Alpinestars Diesel Shotaro Hoodie

These jackets are sold in US based “alpha” sizes, so selecting a size is basically pretty easy. The size Medium and XL jackets fit Huey and Dewey, our Fit Check mannequins very nicely! Also, we checked several sizes with a tape. We found the sizing to be comparable to standard men’s clothing sizes. So our primary advice would be to choose the size you normally wear in men’s clothing.

Alpinestars publishes a super-complicated size chart which can be used to pick a size based upon your chest and waist. We’ve condensed their chart down to make it easy to read (see below). You can use this size chart to check your own measurements against the size chart to make sure the size you select will work. Choose a size that is big enough for both your chest and belly.

The max waist of a jacket style like this is only a couple inches smaller than the max chest and the bottom waist band is stretchy, so the style is very forgiving in case you have a bit of a belly.

Need help measuring? Get it here.

Alpinestars Diesel Shotaro Hoodie is very stylish jacket which combines features of a traditional short waist sport riding jacket and a comfortable hoodie. Although this feels like a hoodie, it has significant protection features to help you in case of a fall. The styling is a collaboration between DIESEL (the European clothing manufacturer) and Alpinestars.

If you are one of the many that likes to wear hoodies, but you know they aren’t suitable as motorcycle gear, then maybe you’ve found your jacket. I’ve seen quite a few “hoodie-style” motorcycle jackets lately and this one covers a lot of bases that some others don’t. To make this jacket very comfortable, flexible and feel much like a hoodie, the fabric used is polyester which is woven to feel like cotton and is by nature more durable than plain cotton. To increase the abrasion resistance of the soft fabric, a layer of abrasion resistant material is included in the shoulders, elbows and back. This material is worked into the design to be the backing material for the armor inserts too, so it all works pretty well together.

The shell material is not “wind stop”, but it is kind of thick like a hoodie. It isn’t waterproof either. I think the best weather for this jacket will be mild and dry weather. Since it allows wind to pass through, it will probably do well in warmer weather and maybe even hot weather if you are moving. Cold weather? Not so much.

The front pockets in this design are traditional hoodie-style pockets, but one of the pockets has a hidden zippered pocket inside so you won’t lose items. Inside, there is one breast pocket that is waterproof to keep your electronics and there is a wire pass-through for your speakers. The sleeve ends are a simple knitted cuff but they’ve added monkey loops to the ends so your sleeve won’t be yanked up over your elbows if you fall. On each arm is a Velcro tab so you can snug the sleeve down to hold the armor in place. The jacket has the hoodie of course, but it is removable too, so if you don’t want to wear it for whatever reason, just take it off. Unfortunately I don’t see any means to secure the hood to the back of the jacket, so if you leave it on, it may catch wind.

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 soft-shell 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.

You’ll notice the unique styling all over the jacket… the rubberized fabric on the shoulders and hood and also the block lettering. 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. :: Paul, 05-03-21