Alpinestars Ramjet Air review – mesh motorcycle trousers for summer

Alpinestars Ramjet Air review – mesh motorcycle trousers for summer

The Alpinestars Ramjet Air are motorcycle trousers for riders who want proper protection without sweating through every warm-weather ride. After spending some time on the bike in them, my impression is very positive, especially when it comes to ventilation, comfort and the surprisingly useful pockets.

Noticeably cooler than MC jeans

For most of my riding I have worn MC jeans. I still like the feel of jeans because they look relatively normal when walking around, but the downside is that they heat up quickly once you are in the saddle.

The Ramjet Air is noticeably more breathable.

Even with a base layer underneath I found them cooler than my MC jeans. The airflow also feels very well balanced. They never get particularly warm, yet it does not feel as though cold air is constantly blowing through the trousers either.

The trousers also have ventilation openings that can be opened and closed. When I tested them in around 20 degrees Celsius the difference was not dramatic, but you can clearly feel more air coming in when the vents are open.

It feels roughly like a very gentle fan against your legs.

On truly hot summer days I think that extra ventilation will make a much bigger difference.

Really good pockets

One of the biggest pleasant surprises is actually the pockets.

On my previous MC jeans I had standard jeans pockets. That works, but during more active riding it never feels entirely safe to carry a phone, keys or other items in them.

The Ramjet Air instead has large, deep zipped pockets.

This means I no longer have to worry about my phone or keys flying out while riding.

The pockets are also enormous. I usually ride with a backpack to carry visor cleaner, a drink, a spare phone and camera gear, but a surprising amount of that would have fitted directly into the two pockets.

The knee armour looks too low, until you sit on the bike

This is probably the most important thing to know about the fit.

When I first put the trousers on at home I immediately noticed that the knee armour sat very far down. Standing upright, the guards can almost feel as though they are positioned over the shins rather than over the kneecaps.

My first thought was roughly: this is never going to work.

But motorcycle trousers should really be assessed when you are sitting on the motorcycle.

As soon as I sat on the bike, bent my legs and placed my feet on the footpegs, the armour slid up and landed exactly where it should, over the kneecaps.

The height of the knee armour can also be adjusted to several positions, so there is room to tailor the placement to leg length and riding position.

After actually riding in them I am very happy with how the armour sits.

Hip armour

The trousers are also prepared for hip armour, although none was included with my pair.

I therefore added Alpinestars Nucleon hip armour myself.

Fitting it is very straightforward. The guards are placed in the pockets on the inside of the trousers and held in place with Velcro, so they sit securely without any complicated installation.

Conclusion

After riding in the Alpinestars Ramjet Air I genuinely struggle to find anything significant to complain about.

What I like most:

• Excellent ventilation
• Comfortable even on longer rides
• Good looking without feeling overly technical

The one thing to be aware of is that the knee armour can feel oddly low when you try the trousers on while standing. Assess the fit when you are actually in a riding position.

For me they work really well and I am very happy with the purchase.

Rating: 5/5.

I would have no hesitation recommending the Alpinestars Ramjet Air to anyone looking for a pair of ventilated motorcycle trousers for warmer riding.