[vonnieda]

Hey all, just a quick question here. I ride wearing armored gloves, mesh jacket with armor, full face helmet and mid-ankle length leather boots but for my bottom half I only ever wear jeans. After reading that story about the girl who lost most of her skin in a wreck I am wondering how much I am risking my own skin wearing just jeans.

I've never taken to wearing any kind of riding pants because I am almost always riding to or from somewhere where I have to not look like a Power Ranger.

So, my question is: If I take a dive are the jeans just going to peel back and expose me to the street? Am I being stupid by not having some kind of riding pants over them?

Thanks DML!

 

[MonsterHooligan]

Most riders wear a motorcycle jacket (97%) but fewer wear motorcycle pants (45%). This is despite the fact there is actually far more risk of injury to the legs than to the upper body or arms. Four out of five motorcycle casualties (81%) have injured their legs and a third have broken bones (32%). Arm injuries are less common (56%) and less likely to involve fractures (17%).

source http://www.roadsafety.mccofnsw.org.au/a/88.html

 

[DeadMR2]

Hey all, just a quick question here. I ride wearing armored gloves, mesh jacket with armor, full face helmet and mid-ankle length leather boots but for my bottom half I only ever wear jeans. After reading that story about the girl who lost most of her skin in a wreck I am wondering how much I am risking my own skin wearing just jeans.

I've never taken to wearing any kind of riding pants because I am almost always riding to or from somewhere where I have to not look like a Power Ranger.

So, my question is: If I take a dive are the jeans just going to peel back and expose me to the street? Am I being stupid by not having some kind of riding pants over them?

Thanks DML!

get a pair of riding pants that can go over regular clothing
that way you can swhitch back to your secret identity when you aren't riding

 

[test-reg]

Hey all, just a quick question here. I ride wearing armored gloves, mesh jacket with armor, full face helmet and mid-ankle length leather boots but for my bottom half I only ever wear jeans. After reading that story about the girl who lost most of her skin in a wreck I am wondering how much I am risking my own skin wearing just jeans.

I've never taken to wearing any kind of riding pants because I am almost always riding to or from somewhere where I have to not look like a Power Ranger.

So, my question is: If I take a dive are the jeans just going to peel back and expose me to the street? Am I being stupid by not having some kind of riding pants over them?

Thanks DML!

Try Draggin Jeans

 

[spidey]

I've got Darien textile overpants for bopping around. They fold right up in my bag once I get to my stop, and voila! I'm wearin' jeans. They've got hip and knee armor.

Riding in just jeans *can* be ok, but you're playing with fire. Just like you can come off a bike at 80+ and not hit your head (I've done it), but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't wear a helmet for all those other times.

 

[ashe]

jeans don't come close to providing the same abrasion resistance as motorcycle-specific gear. i bought & returned a pair of draggin' jeans cause i didn't feel safe in them. just as many of the reinforced jeans, they're not 100% completely lined w/ aramid/kevlar. thus, areas that only have cotton fabric still remain vulnerable. we don't decide what part of our jeans we slide on when we fall. i've read that cotton jeans require only 4.5 lbs of force until fabric tears. abrasion resistance is also limited to about 5 ft. of slide.

i would wear motorcycle-specific overpants if leather pants aren't suitable for your destination. most would easily fold into a backpack even w/ armor on. there are many options available out there... best to find one that will zip to your jacket.

 

[CRASH!]

I raced bicycles for years before finally getting into motorycles. I have scars on my hips from where my skin exploded in 30 mph or slower bicycle crashes.

I have ridden without armored riding pants probably no more than a half dozen times. I just can't be comfortable riding unprotected.

As for looking like a "power ranger," what the hell do you care what anyone else thinks? **** 'em! You're a motorcyclist and if they think you gear is funny -- they're the idiots!

When you get to a certain age, you don't give a **** what people think of you. Or more accurately, you don't give a **** about the people who choose to judge you on superficials. I'm well past that age [cheeky]

 

[spidey]

When you get to a certain age, you don't give a **** can't remember what people think of you.

When you get to a certain age, you **** you r s e l f . I'm well past that age [cheeky]

There ya go, Don. Fixed 'em for ya. [cheeky]

 

[CRASH!]

Good to know you got my back Spidey :-*

 

[vonnieda]

Thanks for the responses all. I'll be heading up to the local gear shop tomorrow morning to get some overpants.
As for looking like a power ranger, I ride to work and back and I need to at least be able to look presentable when I sit down in my chair. Overpants, I think, is the way to go.
Thanks again! I'll dedicate my first slide down the highway to ya'll

Jason

 

[DeadMR2]

There ya go, Don. Fixed 'em for ya. [cheeky]

lmao!

Thanks for the responses all. I'll be heading up to the local gear shop tomorrow morning to get some overpants.
As for looking like a power ranger, I ride to work and back and I need to at least be able to look presentable when I sit down in my chair. Overpants, I think, is the way to go.
Thanks again! I'll dedicate my first slide down the highway to ya'll

Jason

don't fall at all... but if it happens, thanks! [thumbsup]

 

[vonnieda]

Welp, I got a pair of Joe Rocket Alter Ego overpants. They are pretty sweet! I feel safer already
http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=554-1002

 

[okemos]

In a fall on asphalt your jeans are going to shred in the first millisecond. In a bad fall, you'll be lucky if you're still wearing pants when you're done sliding. I fell on asphalt once. I ground down my patella so that it has a flat spot. I still have rocks in my knee from 30 years ago.

 

[okemos]

Hey, Vonneida, those pants you mentioned, how would that fabric hold up in a slide on asphalt? Is the maker saying they will not tear and are you protected from abrasion? I like how you probably could wear them over jeans. But is the fabric slippery so you might slip off your seat? Let us know or pm me. Thanks.

 

[CRASH!]

Thanks for the responses all. I'll be heading up to the local gear shop tomorrow morning to get some overpants.
As for looking like a power ranger, I ride to work and back and I need to at least be able to look presentable when I sit down in my chair. Overpants, I think, is the way to go.
Thanks again! I'll dedicate my first slide down the highway to ya'll

Jason

I commute to work every chance I get. I generally wear 2-pc leathers and change in my office. If you don't have an office, it's more difficult. It's a PITA to go to the bathroom to change. I also have cordura overpants and jacket and used to wear those for the convenience of just stripping them off. Gets tough in the middle of winter; any pants I wear wrinkle pretty badly under the overpants when it's hot and humid. So packing pants in my tank bag and changing makes me a lot more presentable. Then it doesn't really matter whether I'm wearing leather or cordura...

I still get "superhero" wisecracks some days when I stride in wearing leather. It's meant to be good natured, but it still gets annoying. To me, protective motorcycle gear shouldn't be worth even a comment. It should be taken for granted