RST Pro Series Paragon 6 Airbag Motorcycle Textile Jacket

PROS:

1) AIRBAG
2) WARM
3) REAR MAP POCKET

CONS:

1) LOTS OF FEATURES BUT POORLY DESIGNED
2) CLIMATE MEMBRANE IS VERY POOR
3) ZIPS BADLY MADE
4) NO ZIPS ON CUFFS
5) POOR QUALITY VELCRO ON CUFFS
6) NECK CLOSURE DANGEROUS
7) WIND COLLAR DOESN’T FIT UNDER HELMET
8) NORMAL COLLAR IS DANGEROUS: CATCHES HELMET CLASP
9) CLIMATE MEMBRANE DOES NOT EXPEL ENOUGH MOISTURE
10) THERMAL LINER FOULS CONNECTING ZIP

WELL, my kids bought me this for my 60th birthday as I finally got myself a new bike after being without one for 9 years. They wanted me to be safe as I commute a 200 mile (320km) round trip to London 3 times every week. In fairness, I asked them for it and they bought it.

I still have my old BMW gear consisting of an Atlantis 4 suit, and a Streetguard 3 suit, and a Boulder City 2 jacket. The Streetguard and the Boulder have a proper Goretex liner. I bought an RST Paragon 6 Airbag for my wife when I got my BMW R 1250 RT LE in Nov 2022. I fancied one, but my wife still hadn’t been on the bike with me,so I had no idea how poor this jacket is.

I wanted to like it, because it’s British, and our economy is heading into a deep depression. However, after 1 commute, I remembered why I don’t generally buy anything British….it’s sh!t! The main issue is the Sinaqua climate membrane is so poor, you might as well be wearing a plastic bin liner. It does not allow much if any, moisture to escape. Consequently, the thermal liner is soaking wet after a 90min to 120 min commute. This might be acceptable to the clowns at RST who came up with the idea to use what is no better than a cheap plastic bin liner, but it’s positively dangerous.

I suffer (and have suffered for 45 years) with debilitating cramp through dehydration. Even though I’d commuted when I had my K1200S in all weathers, in my BMW Goretex equipped kit, I never once got cramp, nor did my thermal liner feel like it’d been washed. Every time I get to work, my jacket is soaking wet on the inside.

Now, I’m aware that in order for climate membranes to work you need to wear tech performance garments. I wear a Dainese X-Tech top and leggings (which I’ve had for 15 years and has been use not just for motorcycling but kept me warm in my visits to -40degC Siberia). I also use a pure Merino mid layer and a thin Helly Hansen top layer. These have served me amazingly over 15 years in all weathers in all conditions and over 80k miles on my K1200S.

The crummy Sinaqua membrane is the main gripe. Now come the other minor ones, but which together ensure you should not waste your money (or your kids’ money) on this jacket or any other RST jacket.

Firstly, the idiot who designed the throat guard obviously never tried it with a helmet on! You can’t get in under the helmet. It won’t fit around your neck with the helmet over and it’s so long you can’t get it to sit properly or close under the helmet. I’m not some fat, out of shape 60 year old with no neck, either! I’m still sprinting, playing footie with guys many of whom are more than half my age, and am in athletic shape.

The thermal liner has been made so it comes below the level of the connecting zip! Another great British design feature. It means that when you try to zip to the Paragon 6 trousers (which I bought) the thermal liner fouls the zip. When you manage to zip it, then you have a roll of thermal liner squashed around your waist. It’s genius…no wait, it’s top British design.

So here’s more of that great design skills which won us 2 World Wars….if you believe Churchill’s history books. The cuffs have what must be the cheapest, sh1ttiest velcro known to man. Now, this velcro isn’t as an extra closure, but as the main closure on the wrist. Some moron decided that there’s no need for a zipped cuff entry and that you only need a few centimetres to keep the cuff shut….oh, and it can be off at an angle so you can’t get it to even fasten properly!

Then there’s the normal neck fastener, which another idiot decided to put a bit of u shaped plastic on to help you open the velcro closure. (Remember, I can’t use the storm collar). Well, this genius design means it often hooks itself on to my helmet fastening and stops me from rotating my head for life-saver checks!

Enough yet? No, there’s more….the hem of the jacket has around 2cm of adjustment either side. This is enabled by a press stud arrangement with a mean 2 cm material dart (triangular piece of material). The jacket is long, so this needs to accommodate yiu sitting on the bike and moving around… it does, but it’s tight,…remember I’m slim of athletic build!

I could go on, but I want to say this, don’t buy any jacket from RST with a Sinaqua membrane. The airbag is great idea, that’s not the issue here. The issue is probably the most badly designed (and made) motorcycle jacket I have ever worn. If I could send it back to FC Moto and swap it for a better airbag jacket, I would.