Women's Motorcycle Pants for Spring or Summer

Here are some recommendations for protective pants that will keep you cool and safe in the warmest of riding conditions.   I highly recommend wearing a good wicking/moisture managing base layer to make your riding pants more comfortable when going on a long ride, especially on a particularly sweaty day. It'll also help your pants fit better, making them easier for on and off (bathroom breaks!) as well.

If you're looking for a pant that has a strong abrasion resistant outer shell, breathability and fit, I hope one of these will work for you.

1. Dainese New Drake Air

$259.00

If there's something that Dainese is known for, it's Fit and Function. These will fit you like your favorite pair of jeans. With venting on the front of the thighs, it should keep you cool on a warm summer day. I would recommend these for the most petite fits, as it features a smaller starting size of a European 40 (US 0-2) and a narrow, straight leg.

2. REV'IT Tornado

$259.00 (New for 2011)

The Tornado (with a matching jacket) is the ultimate touring pant for women. These have 2 removable liners, one thermal and one waterproof/windproof. The outer shell offers a little more ventilation than the Turbine but offers only Knox Armor and constructed of 86% polyamide, 14% polyester. It also has a slightly different polyester mesh weave. I would also recommend these for a petite fit, as the starting size is European 34 (US 0-2). But if you're a plus size, and need something over a 10-12, I recommend the men's version of these pants.

3. REV'IT Turbine

$329.00

With a slightly higher price point, you get better armor (ProLife CE), SuperFabric on the knees, and an outer shell constructed of 1000 Denier Cordura®. So you're getting a more protective pant than it's little sister, the Tornado above.  For the hardcore dual sport / adventure / touring rider looking for a pant that's going to protect  you and keep you cool and dry. I would also recommend these for a petite fit, as the starting size is European 34 (US 0-2).

4. Olympia Airglide 3 Overpants

$219.99

These are the only summer mesh overpants with a full hip to toe zipper!  What you'll also find are velcro adjustments in the pocket where the knee armor fits so you can move it up and down as you need to (especially if you're wearing these on different bikes which can have different seated positions).  These are also a little long on purpose so those of us who are vertically challenged can hem them as needed. Just be careful not to hem them in front of the mirror. Make sure you sit on your bike to know how much length you really might need! I recommend these for the curviest/full figured/plus size girls who need more room in the hips/butt and thighs.   They run up to a true US 18.

5.FirstGear HT Air Overpants

$229.95

With a mesh construction on the outer shell, these offer a removable, waterproof liner and 2/3 length zippers along the sides.  I like how the 2 front pockets are in a much more useful place than other pants who place them a little too high for my use. It's so much easier to reach for a pocket on your thigh than it is to reach for a pocket way up on your hip.   I would recommend these as an ideal fit for the curviest/full figured/plus size women out there who need something with a wider leg fit.   These also run up to a true US 18.

6. RS Taichi Crossover Mesh Riding Pants

$179.95, MotoLiberty, Scuderia West

These look like a great pant with mesh panels right where you need them. I've never seen these in person, so I'm not entirely sure of the fit. However, with RS Taichi being a Japanese company, the fits tend to be more petite and compact, you could say.

7. BMW AirFlow Pants

$399.99, BWM Motorcycles USA
(Gear & Web EPC/RidersApparel/Overview/MotorcycleSuits/TextileSuits/Airflow Suit)

Unfortunately their website navigation is a little arduous and I'm unable to copy the URLs so I wrote the submenu locations above. I've only tried on the matching Airflow jacket, but from what I've seen with the jacket, I think the pants would be great.  The wonderful thing about BMW is they offer Long and Petite options in many (but not all) of their gear, depending on the model.  These do not appear to come in anything but a standard 4-16. I couldn't find a size chart, but you can view it electronically. You can only find these through BMW Dealers, and not all of them carry gear, so call your local dealer to check. Keepin mind the fitment is petite, and a little narrower overall.

REVIT Women's Zip, Marryl and Allure

It's common practice for manufacturers to cycle out and discontinue certain pieces of gear every 3-5 years, depending on how well that item is selling or how popular it is in the market.  Unfortunately 3 of my favorite women's gear from REV'IT is being discontinued, so you'll find these all on clearance if not completely gone from your local dealer.  I urge you to try and find them if you can!

1)Zip Pants. Unisex, waterproof overpants perfect for commuting. Especially fits a curvy figure up to a Size 16 (XXXL) and can be found in SHORT.  (I found these to fit women far better than men for some reason) Scuderia West has already sold most of them, if not all of them to make room for an updated version called The Axis WR pant. Last I saw there were two size XXL on the clearance rack. Revzilla only has a few sizes on clearance left as well.

2) Axis Pants (Replacement for the Zip). One major difference with the new Axis is that they start an XS, not XXS as before.  The XS will probably fit a women's US 4. I tried on a Small and it fit like a size 6. Another improvement is the addition of a 2-way side zipper, which does make it easier for you to take them on and off without taking off your boots. I have to do that for the Zips and was happy to do so, given how wonderfully they fit.

They also appear to have added additional elastic at the waist to make for a more adjustable fit.  I always thought that the Zip pants fit women better than men, and I still think that's the case, however not for petite women.  The Zips used to come in XXS, which fit down to a Size US 2, perfect for petite frames. But they've pushed the sizing up, and as a result they've made the cut a little more generous for a curvier body. I know that many plus sized women have issue finding gear, but so do super petite women. For many women who are a size 0-4, it can be difficult to find anything affordably priced to fit.  The "sweet spot" so to speak for sizing is size 4-12. If you fall within these numbers, it's pretty easy to find something in your size.

A couple other changes that they've made with the Axis:

• Full Hip to Toe, 2-WAY zippers that allow the pants to Fully open up on the sides
• Adjustable and stretchy snaps on each side of the waist for a better adjustment
• No hip armor or pockets, since the pants are priced below $150

3) Allure Jacket and Marryl Pants.

This is why you spend more tha…

This is why you spend more than a couple hundred bucks on real gear. GoreTex, DDry. #dstoresf http://ow.ly/i/5epQ

Textile Overpants and Magnetic Tank Bag

Join me on the Two Wheel Power Hour at 3:25pm PT / 6:25pm ET. I'm going to give some updates regarding the Progressive Motorcycle Show, as well as a couple of products I've been spending time with recently:

Givi Silver T470 Tank Bag MSRP $80 I'll be posting a full review later this week. But I just wanted to briefly mention how much I love this bag. It's about the same size as my Cortech magnetic tank bag, but less square shaped and tapered in front. The one thing I really like is the sealed zipper around the top of the bag. This means no additional waterproof covers needed! It expands and comes with straps in case you don't have a magnetic tank, or you want to strap it to your scooter! Givi makes very friendly scooter luggage. If you're searching for options for your scooter, I'd make Givi's website your first stop.

Revit Zip Overpants $139.99, XXS - 4XL, Standard, Short and Long sizing available Revzilla.com These are unisex overpants starting at size XXS for the ladies, going all the way to 4XL for the men. I have to say that these pants fit women better than men in some cases, due to the slightly tapered waist. I have fit these pants in more curvy, plus size women than I can count. If you have hips and have trouble finding pants, you have to try these out.

What I really love about these pants is how fitted it is in the waist, hips and thighs. They are still overpants, so they do flare a bit at the bottom so you can wear them over your boots. But compared to the Olympia Pro's I used to wear, they're far less bulky. Unfortunately they're less warm as well. But I wanted something lighter for San Francisco winters and so far, these are doing pretty well. I'll update you once we hit our actual wet winter. I'll be posting a full review this week as well as more photos. Stay tuned!