Riding Chaps

Apart from the fact I have a 'Leather' fetish I've been contemplating buying a pair of leather chaps to wear when riding my Silverwing.

They aren't exactly all the rage in the UK and no doubt if I do buy a pair and am seen in public wearing them I shall have to endure a fair amount of ribbing.

However, if I get enough supportive and informative replies from here I shall bite the bullet and get some.

All contributions - type, practicality (or not), etc. - gratefully received.

Edited for spelling.

I rode in this morning and my thighs do get very cold. I have nice warm gloves and a really warm jacket and everything seems to stay fine except my thighs. I could wear long underwear underneath but I don't want to wear them all day and I don't want to have to strip when I get to work.

So I've considered either chaps or those clear plastic wind blockers that I've seen in some pictures.

I would never give you any crap for wearing chaps, I know the perils of riding a Silver Wing in the cold!

I wish you were closer I give you mine, have not use in years. They block the wind and help with the cold. They will not cover your butt in a get off.

Leather pants better---they don't leave butt in open in fall/crash.

I use/have a pr of Stone Lake leather bibs---warm and offer protection in spill---they are wamer than my Aerostich Darien light over pants-----but leather is not waterproof for serious riding...I do carry rain over pants when wearing the leather. Chaps are for the Cruiser crowd who don't ride in bad weather and wear tennis shoes.

Thank you all - very helpful comments.

You've made me think more why I 'want' them: I fully understand they don't protect the bum in an 'off'. They appeal because I can wear them over a decent pair of ordinary trousers for local trips andf also over my Kevlar jeans for added protection as has been suggested.

I hope I don't seem to be moving the goalposts: your very helpful remarks are making me think even more!

MikeO wrote:

I have a 'Leather' fetish

Mike, that is FAR too much information!!! 

LOL!   

Kevlar jeans tell me about the jeans have been think about some.

Dont do it! Have a little self respect. If you do decide to get em dont forget the goatee and a harley. Lol

"They aren't exactly all the rage in the UK and no doubt if I do buy a pair and am seen in public wearing them I shall have to endure a fair amount of ribbing."

Only if you forget to wear something underneath the chaps!

Thanks everyone.   

Kevlar jeans:

I have Draggin' and Hood Jeans and another much cheaper pair.

All three makes have Kevlar lining in the important areas - knees, hips and so on.
The Draggin' Jeans are the most comfortable with the softest material.
The Hood Jeans can be purchased with the legs cut to length, useful for me as I always need 'standard' trousers turned up an inch or so. The material is a little stiffer.
The cheap ones (half the price) are satisfactory and I hope a temporary measure bought to accommodate my increased girth from having given up smoking. I'm working on losing the extra weight gained.

I don't regret buying any of them but place the Draggin' Jeans in first place.

Chilliwing wrote:

"They aren't exactly all the rage in the UK and no doubt if I do buy a pair and am seen in public wearing them I shall have to endure a fair amount of ribbing."

Only if you forget to wear something underneath the chaps!

I've seen that before, I was in Hamburg one summer when the annual Christopher Street Day Parade was on. There were literally hundreds of bare assed leather chaps wearing gay men taking part in the procession. They weren't showing their tackle at the front so were wearing some type of man thong.

I think "they" are the only ones keeping the chaps world alive.

I have a pair I purchased at leatherup.com. Heavy leather and they really work at keeping the wind off and helping keep you warm. I used them last year on a multi-day trip with temps down to 30 degrees F. I also have a pair of insulated pants (nylon with holofill etc) that help keep one warm but I feel like they would disintegrate quickly in a get-off.

Chaps are not uncommon over here "across the pond" and not just Harley riders use them, I guess only you can make a decision if you can deal with the "ribbing".

Personally I like the part that I can wear the chaps in the cold mornings and when it starts to warm up simply remove them and stow them under the seat... Good luck.

hotwings wrote:

I think "they" are the only ones keeping the chaps world alive.

Would "they" then be Gay Chaps? And do they ride side saddle?

Tim

Yep

Glenn, your last paragraph sums up why I think they'll be good for me.
Thanks.

a thread titled "riding chaps" was not censored?

You cant put these letters next to each other though W T F

oh well, enjoy the ride!  

No - it was obvious from my first post what the thread was about.

That others chose to add what may be construed as a little humour - for that was all it was - is the sort of thing that makes the world go round.

No posts were reported so it seems that no-one was unduly offended if indeed anyone was.

You can make of it what you will.  

So maybe change the title to "leather" chaps to satisfy some?   

I was going to use the title 'Chaps' but the system requires a longer title.

'Riding' contains 6 letters, 'leather' 7 so is quicker to type.  

I tried chaps and leather pants.  I still have them... some place. Quite a few people swear by them, but they didn't seem to provide much comfort or versatility in tour clothing to me. I found other options that I like much better.

I like my insulated motorcycle pants and my mesh pants in the summer.  My mesh pants and shorts under, provide excellent comfort, even more so that just shorts, as it will shade my legs from the burning sun.  

In fact, when touring and considering limited space, I will only bring the mesh pants and wear my electric pant liner under them.  This gives me the warmth of full pants and the protection from going down.  When it warms up, I will remove the electric pant liners and wear just shorts under.  Doing this removes a pair of armored pants which never compresses very well when attempting to stow them away.  (Same thing on the use of a mesh coat as well.)

For those that don't know, mess is armored but not hot as the wind blows right through the mesh.

My wife and I have used chaps when entering cold climate, easy on, easy off for about the last 10 years; would not be caught riding in possible cold days without them.

I have a pair of Carhart type overalls that I wear in the warm weather over my other clothes. Mine have Double thick knee pockets and I put some carpet pad in them. For winter I have some insulated Carhart overalls and they are also comfortable. The insulated ones have zipper legs so are easy to take off and on.

lewjayjr wrote:

I have a pair of Carhart type overalls that I wear in the warm weather over my other clothes.  Mine have Double thick knee pockets and I put some carpet pad in them.  For winter I have some insulated Carhart overalls and they are also comfortable.  The insulated ones have zipper legs so are easy to take off and on.

Good idea. I like the knee pocket usage. I may look into this.

ANY type of protection is better than less. Chaps, Kevlar, tire retreads, etc. I have very thin skin on my left knee and elbow to teach me this lesson. Not much skin left for future protection. I wear knee and elbow protection now. It's a pain to put on and take off, but I feel more secure, and hope to save more of my skin in the future.

Even with protection, somehow the road gets into those vulnerable parts. My last bad spill cracked the hard plastic top of my left knee pad. I was so glad I thought to wear those pads because I had little skin left from previous spills (motorcycle and bicycle).

Too dumb to get off of two-wheel transportation. Too addicted at this point. I'm a conservative rider. I don't jump mountains, but my body is starting to look like Evel Knievel's.

Caution: If being thin-skinned won't kill you, it will get you embarrassed easily.

chaps are not water proof? Real Motorcycle pants better!!