I have been trying to find a good pair of riding pants and I have a few questions. 1st is how bad do jeans hold up in a crash? I was looking at the Icon jeans and they really seem to only have protection in the knees. The rest is just denim. I was also looking at the Timax line and that is about the same as well. I have been considering buying a pair of padded dirt bike undershorts and knee braces to wear under regular loose fitting jeans, this seems like a pretty good combo. I have a pair cordura riding pants, and leathers, and I realize these are best, but I really don't feel comfortable walking aound a mall or a hot summer event in them. Has anyone come up with a good medium? For years I have been riding with the best jacket/gloves/boots/helmet, but I wouldn't think twice about just throwing on blue jeans or even cotton work pants on to go short distances. It is just recently that I have been feeling real vulnerable. Suggestions?
how bad is a jean crash?
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If you slide, jeans may last about 10 feet if youre lucky.
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I've crashed at about 50 with Cabela's heavy duty geans on, and they did not protect well at all. large damage to my left knee, some to the right, and a good sized chunk taken out of my rear end. so now i ride with all leathers on, i dont want that to happen again. I haven't riden with anything other than those geans on though, so i can't help you with mutch, except to say don't wear regular or heavy duty geans while riding.
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nc_sv650
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Naturally, how bad depends on how bad you get off. Jeans have almost no abrasion-resistance compared to dedicated riding gear and no impact protection.
You'll probably do OK in a low-speed spill. You'll pick up some bruises and some road rash, as the jeans will shred as soon as they hit the pavement. At higher speeds you'll be sliding on skin as soon as the jeans wear through.
I still wear jeans- I ride everyday, year round and there are few practical alternatives- but I've got 25 (riding) years worth of scars, scrapes and dings to show for it.
You'll probably do OK in a low-speed spill. You'll pick up some bruises and some road rash, as the jeans will shred as soon as they hit the pavement. At higher speeds you'll be sliding on skin as soon as the jeans wear through.
I still wear jeans- I ride everyday, year round and there are few practical alternatives- but I've got 25 (riding) years worth of scars, scrapes and dings to show for it.
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crashing with while wearing regular jeans is why I have some lovely scars on my knees (especially the left), they are no protection at all. That being said, I do have a pair of DragginJeans with the knee pads that I'll wear riding.
Friend of mine just had a get off at about 80 on the interstate...his wallet is half as thick as it used to be. besides that he was mostly tumbling instead of sliding so his jeans were not too bad, little rash on his ass.
I would say that was a non-typical though. but does make me think some armor/pads in the pants would be nice.
If his girlfriend had not made him wear his helmet he wouldnt be around now. his jacket and helmet had serious rash and he somehow split the backside of his arm to the bone through the jacket without the jacket ripping.
Also on the bright side, most of my friends have given up wheelies...the one that went down was by far the most skilled in them and been doing it for years. He fell off the back of his bike when his tail snaped while he was draging it.
I would say that was a non-typical though. but does make me think some armor/pads in the pants would be nice.
If his girlfriend had not made him wear his helmet he wouldnt be around now. his jacket and helmet had serious rash and he somehow split the backside of his arm to the bone through the jacket without the jacket ripping.
Also on the bright side, most of my friends have given up wheelies...the one that went down was by far the most skilled in them and been doing it for years. He fell off the back of his bike when his tail snaped while he was draging it.
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I second this. With an overpant, it doesn't matter WHAT you've got on underneath. Sometimes I'm wearing dress pants - other times I'm in shorts.NOsquid said:
Even a pair of heavy-weight leather chaps/pants would do alright.
Anything is an improvement over regular jeans.
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Jeans suck, period. But hey, I still wear them, just a matter of how much of a risk you want to take. At about a 25mph lowside I got a chunk out of my knee, didn't do much sliding but where i did touch the pavement the jeans were torn.
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One of the plus' to additional riding pants is under armor, which would clearly help in impact absorbing as well.
Thats a good idea about locking a pair of overpants to the bike. If I put the cable through the arm of my jacket, thats even better yet. Thats a simple idea that I hadn't considered. It's way better than stuffing it all in a backpack and lugging everything around. Thanks.
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ghezbora
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+1NOsquid said:
you can get good protection out of some dedicated riding gear, abrasion protection and armor for the impacts, and then just take it off when you get where you're going and you can have docker's / jeans / shorts / whatever you wanna be in when you get there underneath.
What kind of riding?
If you're riding around town on surface streets then the speeds are low and the chances of having a spill are lower. If you are on the interstate the risks of injury without riding gear is very high, regardless of the risk of falling. So you need to consider both risk and speed.
Under Armor is athletic gear designed to keep you (depending on the model) cool or warm. It's crash protection benefit is about what you would expect for thin Spandex. Probably help keep you from getting burned by leather-to-cement friction. Jeans offer some protection some of the time. How much risk are you willing to take?
Nothing replaces good riding pants with armor, either leather or textile.
My protection mantra goes like this, in order of criticality:
1. Helmet (full face, no compromises)
2. Gloves (not necessarily armored, but good, thick leather)
3. Jacket (armored, motorcycle specific)
4. Boots (real armored motorcycle boots)
5. (from here it's optional depending on where and how fast) Pants (armored)
6. Earplugs (not needed for puttering around town)
This is an old list that came from some emergency room nurses I knew. The logic is to protect first what you can do least without.
If you're riding around town on surface streets then the speeds are low and the chances of having a spill are lower. If you are on the interstate the risks of injury without riding gear is very high, regardless of the risk of falling. So you need to consider both risk and speed.
Under Armor is athletic gear designed to keep you (depending on the model) cool or warm. It's crash protection benefit is about what you would expect for thin Spandex. Probably help keep you from getting burned by leather-to-cement friction. Jeans offer some protection some of the time. How much risk are you willing to take?
Nothing replaces good riding pants with armor, either leather or textile.
My protection mantra goes like this, in order of criticality:
1. Helmet (full face, no compromises)
2. Gloves (not necessarily armored, but good, thick leather)
3. Jacket (armored, motorcycle specific)
4. Boots (real armored motorcycle boots)
5. (from here it's optional depending on where and how fast) Pants (armored)
6. Earplugs (not needed for puttering around town)
This is an old list that came from some emergency room nurses I knew. The logic is to protect first what you can do least without.
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real lucky, jeans obviously are made with different weights of denim, Carhartts might last 10 feet, Faded Glory jeans from Walmart will prolly rip the monment you go down.Novadesigns said:
that said, I ride with jeans a lot, It's a risk assesment. Jeans will not injure you unless you first crash. usually when I am working it's a PIA to wear ridign pants. sometimes however, my work requires me to make way thru brambles, briars and other thorny brush, wearing motorcycle gear is actually quite convenient for that work.
I bought a pair of thick cowhide leather overpants from Jafrum Leather's Ebay store for $80. They have nice metal full length side zips so that I can put them on easily over my dress pants when cummuting or over shorts when going to the beach. I'm going to sew in some knee armor soon.
I feel a lot better about riding with these than with jeans.
I feel a lot better about riding with these than with jeans.
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Draggin Jeans and some others aren't made of denim, mind, they're a reinforced fibre that slides far better. Seen the photos on Draggin's site with the guy getting dragged behind the car? 
I reckon that in a routine slide, you're goign to slide more on your rear end than anything else- certainly that's where most of the damage on my leathers went. An awful lot of "amoured" jeans are just denim with padding in, and have no butt protection at all.
I reckon that in a routine slide, you're goign to slide more on your rear end than anything else- certainly that's where most of the damage on my leathers went. An awful lot of "amoured" jeans are just denim with padding in, and have no butt protection at all.
anyone thought about buying kevlar and sewing it to some jeans instead buying the draggin jeans for $100/each?
My issue is that, going to school every day, I go in the morning and am there all day. It would be too much of a pain in the ass to wear leather pants and take them off or wear them around (AKA feel like a complete dumbass) etc... I cant lock something to the bike and expect to see it there when I come back every afternoon. I have a ton of books to take already and no extra room for overpants. If I could get some draggin jeans or something like it, that I can wear at school all day, it would be perfect.
Also, although the damage is worse for highway accidents, they are much less common than city accidents. I have never come close to an accident on the highway. Driving around a college town on the other hand, has proven to be risky business.
My issue is that, going to school every day, I go in the morning and am there all day. It would be too much of a pain in the ass to wear leather pants and take them off or wear them around (AKA feel like a complete dumbass) etc... I cant lock something to the bike and expect to see it there when I come back every afternoon. I have a ton of books to take already and no extra room for overpants. If I could get some draggin jeans or something like it, that I can wear at school all day, it would be perfect.
Also, although the damage is worse for highway accidents, they are much less common than city accidents. I have never come close to an accident on the highway. Driving around a college town on the other hand, has proven to be risky business.
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These are excellent excuses. :wink:
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