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Brief The problem, I already own a perfectly good jacket. Actually the same Jacket just the first year model and it still has a lot of riding years left in it. Let me tell you about this newly modified Women's Dyno Jacket and you tell me; would you ditch the perfectly good jacket for a new one? Overview Even though I liked my previous 2000 model Alpinestars Women's Dyno Jacket I felt it could be have been made better. Someone must have been listening because the 2003 model jacket has numerous modifications; most of them are ones I had even e-mail Alpinestars about personally. Could it be they are actually taking suggestions from their consumers? Who knows, but what they have come out with is a far superior jacket, I was drooling to get one. Details The first noticeable change is the color scheme. The 2003 model has more white in the jacket which took a little getting used to, but it eventually started to grow on me. I liked the non flashy more classic style of the 2000 model better but this new look continues to gain favor with me. Once again the jacket offers CE armor protection in the shoulder and elbow areas, but this armor is a much better design. Each piece of armor is one molded piece covered in fabric. Gone are the days of the armor curling up under itself as it did in the 2000 model. While this jacket still does not come with back armor, Alpinestars did provide the zippered pocket in the back so you could purchase back armor and easily install it. I do appreciate Alpinestars providing me the option to add back armor, but I am still bothered that the Men's Dyno jacket has standard CE back armor included. Why does Alpinestars feel that men deserve more protection than women? I mean if you're going to have the back armor pocket in the jacket, why not include the armor? Ok, ok I'm off my soapbox (for now). Back to the other great mods. The neck snap closure is also gone, and is replaced with a racer style Velcro closure repositioned just below the neck line. This closure is not for keeping wind out but rather to keep the zipper tab in place. The jacket has an added zippered pocket bringing the total to four. Two interior and two exterior pockets. The interior ones are nice and deep, large enough to hold the big chatterbox unit (see chatterbox review here) and zip up to the antenna. Once again this jacket has the full circumference zipper to attach to other Alpinestars pants. The overall fit of the 2003 Women's Dyno Jacket is slightly better than the 2000 model. I find it to be a little roomier. The arm length is dead on, and since it is slightly roomier I can now zip and snap the wrist closure around my summer riding gloves. This was not possible with the 2000 model. I still find the jacket to be snug in the chest area, but I can live with it. Overall I rate the 2003 model Women's Dyno Jacket a 9 out of 10. Why not a 10, because I still feel there is room for improvement, especially in the fit of the jacket. Again, this is a women's jacket and it should fit a woman, but it is really close. In the beginning of this article I asked you to tell me, should I ditch the 2000 model Women's Dyno for the 2003 model? After reading this I'm betting you could guess that I have ditched the 2000 model for the redesigned 2003 model. However, I'm still interested to know your thoughts. E-mail me and let me know what you think.
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