Alpinestars Domino Tech review | A practical, casual A-rated jacket ideal for city riding

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The Alpinestars Domino is a CE-approved wind and water resistant, softshell, unisex motorcycle jacket, designed for town riding and casual wear. It’s packed with useful features and available in black or navy, in sizes from S to 4XL.

Comfort

With its lightweight construction and pre-curved sleeves, the Domino Tech jacket is nice and comfy. I’m a lanky six-footer and this size large fits perfectly, giving me enough wiggle room to add technical base and mid layers underneath and long enough at the rear to cover my lower back leaning forward on a bike.

Of all the jackets I own it’s one of the easiest to just throw on, so it’s a default setting for most of my rides. Although light, it’s thick, sturdy and very warm.

It zips up high to nose level and there’s a soft fabric collar for extra cosiness, especially wearing a neck tube. It’s perfect for autumn and spring temperatures, but it even gets an airing in the heart of winter, just because it’s so easy to wear, albeit with a heated vest.

Although the mesh lining is breathable the vents are minimal, so it can be too hot to when temperatures soar. Wind proofing is excellent and it’s kept me dry in heavy rain, even if Alpinestars only claim it’s only water-repellent.

Practicality

Being more of a zip-up coat than a fully-fledged bike jacket with lots of fasteners it’s easy to slip on and off. The Velcro cuff straps are quick and simple to adjust and it has four large, sturdy and very useful zipped pockets on the outside, an inside zipped pocket and two more internal Velcro pockets.

I often carry a beanie, gloves, wallet, phone, keys and half of my life with me and there’s still pocket room to spare. It comes with a non-removable hood with an elastic drawstring that’s come in handy more than once off the bike and it fastens down to stop it flapping on the move.

Looks

With its satin finish and classy design this is as much a casual jacket as one for riding, which is why it’s one is my favourites and goes a long way to justifying the price.

Quality

It’s had more than its fair share of use, from flying to overseas press launches to wearing out and about and of course lots of riding, including some big-mile tours. It’s superbly built and there are no sign of wear and tear to the lining, outer shell or any of the sturdy zips, pockets or fasteners.

Protection

With just a basic ‘A’ CE rating the jacket is meant for city riding and not to withstand high speed spills, but that doesn’t put me off using it on long rides. It comes with Level 1 non removable shoulder and elbow armour that stays nicely in place when the jacket is on.

I wear it with either a back protector or Alpinestars airbag vest, all of which will help protect against impacts and adds extra later of abrasion resistance to the jacket itself.

Value

You can find cheaper soft shell riding jackets, but you won’t feel short-changed with this, thanks to its quality, fit and weather protection. Better still you can find them well under the RRP if you shop around.

Other options to consider

Verdict

It isn’t the cheapest softshell jacket you can buy, but it’s excellent value. If you’re after something to wear on your bike, or casually that’s lightweight, easy to throw on, sturdy, warm and windproof, it’s highly recommended.

It’s proved to be robust and looks great, fits superbly and has lots of nice features for maximum comfort and practicality. It isn’t hugely vented or have a thick lining, so it’s best for the spring and autumn months.

The jacket only has a basic A CE rating and Level 1 shoulder and elbow armour, so designed more for town riding, but a back protector or airbag vest gives extra protection.