Priced from $199 | Rated: 9/10 | Tested by Kev | Distributed by White’s Powersports
Dririder have entered the motorcycle jeans market with their new Classic 2 Jeans. One of the things I really appreciated when they arrived is the armour coming with them, rather than being an accessory. That suggests that riders will be wearing the armour almost by default, which is a good thing. That armour is pretty non-intrusive CE-approved Beetle armour, which is a malleable gel-type, contained in a mesh pocket in the knees. Those knees are pre-shaped to fit both the armour and a comfy bend of the knees, accentuated by some nicely detailing. Safety stitched and using DuPont Kevlar based Teramid, which is a soft fabric that is water and oil resistant and exceptionally tough against abrasion, they are a modern cut jean with nice finishing in a semi-washed look. The rear pockets, while being trendy and low, do make them useless for use on a bike, unless you like sitting directly on your wallet for safekeeping. Still, it does give them the ability to look like low-slung jeans without actually leaving gaps where a motorcyclist really doesn’t want any…
The heavy-duty stretch denim makes them easy to wear even when not riding, so ideal for those days where you need to wear the gear but don’t necessarily want the fully kitted-up look. The leg is a relaxed enough fit to easily run with armoured boots, or let the breeze in a tad with less chunky footwear.
The new-generation Kevlar in the impact zones is not of the coarse loop variety, instead having a fine, smooth surface next to your hide.
Nice styling, although the front pockets only just conceal the start of the white lining, which my tailor wife spotted in a nano-second. Other than that, and the model slouching while having a beer after work, those were the only faults her trained eye picked up on. Well, all she commented on anyway.
The pricing means there really is no excuse not to wear protective gear – even around the town. The armour is easy to take out for laundering – and in winter, may be better than what you have in your touring gear, so could also do duty there.
A good value motorcycle-dedicated Kevlar reinforced pair of jeans, complete with armoured knees for the price of some regular jeans – sweet.
