The Viper v3 is a sport-oriented jacket from Alpinestars, but one that is built to excel in hot weather. I picked the black jacket with white detailing and while it looks just the right amount of sporty (in my opinion), keeping the white areas clean will be a challenge on our dusty roads. The white stripes, near the side pockets in particular, are already showing dust stains, and I wonder how well I’ll be able to keep these clean in the long run. Going for the jacket with the full black scheme or black with red accents should ease this concern.
Fit is snug and the Viper has a sporty feel in general. This is something I always prefer – a snug-fitting jacket is not only safer because it keeps the armour where it needs to be, but it also happens to look good in the process. Some very racy jackets tend to be rather short at the waist area, but the Viper is just about long enough that this isn’t a problem.
My only issue with the fit is that the sleeves are a little too short for me (my fault for being tall and slim), but that’s the sacrifice I had to make for a good fit everywhere else. It’s an issue I’ve remedied by using full gauntlet gloves with this jacket.
Alpinestars has tried to make the fit more customisable by giving you two snap buttons along the arms to tighten the fit if needed, but doing this will bunch up the material. There’s the usual snap buttons at the collar area which give you the choice of two levels of tightness, but this jacket also has another snap closure around the base of the zipper, which is something I haven’t seen before. It’s not something you have to use, but it does add another layer of security which is nice. The sleeves also get the same buttons, but in this case I’d have preferred velcro as that would be easier to use and more flexible in terms of fit.
Ventilation is very effective, with a good stream of air coming in through the chest and arms before being evacuated through the back. Even though this jacket is not completely constructed in mesh, it does a very good job of keeping you cool and comfortable. For colder months, Alpinestars has also thrown in a removable wind liner.
There are other small conveniences that I like as well. For example, the jacket has two inner pockets, one of which is waterproof. The outside pockets are also quite roomy, but it would be nice if the pull tabs were larger because these ones are hard to find with a gloved hand.
The jacket also has internal pockets for chest armour, but these are a bit tricky to reach since you have to access them through the opening of the back armour pocket. The installed shoulder and elbow armour is slim and ventilated but only Level 1. As for the chest and back armour – both will have to be bought separately.
The V3 is available in India at Rs 23,999, which puts it on par with comparable jackets from Alpinetsar’s fellow Italian rival Dainese. As always, there are impressive, locally made jackets that you can get for half the money and you’re effectively paying the price for the expertise behind the badge as well as the image that it carries.
Where: www.supermoto.co.in
Price: Rs 23,999
Gavin Rodrigues
Dinshaw Magol
