Motorcycle jeans buying guide | Everything you need to know about riding jeans from AAA to just A

If you’re honest, you’ve probably ridden a motorbike in normal denim jeans before (I certainly have). The ease and comfort of throwing on your favorite leather jacket, gloves and a helmet and heading out the door is very tempting.

The tl;dr? Here are the best riding jeans we tested

• AAA single layer – Roadskin Taranis
• AA single layer – Oxford Original Approved AA Dynamic
• Ladies’ – Bull-It Tactical Icona II

Most riders want both comfort and safety, but what’s the winning ratio? And what’s your budget? The good news is there’s plenty of choices. To start, three CE safety standards help buyers gauge protection against impact and abrasion (AAA, AA and A). After that, it’s up to you. Water resistant? Cool for summer riding? Or maybe style is king? Whatever your preference, there’s riding pants to fit your bottom line, pun intended.

The seasoned riders of MCN’s staff put in thousands of miles in good and bad weather to bring you these riding jeans reviews. Check it out.   

Jump to:

• AAA jeans
• AA jeans
• Waterproof jeans
• Women’s jeans
• How we test kit
• What to look for when buying riding jeans
• FAQ

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AAA-rated motorbike jeans

Triple A jeans offer the best CE rating for riding jeans.Years ago, AAA meant heavy, bulky, and restrictive leather pants. But improved textile tech (along with a revised testing process) mean lighter, more comfortable denim options make the grade.

Find our full list of AAA-rated jeans

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AA-rated motorbike jeans

If AAA-rated jeans are beyond your budget and you’re mostly a city rider, AA-rated riding jeans might fit the bill. They won’t perform like AAA-rated pants but can be fitted with level 2 armor and still represent a huge improvement from “civilian” pants.

Find our full list of AA-rated jeans

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A rated motorbike jeans

These offer the lowest abrasion and impact resistance  but for moped or scooter riders, they might be ideal. There are B and C-ratings for off-road riding pants, but we’ll focus on road riding jeans here.

Where’s the A-rated riding jeans? With the sheer number of AAA and AA options at great prices, we felt it wasn’t necessary to review less safe riding jeans only costing $25-$40 less. 

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Waterproof motorbike jeans

Ordinarily, denim is a sponge for rain, but water resistant and even fully waterproof riding jeans options exist. Fully waterproof jeans aren’t exactly as comfortable as porous denim. But as any rider knows, a set of waterproofs in a backpack usually keeps the rain away.

Find our full list of waterproof jeans

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Women’s jeans and leggings

While pure rain gear can be unisex, womens’ riding jeans clearly need different fitment and sizing. Style considerations may vary as well. Women riders even have CE-rated leggings to consider if comfort and freedom (and good weather) are most important.

Find our full list of ladies’ jeans and leggings

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Ladies’ leggings

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Riding jeans cheat sheet for buyers

“Riding jeans” can mean anything constructed from denim reinforced with super materials like Kevlar, Covec, Aramid, Pekev, and others materials being trademarked at the time of this writing.

They’ll typically include armor at the knees and/or hips, made of the same materials as the riding jacket armor and can be CE Level 1 or Level 2-rated. Level 1 offers less protection but is less bulky while Level 2 is safer but takes up more space.

Safety ratings

It’s really up to you. You’re the decider of what protection is right for you. You may not want AAA jeans and CE Level 2 hip and knee armor for a scooter trip to the corner store. Comfort is related to safety, but so is confidence. Highway or performance riding will obviously tilt the scales towards safety, and all these metrics have budgetary concerns for some. But ultimately, every rider decides for themselves.

Riding jeans are tested against criteria that simulate crash impact and the subsequent slide. A full list of denim CE testing can be found here. A passing garment receives a rating under the EN 17092 testing standard.

The bottom line is, any level of reinforcement in your jeans offers better protection than normal jeans or pants. Consider buying a proper riding pants or jeans before you throw a leg over your bike, period.

Potential watch out: Some CE ratings refer to the fabric they’re made from rather than the riding jeans as a whole. Others mention CE Level 2 for the armor, but have no CE rating (AAA, AA or A) for the riding jeans themselves. 

Single layer or lined?

Once you’ve picked the safety rating, it’s time to think about the outer shell and inner liner. Some riding jeans use standard denim with protective liner. Though bulkier and hotter, they’re cheaper than comparable single-layer options.

Single-layer jeans use Kevlar (and other  super fabrics) for a lighter and cooler garment, like everyday jeans. They’re often more comfortable and cooler in summer. Between the two options, there’s plenty of lining choices available.

Do you wear your riding jeans after riding? Or all day?  Single-layer jeans will probably work better. Need something cooler? Lined jeans might be your best bet, especially if you stay on your bike for most of the day.

FAQs

How are single layer jeans different from lined jeans?

Single layer means abrasion-resistant material is woven directly into the outer layer. Conversely, lined jeans have a regular cotton denim outer shell with a separate inner lining made with abrasion-resistant material, usually aramid fibers or material like Kevlar.

How are riding jeans tested?

Riding jeans designated as PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) must earn certification through a range of EN 17092 standardized tests. These tests include:

Impact energy absorption

This covers the armor, which is mandatory in class AAA and AA apparel for shoulder, elbow, knee and hip. Hip protectors are optional for class A. Armor must cover the appropriate body part and be certified to EN 1621. There are two classes for armor, level 1 and 2, with the latter offering greater performance.

Impact abrasion resistance

This test measures how well apparel performs when worn by an average rider (weighing 165 lbs and measuring 5’ 6” tall) in a slide. Three samples of the same apparel are mounted in a rotating rig at different angles and impacted on an asphalt surface at a prescribed speed. Afterward, if the samples show no holes, they’re subjected to this twice more. To pass, no hole bigger than 5mm (just over 3/16 of an inch) can be present at the test’s conclusion.

Seam strength and structural closures

All seams, including those of the protector pockets, and zip fasteners are subjected to this test (EN 13594) to ensure that they have sufficient resistance to being torn apart.

Tear strength

A number of samples are taken from the garment to measure resistance to further tearing once they have been split.

Dimensional stability

To ensure that apparel is not affected by thorough washing, it is subjected to five separate controlled washing cycles. Any fixed armor must remain in place and the garment must not shrink any further than 5% during this process.

Innocuousness

In order to make sure that apparel is safe to wear against the skin in normal use, this test covers the chemicals and dyes used in the production process that remain in the fabric.

Fit and ergonomics

Apparel is tested by an assessor to ensure the necessary range of movements matches the application and that fit aligns with the manufacturer’s size guide.

Classification

Assuming a garment achieves a pass in all tests, classification is awarded according to the performance level as follows:

AAA (EN 17092-2:2020) The highest achievable for abrasion resistance.
AA (EN 17092-3:2020) A lower pass for abrasion resistance.
A (EN 17092-4:2020) The lowest classification for abrasion resistance.
B (EN 17092-5:2020) This is for garments which have no impact protection but do offer abrasion resistance.
C (EN 17092-6:2020) For garments offering solely impact protection without abrasion resistance, such as armored shorts or vests designed to be worn as a base layer.

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How MCN tested these riding jeans

At MCN, our team of expert journalists use decades of experience gained over hundreds of thousands of miles to make sure you spend your hard-earned dollars on the right bike kit.

We don’t test riding jeans to destruction, we use them exactly how you do; in the real world and in all conditions. That means we can deliver impartial buying advice you can rely on.

We ask our testers to consider several parameters when they’re riding in jeans. They are the following:

Comfort

Are the jeans comfortable compared to other pairs we’ve tested but also compared to normal pants? Riding jeans can be worn for a day at work or when grabbing a drink on the way home and so they need to be comfortable both on and off the bike.

Practicality

A pair of riding jeans will never be as practical as, say, a pair of laminated textile pants, but they can still have pockets in the right places and some are even water resistant or claim to be waterproof.

Looks

The looks of any garment is purely subjective, but we still like our testers to give an opinion. They’ve got experience of the industry and have an eye for what people want, after all. With riding jeans in particular, testers can consider whether they look like ‘normal jeans’ or not.

Quality

When you’ve worn and handled a lot of kit you start to get a feeling for build quality. It’s sometimes obvious that a pair of jeans will start to wear through or fade in high friction zones but other pairs can feel like they’ll last a lifetime. It doesn’t mean we won’t put them through miles of testing, too, but it’s a good guide.

Protection

As outlined above, riding jeans have different levels of protection. This is an objective measure in terms of the testing standard the jeans have met, but has a subjective angle. Would the tester feel confident crashing in them?

Value

Value isn’t the same as cheapness. Our testers consider the quality of the product, the level of protection and also things like the warranty on offer when scoring for value.

Overall

An aggregate of the other scores.

All of the jeans in this page have been tested in the real world by a member of the team and scored at least four stars overall.

Our scores explained

When we review a product, we award it a score out of five. In the ratings tab of a given product, you may also find more specific scores for the different aspects of a product’s performance to help you make an informed decision. Here’s a guide to what each number score means:

• 1 star – Poor performance in this category or overall. A product with a single star rating has fallen below the expected standard and should be avoided.
• 2 stars – Basic performance in this area or overall. A product with a two-star rating has managed to perform to a barely acceptable level and there is room for improvement.
• 3 stars – An average performance in this area or overall. A product with a three-star rating has achieved a basic level of performance and is deemed adequate.
• 4 stars – A product has performed over and above the accepted averaged in this category or overall. A product with a four-star rating has surpassed expectation and delivered in a particularly impressive way.
• 5 stars – A product has performed at the highest possible level in a particular category or overall. A product with a five-star rating has delivered to the highest possible level, impressing the tester with its performance. We would happily spend our own money on it.

To find out more, head to our dedicated page explaining how we test motorcycle products. 

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