Gear: Alpinestars Vika leather suit

By now, you know the standard formula for making a women’s leather suit: take an outdated guy’s item, widen the hips and sew on some tribal roses. Make sure it’s only offered in a condescending color palette and, voila, job done, yet more women put off riding. But not this new Alpinestars Vika range. Specifically created to flatter the female figure while offering significant protection it should elongate here, emphasize that and not be saggy there. Definitely not there. And who better to test those claims than an actual woman. In this case, Lisalla Montenegro. Photos: CJ Wilson If you opened this article hoping to once again debate the quality of the leather or the benefits of yet another new leather suit over the previous offerings by various companies, you might want to hit the back button and move onto a different article. But just in case you really want that, here’s our spec review: it has removable CE-certified shoulder, elbow and knee protection, pre-curved arms, and zippers to connect the pants and jacket together. It meets the same standards for quality displayed in everything Alpinestars makes. But all that’s pretty boring. Let’s move on to what Lis has to say. HFL: Have you worn a full motorcycle suit before? Would you? Lisalla: I had not before the Vika. It seemed excessive for me right now - I’m a new rider and safety is my priority but a full race replica one-piece suit isn’t my style. HFL: How does Vika compare to other motorcycle suits? Lis: It is just way more flattering than any other woman’s suit I ever seen, and for me that counts. Riding a motorcycle while still looking cool is way more fun...kind of like that girl from the T-mobile commercial. She looks confident on the bike, and I think it is great to have women riders. Hopefully the Vika suit will help girls get more into riding. HFL: Would you be seen dead, wearing it in public? Lis: Absolutely, I felt like the new Bond girl wearing the Vika. On top of wearing a sexy two piece leather — it’s also very safe which for a beginner like me is necessary. HFL: Strictly on bike rides, or could you wear it to ride to, say, a restaurant, then wear it in the restaurant? Lis: Yes, I’m planning to wear it every time I ride my bike, no matter where I’m going, although it might too sexy for some places...haha. it’s a lot of leather! HFL: Are you wearing an off-the-peg suit or a custom fit one? Lis: I’m wearing an off-the-peg two piece leather. It fit right away, like a pair of my jeans. HFL: How's the fit for streetwear? Lis: My boyfriend comments about it more than any of my other clothes, he thinks it is sexy. HFL: How's it fit on the bike? Is it flexible and comfortable? Lis: Flexible and comfortable, It’s form fitting, which is important. When I’m on the bike I don’t want to be thinking about it, no distractions, just riding HFL: Would you feel confident crashing in it? Does it feel like it would offer good abrasion resistance and impact protection? Lis: Definitely better than just jeans. It could use a little more armor protection, but that’s just me being careful. Hopefully I never find out! HFL: What are you doing about a back protector? Lis: I have a back shell for underneath which is very valuable for those who love riding safe. Cannot ride without it. HFL: Is it easy to walk in? Is it restrictive at all? Lis: Yes, it feels easy to do anything while wearing it. The only thing is the outfit itself will draw a lot of attention, which is fine for me when I'm looking stylish. HFL: Does it flatter your figure or detract from it? How and why does it do that? Lis: Yes, it definitely flatters my curves more. It fits a woman’s body perfectly, it has the right cuts. You should probably ask my boyfriend some of these questions, he’s the one who picked it for me…haha. HFL: Is it saggy in the ass like all other bike suits? Lis: I’m Brazilian, so I cannot wear anything saggy on my booty. That’s why I love Vika, it’s perfect for a womans’ butt. Vika and other Alpinestars products are available at RevZilla, which offers a no-hassle return policy so you can make sure you get the right fit. Click here to view the photo gallery.