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Kevlar Riding Jeans or Protective Over Pants?

20K views 75 replies 51 participants last post by  copilot 
#1 ·
My wife and I want to purchase some leg protection and are undecided as to whether we want to go with armoured Kevlar jeans or pull on over pants. Thoughts?
 
#2 ·
I have several pair of Cortech jeans and a pair of FirstGrear over pants. I wear the jeans most often but carry the OPs for colder/wetter weather. In other words, your riding environment is going to dictate your need. The jeans alone may be OK if you pack rain gear. The jeans, for me, are hotter than hell in the seat/crotch regions even in the mid-70s. And lastly, I am glad I got them for 1/2 price when a local shop closed its doors - shop around for the best deal.
 
#5 ·
If you do have an unplanned accident, any impact protection you can get helps.

Riding pants have impact protection, jeans do not. Also with jeans as thin as they are you can rip off skin even under them. The riding pants generally protect you much better.

As for heat in the summer, yep, hot, but some do have vents or vented panels if that even helps on the Wing, I suppose it does a little bit, but sitting behind that fairing venting is relative to imagination.

My gear is fine as long as I am moving, slow traffic.....yep it can get hot.
 
#6 ·
I normally ride in jeans. I have a set of First Gear overpants for cool/cold weather and since they are waterproof for the rain in cool weather. they are more than 10 years old and work great.

Two years ago I bought a pair of First Gear Mesh riding pants for the summer and wear them over shorts. No question they provide more protection in the knees and hips in the event of a crash than jeans. But somehow I cannot get into wearing them on trips. I have tried. Mostly I wear them around home. They have new ones that feature some water resistant liners for riding in the rain.

Since most good riding is in mountainous areas the overpants seem better when it rains as they offer more protection and it is usually a lot cooler in the rain.
 
#7 ·
There are at least two brands of Kevlar lined riding jeans that include removable knee/hip armor. How well the provided armor stays in place and protects is anyone's guess. Armored/Kevlar jeans are not cheap.

Diamond Gusset does not include armor. Very comfortable, but mine bleached out in the Florida sun rather quickly.

Bob
 
#8 ·
Aerostich

I have a pair of AD1's and like them, they made overseas for aerostich and provide decent protection in hips/knees/bum. I wear them with a jacket. If your looking for maz protection go with a suit like their roadcrafter, thats what I wear most of the time now that I have one. The have regular sales of gear that was used in photo shoots, returned by customers etc. so if you loiter long enough you will find one 20-30% off. Here is a link:

http://www.aerostich.com/ad1-motorcycle-pants-26.html

Next option and a good one is to search revzilla, they cover almost everything with recent videos so you can get a decent idea of what your buying ahead of time.

http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle-pants

Kit was right, protection means you may be warmer than with jeans or thinner clothing but if you have ever seen a rider go down and the effects on the body from just the slide alone....it never bothers you to wear the thicker gear again.

Happy shopping!
 
#9 ·
I wear riding pants (Aerostich Darien) with padded knee and hip protection which may or may not provide better protection, depending on the nature of the "get off." But that's not why I wear them. They're waterproof so I don't have to stop to change into a rain suit.
 
#10 ·
I wear Olympia Motosports mesh armored pants and they literally saved my ass when I crashed last year, along with my Cortech mesh armored jacket.

The only problem with this setup is that it's not waterproof so I have to carry rain gear (Tourmaster) which has not proven to be 100% waterproof, either.

I just did a bunch of research and ordered Klim Traverse pants, which can accommodate armor plus is 100% waterproof as well. These pants are also double-vented, and should be even better in the hot summer than my mesh pants.

Yes, they are expensive, around $350 with armor, but when you figure they will last for many years, it's easier to justify the cost. Available at Revzilla.com and others.


 
#11 ·
Over pants with armor for me when I am riding all day. They are versatile. When it is hot out, I can wear basketball shorts under them and the legs have zippers down the sides so you can open them as much as you choose. Long underwear or even jeans under them when it is colder out. Waterproof (gor-tex type) is also a huge plus when you get caught by surprise by rain. I like a big pocket on the thigh for my wallet (gas card), etc.
 
#13 ·
I wear mesh overpants (Motoport) but the only thing under is my skivvies. You are in Ontario so much milder and cooler than AZ. wearing them over pants or even shorts would suit you much better than me in AZ. I like the protection of motorcycle clothing but it does get too hot at times.
 
#14 ·
I personally went with full kevlar mesh riding pants instead of any of the armored pants for the added protection it offers. I have rode from 20*F to 107*F with them on with long johns or LDC shorts depending. This shows pictures of the aftermath of a 70 mph crash on rough
chip seal roads, I don't think armored jeans or the rider would have fared as well

http://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oG...advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10919075
 
#15 ·
Thanks for all your responses, as usual you guys on the board came through. I really like the idea of shorts under the over pants In hot weather and yes, riding in AZ would be significantly warmer than Ontario so if you can do it, so can we. We always wear protective gear other than pants and that will change this year. We're off to Americade on Monday so will look around at what's available and compare online prices. We have Olympia riding jackets and really like those but I'm not hung up on the brand.

Thanks again for your advice.
 
#16 ·
Rick, I have the Diamond gusset kevlar lined jeans and the Olympia airglide 3 pants.Any type of travel the mesh pants win.much cooler than jeans, they don't really retain much sweat like cotton and that have a stand alone liner for rain and or cooler temps.I wear LD comfort long under them or good microfiber shorts.They require much less washing than jeans also.
 
#18 ·
I'm going to mail a good fitting pair of old denim jeans to Motoport tomorrow to be used as a pattern to have a pair of jean style riding pants made. They are pricey and I expect them to be hotter than ordinary denim jeans but the added protection they'll provide should be worth it.
 
#21 ·
Firstgear mesh overpants for me. Wife wears draggin jeans. The first thing she has to do when we stop is get out of those jeans. They're hot and bulky. She tried overpants but she's large waisted and short legged so fit was a problem. She shortens the legs on the draggin jeans.
 
#22 ·
I have the "First Gear" Overpants and a pair of "Sliders" Kevlar Jeans. The former for cold/wet weather and the latter for every day riding. But for protection; I'm surprised no one has mentioned Chaps. It's awfully tough to beat Leather for anti-road-rash. Maybe not so much on impact, but as others have said with the Jeans and even with the Overpants, it's not altogether clear that the armor would actually be in place given the fit (loose) and the construction (light) of the materials that hold it all together.
 
#23 ·
I have both reinforced riding jeans (Gusset and Icon) and will wear the Gusset's in the winter under my Olympia riding pants. Use the Icon's for MSF course instruction but definitely prefer the overpants for their protection. In the summer months here in Arizona I will wear shorts/board shorts under my riding pants for comfort and ability to quickly change into shorts and flip flops upon reaching our destination. Had a get off last year and the overpants provided much better protection than even the reinforced jeans would have based on the bruises and abrasions. JMO. Jacket, pants and helmet had to be replaced, oh...and boots.
 
#26 ·
I did wear Olympia mesh riding pants and use liners when cold. Now I wear and highly recommend Olympia X Moto (zip open panels) pants which have liners. Under the pants I wear Wickers brand underwear. Some times if a long ride I wear either Areostich riding shorts or LD Comfort shorts under the pants.

Rode many miles this way. In very cold weather 17 degrees put on some long johns. I ride a VTX so not the coverage of a Wing. With the Moto X on a Wing I doubt the rider would seldom need much else on their legs.
 
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