Name

RS Taichi

Legal name

株式会社アールエスタイチ

Website

https://rs-taichi.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Motorcycle Riding Gear

NAICS

Apparel Manufacturing (315), Motorcycle, ATV, and All Other Motor Vehicle Dealers (441227), Automotive Parts and Accessories Retailers (441330), Motorcycle, Bicycle, and Parts Manufacturing (336991), Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (3159)

SIC

Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300), Motor Vehicle Parts & Accessories (3714), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)

akta.pro primary industry

Motorcycle Riding Gear & Apparel Retail (CRAMANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Riding Jackets, Pants & Suits Retail (Leather/Textile) (CRAMANAF), Riding Gloves & Hand Protection Retail (CRAMANAE), Helmets & Protective Headgear Retail (Motorcycle/ATV/Snow) (CRAMANAB), Off-Road & MX Gear Retail (Dirt Bike/Motocross/Enduro) (CRAMANAG), High-Visibility, Rain & Thermal Riding Gear Retail (CRAMANAK)

Keywords

• Motorcycle riding gear
• Racing suits
• Protective equipment
• Motorcycle helmets
• Off-road gear

Headquarters

HQ city

Higashi-osaka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. TAICHI Brand Products: Original TAICHI brand motorcycle riding gear including jackets, gloves, pants, racing suits, rainwear, bags, and protectors. Products are manufactured and sold through integrated manufacturing, wholesale, and retail channels.
2. Imported Brand Products: Import and sale of premium overseas brands including HJC Helmets and Troy Lee Designs off-road gear. RS Taichi serves as the exclusive Japanese distributor for HJC helmets.
3. Direct Retail Sales: Revenue from flagship store and online e-commerce platform sales directly to consumers, including custom racing suit orders and specialty items.
4. Wholesale Distribution: Distribution of products to domestic motorcycle accessory chains, independent retailers, and international distributors across Asia, Europe, and North America.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

RS Taichi designs, manufactures, and sells motorcycle riding gear under its proprietary TAICHI brand, encompassing racing suits, jackets, pants, gloves, riding shoes, rainwear, bags, and protective equipment including TECCELL chest protectors and TIPS sliders. The company also imports and distributes selected overseas brands — serving as the exclusive Japanese distributor for HJC helmets and Troy Lee Designs off-road gear — and operates the TAICHI FLAGSHIP STORE plus an online e-commerce platform for direct consumer sales.

Product overview

RS Taichi is a motorcycle riding gear manufacturer with a portfolio spanning both proprietary and imported brands. The core offering centers on the TAICHI brand — founded by former professional racer Taichi Yoshimura in 1975 — encompassing racing suits (including GP-WRX and NXL309 models), jackets, pants, gloves, riding shoes, rainwear, bags, and protective equipment including the TECCELL chest protector series and TIPS sliders. RS Taichi's proprietary safety innovations include the T-RAPS (2008, world's first racing suit with built-in airbag), TECH-AIR airbag-compatible suits (2016), and the newly announced RS Taichi Airbag Vest T-SABE (2026, developed with Autoliv). The company also distributes HJC helmets and Troy Lee Designs off-road gear as an authorized importer, and operates the TAICHI FLAGSHIP STORE retail location, an online store (ec.rs-taichi.com), and the Rider Park Ikoma off-road course facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TAICHI FORCE: Original offroad wear brand launched in 1990.
• OPTIMA
• Nixe
• L-TAICHI
• e-HEAT
• TECCELL
• TECH-AIR
• T-RAPS
• TIPS
• LIQUIDWIND

Products and services

• TAICHI Brand Motorcycle Riding Gear RS Taichi's primary proprietary motorcycle riding gear brand, offering safety-focused apparel for all rider types including professional racers, sport, touring, off-road, and cruiser riders.
• HJC Helmets HJC helmets distributed by RS Taichi as the Japanese authorized distributor, offering full-face, system, open-face, and off-road helmets. Notable models include RPHA 12, RPHA 60, RPHA 31, RPHA 91, i80, i71, V10, C71, C50, and RPHA 1N V2 CARBON.
• Troy Lee Designs Offroad Gear Premium off-road motorcycle gear imported and distributed by RS Taichi, featuring functional designs and top performance for motocross and off-road riders.
• RS Taichi Airbag Vest T-SABE Wearable airbag vest for motorcycle riders developed in partnership with Autoliv. Autoliv's first fully developed wearable airbag protection system engineered from concept through complete system validation. Designed to reduce critical injuries in crashes and scalable across multiple garment designs and market segments.
• T-RAPS (Taichi Racing Air Protection System) World's first racing suits with built-in airbag system, pioneering wearable airbag technology for motorsports that deploys to protect riders in crash scenarios.
• TECCELL Chest Protector Series World's lightest chest protector utilizing world-first mass-production technology of resin molded honeycomb structure, achieving European CE standard EN1621-3 Lv.2:2015 certification. Division-type reinforced surface models also available.
• e-HEAT Series Electric heating apparel for motorcycle riders powered by mobile battery or vehicle connection, including inner parkas, jackets, and gloves with three-level heat settings (High Power/Normal/Economy). Backed by 2-year warranty.
• LIQUIDWIND Water-Cooled Underwear Water-cooled underwear system developed for extreme summer heat riding conditions, developed in collaboration with Mandom Corporation for the specialized cooling water.
• NXL309 GP-WRX R309 Racing Suit Premium racing leather suit in the GP-WRX series featuring asymmetric design, CE Lv.2 protectors, TIPS outer sliders, T-Foam protectors, T.R.A.D. pattern, removable inner liner, large neck support, and women-specific sizing. Price: ¥195,800 (tax included). Color customization available for additional fee.
• GP-EVO.R Racing Glove (NXT055) Professional motorcycle racing glove with 3D-printed resin-molded protector inspired by traditional Japanese armor, reducing friction resistance and impact energy in falls. Awarded the Red Dot Award in Product Design category in 2019.
• TAICHI FLAGSHIP STORE RS Taichi's only directly operated flagship retail store in Daito, Osaka, offering full TAICHI brand lineup, HJC helmets, fitting services, racing suit customization, helmet coating, test ride services, and e-HEAT demo units. Tax-free shopping available for international visitors.
• RS Taichi Online Store RS Taichi's e-commerce platform for direct online purchase of TAICHI brand products and HJC helmets, accessible at ec.rs-taichi.com.

Quantifiable outcome

• World's first mass-produced resin honeycomb chest protector - TECCELL
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• AutolivmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2026Strategic partnership to develop RS Taichi Airbag Vest T-SABE, Autoliv's first complete wearable airbag protection system for motorcycle riders. The vest combines Autoliv's biomechanical expertise and real-life safety research with RS Taichi's garment design capabilities. Launch planned for Tokyo Motorcycle Show March 27-29, 2026. Platform designed to be scalable across multiple garment designs and market segments.
• ASICS CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed riding shoes RST301 with Japanese sports shoes manufacturer ASICS in 1984
• Teijin Limited (帝人株式会社)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJointly developed tire warmer using Teijin's 'softelec' technology in 1991. Tire warmers were supplied to McLaren Formula 1 Racing Team
• Mandem (株式会社マンダム)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for development of specialized cooling water for LIQUIDWIND water-cooled underwear system launched in 2021
• NEW ERAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborative product launch announced in 2019 featuring NEW ERA branded merchandise
• BIOHAZARD (Resident Evil)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration product launch announced in 2019 featuring BIOHAZARD themed merchandise
• Seiko Watch CorporationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration product launch in 2020 of Seiko diver's watch featuring RS Taichi branding
• Honda Motor Co., Ltd.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRST-1 original oil filter adopted by Honda factory racing team since 1996
• Kawasaki MotorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDouble-name collaboration products with Kawasaki Motors as part of domestic four manufacturer collaborations
• Yamaha MotorminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDouble-name collaboration products with Yamaha Motor as part of domestic four manufacturer collaborations
• Suzuki MotorminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDouble-name collaboration products with Suzuki Motor as part of domestic four manufacturer collaborations

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Dainese: Italian motorcycle safety gear manufacturer and pioneer of the D-Air airbag system. Closest direct competitor to RS Taichi given overlapping racing suit, airbag technology, and Italian-style premium positioning.
• Held: German manufacturer of motorcycle gloves, suits, and boots with strong touring and sport-touring presence. Comparable premium-positioned competitor in the same apparel category as RS Taichi.
• Alpinestars: Italy-based global leader in motorsport and motorcycle racing apparel with proprietary Tech-Air wearable airbag systems. Direct competitor to RS Taichi across racing suits, gloves, and protective gear sold through similar motorsport and dealer channels.
• Arai Helmet: Japan-founded premium motorcycle helmet maker with strong racing heritage. Competes with HJC in the same premium helmet segment that RS Taichi distributes domestically.
• RST (Race Sport Triumph): UK-based motorcycle apparel maker covering road, sport, and racing segments. Comparable mid-sized direct competitor with similar product breadth and dealer-led distribution.
• Shoei: Japanese premium helmet manufacturer with global motorsport presence. Competes with the HJC brand RS Taichi distributes, and represents the closest domestic head-to-head in Japan.
• Furygan: French motorcycle apparel brand with racing heritage and airbag-equipped products. Comparable to RS Taichi in serving sport and touring riders through European dealer networks.
• REV'IT!: Dutch motorcycle apparel brand focused on sport, touring, and adventure segments. Competes with RS Taichi in mid-to-premium riding gear, especially touring jackets and gloves distributed through specialty dealers.

Others

• Troy Lee Designs: US motocross and mountain bike apparel/ helmet brand distributed by RS Taichi in Japan. Strategic partner brand that overlaps with RS Taichi's off-road product positioning.
• HJC Helmets: South Korean helmet manufacturer whose brand RS Taichi holds exclusive Japan distribution rights for. Strategic partner rather than competitor, but represents the upstream supplier of a major RS Taichi revenue stream.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/HJC_Helmets_JP

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RS Taichi