#RidingJeans

"Entry-level" denim... starting at $199.

Begin press release:

Business casual, moto style

I’ve been wearing Alpinestars Copper Denim Pants in one form or another for seven years, and while I’ve been quite happy with how they looked like traditional jeans and provided comfort off the motorcycle, none of our staff of MOrons have put them to the ultimate test until now. If you’ve read my recent 2024 Triumph Street Triple 765 R/RS Review, you know I did a little pavement surfing on an Andalusian highway. Naturally, to further my embarrassment over my first crash at an introduction since 2015, I need to document the condition of every piece of gear that contacted the pavement so that you, dear reader, can judge the efficacy of the protection provided by my riding kit. The short version is that the Alpinestars Copper 2 Denim Pants sacrificed themselves so that my legs could escape unscathed. 

MO Tested: Alpinestars Copper Denim Pants

2024 Triumph Street Triple 765 R/RS Review – First Ride

For generations, the image of bikers in black leather jackets and blue jeans has been a (somewhat accurate) stereotype of motorcycle fashion. Riders and non-riders alike donned this gear to portray this lone individualist image. In fact, the riding gear I wore during my first, formative motorcycle trip as a newly-minted rider was a black leather jacket and blue jeans. And for a long time, this plus boots, gloves, and a helmet were state-of-the-art for rider protection. However, technology has transformed motorcycling in more ways than just adding computers to bikes. Over the past five years or so, we’ve seen an entirely new market of riding apparel move from obscure to relatively commonplace. Riding jeans have moved from merely being denim jeans with a layer of abrasive-resistant material as an under layer to fully technical motorcycle gear with certified armor and a variety of styles and materials.

Naturally, we, here at Motorcycle.com, thought that it would be interesting to take a deeper look at what this popular class of riding apparel has to offer. In the end, we ended up testing 34 pairs of riding jeans. We spent months gathering them and coming up with a uniform way to look at them and convey their qualities, both good and not-so-good, to our faithful readers. You can go ahead and protest our failure to include your favorite model, but we know we didn’t get them all. It would have been impossible. Really, just getting 34 took a lot of effort.

If the Google machine dropped you directly on this page without seeing the introduction to MO’s Massive Riding Jeans Buyer’s Guide, and you are confused as to what’s going on, you should click here to read the introduction and the full listing of jeans. If you’re the adventurous type who just wants to jump to our individual reviews of 34 pairs of jeans, the Table of Contents below will only give you a direct link to jeans on this page. So, we still recommend that you go to the introduction. There’s a lot of good info to cover.

MO Tested: Massive Riding Jeans Buyer’s Guide – Introduction

If the Google machine dropped you directly on this page without seeing the introduction to MO’s Massive Riding Jeans Buyer’s Guide, and you are confused as to what’s going on, you should click here to read the introduction and the full listing of jeans. If you’re the adventurous type who just wants to jump to our individual reviews of 34 pairs of jeans, the Table of Contents below will only give you a direct link to jeans on this page. So, we still recommend that you go to the introduction. There’s a lot of good info to cover.

MO Tested: Massive Riding Jeans Buyer’s Guide – Introduction

If the Google machine dropped you directly on this page without seeing the introduction to MO’s Massive Riding Jeans Buyer’s Guide, and you are confused as to what’s going on, you should click here to read the introduction and the full listing of jeans. If you’re the adventurous type who just wants to jump to our individual reviews of 34 pairs of jeans, the Table of Contents below will only give you a direct link to jeans on this page. So, we still recommend that you go to the introduction. There’s a lot of good info to cover.

MO Tested: Massive Riding Jeans Buyer’s Guide – Introduction

If the Google machine dropped you directly on this page without seeing the introduction to MO’s Massive Riding Jeans Buyer’s Guide, and you are confused as to what’s going on, you should click here to read the introduction and the full listing of jeans. If you’re the adventurous type who just wants to jump to our individual reviews of 34 pairs of jeans, the Table of Contents below will only give you a direct link to jeans on this page. So, we still recommend that you go to the introduction. There’s a lot of good info to cover.

MO Tested: Massive Riding Jeans Buyer’s Guide – Introduction

UPDATE 2/7/2023: We’ve since published a huge three-part motorcycle denim buyer’s guide that features 34 different pairs of denim, with selections for both men and women. Some of them are featured in the story below, but you can see them all by clicking over to the Buyer’s Guide.

It’s a little strange that, considering how long people have been wearing jeans and riding motorcycles, the idea of riding denim is still relatively new. Nonetheless, we’re happy apparel manufacturers far and wide have developed jeans we can wear both on and off the motorcycle. In case you’re not aware of why this is important, allow us to fill you in. Your standard pair of Levis may be really comfortable, but regular denim is terrible at protecting you if you fall off your motorcycle. When denim meets asphalt, it shreds to pieces in seconds. Not to mention that it provides no impact protection to your knees or hips.

Riding denim addresses these issues by incorporating some kind of reinforcing fiber to greatly bolster the jean’s ability to withstand road rash. Built-in pockets are made to accept different levels of armor to protect your knees and hips from impact with the ground. The tradeoff is a slightly heavier garment with a little less airflow, but overall riding jeans are a more comfortable alternative than dedicated technical riding pants.

Below are our picks for some of the best motorcycle riding jeans on the market today.

Like me, you probably know Aerostich as the company making funky one-piece motorcycle oversuits that go over your regular clothing. Well, that suit is called the Roadcrafter, there are many derivations of it, and it’s basically the class uniform for veteran moto-journalists. However, many people don’t know Aerostich also makes much, much more. Like this, the Protekt jeans.

Lately, motorcycle riding jeans have been popping up like mushrooms on a well-fertilized lawn after a spring rain. That’s good news for riders who want protection but don’t want to look like they’re ready for the track or are wearing a space suit when they’re off their motorcycle. While we have to acknowledge that riding jeans don’t offer as much protection as more technical riding gear, the inclusion of aramid abrasion panels and armor makes them significantly better than the Levis that riders have been wearing for generations. Where selection of denim motorcycle gear was once so limited that we could count the quality riding jeans available on one hand, we’ve now got no less than nine pairs of jeans in one buyer’s guide. We know we’ve barely scratched the surface, but we only wanted to include jeans that we’re actually wearing on a regular basis.

Read on to see what riding jeans your friendly neighborhood MOrons choose to protect their hides when out testing motorcycles.

Alpinestars Crank Riding Jean delivers a subtle, euro-styled, option for those looking to find a balance between safety and style.

Pando Moto is a new riding apparel company from Lithuania specializing in riding jeans. On July 26, Pando announced on its Facebook page how stoked the company is to be celebrating its first U.S. retail location in Los Angeles at Beach Moto.

According to Pando’s LinkedIn page the company was established in early 2011 and has since “evolved into a premium streetwear brand, offering limited edition designs, all professionally created and produced in Europe. Being fashion designers, world travellers and motorcycle enthusiasts we set ourselves on a mission to construct a pair of protective motorcycle jeans in a modern and fashionable cut. As a result, Pando Moto was introduced as the newest player in the protective motorcycle denim space. We are using only the finest quality fabrics together with forward-thinking ergonomic solutions to ensure rider’s style, ultra comfort and protection.”

For more check out pandomoto.com.

I’d be lying if I said I wear every bit of armor I own every time I hop on a motorcycle. While that’s not to say I run out the door wearing shorts, t-shirt and a helmet, when it comes to riding pants, for my daily commute more often than not I’m skipping the leather and opting for a set of jeans instead. But not just some average pair of Levis – recently I’ve been sporting the Dainese D6 Denim jeans. Here’s what I think about them.