The Alpinestars GP Plus R V3 Leather Jacket along with the similar GP Plus R Airflow v3 Leather Jacket are both new for the 2020 season. These two models are both serious leather sport riding jackets that could easily be paired with leather sport pants and taken on the track. Shoulder and elbow armor is included and back and chest armor is available.
I’m covering both jacket models listed above in this review because they are SO SIMILAR. Take the link below to view the other (similar) version. So to start, what’s different? Well, not a lot really. The “Airflow” version jacket has a small area of perforated leather on the front and rear of the torso, which will allow the flow of air through the leather in warmer weather. The “leather” version should really have been called the “solid leather” version since it does NOT have the small perforations, but rather has a couple of zip vents on the sides of the torso under the arm. I’d advise you to choose the perforated version if you almost always ride in mild to warmer weather and so you wouldn’t have a circumstance where you’d insulate underneath for a ride on a cold day. On the other hand, the leather (or non-perf’d) version would perform better on cold days since the zip vents could be closed and the cold air wouldn’t be seeping through. But honestly, the performance difference between the two really shouldn’t be significantly different in mild to warm weather. For hot summer days though, I don’t think either of these styles will be your friend. The “airflow” jacket doesn’t have a large number of perforations and they are very small in diameter, so you won’t get enough airflow to be comfortable. I’d advise you to consider both these jackets to be “three season” (not summer).
The armor supplied with this jacket is a new Nucleon Flex Plus Level 1 armor in shoulders and elbows. Please visit our armor department where this armor is sold separately if you are interested in a more detailed description, but just briefly the armor is a very flexible and low profile design that sits flatter on the body and is less noticeable than traditional molded rubber armor. The jacket has a pocket for an optional back protector. I’ve listed the Nucleon type options below. You’ll find MANY details on the back protector product pages, but for this jacket, I’d recommend the Nucleon KR-CELLi model for street use because of its lighter weight. If you plan to go to the track, then one of the other two would be better since they are most substantial and crash-worthy. Chest armor can also be installed, which we’ve also listed below. Please note the comments in our sizing advice is you plan to add chest/back armor.
I really like how much stretch material is used in concert with the race weight leather in both these styles. There are large panels used behind, the shoulders, under the arms, and even over the shoulder. The short collar is nicely trimmed with softer neoprene material too. Other nice features for street riders include a waterproof chest pocket to keep your tech and/or wallet dry in case you get caught out in the rain; two front zip close pockets and two inside patch pockets for other gear; night time reflective so you’ll be seen in traffic at night. The jacket has an all-around zipper installed if you want to pair the jacket up with a pair of sport/leather pants. There are a few good options in our Pants department to choose from depending upon your need. For comfort and flexibility alone, I’m really a fan of this new design. :: Paul, 06-26-20
Alpinestars says: A premium full grain leather jacket fully optimized track and performance riding, the GP Plus R v3 Leather Jacket is anatomically profiled to ensure excellent comfort and a performance fit. Packed with class-leading, track-tested protection such as Alpinestars Nucleon Flex Plus armor on the shoulders and elbows for superior impact protection, this jacket is equipped with stretch panels on the shoulder and back for an optimized fit.
