slightly more on the higher end RST stuff instead.

The Andes is around the same price as the RST Adventure II stuff, and the RST Paragon IV is slightly less. I'd take either of them over the Alpinestars tbh
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[Doovy]

I've been commuting in the Andes jacket and trouser set for about a year and a half now, through winter with usually nothing more than a t-shirt underneath the jacket.

I find them both very warm and very waterproof, with no major issues at all. I like them
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[someotherguy]

[talkToTheHat]

Found rst tractech evo at a good price. Fit nicely.managed to sip to my trousers without an extention. Uncomplicated. Less zips to fail. Mini-hump catches back of lid if i look up, would be better without. Thinking it was a 200 squid jacket, i didnt find anything that felt any better for spending fractions more. Surprised at checkout price.

Didn't like the cuffs on the andes, wasnt good inside or outside my gloves. Main zips felt overly complicated. I chose the tractech over the paragon as there are less things to go wrong, the paragon feels overly fussy, too many pockets and vents. Its probably good as an only jacket with all the vents for the summer, but after having a good look, i feel the more simple jackets are adequate for winter, and i dont care about summer use as i have leathers.

The fit on rst textiles is proper small. I fit a 44 inch rst leather jacket and my tractech is a 48/xxl. The former isn't distant memory, ive been wearing that jacket all week and it feels right. As right as the new textile jacket feels. Beware if buying online,
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Bandit. does. everything.

[thepuma]

I've got the RST Paragon jacket for winter use and it's a damn fine jacket..100% waterproof and very comfortable and warm.

With regards your zips..have you tried hooking the zip in and then getting some pliers and squeezing the ziphead so it tightens and THEN zipping it up? Most the time failed zips can be repaired this way.

I bought a £100 tank bag for about £10 off eBay some time ago as the seller said it won't zip up as the zip is broke. I tried my method above and it has been as good as new ever since.

Definitely worth a try before you give up on it.
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YBR125 (SOLD) - CBR250R(SOLD) - CBR650F(SOLD) Current - Street Triple
765 RS

[primalcarl]

Love my Andes jacket. Used to have an RST Blade but it didn't really have a collar, much prefer the touring style of the Andes. Loads of pockets too which I love. Used it in some heavy rain last week and it held up, owned it for a year now with no problems.

Never tried the trousers though. I have RST textile ones which are lovely

[Doovy]

[talkToTheHat]

I think it's a matter of worn and wobbly teeth in the zip, i will probably have a go at replacing the zip so ive got a spare jacket. I have a singer model 28 that will happily sew through leather and tent canvas , so sorting the HG will be a learning experience. Not sure if i need a sharp or a ballpoint needle for cordura.

Need to make or have made a conversion zip so i can get it zipped into my ixs trousers.
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Bandit. does. everything.

[Doomsnite]

Very warm, comfortable and look good. Never worn in a major downpour though. Feel of really good quality
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Triumph Street Triple-R
Sold: Honda Hornet CB600F-Y / Yamaha YBR125

[Shaft]

I've just gone the other way and bought an Andes, after comparing it to the RST Tundra II.

I agree with tth about the main zip (has the ability to undo from the bottom up, but makes it fiddly to get it started) and the cuffs, which seem to fasten from the wrong direction, but I feel these are things I will get used to.

Having said that, the RST isn't without it's fiddles, particularly the so called 'throat coat', an unneccessarily awkward storm cover, which wouldn't be needed if it had a decent collar.

What swung it for me was the comfort - compared to the RST (and my previous IXS) the A* feels almost tailor made, especially the armour, which was so unnoticeable, I had to check it had some fitted.

Price was also a factor - I picked up the A* for £150, which made it only a fraction more than the RST and it looks like it's worth a little more - not sure if I would've gone to the full RRP (£250) but for an extra tenner, it seems like good value.

I will say this is my last attempt at buying cheaper textiles; if this doesn't prove to be any good, I'm going to stop pissing about and go Rukka.
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[talkToTheHat]

Yeah, it was the fiddly bits that put me off. There's only so much in the way of massive pockets and zips i was prepared to go for a long jacket. My HG has a storm collar (or throat coat of you must) but it has spent most of its life detatched and not there when i really needed it. Has a habit of velcroing my hair which i dont like. Mostly i use a neck tube with windoroof front. That said, on a bandit i get a fairly uniform spraying of water over the fairing, the MRA screen on the 535 caused a stream of water that got me in the neck, chin vent, visor or top vent depending on how fast i was going.

I think i have still been thinking cruiser mentality, where a coat that works upright is required and the tank is so far away that pockets dont matter. Very much enjoying the less fiddley nature of the tractec jacket. It's got that snug feel of a leather jacket where the right place to be is tucked in on the bike, not walking around admiring the friendliness of the locals.
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Bandit. does. everything.