Rennie Scaysbrook | August 11, 2020
Halfway through last year, Alpinestars revamped almost its entire line of one- and two-piece leather sport suits (read the Alpinestars 2020 Track Suit Lineup: Evolution of Style here), but it would be a few more months before I would try a two-piece suit, marking the official movement from young adult to middle-age slow guy (or so the saying goes).
The Atem V4 Two-Piece is basically the same as the Atem V4 One-Piece, just chopped in half. It’s made using premium 1.3mm genuine bovine leather, with smatterings of stretch paneling on the shoulder area, inner sleeve, chest, crotch and calf. The calf also comes with a handy expansion zip, so it’ll close around your leg easier (if you’ve ever had an Alpinestars pre-2019 suit, you’ll know this was a company weak point).
The Atem is stoked with armor in all the right places, with CE-Level 1 RRR armor on shoulder, GP-R on elbow and knee with Bio-Flex Racing hip protectors. An Alpinestars Nucleon KR-R back protector and Nucleon KR-Ci chest protector can be fitted as an accessory upgrade.
There are nice little touches like the extended stretch area on the outer cuff and collar, and a low-profile collar with soft edging that does double duty by wicking away any sweat that may come from under your helmet.
Alpinestars Atem V4 Two-Piece Leather Suit Lowdown
Standout Feature: Comfort (with protection)
List price: $1299.95
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Excellent fit |
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Very good ventilation |
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Armor shapes to the rider’s body nicely, offering excellent comfort on long rides |
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Leg zips could be a little bigger, but they are extremely light and, once closed, offer good comfort. |
Alpinestars Atem V4 Two-Piece Leather Suit Rider Analysis
I can’t believe I’ve crossed over to the realm of the two-piece. Two-pieces are for old, crusty dudes who can’t fit into one-piece suits, and I’m not that guy—yet. Or so I thought.
Straight up, I have to say this is the most comfortable suit I’ve ever used. So much so that I’ve used it for road testing, and I never use leather suits for road testing unless the photographer absolutely demands it.
When Alpinestars revamped their suit lineup last year, they really hit it out of the park. I’ve been lucky enough to have custom suits over the years and aside from the extra weight of a production suit, the fit of the new AStars range is just as good as any custom I’ve had.
The Atem is now different. It has a tremendous amount of stretch paneling (my favorite being behind the calf), and the closure on the wrists and neck is lovely and soft.
This is still an old-school suit in that you need a back and chest protector if you’re going to the track (if you want a Tech-Air compatible two-piece suit, you need to go for the Missile Two-Piece). But the good thing about the Atem is it’s not overloaded with protectors that make the suit overly stiff when riding. The shoulder, hip and knee protectors cover just the right amount of area without being bulky and overdone. They offer a nice amount of flex, and the perforation in the chest is excellent.
I’d have liked the leg zippers to be a little thicker as I think over time, I’m probably going to break them (hopefully not), but that’s the only criticism I can really throw at it. The zip that connects the jacket and pants is thick as hell, so I’ll never break that one.
A validation of how much I liked the suit, I wore it at Laguna Seca for the Ducati Superleggera launch. A two-piece rider on Ducati’s most expensive and fastest ever superbike. Most of the other guys thought I was nuts, that was until they saw me take the jacket off, pants still on, and revel in the beautiful comfort and ease of movement a two-piece can offer.
I never thought I’d say this, but here goes: My name is Rennie Scaysbrook, and I ride in a two-piece.CN
For more information, visit www.alpinestars.com