Plenty of people wear jeans on a motorcycle.
You see it all the time, right?
But how safe are they?
Well, they’re safer than wearing shorts on a motorcycle!
I’ll tell you that much.
If you’re wearing jeans on a motorcycle, at least your legs are covered.
So that’s a start.
But there’s a lot more needed when it comes to your motorcycle safety.
Jeans for bikers need to do more than cover your legs.
They need to offer genuine protection if something goes wrong.
And a standard pair of jeans won’t really cut it if you run into trouble.
You can wear jeans on a motorcycle – but why would you, when there’s a much better option?
Proper biker jeans are an essential part of your motorcycle safety gear.
They offer a layer of protection that standard jeans don’t.
Motorcycle Kevlar jeans make riding so much safer.
I know why biker jeans are so important, because I had to learn it the hard way.
The hubby and I were away on a wonderful weekend motorcycle trip.
We were relaxed, happy, and on our way home from staying in a tiny country town in the south west of Australia.
At the town limits, we picked up some speed as we sat behind a black SUV.
The back of this car was lit up like a carnival ride with banks of lights.
But suddenly the car screeched to a stop, with no warning, and only one brake light working.
There was no time to react.
Pat grabbed the front brake and before you knew it, we were flying through the air, to land, splat – in the middle of the road.
Luckily, there was no traffic coming the other way.
We got groggily to our feet, and Pat picked up the bike and turned off the motor, which was still running as the bike lay on the road with a big ugly scrape all the way down one side.
Naturally, the SUV sped off and didn’t bother to check if we were OK.
Another thoughtful car driver in action.
And then we saw the reason for the sudden stop: there was a blind poodle happily trotting along the side of the road.
He stopped to sniff us, and figure out what all the commotion was.
Thankfully, we weren’t going very fast and the damage was minimal overall.
The motorcycle was insured.
Pat had a sprained wrist and sore shoulder.
But I had landed on my knee on the road.
And I was only wearing standard jeans.
The jeans had split completely open, so my knee was bleeding and full of road gravel.
Getting it scraped out over multiple doctor visits over the next couple of weeks was super fun.
Many years later now, the skin over that part of my knee still has no feeling, so I guess that’d be nerve damage.
And this is a pretty minor accident, let’s face it.
Even so, I don’t need to learn this lesson twice.
Now I never, EVER wear standard jeans on a motorcycle.
Every single time I climb aboard, you’d better believe I’m wearing dedicated jeans for bikers.
And the best jeans on a motorcycle are specially made for riding: Kevlar motorcycle jeans.
What Are Motorcycle Kevlar Jeans?
Motorcycle Kevlar jeans are a way smarter option than standard jeans.
These motorcycle jeans are lined with armor in fabric form.
Yep, kind of like the armor a knight would wear – but this kind of protection is a lot more comfortable than those clanking suits of metal.
Motorcycle jeans with armor have a layer of special fabric sewn into the inside of the jeans.
This is soft (not metal) and protects key parts of your body by making the jeans resistant to abrasion.
That means if you fall off, the jeans will take the brunt of the impact – and not your knee or any other parts of your legs that are exposed. Unlike standard jeans, biker jeans are designed to NOT split open on impact.
Some Kevlar motorcycle jeans have armor that covers the waist to the thigh, and then another section that protects the knee area too.
I have a couple pairs like that, plus another one that has armor all the way from the waist to the ankle.
Here’s a peek inside the jeans, so you can see what I mean:
So what’s it like to wear jeans that come with their own built-in armor?
I’m glad you asked.
Motorcycle Kevlar Jeans: Your Questions Answered
1. Are Kevlar motorcycle jeans comfortable?
They really are.
Especially once they’re worn in a little – just like standard jeans.
I still have my first ever motorcycle Kevlar jeans.
I must’ve had them for about 20 years.
I just can’t part with them.
Of course at this stage, they’re pretty much worn out rather than worn in.
They even have some holes in them.
So they don’t qualify anymore as jeans for motorcycle riding.
But they’re so comfortable, they’re my go-to jeans for everyday wear.
And the Kevlar motorcycle jeans I DO wear on the bike are comfortable enough to wear all day.
2. How do you choose the right size?
Start with the size you usually wear in standard jeans.
As with all clothes, sizing varies across different brands.
So you might have to try a couple different sizes and styles until you find the one that you love.
I’ve found the sizes correspond pretty much with standard jeans.
And of course you can choose how tight you like your jeans.
I have one pair that’s a looser fit so I can get my thermal leggings underneath comfortably for winter wear.
And then I have a tighter pair I can wear in warmer months when I won’t need more layers under them.
3. Do motorcycle jeans with armor look like normal jeans?
Pretty close, yep.
They have a few extra seams here and there to fix the internal armor in place.
But to the untrained eye, they look like normal jeans.
Here’s a pair of mine from the outside.
No-one would know you’re wearing specialist motorcycle safety gear.
4. Does the armor in these jeans for bikers feel weird?
Not really.
Yes, Kevlar motorcycle jeans have an extra layer of fabric inside the jeans that isn’t there in standard jeans.
But the armorised fabric is soft against your skin.
It’s not scratchy or stiff.
Once you get used to it, it’s perfectly comfortable.
5. Are motorcycle jeans with armor heavy?
They’re heavier than standard jeans because there are more layers there.
That can be both good and bad.
It’s trickier in hot weather, because you’re wearing much thicker jeans than you might be used to.
You can compensate for that by wearing fewer clothes on your top half.
But it’s a real bonus when riding in a cold wind, because the extra layer of soft armor actually helps to keep you warm.
See this extra layer?
6. Are motorcycle Kevlar jeans expensive?
I wish they were as cheap as those $20 bargain jeans you can find at Target.
But of course we’re not talking about wear-them-for-a-season budget jeans here.
Proper motorcycle jeans with armor will last for many years (20+ years in my case, with the Old Faithful pair I described above).
And getting a pair of Kevlar motorcycle jeans isn’t like buying a new dress.
These are proper jeans for bikers.
They’re a key part of your motorcycle safety gear.
After my experience of having gravel scraped out of my knee every few days by a cranky nurse, believe me, I would pay double what these jeans cost to avoid having that experience again.
So anyway.
The price varies across brands, but ranges from about US$40 on sale to around US$300.
Not exactly cheap, right?
But there’s still a range to suit most budgets.
And all motorcycle gear is an investment.
It’s so worth it to protect yourself from injury.
Motorcycle Kevlar Jeans Are a Game-Changer
Once I’d unfrozen my wallet, and pulled on my first pair of proper jeans for bikers, I’ve never looked back.
I’m so much more confident climbing onto a motorcycle knowing that I have a suit of armor protecting the entire lower half of my body.
And yes, we’re motorcycle riders, not knights on horseback – but I wouldn’t want to fall off either kind of beast wearing shorts!
Would you?
Like this article?
Then you might also be interested in:
What Should Motorcycle Passengers Wear? (Not a Dress!)
