Alpinestars Supertech R10 revealed: The first full face road helmet from the firm in their 60-year history

To compete head-on with the road helmet establishment is the tallest of tall orders, but Alpinestars are on the right track with their new Supertech R10 – the first full face road crash helmet the Italian firm have produced in their 60-year history.

As you’d expect from a company at the forefront of technical riding equipment and innovations in MotoGP, including full body airbag suits, it’s full of features to maximise protection, aerodynamics, internal airflow, field of vision, fit and comfort.

Homologated to ECE 22.06, DOT and FIM standards, the carbon Supertech R10 will be their top-spec road and race helmet. It’ll be available next year as a limited run of 200 Launch Edition specials, followed by a full production model. Price is yet to be announced but expect it to be at the pointy end of the market. A full range of sports touring, touring and commuting helmets will be rolled out over the coming years.

Developed in their Asolo R&D helmet department, which formed in 2011, the S-R10 has been five years in the making. Starting from a clean sheet of paper MotoGP legend Andrea Dovizioso had a hand in its development and uses tech from their motocross helmets, first used by Alpinestars’ sponsored riders in 2018 before going on sale in 2019.

The S-R10’s shell is a rigid composite structure made up of four layers designed to work together to absorb and dissipate the force of an impact. It has a 3k carbon outer layer and beneath is a uni-directional carbon composite layer, an aramid fibre layer and fibreglass layer.

They’re all bonded together with the kind of advanced epoxy resin also used for carbon car racing chassis. The lower edges of the sides are also raised and fitted with soft rubberised sections for collarbone protection.

Inside the shell is an EPS (expanded polystyrene) liner formed in eight sections with six different densities to suit where they’re needed around the helmet. The EPS is smooth coated to let the fabric interior slide, to reduce the rotational acceleration to the rider’s head in an impact – sort of like a MIPs system. Cheek pads feature an emergency release system and the helmet strap is secured with stainless steel DD rings.

A sturdy metal lock secures the visor to stop it lifting or coming off in a crash and the quick release visor mechanism is also metal for maximum strength. Alpinestars have created four shell sizes to optimise fit and weight: XS-S (53-56): 1490g, M (57-58): 1540g, L (59-60): 1590g, XL-XXL (61-64): 1645g.

Racing helmets have evolved to mimic the shape of racing cycle helmets in recent years to help them slip through the wind. The S-R10 has a similar teardrop profile with a design evolved from Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations and time spent in a full-size wind tunnel using Astars’ own Moto2 machine.

The helmet comes with two interchangeable open-backed rear spoilers: a short one for the road and a longer one designed to work with the hump on a leather suit, which reduces drag by an extra 4.45%.

The S-R10 also has side wings and even the top edge of the visor is sculpted to smooth airflow. Alpinestars says its new helmet keeps the rider’s head more stable in a race tuck, hanging off and sat upright. The reduction in wind buffeting reduces fatigue and strain on the neck and head.  

Watch our video from the Alpinestars Supertech R10 launch here:

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Alpinestars Supertech R10 review

Where: Vairano circuit, near Milan

When: Friday 9 June 2023

Bike: Aprilia RSV4 Factory and Aprilia RS 660

Build and finish is impressive and the immediate impression on a bike is how incredibly light and well vented it is. The S-R10 helmet cools your head the instant you start moving. It arrows through the wind, so it’s stable at speed, buffeting is minimal and vision excellent.

It’s easy to change the visor, although the opening the sturdy visor lock takes some getting used to. Being able to fine tune the fit with the ‘A-Head’ is handy and overall, its comfortable, although I’d like to try thinner cheek pads. We’ll be testing it over the coming months for a full review.

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Highlights

• Cooling air flow To keep the rider’s head cool the S-R10 has passive intake and exhaust vents, an adjustable chin and top vent and a removable rubber bung to reveal extra chin vents.

• Maximum comfort Soft fabric lining is removable and washable. Cheek pads feature channels for glasses and a hydration tube. Comes with removable chin curtain, wind, and breath protectors.

• Built in adjustment Astars’ ‘A-Head System’ is an interior crown pad, adjustable in three stages front to back. It alters the height and angle the helmet sits on your head to maximise vision.

• Enlarged field of vision The S-R10’s aperture gives 220-degrees of lateral and 57-degrees of vertical vision. Cut outs in the lower edges increases vision further looking behind or through a corner.

• Visor tech ECE 2206 visor with anti-scratch and anti-fog coating. Variable thickness for optical clarity: 2.6mm in the middle, 1.6mm to the side. Comes with a Pinlock and a tear off.