Riding Pants Styles
Can Men Wear Leather Trousers?
Yes, men can wear leather trousers on and off the bike. How a riding pair differs from a street pair in leather, cut, armor, lining and fit.
Yes, men can wear leather trousers, on a motorcycle and off it. Riders wear leather trousers as part of their "leathers", mainly for protection in a crash, and men's fashion media treats them as everyday menswear too: GQ ran a guide on wearing them in 2019. The real question is which kind you need, a riding pair or a street pair.
This page is part of our guide to motorcycle pants types and styles.
Riding pair or street pair?
One range can cover both ends. At Leather Collection, the men's line runs from classic straight-leg, jeans-style and low-rise pairs for daily wear to riding and police pants cut for time on the bike. Its cowhide runs 0.9 to 1.3 mm (about 0.04 to 0.05 in) depending on the style, and it says the thicker leather suits riding.
| Column 1 | Leather riding pants | Leather jeans or classic leather trousers |
|---|---|---|
| Leather | Protective leather is thicker and stiffer than fashion leather | Leather Collection's thinner hides "feel light for daily wear" |
| Cut | Cut for the seated position on the bike | Straight leg, five-pocket or low rise |
| Armor | Touring styles carry knee and hip armor | Check each pair; the store's five-pocket pair is not a race pant with sliders |
| Where you wear them | On the bike, then off | In town, and on the bike for many riders |
Can you wear leather pants in summer or winter?
In summer, look at the lining. Leather Collection's riding pants have a polyester mesh lining that lets air move between the leather and your legs, so they feel less hot on warm days. MotoSpeeds' classic pants use a satin lining instead. In the cold, the store's chaps pages say the cowhide blocks wind and cold on long rides.
Will they fit like jeans?
Not exactly. Leather pants should feel snug at first because cowhide eases a little with wear, and size labels differ between makers, so read the chart rather than your jeans size. Every pair in the Leather Collection men's range has a custom-size option cut to your waist and leg. Sizing is covered in the motorcycle pants sizing and fit guide.
Next steps
To see how a riding pair is built differently on the inside, read what motorcycle leather pants look like inside. For the names you'll see in shops, see what motorcycle riding pants are called. To compare men's styles, start with Leather Collection men's leather pants.
Motorcycle Leather Pant Editorial Team
Motorcycle Leather Pant articles are researched from published sources, cited in the text, and reviewed before publication.