How to tell genuine motorcycle gear from a replica

A replica does not differ from genuine gear by its logo. Logos are copied well. What differs is what sits inside: certified armour, leather thickness, stitching quality in the burst zones and markings that are not worth faking.

This matters for one reason. Gear works once, at the moment of a crash, and it is the internal parts that decide how that crash ends.

Start with the armour

In a proper jacket or suit the shoulder, elbow and back armour is certified to EN 1621. The insert itself carries a marking with the standard and the protection level. Soft foam with no marking at all is the first sign of a replica.

Helmets are simpler. A serious helmet carries a certification such as ECE 22.06, and that marking appears not only on the box but on the strap and the internal label.

The check list

• Internal labels: composition, country of manufacture, size, item code
• Markings on the armour inserts showing standard and level
• Clean double stitching in the burst zones with no loose threads
• Zips branded by the manufacturer and running without snagging
• Complete package: for a helmet, the bag, the Pinlock insert and the documentation
• Smell: real leather has a characteristic one, cheap synthetics smell sharply of chemicals

The one question that settles it

Ask the seller to film your exact item in detail: the inner lining, the armour, the stitching, the labels and the markings. It costs a genuine seller nothing. A replica seller will start explaining why now is not a good time.

That is exactly how UNIQ works. We film the item before shipping on request, because there is nothing to hide. The catalogue of genuine Alpinestars and other branded gear is in the Gear section of this site.