The Alpinestars Diesel Daiji Jacket is new for 2021 and is one of a group of jackets designed in a collaboration with DIESEL (the European clothing manufacturer).
Recently I reviewed the Diesel Shotaro Hoodie which uses many of the same design elements seen on this jacket… the black vinyl overlays on the shoulders and elbows and also on the hood and the bold printed numbers/letters (BTW, I looked around the in internet to see if I could make any sense of the numeric designations, but nothing matched. It may mean something to Diesel folks though).
This jacket’s usefulness will be in cooler and wet riding conditions as compared to the hoodie. The entire body is longer to give more coverage and Alpinestars says the shell is “water resistant”, so I would take that to mean you could wear this jacket and stay relatively drive for short durations in rain. This jacket is a solid shell that will block wind and so if you layer underneath with your own clothing, it would work well in cold temps. It won’t be comfortable in hot or warm conditions though since there are no venting provisions.
Plenty of storage is included with this style. You can see the patch pockets in front that are worked into the visual design of the jacket. There are five including the one on the sleeve and they are all functional. Two more patch pockets are fitted inside along with a single waterproof compartment to keep your phone safe. For convenience, they’ve made the front main zipper “two way” so you can zip it up from the bottom for comfort when sitting. The sleeves have adjusters on each arm and there are similar adjusters on each side of the waist to customize the fit.
Lets talk about the elephant in the room… or attached to the collar here. The hoodie looks sharp and will appeal to those who like a hood on their jackets, but be advised, this hood is not removable nor are there provisions to secure it down on the back of the jacket. So what happens at 75mph? Will you be OK with the hood catching the wind? My guess is negative, so I’m not sure what Alpinestars had in mind. Alpinestars says, this is a style perfect for “urban riding”, so maybe they don’t expect urban riders to reach higher speeds? Dunno.
Armor is included in this jacket for shoulders and elbows. It is Alpinestars Nucleon Plus type which is thin and VERY flexible and it works well for a street jacket like this. A pocket built into the back area of this jacket accept a back protector. You actually have three back protector options… the KR-CELLi, KR-2i, the KR-1i. I’d recommend the KR-CELLi in a street jacket like this. It is light and flexible and fairly robust feeling. :: Paul, 06-23-21
