DIY Armored Motorcycle Pants Upgrade

About: Just a guy who doesn't know when to quit, and is constantly in search of a solution to a problem that doesn't exist yet.

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If you love riding motorcycles, you know how important motorcycle gear is. And if you already have motorcycle gear, you also know how expensive it can get. The severely limited options as far as aesthetics and features go only makes matters worse. Here I'm going to show you how you can make your own custom DIY motorcycle armored pants.

This how-to guide is great even if you just want to add some serious abrasion resistance to your favorite pair of "normal" jeans. However, in my case, I admit I went all in. I wanted some casual riding pants with knee sliders, cargo pockets and supreme protection. You might not care for all that, and that's fine. You can tackle this project in any way you want. If you want something more basic, include what suits your needs and skip the rest.

Regarding difficulty or having to sew, don't be intimidated. This project was the first time I did anything meaningful with a sewing machine. Up until now it had only been basic fixes. This DIY isn't all that hard as long as you take your time and go little by little. And who knows, maybe you might even pick up a skill or two in the process? Also, this project might get updated over time. To see the latest version, click here.

How did this project start?

So the inspiration for this project came about as I was starting to get frustrated with my riding pants. Like with most off-the-shelf riding pants, I found them lacking in either practicality (pockets), looks, and/or protection. While I do own leather motorcycle pants which I love, my trusted AGV Sport Willow Perforated Leather Pants, they just aren't practical for casual riding. The lack of pockets, the difficulty of donning, and the hardcore motorcycle look isn't exactly the most suitable option. Unless you want to pretend you're a Power Ranger at your destination, this is.

On the other hand, since my leather pants cost me less than 200$, I wasn't exactly fond of paying more for technical textile pants than for leather gear. So yeah, I'm cheap.

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But even if I was willing to spend, things don't get much better. With the majority of casual riding gear, the abrasion protection is limited to small, Kevlar panels solely located in impact areas. Since I didn't find anything great, I thought why not make my own custom motorcycle pants?

I certainly looked around before starting this project. To my surprise, the amount of information available was underwhelming. Nonetheless, I decided to take the task up and the end result was great. Sadly, I didn't take pictures of every step. That's because I wasn't sure from the start that the outcome would be so good. But this information is definitely sufficient for anyone to find the inspiration and motivation they need to complete a project like this.

Disclaimers:
Motorcycling is a dangerous activity, and no amount of protection will ever guarantee walking away from an accident without injury. Anyone who decides to follow this tutorial must do it at their own risk and under their own exclusive responsibility. Neither this Instructable nor it's author make any claims about the performance of this armor, and any allusions to CE ratings refer to the undamaged, unmodified original piece of equipment as the manufacturer intended.

A bit of motivation to keep making instructables always helps. I'm a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program as well as eBay Partner Network, affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for creators to earn fees by linking to their sites, at no extra cost whatsoever to you.