There is a lot of potential at the intersection of knowing how to sew and loving to ride my motorcycle. What adds fuel to that fire is the atrocious selection of women’s motorcycle gear, which suffers from the following:
- if it looks good, it has ZERO protection
- if it’s certified protection, it looks awful
- it’s unbearably uncomfortable
- it was designed for some sort of human-ish form that is not a woman
So I decided to take a shot at sewing my own pants.
Hurdle #1: Sourcing Fabric
If you ever wanted to embark on a quest with a thousand dead ends, go search for fabric for motorcycle gear by-the-yard, and make it even more difficult by trying to find stretchy fabric by the yard for motorcycle gear. You want stretch and abrasion resistance. So you’re hunting for something like Cordura or Kevlar or Kozane. But alas, if you find anything, it’s not for sale for the average consumer by the yard. Nope. It’s for buying in bulk for your own mass production purposes.
Which leaves the average consumer with limited options:
Since I wanted stretch for leggings, I chose to try the Spandura.
This newly developed nylon spandex combines the durability of Cordura nylon and the stretch of spandex. The result is a hi-tech high performance nylon/spandex knit that works where abrasion resistance and endurance are a critical factor.
Hurdle #2: Is it actually durable enough?
No—according to my husband, who claims he took a piece outside and shredded it to bits on our driveway. But it was too late before our week-long trip for me to do anything about that. I’d already sewn my custom pair of leggings and there was no time to shop for anything off the rack—especially anything I wouldn’t hate wearing for a week.
So how was the Spandura in real life?
It was okay but also kind of disappointing.
- I had sewn two little strips of self-adhering velcro to the inside around my hips to hold some hip armor in place. That was very uncomfortable and I ditched the hip armor after the first day. The leftover velcro tabs were itchy against my skin, so I had to tuck in my shirts to mitigate that. Not the end of the world.
- There wasn’t quite enough vertical ease over my knees, so the pockets I had sewn to hold my knee armor ended up hurting my knees by the end of the trip. (When I say hurt, I’m talking very mild. I wasn’t in pain, but bending my knees was uncomfortable and I straight up ditched the knee armor the last 2 days or so.)
- My first pair I had sewn with the smaller seam allowance (meaning they were slightly bigger) ended up being a little too big for my taste. They didn’t stay in place as well and were a little too baggy around the crotch.
Thankfully, testing the abrasion-resistance was a non-issue, but one can never assume that will always be the case. Dress for the worst and ride smart.
Now what?
I am considering a traditional jeans pattern to make out of non-stretch Kevlar denim. This is going to take some trial and error because I’ve never sewn a pair of non-stretch jeans, and fitting jeans with stretch is challenge enough. The upside to non-stretch, though, is test garments become infinitely easier because all you need is some cheap fabric in a similar weight that doesn’t stretch.
I will also hit up our massive gear store up in Denver and try on every single pair of pants possible. Maybe I’ll get lucky. If not, then it’s plan B: keep sewing.
Fast-forward: I went, I tried, I came away with a pair of pants that fits well and is quite comfortable and looks nice…except there’s nothing special about the fabric. Polyester. No abrasion resistance. Le sigh. Come on Rev’It! You were so close! They at least have armor pockets at the knees and hips, though. I put in the hip armor I got when ordering yet another reject pair of moto pants that I ended up returning, but I don’t wear the knee armor because it hurts my knees.
Then I found Trilobite Leather Leggings, which are from a store in Europe that I snatched during their 15% off Cyber Monday discount. These are apparently made from leather with aramid reinforcement, plus they come with knee protectors and are prepared for hip protectors. So…definitely beats polyester. They have an AA certification.
Trilobite Verdict
Totally wearable. Leather, aramid lining, knee and hip armor pockets, regular front pockets, comfort, and style. And this brand makes more than just leather leggings. They make a whole line of women’s moto pants. I ordered and tried two more pairs and neither of them was remotely as good as the leather ones. And returning merch to Europe is wildly expensive, so we’re not doing that again.
The pants I DID get/keep are pretty darn good. Here’s what’s lacking:
- I find any type of knee armor—even ghost armor—very uncomfortable with my knees bent. Because these are primarily non-stretch pants, they pull the armor backward into my knee which creates the sensation of my knee being constantly jammed up against something. If it’s uncomfortable after only a few seconds, it will become unbearable when riding. So I don’t wear the knee armor.
- Even if I did wear the knee armor, I wish the design for inserting/removing the armor was made with an outside zipper. It’s very laborious having to constantly put on and take off the pants to adjust the position of the armor.
- It’s quite an aggressive garment, which is to be expected for something that provides good protection made out of good materials. I’m incredibly sensitive about how pants fit around my abdomen, and the waistband on these tends to dig in. It’s not overly objectionable, and I do remain quite comfortable in these pants while riding, but off the bike—sitting down to eat, especially—is restrictive.
And here’s what’s awesome:
- Surprisingly temperature regulated. Granted, I haven’t ridden through the desert in August with these yet, but I’ve gone between 40°F up to mid-70s so far, and my legs have been comfortable the whole time—like my-legs-don’t-even-know-the-temperature-outside comfortable.
- Hip armor is comfortable to wear.
- Just the right amount of ease to fit over my boots.
And then she found BowTex
Behold, the mythical women’s moto pants: Bowtex Elite Leggings V2.
- AAA certified.
- Magically lightweight. Seriously; they came in a plastic shipping bag and I was like…really? That’s it?
- The lining on these feels so good. It’s not that loose mesh that turns into a swampy trap when you sweat. It wears like it’s one layer, and it’s so smooth and cool against the skin.
- Knee armor that doesn’t hurt. I’ve never known that sensation! But within a minute or two of putting these on, I forgot they had knee armor. And that didn’t change with riding/bending my legs. I’m not even aware of the armor.
- They look great. Simple. Sleek. Flattering seamlines.
- Made to fit a woman’s body. Ample front and back rises. No gapping at the back.
- Stretchy. They move with you.
- Fitted. Designed to keep the armor in place, to be worn alone, or underneath anything else.
- Surprisingly good airflow for having the highest certification.
- Only three critiques: no pockets, the drawstring at the waist isn’t removeable, and they are pricey—until you consider what your skin is worth. Think about it like that and they’re super cheap. I even bought a second pair because they are that good and I am that paranoid I will never find them or anything like them again.
So I guess this post is less about sewing and more about the Great Hunt for Women’s Moto Gear. Because to be perfectly honest, homemade moto gear is probably something I don’t want to rely on.
I’m finally fully geared and I’m happy with every piece:
- Shoei Neotech II helmet
- Alpinestars Stella Bogota Pro Drystar jacket
- Harley Belhaven boots
- Harley H-D Brawler Full Finger Gloves
- I have a few other pairs of gloves, but these are my favorite.
- Bowtex Elite Leggings V2
- and my custom Tencel Lyocell base layer rompers
We’re not going to talk about what all that adds up to other than a wise attempt to dress for the slide.
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