Best summer motorcycle trousers | We've tested these trousers to help keep you cool

While multi-season textile jackets, with various detachable linings and waterproof membranes, are now commonplace, finding a pair of the best summer motorcycle trousers with plenty of ventilation options for summer isn’t always as easy.

In weather-blighted Britain, we’re more usually concerned about finding the right warm biking gear to keep us snug in cold temperatures and in winter, getting the right gear to help us keep cool in the heat of summer is also important.

Yes, you can go the whole hog and opt for some all-season trousers, but if you only want some lightweight motorcycle trousers you’ll likely be paying over the odds for features you don’t need.

Jump to:

• What to consider when buying summer motorcycle trousers
• Best riding jeans for summer
• Best textile trousers for riding in hot weather
• Best summer ladies’ trousers
• FAQ
• How we test summer trousers

A more limited choice doesn’t mean you’re restricted in style. You can get lightweight summer motorcycle trousers in a traditional touring style, more fitted sports style, ‘adventure’ style or more leisure-looking traditional jean or cargo-pant style – there are also ones in both men’s and women’s cuts.

With all, you should check out the ventilation and type of design carefully, suss out the level of CE protection offered – being cool and stylish shouldn’t mean skimping on safety – work out how practical they are for the type of riding you do (some are more multi-season by offering detachable thermal liners) as well as assessing their style and value. Here’s our pick of the best. The rest, if you want to stay cool – is up to you!

What to consider when buying summer motorcycle trousers

Summer motorcycle trousers are all about keeping you cool and protected while you ride, and there’s a number of things to look out for that will help with this. Consider the construction material, as it should be breathable enough to let air flow through the garment, while still offering a good level of protection.

Speaking of which, you’ll also want to consider any rated protection, such as impact and abrasion resistance. It’s more difficult to make a summer garment safe, as there’s often less material and more openings for ventilation sake, but there’s no reason you can’t get a good level of protection from summer motorcycle trousers without boiling on the saddle.

• Related: Best open-face motorcycle helmets

Consider how the trousers will fit on you, perhaps with and without some lightweight base layers, and if you’re unsure then make sure to try before you commit to them. Trousers won’t be comfortable or safe if they don’t fit properly, and some trousers will fit bigger or smaller than their size might indicate.

You may also want to consider style, and there’s all kinds of summer kit out there for any style you can think of. Think about what will match your bike, the style you like, and what will match with your summer jacket and summer gloves.

Our best summer motorcycle trousers

Jeans

There are several different types of motorcycle jeans to consider, ranging from A-AAA safety rated and with a single layer of reinforced denim or a liner, depending on your budget and the level of comfort and that protection you’re after.

Textile trousers

So if you want summer-specific textile motorcycle pants, there are basically two ways you can go – for lightweight designs with plenty of ventilation or for those with easily breathable mesh liners – or both!

Ladies’ trousers

Ladies trousers will be cut to fit the wider hips of the women’s body, but getting the sizing right for female riders can be tricky, so here are a few of our tested summer trousers by ladies on the MCN team.

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Frequently asked questions

Are regular jeans okay for summer motorcycle riding?

Although they may look tough on the surface, regular jeans aren’t strong enough to protect you in the event of a motorcycle crash. Even during a low speed slide in a pair of denim jeans, the road will eat them up in less than a second, leaving you up a creek with no paddle in sight.

By contrast, motorcycle jeans are much stronger. They’re made by mixing the denim with other, tougher materials, which earns them rated abrasion resistance. They can also feature impact armour, and extra abrasion resistant linings, for a higher rated level of safety.

This combination of safety features will help significantly reduce the risk of injury, should you be involved in a crash. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a good pair of motorcycle jeans, and compared to a pair of denim jeans it’s absolutely no contest which is safest.

Can I get summer trousers that are as safe as others?

In a word, yes. Many motorcycle jeans and textile trousers are now made to meet the higher safety ratings. Some are even AAA rated, which is the highest abrasion resistance rating there is. Also check the armour that’s in a pair of trousers, level 1 is not bad but level 2 armour is best.

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How we test summer motorcycle trousers

At MCN, our team of expert journalists have decades of experience gained over hundreds of thousands of miles in order to provide you with opinions and evaluations you can trust, alongside news of the most significant developments in motorcycling safety gear. We want you to stay safe, enjoy your riding and hopefully look great while doing so! 

We don’t test our kit to destruction; we use it exactly how you do, in the real world and in all conditions.

That means we can deliver impartial buying advice you can rely on. To make it onto this list, summer trousers must have been worn for hundreds or thousands of miles by our team of experienced testers, show no major flaws, and meet modern safety standards as well as offering decent value for money. 

Each of our expert reviewers tests their trousers for a variety of things, both subjective and objective. Factors assessed include the level of safety rating, what armour is fitted, how breathable they are, do they look good and do they have any additional features like waterproofing or removal linings.

However, we also assess how they fit, their perceived quality, how we feel wearing them and how comfortable they are both on and off the bike.

We cover thousands of miles in these trousers and regularly compare them with one another in the office, so collectively we’ve built the sort of knowledge base you can trust.

If you can’t see a review against a pair of trousers on this page, it’s because we haven’t tested it yet. These will only be included if we think they’re important and relevant in the market, and rest assured, we will be working on bringing you a review as soon as we’ve done the miles.

Here’s a brief run-down of the star rating system we use, and what each score means:

• 1 star – Poor performance in this category or overall. A helmet 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 helmet with a two-star rating has managed to perform to a barely acceptable level and there is room for improvement. It might be lacking safety features, be poorly built or far too expensive to recommend.
• 3 stars – An average performance in this area or overall. A helmet 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 helmet with a four-star rating has surpassed expectation and delivered in a particularly impressive way.
• 5 stars – A helmet 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 about our kit testing, head to our dedicated page explaining how we test motorcycle products.

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