MotoXAddicts’ “Product Tests” are a non bias thorough review performed by MotoXAddicts contributor Larry Chirco. These are not companies that pay us to do the review. It is Larry’s goal to break the trend of paid reviews from only website advertisers and to give the reader an honest review before they purchase a product.
When you think about Alpinestars as a company, the first thing that comes to
mind is class leading safety, and innovation in developing safety products. They are
known to produce some of the coolest looking products, while also pushing the
envelope of innovation. The BNS tech Carbon brace from Alpinestars is no different.
The first thing you notice when picking up the brace is how extremely light it is.
This brace is 40% lighter then the other pro brace that they offer. It still feels very solid
and well built even with it being lighter. And let’s face it, you want that feeling of quality
before putting anything around your neck to protect it.
Another really innovative idea from Alpinestars is the front locking system. The release to unhook the front of the brace is quick and easy. This is important because this brace allows you to take the brace off with very little movement in the head and neck area in case of a
crash. The rear deck of the brace is lower and smaller for a better fit. Also, the brace’s
back piece is meant to detach in crashes were there is extreme drag or force of the
rear section of the brace.
Brace’s in the past had problems with this transferring force
to the lower back. With this brace that is not a worry. The red with black carbon is the
only color scheme that they currently offer. The lack of color options is not my favorite,
and I would like to see more.
The fit of this brace is spot on, as it is slender and thin. The fact that this brace
is not bulky is really nice. Not only does it make the brace look better on and off, but it
makes for a very comfortable fit. Level of comfort is very important when looking at a
neck brace. If it doesn’t fit well or feel like there is barely anything there it will hinder
you when wearing it, and then the likely hood that you actually wear it would be slim.
One thing that we did notice is that the neck brace does like to float around a
little when riding. They do supply two straps that attach to the side of the neck brace.
But even with these straps the brace does move around a little more then other’s on
the market. Alpinestars does sell an A-4 and A-10 chest protector with hooks to hold
the brace in place. We did not have one of those to test with the brace, so that may
potentially fix the problem of movement. Also, we have had a few issues where the rear
back piece falls off when taking the brace off.
So there it is, the pros and cons of the BNS Tech Carbon Neck brace from
Alpinestars. I enjoyed riding in the brace, and felt right at home with it. Your neck is an
important thing to protect, and I would like to see racers and riders around the world
wearing more neck protection.
