Reddit mentions: The best motorcycle protective pants & chaps

I don't agree with that article for a few reasons. If you're just getting into motorcycling, you don't really need a full suit. Leather is always a plus. You can buy leather jackets on clearance from Cycle Gear right now (U.S.) for $150 (about 50% off). If there are a few things you definitely DON'T want to cheap out on, its the jacket, gloves, and helmet. Cheaping out on these early in the game just means you're probably going to buy them down the line anyway (like I did). Lucky for you a lot of gear is on closeout right now so $1100 is reasonable for good gear. Here's my $0.02:

1. Helmet: Arai or Shoei (SNELL / DOT Approved). You can save money by buying a normal design (around $450-$500). The graphics versions are usually like $600+. look here
   
   
2. Jacket: Most leather jackets come with the back protector, but I'd suggest switching it out for a higher quality one. Leather is far more superior than textile 90% of the time. Personally, I have a Dainese which is amazing fit and built quality (so is Alpinestars), but Bilt makes cheaper versions that are probably going to serve the same purpose for street use (make sure it has some kind of armor in it). A back protector replacement will run you about $50. look here
   
   
3. Gloves: Spend a good amount on leather gloves. You can grow back the skin on your body, but you don't want to mess up your hands. I use Alpinestars SP2 Gloves, they're phenomenal and have palm sliders (around $120 bucks). look here
   
   
4. Shoes: Get some kind of hightop riding shoes or boots. They don't necessarily have to be racing boots, but as long as they cover the ankle. Should cost around $100. For example
   
   
5. Jeans: I'm not very versed in the Jean/pants department honestly. I have a pair of armored leggings that I started out with and have for longer trips, but I rarely wear them. this is what I have.
   
   Most of these are just examples, but this is the prime gear I ride with every time.
   
   TL/DR: Don't cheap out at all on your helmet, jacket, or gloves and go with leather over textile. Closeouts and clearance sales can put your budget at $900 or less. If you MUST spend less, at the very least put money into your helmet and gloves.
   
   

I'm 33/30 in jeans and ordered a pair of these in large. They fit comfortable by themselves, a little snug over jeans. I squat 360, I'm not huge in the thighs but regular jeans are pretty snug. Waterproof works well enough in light rain, and the venting keeps cool at speed on sunny days. I don't have much to compare them to, but I'm happy so far.

Motorcycle Cordura Riding Pants Black with Removable CE Armor PT5 (L) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CSG3CJE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_3u2xst6GRRtpn


Edit-. My thighs are 25"

I love my Vidda Pros so much. Made by Fjallraven. Was actually just up in the snow last night with them and was amazed at how dry and warm my legs stayed. Wind was gusty quite a bit too. It is critical to wear a thermal layer under any pant in the winter really. So make sure you have at least some kind of skin tight layer on underneath them.

Last night, I walked a good 3 miles in 2ish foot deep snow and stayed entirely dry the whole time too. I was actually surprised because I've had them for a good 2 years now and have never reapplied the beeswax, and I've even washed them in a machine. However, my thermals didn't get wet at all in those 3 miles and my legs were never cold.

I highly recommend them. If you've ever watched the show Alone, or many of the bushcraft YouTubers, you'll see a lot of them use the pant.

EDIT: The thermals I use are Smart Wool leggings.

Link to pants: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NM0X0D4/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_zRk4DbVNKHQ48

Link to thermals: https://www.rei.com/product/834631/smartwool-merino-250-base-layer-bottoms-mens

These are my riding jeans. I'm tall and slim, 6' 160lbs and these fit perfectly and look really good. Comes with removable knee & hip pads and kevlar butt. Fit true as well. $180

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XCG9Q34/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I use these elbow pads:

https://www.amazon.com/Bodyprox-Elbow-Protection-Large-Sleeve/dp/B072B9KB4L/

They look like the're in between the triple8 stealth and exoskin pads. I also have the knee pads, but they're pretty bulky so most of the time I wear football knee/shin pads that are thinner but also give me that shin protection.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K69TGHF

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Lately since its been cold I moved over to my rain pants that I bought for motorcycle riding and I LOVE onehweel riding in them. These aren't the exact ones I have because I've had mine for 10 years but they're similar: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LGX2WCS/

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I took an unexpected low speed nosedive Saturday on a gravel logging road with those pants and elbow pads on. I fell straight on my side without catching myself at all and it was almost like jumping into bed it was that soft of a fall.

Unfortunately I don't know of ADV style pants in that size, but if you are looking for the "wearing inside a restaurant" part and are interested in riding jeans, I like my Maxler jeans. They make one without the calf zipper too. Comfy, don't look out of place, long (I usually wear a 36" inseam, and these are plenty long), and the knee armour can be easily removed to get rid of the bulky knee look. Hope this helps some.

In the winters it gets down to the single digits often. Having good gear makes a huge difference, and it doesn't even have to be expensive.

MCTi Waterproof Mens Ski Gloves,Winter Warm 3M Thinsulate Snowboard Snowmobile Cold Weather Gloves Black Large https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J7TIOR0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_7IX3AbJSHG754

Motorcycle Textile Riding Pants with Removable CE Armor(2XL) Black/Grey https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WFJBLP2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_7JX3Ab3HCY8X1

Balaclava Aegend Windproof Ski Face Mask Winter Motorcycle Neck Warmer Tactical Balaclava Hood Polyester Fleece for Women Men Youth Snowboard Cycling Hat Outdoors Helmet Liner Mask-Black, 1 Piece https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L6WB66C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_BKX3AbHJ842QH

MENS MOTORCYCLE ARMOR HIGH PROTECTION LEATHER(FULL GRAIN) JACKET BLACK AND BLUE LJ-1705. L https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072MMM6N6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_3KX3Ab1G70JJ1

I add a fleece neck warmer or scarf and if it's under 20 (or a long ride) I wear glove liners. Have ridden with this gear on a 1200 mile trip this winter across Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. Only thing I'd change about that trip is warmer boots and electric warming gloves.

I bought a cheap pair of overpants on amazon.

They fit over my riding jeans really well and are fairly warm. If you're interested let me know and i can find them for you.

Got my laptop out, here they are. Granted the price on them has gone up significantly.

Could that be Draggin' jeans? No idea if they're French, but they had some pictures like that on their site. Too expensive for my tastes, because I also just got the Bohn Adventure Pants to wear under m'jeans. I figured that would work better for me than getting one pair of leather armored pants. We shall see!

maxler jeans:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XCG9Q34/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Had them for over a year now, great pants and the knee pad saved me from a good off road crash a couple months back. Wear them year round with longjohn/sweats underneath

TourMaster - high quality armored jackets and pants, highly rated, have their Transition 5 jacket for a year, will buy again IF it ever wears out, overbuilt with strong stitching/materials/armor, loads of vents yet winter & waterproof > https://www.revzilla.com/tour-master


HWK - Textile Breathable Waterproof CE Armored Overpants (numerous reviews 4.5 stars, have a pair for two years, are flawless/waterproof/comfortable/very durable > https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074YYN2DC/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_KzfWDbBD0J4Y4

Alpinestars Andes v2 Drystar Jacket - super quality, very highly rated, looks great, well priced > https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/alpinestars-andes-v2-drystar-jacket?gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuYu9_YLR5QIVvoVaBR1qHQszEAQYAiABEgKurPD_BwE


This is just to start. If You need a comprehensive list let me know and I'll put together an EXCEL spreadsheet ferr ya 👍🏻 As a Marine...I'm all about rugged but not about getting ripped off by greedy companies who charge an arm & a leg for same performance gear with some fancy looks and a name.

All gear is sewn in Asia somewhere. Labor is dirt cheap, so their stuff ought to reflect a decent price. Klim however knows majority of their buyers are BMW owners so they rip them off. They products are no better than anyone else above the $100+ priceline.

I bought a Klim bag at my dealer when I got my bike, it came highly recommended...see the attached photo https://i.imgur.com/tfbAY4h.jpg.

They bag sucks, as does its design and zippers are of walmart quality. Bag leaks in rain, and the stainless steel "bag cable" had both steel loop ends fall off because they held in place with cheap crimped plastic! I tried to secure my bags to the tail of my bike, only to have both cables fall apart. Dealer replaced the original bag, replacement is just as poorly built and is falling apart.

Now I’m paranoid about these cheap pants I got:

Motorcycle Pants For Men Dualsport Motocross Motorbike Pant Riding Overpants Enduro Adventure Touring Waterproof CE Armored All-Weather (Waist30''-32'' Inseam30'') https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LGX2GWX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_nA5UDbFV9M6C3

I got a good jacket and gloves from cycle gear and cheaped on pants. Should I just deal with losing 50 bucks and get something safer? Any suggestions on safe pants 150 ish?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E2TLJVO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

haven't fallen with them but they look pretty solid.

Honestly anything under $200 isn't going to do diddly squat faster than 30 mph or so. You get what you pay for. I had these $150 kevlar-reinforced pants with knee "armor" and thought they were all the protection I'd need until I went down at 50 mph this summer. The seems where I impacted immediately blew out, thankfully I didn't slide much because I flew off the side of the canyon road and tumbled down the mountain into trees and brush which broke my fall with no major injuries.

After getting over my PTSD I bought these Dainese pants for $225, which have actual reinforced knee and shin armor (not just foam which just "buys you a bounce" as the Revzilla guys say). The difference between the two pairs of pants is very obvious when you look at them side by side.

Maybe I'm overconservative these days but the gear I wear is worth more than my cheapass bike, especially now that it has been in a crash, LOL.

Icon Overlord Perforated Leather Jacket

Icon Overlord Textile Pant

They already carried me through a relatively serious accident and are still in great condition (functionally) but I am looking for a new track suit, I'd stay away from textile though now that I've seen the comparison on how long it lasts relative to jeans or leather. I think textiles last like .25-.5 seconds longer than denim in a slide but leather lasted multiple seconds longer

and AGV t-2 helmet/icon overlord short gloves/alpinestars s-mx 2 boots (don't get these, get full boots. they came unclipped and slipped off in my slide... just waiting for new ones to come in the mail)

Yeah They just protect you from wind and rain while riding motorcycles, and from getting sores when riding horses.

I wear several types of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Newfacelook-Motorcycle-Kevlar-Linned-Jeans/dp/B00BH69TKI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420874029&sr=8-1&keywords=newfacelook+kevlar


They are great, they are cheap, kevlar lined, come with kneed and hip pads and have more kevlar lining that most others. They come from the UK but only take about 2 weeks for delivery usually.

I bought these BMW Sahara pants for $125 last year. They are excellent but buy a size larger.

Adding to what's already been said here: don't skimp on any of these purchases. $800 in gear can equate to $30,000-$50,000 in savings if you crash. Even at speed as low as 30mph you can land in the hospital with major surgery. After the helmet and armored jacket, get good gloves and proper motorcycle boots. If you cant afford real armored riding pants, start with the $150 underarmour. Dont be afraid to ask more questions here either. This is important. Also, be sure to read the GEAR superthread, updated regularly.

I am a little less militant about Gore-Tex as a brand, though I've heard that they'll warranty when the item manufacturer won't, so there is that. I do ride with waterproof, armored gear, and it wasn't expensive. I lust after several better kits, but mine still works.

I ride with a Joe Rocket Alter Ego 3.0 jacket, which is a three-layer system (fleece vest zipped into mesh jacket zipped into waterproof shell) and has worked for me for about 30k miles. The matching pants failed within 5k and were already out of warranty. I did have to seam seal the inner elbow area of the jacket about two months ago, but it seems to have worked. I ride Biker's Gear pants that I got off Amazon for $70 (the link is to the newer model). They have about 20k miles an are definitely showing their age. Almost none of the velcro works any more, but again, they were armored rain pants for $70.

If I had my druthers and was working, I'd likely opt for this or these two.

The pants are actually awful. They've ripped and I've never been rough with them or laid the bike down on them.

The jacket doesn't move as much air as you'd expect it to, but otherwise it works quite well.