RST PRO SERIES AIRBAG SUIT

TESTED BY: JOHN MCAVOY MILES: 500 TIME: TWO WEEKS PRICE: £749.99 WEB: www.rst-moto.com

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with airbag suits. On one hand there is no denying the safety benefits of an airbag, but on the other they’re bulky and heavy – much like myself, plus they are a pain in the arse to get on and off. So I had mixed feelings when my suit arrived for Ultimate Sportsbike... here was another airbag suit I was going to have to do battle with just to get it on.

Imagine my joy when I noted that the airbag is built into the suit and therefore it just goes on like any other, so full marks to RST for making an airbag suit that’s not like an airbag suit.

This is RST’s mid-priced airbag suit and at £749.99 is astonishing value. As far as I can tell, it’s virtually the same as Tim’s and Bruce’s posh V4.1 suits but made from cow hide instead of kangaroo leather. I assume RST achieve this price point by virtue of the fact that you have to subscribe to In&Motion for the airbag system to actually work, and therefore probably pay very little – if anything – for the system (£120 a year for road use and another £25 a year for track use)... presumably the algorithms are different for each application. On the surface it feels like a bit of a swizz, but a tenner per month for constant updates to the system via your wi-fi, FOC replacement if there’s any problems, and a few other benefits on top of the obvious advantages of an airbag is reasonable, especially when the purchase price is so low.

Elsewhere, the quality of the leather and stitching seems okay but without having thrown myself into the scenery, I can’t really comment as to its structural integrity. The fit came up big for me, and I could have easily worn a size smaller than my usual, but otherwise I’ve got no complaints.

There’s nice touches and details around the suit too, like the neoprene cuffs and collar. The stretch panels are massive, and the shoulder cups and the area where you attach a knee slider is neatly finished.

However, the elbow sliders look like an afterthought and are at odds with the rest of the suit’s finish.

Otherwise the RST Pro Series makes a strong case if you’re on the market for an airbag suit… just be aware that the airbag bit comes with a subscription on top of the purchase price.