How to Keep Motorcycle Pants from Riding Up

Motorcycle pants ride up because sitting on the bike bends your knees and pulls the legs up, and leaning to the bars pulls the waist away from your jacket. To stop it, get the size right, test the length seated, match the leg to your boots, then hold the hem down and the waist up. The six steps below take you through each fix.

This guide is part of our motorcycle pants sizing and fit guide.

Why motorcycle pants ride up

There are two kinds of ride-up, and they need different fixes.

• At the leg. On the bike the trouser leg rises, one UK gear shop says by an inch or two (2.5-5 cm), to make room for the bent knee. If the pants are only just long enough standing, the hem leaves a gap above the boot.
• At the waist. As you reach for the bars, the jacket lifts and the pants slide back. Joining the two keeps the jacket in place as you lean forward and stops cold air reaching your lower back.

So yes, some rise when you sit is normal. A gap you can see or feel is not.

What you need

• The pants and the boots you ride in
• Your bike (or a stand), so you can sit with feet on the pegs and hands on the bars
• A tape measure and chalk or a washable marker
• Optional: a pair of pant stirrups, a belt or braces, and a jacket with a matching connection zip

Step-by-step fixes

1. Check the size first

Pants that are the wrong size will ride up whatever else you do. Leather Collection's rule is snug at the waist, with room to bend at the knee. If your waist and hip land in different chart rows, the store's blog says to check the measurement the cut leaves least room for, usually the hip or thigh. If your legs are long or short for the chart, a custom size is offered on every pair in the range.

How to match your numbers to a row is in how to read a motorcycle pants size chart.

2. Test the length seated

Sit on the bike in your riding boots, knees bent, hands on the bars. Pants that are right here should look a little long when you stand. That is why some legs come in a raw, unhemmed length: riders often like them a little longer so the hem still covers the boot top with the knee bent.

If your pair has an unfinished hem, try the pants on with your riding boots, mark the length, and cut a little at a time. The full seated test is in how long motorcycle pants should be when seated.

3. Match the leg to your boots

Decide whether the leg goes over the boot or inside it. Some riders wear the legs inside the boot and others over it; either way, try them with the boots you ride in.

4. Hold the hem down

If the length is right and the hem still climbs, hold it down at the ankle.

• Stirrups. These are elastic straps that run under the boot; one maker's version, from Fox Creek Leather, is 1.5 in wide and adjusts from about 9 to 12 in, and its ends clamp over pants or chaps to stop the bottoms flapping. Fasten them to the bottom edge of the pants, not the thickest part of the cuff.
• Grip bands. MotoSpeeds notes that some riders add silicone grip bands at the base of the legs.

Then bend your knees again in your boots and check the leg doesn't pull up and leave a gap above the boot.

5. Hold the waist up

For a waist that slides back or down, there are three options:

1. Belt or braces. Armor maker D3O suggests that riders who sit leaned forward, as on a sport bike, size up the waist so it doesn't dig in and use a belt or braces to hold it.
2. A connection zip. Zipping the jacket to the pants keeps them together as you lean forward, but only if your jacket has a matching zip. Leather Collection's pages disagree on whether its leather pants have a connection zip at the waist, so ask before you order. See how to zip a leather jacket to riding pants.
3. Check the gap. For two-piece leathers, the store's buying guide says the waist should be snug in riding position with no gap; more than one finger of space at the connection means it is too loose.

6. Check the armor last

Once the pants stay put, sit in your riding position and check the knee and hip armor. It should fully cover the joint without sliding up or down. Pants of the right length that sit correctly in riding position help keep it there. Armor types and ratings are covered in riding pants protection, armor and ratings.

Common mistakes

• Buying loose to get length. A suit or pants that already feel loose only get looser, and the armor can drift off your joints. Leather won't fix this with wear; see do leather motorcycle pants stretch.
• Cutting the hem standing up. Mark the length in your riding boots and cut a little at a time.
• Forcing a stirrup clip onto a thick cuff. The maker warns against clipping the thickest part.
• Assuming any jacket zips to any pants. Check that the jacket has a matching zip first.

Printable checklist

1. Waist snug, room at the knee, seated.
2. Hem covers the boot top with knees bent.
3. Leg over the boot or inside it, decided and tested in your boots.
4. Stirrups or grip bands if the hem still climbs.
5. Belt, braces or a matching connection zip for the waist.
6. Knee and hip armor over the joints in riding position.

Layers under the pants change the fit too; see what to wear under motorcycle pants.

Where to find pants cut for riding

The Leather Collection leather motorcycle pants range is cowhide, hand-stitched to order, in standard or custom sizes. A custom size is the route if your legs are long or short for the chart.

FAQ

Is it normal for pants to ride up when sitting?

Some rise is normal: on a bike the leg rises an inch or two for the bent knee, according to one UK gear shop. That is why riding pants should look a little long standing. If you see a gap above the boot or at your back, work through the steps above.