Alpinestars have been at the forefront of rider safety since they were founded back in 1963 by Sante Mazzarolo. Since then they have won many championships across multiple disciplines. Most recently Jett Lawrence and Haiden Deegan won the 450 and 250 SMX championships in 2024. Both riders use Alpinestars to protect themselves while racing. They are also currently leading the AMA 450, 250 East, and 250 West Supercross championships with Cooper Webb, Max Anstie, and Haiden Deegan respectively
I think that proves my point—that Alpinestars knows what it is doing when it comes to rider safety. The RK-7 Plasma knee brace is part of a new wave of protective wear from Alpinestars. Much like the Tech-7 motocross boot has the Tech-10, the RK-7 has the RK-10. The fact that the RK-7 is not their top-of-the-line brace does not mean that it is below par—far from it.
I have been using the brace for around 4 months and I won’t lie to you, when I first put it on I did not like the fit compared to my POD braces. However, upon further inspection, I realised that I was doing the straps up in the same order as my PODs which was incorrect. This was causing pinch points and loose fitment. After I found out the correct way to fit the braces, it totally transformed them. They went from one of the most uncomfortable braces I’d worn to arguably the comfiest.
The RK-7 has a 4-strap system in the form of 2 X-strap systems. This reduces pinch points on your legs and distributes the pressure more evenly across the back of your calf and thigh muscles. At the bottom of the review, there is a link that will take you to a page with a video showing the correct way to fit the braces. But in a nutshell, if we say strap 1 is the top and go down to strap 4. The proper order is 3, 4, 1, 2. However, I do recommend watching the video as it really helped me when I was setting them up.
The RK-7 also has a variety of different extension stops, ranging from 0 to 30 degrees, going up in 5s. So if you are coming back from a knee injury and you are not totally comfortable fully extending your knee these will really help you in that situation, allowing you to build back up to full movement.
Straight away when getting ready you notice how slim and streamlined the braces are. With no harsh edges, there is no worry of tearing your gear when you’re getting ready or rubbing a hole through your pants over time. All the moving mechanisms work flawlessly leaving no jolty movements, allowing you to move your leg freely.
It is going to sound really cliche but once I started riding I could not tell I was wearing the braces. I’ve had a few incidents where I have caught my boot on a rut and you can feel the brace working by not letting me rotate my knee to the point of injury. But besides that, they are barely noticeable. Considering they are not a carbon fibre brace, instead made of a blend of Nucleon plasma and polyurethane, they are still incredibly light. It certainly will be interesting to try them back to back with the RK-10 which is a fully carbon brace.
My favourite thing about the brace is once you have adjusted the straps to the correct fit, you can then undo a buckle with the keyhole snapping system on the top and bottom straps so you don’t have to continuously adjust all 4 straps each time. However, if you find the X-strap system isn’t for you, it is possible to remove this and just use a traditional 4- strap system.
As I mentioned earlier I’ve been using them for around 4 months and so far I have had no durability issues. Outside of a few little scuffs, they look like the day I got them. All velcro straps still have great integrity and any padding is still firm and comfortable. For a price of £399.99 for the pair they come in cheaper than most other braces in the same category.
The only thing that I think could improve the brace would be to have each strap numbered. This will ensure everyone knows exactly which order to do the straps up. Because like I said, to me this order played a vital role in the comfort of the brace. That really is the onlyflaw I can pick out on the RK-7. It is a strong sturdy brace, and if you are looking to getsome new braces, or you want to get a set for the first time, you could certainly do a lot worse than the RK-7. If you do have any questions regarding the RK-7 just drop me an email at brad.wheeler@mxvice.com and I’ll do my best to help you out.
Tested and written by Brad Wheeler
