Why Levis aren't gear

[Slide Panda]

- Warning! Photos of injuries including road rashed man posterior and large puncture to knee. May be NSFW depending on your work

http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2012/10/why-wearing-jeans-on-a-motorcycle-is-a-really-bad-idea/

- Though rather embarrassing for a moto journalist our trusty HellForLeather writer shares the damage to himself from a 35-40 mph low side. For lower body, he was only wearing a set for normal jeans which shredded, leaving him rashed all over his rear and quite a bit on a knee. Also a significant puncture wound (probably a peg) to the same knee.

"A little bit of leather, a little bit of armor and neither injury would have occurred. I won't argue that, you can't argue that, it's simply a fact."

[Triple J]

Ouch. Probably would have walked away unscathed if he had his Roadcrafter on. Arm may have still been broken...but A'Stitch gear has good elbow/shoulder armor that may have prevented it depending on what exactly caused it.

I can't believe he'll still ride in jeans though. WTF...the Roadcrafter comes off in like 15 seconds, and on in like 30.

[1.21GW]

Ugly.  Anyone know how kevlar would have faired in this scenario?  I ask because I ride w/ kevlar jeans whilst I wait to purchase a full suit next spring.  This doesn't look encouraging, and I like my skin as is.   

[Slide Panda]

Better - but they are still pretty low on the spectrum of what's out there. Also, the hole in him probably would not have been stopped by kev jeans alone. Kevlar, especially in the thickness seen in the jeans is not good at stopping piercing. A real bullet proof vest can be defeated by a knife most of the time.

Now if he'd had some strap-to-you armor on, he'd probably have minimized the knee damage, especially if they armor had a hard shell.

Som kev jeans do have pockets for knee armor - but IMO they are a bit of a red herring. The jean cut is usually too loose to ensure that the impact absorbing armor will stay in place. if it's not in place, probably won't do you any good. If I'm in my kev jeans or offroad/DS pants I've got a set of the Forcefield 'Zeus' armor that attaches to me, under the pants.

1.21GW - There's a lot of reasonably priced options out here for textiles, even leathers that are pretty low cost (comparatively). http://www.motorcyclegear.com/ (Was newenough) can have some kickin' deals. Their prices are always competitive - but they buy up overstocks or new 'old' stock (superseded items) and that's where you can get some rockin' deals.

[Triple J]

Ugly.  Anyone know how kevlar would have faired in this scenario?  I ask because I ride w/ kevlar jeans whilst I wait to purchase a full suit next spring.  This doesn't look encouraging, and I like my skin as is.  

What SP said.

I wouldn't trust Kevlar jeans. They may give you a little bit of slide protection, but they won't do anything for impact which is just as big of a deal...maybe even more important depending on the crash.

If you must wear jeans...Bohn, Knox, and Forcefield (T-Pro) all make very good armor to wear under pants or leathers. I'm partial to Forcefield as I've crashed it twice and it worked fantastic, but the others are good too. In fact, the new race suit I'm about to order will have Knox armor in it.

[1.21GW]

One step ahead of you guys...I wear these under the jeans:
http://www.forcefieldbodyarmour.com/product/limb-tube-knee-protector/2357

But yeah, leathers are in my future.  Anyway, thanks for the advice and links, guys.

Oh, and back to the OP----great write-up.  I like his attitude at the end: recognize the risks and recognize that sometimes you will choose to be less safe (i.e. jeans) but not fooling yourself with the "it's only this one time and I'm just going 10 blocks..." rationalizations.  More people should have such a sense of individual responsibility, and not just with respect to motos.  [Sorry, got on a soap box there.]

[He Man]

Ill be that guy and try to defend him...

I wear jeans for commuting pretty much all the time except for when the temps drop to below 40s, then i switch to riding pants unless im going to meet someone. With a locking hardcase, im looking for overpants for that abrasion protection and whateve armor is in there.

Heres my reasoning:

1) Road Rash. well, you sort of just have to accept that you will get road rash if you wear jeans. end of story there. no arguing that one. its part of the risk/reward case (except the only reward is comfort)

2) Armor, judging from how he got that hole in his knee, i dont know if it was any better if he was wearing armor or not. some of my riding pants dont even have armor that covers the edges. And my street armor is actually soft armor, not hard armor. Atop of that if whatever it was taht poked a hole in his knee went through cleanly, imagine how much damage would of been caused from crushing if the pants acught the piece. Neither scenario is good, but i woudl rather a clean hole rather than severe crushing.

3) Being aware. 30-40mph on a 90 degree turn in the city is too fast. You need time to determine what you are turning into. This is preventable in terms of just simply being aware. Some may say that whats the point of riding if you are always on the look out. Well thats why i dont call it riding, i call it commuting.

so his last words are that he will keep wearing jeans when commuting.

I still think he was going way too fast. I dont think ive ever taken a turn in the city at anything over 15mph.

[koko64]

Nothing wrong with riding in jeans,.. Kevlar jeans that is.
I thought Kevlar jeans solved this conundrum. I mean thats why they were developed!
Armour under them is even better

[d3vi@nt]

Here's a link to an abrasion test of various materials. It's rather dated (1988), but probably still a valid comparison. Interesting that denim durability is comparable to the lightweight leathers out there:

http://www.trainwreckstudios.net/abrasion/road.html

[Howie]

If you bought a new pair of 501 levy's recently you know that test is no longer valid.

[d3vi@nt]

If you bought a new pair of 501 levy's recently you know that test is no longer valid.

How do you mean?

[Slide Panda]

Jeans material is getting thinner.

Also that test is way too old

[Slide Panda]

Arm may have still been broken...

Reading a follow up, he points out that the arm that broke was previously broken and had a metal plate in it. Plates are handy, but they do make for weak spots in the bone. When I broke my hand (Rugby) and required a plate, it was decided that the plate was going to come out after the bone had sufficiently healed for the fact it makes weak spots, and I wasn't done playing.

[sugarcrook]

If you're wearing Kevlar jeans, they will provide better protection than leather hanging at home.

[memper]

So don't leave your leather hanging at home.
It seems to me that manufacturers of gear are trying to construct pants that give the same (because anything less is, well...less) protection as leather pants while still maintaining a "normal" look. Fact is, nothing currently can protect as we'll as armored leather. I think we all know this. We also know that simply being a bike pilot we are undertaking a whole host of hazards. Why not make things less risky in the opportunities we have? Namely gear.

If I'm meeting someone I pack jeans stuffed in a backpack.

What's funny is that people will say: I don't wear full gear unless riding distances, otherwise it's my jacket, jeans and sneakers."
I can understand that. Highway speeds are greater. Putting on full gear to bugger to autozone to get new spark plugs is annoying and "feels" a little overkill. But then the statistics show that most accidents happen only a few miles from home and at intersections.
So should we be in full gear around town and wear jeans on he highway?
Perhaps a manufacturer should make a thinner weight leather armored pant with a layer of Kevlar fabric to tone down the Storm Trooper look of full leathers...

Just my 2 pence on the long over beaten subject.