Leathers Question

I'm looking at getting a pair of leather pants with armor in them for added protection. I don't really want to get overpants, since I don't like how they look and it seems to me that the armor would just slide out of the way. Do any of you know if its possible to wear jeans over the tight fitting armored leathers? Otherwise do you know of any that have the armor and are boot cut aside from the Joe Rocket ones?

thanks guys, Mitch

Stop by your local Gay bar and ask. Only they don't call it armor- they refer to it as padding.

minimac wrote: Stop by your local Gay bar and ask. Only they don't call it armor- they refer to it as padding.

And just how do you know this?

minimac wrote: Stop by your local Gay bar and ask. Only they don't call it armor- they refer to it as padding.

Couldn't you just ask the guy in your shower for me?

Leathers over jeans? Probably not, at least not comfortably.

Textiles over jeans? Many will fit, especially if they have a removable winter lining.

My Olympia AirGlide mesh fit over pants fine without the lining. W/ the lining in place, they don't. My H-D FXRG textiles fit over pants as well.

CrackMonkey wrote: Leathers over jeans? Probably not, at least not comfortably. Textiles over jeans? Many will fit, especially if they have a removable winter lining. My Olympia AirGlide mesh fit over pants fine without the lining. W/ the lining in place, they don't. My H-D FXRG textiles fit over pants as well.

Actually, I was wondering about the leather under the jeans. Doesn't the armor move out of the way when sliding if you use overpants, or would have they already done their job by then (during the actual impact)?

I've worn overpants for years. They'll do the trick if you're not racing. Also, they work great for commuting or touring on your bike. Nothing else I've tried works as well wearing over jeans.

I do have some FirstGear sport pants that I can wear over khakis. The problem is that my khakis bunch up under the FG pants and crowd my Hardy Boys. That's no mystery. (Thanks for the quote Zach Galifianakis.)

If you want a great one piece suit, and you're willing to pay, check out Aerostich. You can sometimes find them on ebay.

There are several MFG who make armorr that attached to for lack of a better words "fish net" or Under Armmor like thin matreail thats ment to be worn under you normal street clothes. Look in the back of the AMA magazine.

44

Why not wear leather pants and pack some jeans in a tank or tail bag. That is what I did. Or get what 44Dwarf said - bohn armor

I have not tried them myself, but Draggin Jeans make kevlar-reinforced jeans with optional CE armor that can attach via velcro. It looks like a pair of jeans + knee and hip pads will run around $150, which is less than a good pair of leather pants.

I have the AirGlide2's as well. They fit great over jeans with and without the liner for me, and if sized properly the armor stays in place pretty well.

MitchellC wrote: I have not tried them myself, but Draggin Jeans make kevlar-reinforced jeans with optional CE armor that can attach via velcro. It looks like a pair of jeans + knee and hip pads will run around $150, which is less than a good pair of leather pants.

Yup. This is what I was about to say. Although, the only ones I've seen so far are the Ghetto-B-Us graffiti jeans with all the stupid designs all over them. But I'm sure there are normal people styles as well.

Thanks Guys, I ended up buying some of these:

http://leatherup.com/p/Leather-Chaps--pants/Xelement-Men%E2%80%99s-Classic-Fit-Denim-Motorcycle-Racing-Pants/54745.html

Look OK, I just hope if I go down the knee pads won't slip out of the way.

Now I have the Icon Field Armor, but they get on my nerves.

Those look just like the Icon Recon pants that I have, but mine don't have any removable armor. Just as well, I really can't see that armor being where you need it when you need it most. If you have ever worn real leathers, you will see that the armor will not much room to move at all, but even that still does. I have crashed lots of times on the track, and even wearing top of the line leathers, the armor still can move.

Rusnak_322 wrote: Those look just like the Icon Recon pants that I have, but mine don't have any removable armor. Just as well, I really can't see that armor being where you need it when you need it most. If you have ever worn real leathers, you will see that the armor will not much room to move at all, but even that still does. I have crashed lots of times on the track, and even wearing top of the line leathers, the armor still can move.

Is the armor important for the slide, or just for the initial impact of going down? I can see the armor may possibly be there for the impact, but like you said, I imagine most will slide.

I would think that if it can move on impact then it will and not protect you. The knee area on those pants are going to be loose, I can imagine the padding twisting in the pants unless you fell just right. It doesn't mean that it isn't better then no armor.

I wear an Aerostich Darien 2 piece, but only when I'm riding supermotos or adventure bikes. It looks ghey on anything else. I crashed it about a week after I got it when I tucked the front end of my had-it-a-week-too / most-expensive-bike-I-ever-bought KTM 950 SM on some dusty 28 degree F pavement. The clown in front of me looked up from his Blackberry, saw the (on for the last 1/2 mile) brake lights on the asshat in front of him and matted the brake pedal, right as I was on top of the huge crown in the pavement in a city intersection. Clown.

Anyway, the Darien works as advertised. I hit remarkably hard for 20 mph, got up, rode back home and swapped the bent KTM for the DRZ400SM and rode to work.

Crashworthyness is in large part determined by how you feel a day, then 2 then 3 after you crash in a garment. The 'Stich had me feeling pretty good, and it is un-marked aside from a little spot where the flap over the side-leg zipper near the knee ground through.

When I had to dress sort of like a grownup for work the Darien was nice 'cause I could step out of it at my desk, swap the motocross boots for some Italian loafers and I was ready to "work"