MXA TEAM TESTED: ALPINESTARS A10 FULL CHEST PROTECTOR

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WHAT IS IT? Surprisingly, this year Alpinestars has introduced three new chest protectors/roost guards for the U.S. market. First is the A1. It is a lightweight over- or under-the-jersey roost guard. It is extremely light and is the perfect all-plastic underprotector. Second is the A4. It shares some parts with the A1 but has a longer and stronger back protector and has a higher CE impact rating. Third, the subject of MXA’s scrutiny, is the A10 full chest protector. It covers more area, is considerably more protective and features a unique exoskeleton grid system to absorb crash energy.

WHAT’S IT COST? $229.95 (A10 chest protector); $179.95 (A4 roost guard); $119.95 (A1 roost guard).

CONTACT? (800) 409-0903 or www.alpinestars.com.

WHAT STANDS OUT? Here’s a list of things that stand out with the Alpinestars A10 full chest protector.

(1) CE impact ratings. The A1’s front and back are certified as EN-14021. Essentially, it is CE rated as a “stone shield.” The A4’s front panel is also CE certified as EN-14021, but the back panel meets the more stringent EN-1621-2 rating. The A10 is CE rated as EN-1621-1 for the arm guards, EN-1621-2 for the back panels and EN-1621-3 for the chest panel. In short, the A10 offers considerably more impact protection than the A1 or A4. How much? About double the force energy.

(2) Exoskeleton. What makes the A10 unique is hidden behind the plastic cladding. It is a honeycomb grid that is 3/4 of an inch deep on the back, 1/2 inch deep on the front and 3/8 inch deep on the arm guards. The honeycomb grid offers a flexible spacer between the
plastic cladding and the Biofoam body padding. These three layers—plastic, honeycomb and Biofoam—absorb the energy of the crash before it gets to your body. Additionally, the hollow combs allow air to flow through for cooling.

(3) Sizing. The Alpinestars A10 is available in three sizes—XS/S, M/L and XL/2XL. If you find yourself in between sizes, there is more leeway with the A10 than the A1 or A4. The arm guards are removable, or you can remove just the lower part. The plastic-covered kidney guards’ elastic straps can be attached at four different ports for over 3-1/2-inches of adjustment. The height of the front and rear panels, in relationship to each other, is adjustable via Velcro straps.

(4) Added features. The Alpinestars A10 chest protector has a removable upper section in the back panel that makes room for neck braces. There are also elastic hooks and small shoulder pads to cushion where the neck brace sits. These features are designed to work with Alpinestars’ proprietary BNS neck brace, and they can be removed completely.

WHAT’S THE SQUAWK? We had four minor quibbles: (1) Not every test rider liked the kidney guards because they had to be overlapped when putting the A10 on. (2) The straps on the arm guards were bulky to use because they had two overly wide straps that were very close together. We unsnapped the rubber forearm piece and removed it so that only one strap was used. (3) If you wear an aftermarket kidney belt in your pants, the long tail of the A10 might catch in it. (4) It is considerably heavier than the A1 or A4, as you would expect from what is essentially a double-wall chest protector.

MXA RATING: If you have hit the ground hard on more than one occasion, the Alpinestars A10 will rebuild your confidence with its full-coverage, dual-wall, honeycomb-insulated body, arm and kidney panels. Amazingly, once it’s on, it looks like you are wearing the minimalist A1 roost guard.