Motorcycle Pants Fit
Motorcycle Pants Sizing, Fit, and Stretch Guide
How motorcycle pants should fit on the bike, why size labels aren't waist inches, where store measuring rules disagree, and how much leather stretches.
Motorcycle pants should be snug at the waist, with room to bend at the knee. They are cut close to the leg so they don't flap, and the knee and hip armor should cover the joints when you sit on the bike. Judge the fit seated, not standing: on the bike the pants should look right, which means they look a little long when you stand.
Pick your size from body measurements on the maker's chart, not from the label on your jeans. Each section below gives the short answer and links to the full guide.
How motorcycle pants should fit
Think "close, not tight". Armor maker D3O says riding pants are generally cut close to the body so they don't flap about on the move. Leather Collection's own fit rule is short: snug at the waist, room to bend at the knee.
Check it in the riding position. Sit, lean forward and bend your knees, then check the waistband, the knees and the hem. The knee and hip armor should cover the joint without sliding up or down. Armor ratings and what to look for are covered in riding pants protection, armor and ratings.
| Sign | What it suggests |
|---|---|
| Hands or feet tingle, you can't reach the bars or tuck | Too tight (MotoSpeeds suit checklist) |
| Pinching at the waist or tight thighs when you sit | Likely to stay uncomfortable; don't count on wear |
| Armor drifts off the knee, leather folds | Too loose; it only gets looser |
Finding your size
A size label is not a measurement. On the Leather Collection pants chart, each US, EU and international label is tied to body measurements for waist, hip, inseam and height. A men's US 32 there lists a 28.3 in (72 cm) body waist, not a 32 in one. Eagle Leather, a motorcycle gear shop, labels its leather pants by waist inches instead, so its 32 means a 32 in waist.
That is why the store's blog says to use the chart of the maker you buy from and to measure your body, not your old jeans. If you sit between rows, or your legs are long or short for the chart, every pair in the range can be made in a custom size.
Start with how to find your motorcycle pants size, then use how to read a motorcycle pants size chart to match your numbers to a row.
Measuring: where the store's own instructions disagree
Leather Collection's pages give different measuring rules. We show them side by side rather than pick one:
Until the store settles it, follow the definition printed on the chart or form you order from, and write on your order how you measured. Chaps are sized on the same chart, so the guide to motorcycle leather chaps runs into the same question.
| Question | One store page says | Another store page says |
|---|---|---|
| Skin or clothes? | Better on bare skin, not over clothes | Measure hips on well-fitting trousers; chaps pages say measure over the jeans you ride in |
| Where is the waist? | About 2 in (5 cm) below the navel | At your natural waist |
| Leg length | Inseam: highest point in the crotch to just above the ankle bone | Crotch to ground: lowest part of the crotch to the ground; or external leg from waistband to hem |
Will leather pants stretch?
A little, and not enough to fix a wrong size. A MotoSpeeds product page says leather pants should feel snug because cowhide eases a little with wear. Its suit guide adds: never buy a pair that hurts hoping it will stretch. Leather Collection's blog agrees that a fit that is clearly too small should not be left to wear in.
The full answer, with what eases and what doesn't, is in do leather motorcycle pants stretch.
Length on the bike
Bent knees pull the legs up, so pants that are right on the bike look a little long when you stand. Seated, in the boots you ride in, the hem should meet the boot with no gap and no bunching. See how long motorcycle pants should be when seated for the seated test and trimming an unfinished hem.
When pants ride up
Pants ride up in two places. At the leg, the hem climbs above the boot when you bend your knees; MotoSpeeds suggests checking for this in your boots and notes some riders add silicone grip bands at the leg base. At the waist, the jacket and pants pull apart as you lean forward. Joining them with a matching zip keeps the jacket in place and cold air off your lower back.
The steps are in how to keep motorcycle pants from riding up. Whether a given jacket and pants can be joined, and why the stores' own pages disagree on it, is in how to zip a leather jacket to riding pants.
What to wear underneath
What you wear under the pants changes the fit. For a race suit, MotoSpeeds says to wear a thin, snug base layer and try the suit on over it, because thick clothes can push the armor off your joints. Over-pants are different: Eagle Leather says its over-pants sizes already allow for clothes underneath. Layer choices by season are in what to wear under motorcycle pants.
Where to compare pants
The Leather Collection leather motorcycle pants range is cut from 1.1-1.4 mm (0.04-0.06 in) cowhide and hand-stitched to order. Each pair comes in standard sizes or a custom size. Check the product page for the measurements its custom form asks for and whether the hem is left unfinished.
Related guides
- Not sure which type you want? See the types of motorcycle pants.
FAQ
Is a 32 waist actually 32 inches?
It depends on the maker. On Leather Collection's pants chart, US 32 lists a 28.3 in (72 cm) body waist. On Eagle Leather's leather-pant chart, size 32 is a 32 in waist. Always read the measurement column, not the label.
Is it better to size up or down in motorcycle pants?
Neither by default. D3O suggests sizing up the waist with a belt or braces if you ride leaned forward on a sport bike, so the waistband doesn't dig in. Leather Collection's blog says to read the chart by hip first and, if your numbers split between rows, to check the measurement the cut leaves least room for. If no row fits, custom sizing is the other route.
Motorcycle Leather Pant Editorial Team
Motorcycle Leather Pant articles are researched from published sources, cited in the text, and reviewed before publication.