Bike Pants: To Leather or Not?

Well it's that time again, Summer is.....well should be around the corner.

But with the current weather here in HKG your guess is better than mine! The humidity is a killer at present, and the roads slick and flooded in some parts so please watch for road conditions and avoid the furniture!

Of late I’m getting a lot of concerns with Leathers, remember this article is only my opinion! You’re the one’s on the bikes so do as you need, and depending on your riding style, years of practice etc…don’t heed my advice!

Now as you, well most know, I'm all for safety, regardless if you're on a 125cc, 600 or 1199!  Naturally the higher powered babies need more attention and care, but that aside, questions on leathers and knee areas, in-short; for those that have been riding for years this will or may not apply, for the new guns, I can say from experience that a One-Piece track is much more comfortable than the basic 2 split, preferably a perforated suit for more airflow in this climate!  For some reason and I agree the 2-piece suits just never did it for me, the pants where always and I agree somewhat uncomfortable, if it wasn't the knee areas being too stiff, the crotch was dropping off too much or too high pending the weather!, it’s not a fit issue, in so far as a “Cut” try a different brand, we’re all built differently and can’t expect manufacturers to fine tune all areas, (having said this Dainese will custom make suits and pants for you! Budget warranted!), the issue with split suits is the pants don’t have much give, you can’t add much protection to them, and movement is limited, try extending….it’s tough, unlike a one piece, which seems to adjust a lot easier.  

Now this isn't all just a fit / cut issue rather the riding conditions here as well, you're forever on the start / stop / N / Clutching and revving it’s a bit of a nightmare if you have an air-cooled 1100! , which can be dangerous if you're uncomfortable in these pants!, Yes, yes leathers will save your skin but no means your bones!, try the Dainese website and load up on protectors, followed by a layer of SKIN (tight Yoga pants if you must, sure you have a pair, if not ask your Mrs!), then gortex or track jeans with Kevlar, this will give more breathing room, the problem with split leathers, especially in HKG (haven't found this to be a problem in Germany or Canada) is the SWEAT!

The humidity is a killer!, once the pants are on you're off to the races and sweating like a pig! which = stick! if your knees aren't in the right position and they start sticking, you're likely to pinch it!, you'll have problems with shifting, less with rear braking, but all the same, your balance will be affected which isn’t what you need! I would suggest you steer clear of the leather pants for a while until the weather warrants use, unlike a 1 piece, you have little room to adjust and stretch, there is also much less breathing room in a split formation, maybe I'm just too use to the track suits, but on the roads here I go with the jean setup (C-Protection, thighs, knees and shines, remember this covers sides, front, but in the event you need to ditch backwards keep your knees up and use as much of the back-protector as you can and slide!, some people have disputed my “Rear Ditch Method” but most whom have commented and refuted it, haven’t been on the Hong Kong roads, needless to say haven’t experienced the joy of a double decker bus heading towards them at 70K and leaning in your lane! The lanes here are tight, tight……….TIGHT! so you need to adjust your riding to them, as the buses won’t to you! That’s a head on and little will be left of you regardless of the protection! Oh, and watch the roundabouts here, no one seems to get them!

Now, top protection is a lesser problem, I’ve seen too many accidents with riders in t-shirts, plain jeans and sport shoes, even saw a guy with flip-flops on a 1100!, brass-balls? Nope afraid not, this is just plain stupid!  Leather top, back and thorax protection, it's ample unless you're reckless, jackets will not cause half as many issues for you, on these roads, you need comfort below, remember you’re not on a track, and you’re very unlikely to even kick her into 4^th for long, your legs are down a lot, even if you clutch and rev, sticking in leather pants may warrant injury or an embarrassing fall when behind a car/bus or moving off from a red.

Hit Dainese in Hong Kong and get Tom to sort you out with some proper protection, jeans or Gortex for a more breathable ride in this weather, full suits are fine, but again you need to get use to them, the heat can be unforgiving, great for losing weight! So stay hydrated and safe riding!