Hi everyone

I am after some specific advice from those amongts you that have ridden for a wihile on the road

My background is from Off road riding (did the Simpson in 05 and 2010 for instance) and i have just bought a 03 Fatboy and boy am i loving it .(IMmean really liking it)

i have to admit i am liking it as much as my off road adventures (so that must be a good thing)

like im still using my off road helmet (true) and whilst its not as cool looking as a open face i see 2 advantages

- riding into the sun with a peak on the helmet is VERY handy

- i dont get any crap off the road hitting me in the face .You guys must get smashed with crap off the road in a open face helmet

Anyway back to my original query .

What riding pants do you guys / gals use .

Im using Levis but seriously i am pretty concerned about coming off and getting gravel rashed (I have a Arlen Ness jacket)

Ive seen these "Draggin " jeans but Im  not so sure about them

I'd  apprecaiet ANY advice that you may have as most of ypu have ridden on the road for a LOT longer then me (my case is 10 Months and 5000 Kms)

 

Many Thanks

 

Hi there and welcome to the world of Harley riding.

I've done 47k since I got my Deuce. Not a lot of weather protection on that and plenty of shocking weather rides

I bought a pair of Thomas Cook water resistant and windproof jeans which are OK on and off the bike. They don't have kevlar protection though. Most kevlar lined jeans aren't waterproof. Go figure. I supplement mine on really wet days with a pair of light waterproof ski or hiking over trousers which fold up and go into a tool bag.

Many of the fellers on this forum have bought those Dririder / RST waterproof and lined riding trousers and or jackets and I must confess they look the business. I'm thinking about upgrading to those. I think they can have knee protection added in but I don't think are kevlar lined. Better than a pair of jeans I would think. I do know people that have bought similar and in really wet days, have found themselves with a cold wet crutch so ask the salesman.

Best thing I did was buy a proper pair of waterproof Rossi riding boots to go with the jeans, work boots just don't cut it on really wet days.

I've got about a dozen pairs of gloves from fingerless up to heavy HD to over canvas mittens. None truly waterproof so bought a cheap pair of completely waterproof / windproof ski gloves to stow on board when it really pisses down / or likely to.

For a jacket, wet days, its the HD leather jacket and I hunch in behind the screen. 

Good luck. Many on ths forum ride in far more parlous conditions than I so will be able to give better advice. Cheers

I have a 950 Adventure for the dirt stuff !
Lots of Kevlar jeans around now, but I still rate the Aussie' made Draggins as very good - and I've tested them !
Lets face it, in a serious off, they aren't as good as leather with armour, but they are far better than regular jeans.
I don't trust some of the cheap gear, so expect to spend around $200.

I own the Draggins jeans and do recommend them. My first pair had some issues with the zipper but a quick call to them and they happily replaced them within a couple of days. Their service and products are excellent and they're Aussie .

I also own a pair of Revit Memphis jeans and would also highly recommend these if you're after a bit more protection and waterproof.

Nuthin beats lined leather jeans Kato.

Draggins are only partly kevlar lined jeans, over priced and over rated. uncomfortable mutha fuckers if ya got balls too.

If ya want to go kevlar lined denim jeans, do for the ones that are fully lined and made from stretch denim, there's plenty around.

Best and most comfortable I ever come across were the old Starider stretch fully lined.

Fully lined Kevlar are the way to go in jeans. 450 Gram if possible.
Best are leather. I expect you have them from your off road riding.
If so, just wear those.

Agree with the boys full lined Kevlar , don't waste money on partial lined crap which cost too much 

if I had to buy Kevlar jeans again, I would surely go with fully lined and the maximum gram I could get. Like others have mentioned, look at other options which are fully lined and offer better value for money...

Folks, here's a review / comparison of Kevlar lined jeans from the aussie fellow at FinnMoto. I think he is either a one time or current sponsor of the forum.

http://finnmoto.com.au/product-review/motorcycle-kevlar-jeans-buying-guide

Thanks to everyonenn fot their opinions on the style of pants to buy 

I'll be going leather or fully Kevlar lined 

I never knew Dragon were not fully lined Kevlar pants - so thanks for the tip off 

If your riding around at normal speed limits and cruising about in general imo normal jeans will do fine just don't fall off .

Mickle has a pair of fully lined kevlar jeans he got from U.K. that look the goods . I love the waterproof/lined RST/Dririder type pants  .

http://www.hoodjeans.co.uk/

If you want protection from impact, only armour will do.

If you want protection from road rash due to sliding, think of it as a scale, from left to right being from more to no protection: Full leather, cordura and/or 500+denier nylon, leather chaps, Kevlar lined jeans, Kevlar in knees/butt/hips jeans, jeans, shorts, undies, naked.

Edit: I put the cordura and nylon below the full leather only because many times you find cordura and nylon pants advertised for their abrasion resistance but the denier (textile strength) scale is not made clear, and can be below 500, at which point full leather has superior abrasion resistance. But really good quality cordura and or +500D nylon pants can often have armour built in plus waterproof membranes..

If the issue is comfort, jeans. Though comments saying the Draggin jeans are uncomfortable might be poor sizing, as the company recommends a size up (hem them and throw em in the dryer). Leather can be insufferable in the heat. But it's a preference thing really.

Some say leather or Kevlar lining is of course safe but uncomfortable, so jeans will do. Let's face it, many of us wear jeans, especially on daily commutes etc, for pragmatic reasons. Not looking like the village people just for a coffee run. But ask anyone who slid in an accident and they did not have more protective gear on, and they wished they had. In the end, we all think it won't happen to us. But it happens to us. As they say, two types of riders, those who have been down and those who will go down. Will we get lucky? Meaning if we have less protection will it bite us? Maybe, maybe not. I got ran off the road by an oncoming truck once, at about 65km/h. Hit a guide rail and did the superman thing. Bruised up but no road rash because I flew not slid. I think I got lucky as I was in jeans. 

Don't forget good boots. In a slide or tumble/slide they can provide braking power (often not intentionally, but because of natural weight transfer). 

Open face (without a hanky) and Levis. Toughen up and don't fall off.