Alpinestars Stella T-Dyno Waterproof Jacket - review

After getting my motorcycle I needed a jacket for the warm AZ desert.  I still had  my old Hein Gericke leather motorcycle jacket that was about 20 years old and had not been used in many years. It was too hot and heavy for AZ.

As you can see the Hein Gericke jacket is in excellent condition. I thought about selling it but it is too nice to sell.  Not sure how good the protection is as compared to the armor available today.  

The first jacket I ordered went with the pants I liked by Scorpion.  I ordered a XL  Scorpion Nip Tuck Jacket.

I liked the jacket but it was too small just like the pants. After giving up on the Scorpion pants I decided to forgo the matching jacket.  It was a nice jacket and looked great.  It just didn't fit me.

Next I tried a close out Joe Rocket Flame mesh jacket.  It was a great price but it just didn't fit that well.  As you can see it is a nice looking jacket and it would have gone well with my Yamaha TW200 motorcycle.  

On ebay I found the Alpinestars Stella T-Dyno Waterproof Jacket.  It was white, blue and black which matched my bike and helmet. I ordered the 2Xl and in the end think I probably should have gotten the XL but the seller had a no return policy so I figured better a little big then too small.

You can see how well the jacket goes with my helmet. 

And my Alpinestars gloves.

I think the jacket looks great and with the waist adjustment it isn't too big.  The only issue is that the elbow protectors are a bit too low depending on how I am holding my arm.  The jacket has a removable liner which I removed as I am too hat as it is and it seldom rains here.

I have added  Alpinestars Stella Bionic Chest pads. I found some for half price on ebay. They were new in an open package. They fit into slots in the jacket.

The pads are in the jacket but it you cant really tell in the photo below.  At the very least it makes it seem like I have a bigger chest than I really do.  I can not feel them when I am riding and with the jacket being a bit too big I am not sure they sit correctly when I am in the riding position.  In the end for 15 bucks they are worth the added protection.

You can see in the above picture the extra room in the waist. I have the waist adjusted to as small as possible.  The jacket is only a little too big and if I end up getting the Forcefield Body armor it will probably be just right. 

I would really like to get the Forcefield Pro Armor but it retails for about 270.00.

Below you can see the back protector that came with my jacket.

The big negative with most motorcycle jackets is the back protectors. They are usually not CE rated.  This one looks a little better than foam padding. It is not very think and I am doubtful that it offers much protection.

Below is the Forcefield back protector that is made to replace the one that came with my jacket.  It offers CE level 2 protection and I plan to upgrade to this soon. It retails for about $100.00.

With shipping I paid $95.00 for the jacket which supposedly retailed for about $200. The jacket matches my gloves, helmet and bike perfectly.  It is very comfortable.  I have not tested in the rain and hope to never do so.

Alpinestars Stella T-Dyno Waterproof Jacket technical information.

• 
  600 denier fabric with PU coating.
• Women specific fit.
• Adjustable waist and sleeve cuffs.
• Removable thermal liner.
• Chest pad compartments with PE protection padding.
• Soft micro-fiber collar and cuffs for superior comfort.
• Reflective piping and logos for increased night time visibility.

I would like to say how happy I was with 99% of the online stores I dealt with. Shopping for clothing online is very hard and not being familiar with motorcycle clothing sizing it was extra hard.  We live out in the boonies so mail order was our only option.  Mail order is a slow process as you order, wait for it to come and if you need to exchange or return that takes more time.  It has taken me a month to get my basic outfit together.