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armour fit for pants...

rick601

New member
So, I try to wear all gear whenever riding I have 2 pair of pants- Saint and Klim jeans (K50-2?) anyway, at 5'9" I have to roll the legs a few inches- and the armour, when standing is below the knees or just barely at- riding (Knees bent) they are positioned better...my question, what is the ideal placement of knee armour when standing and riding...the pads will be in different places. I suppose the REAL question is how do I insure thaty the armour is doing it's job as I toss and roll and slam along pavement when I leave the bike at 30-55 MPH!!

Side note- I gave my son my summer 2 pants because after losing weight, they were crazy long and loose- at 6'3" they look right on him- so were they always wrong on me? Thinking of a third pair but I'd like to know what the right fit is. BTW I did a quick interwebs search with no joy. Also- is CE level one ANY good?
 
We position the knee armor so it covers our knees when riding.
Some brands allow the armor to be moved up or down.
You might have to buy pants with a short inseam to get a good fit.
 
Rick, you are a good example of why most posters on this, and other motorcycle forums encourage new riders to find a good brick-and-mortar store for gear purchases. Protective gear only protects well if it fits well. You should try on pants and jackets (or a one-piece suit) while sitting on YOUR motorcycle (each bike makes you sit differently, so use the bike you ride for fitment). The jacket sleeves will seem too long when you are standing and walking around the store because it must bend when on the bike. Hence the elbow pads will seem too low for you, until your arms are properly bent into a turn. Likewise the back of the jacket may seem too long until you are bent over the tank and leaning forward a tad. Same with proper fitting pants; the knee pads will hang below your knees a tad ... until your legs are bent in a ride. And the pants will seem too long, but they have to cover your boot tops (you do wear boots, right?) when it rains.

I bought my gear at Aerostich and it is a wonderful ride to/from Duluth to the KC area.

Good luck.
 
Rick, you are a good example of why most posters on this, and other motorcycle forums encourage new riders to find a good brick-and-mortar store for gear purchases. Protective gear only protects well if it fits well. You should try on pants and jackets (or a one-piece suit) while sitting on YOUR motorcycle (each bike makes you sit differently, so use the bike you ride for fitment). The jacket sleeves will seem too long when you are standing and walking around the store because it must bend when on the bike. Hence the elbow pads will seem too low for you, until your arms are properly bent into a turn. Likewise the back of the jacket may seem too long until you are bent over the tank and leaning forward a tad. Same with proper fitting pants; the knee pads will hang below your knees a tad ... until your legs are bent in a ride. And the pants will seem too long, but they have to cover your boot tops (you do wear boots, right?) when it rains.

I bought my gear at Aerostich and it is a wonderful ride to/from Duluth to the KC area.

Good luck.

Thanks royce. It occurred to me that my gear is worthless if it doesn't fit right- and I had assumed I knew what "fit" meant..As I rarely see fit discussed thought I'd throw it out to the Brain pool- we see GEAR discussed but not proper fit. Yes- my knees are right when seated on the bike (but now I want to see more consciously if they fit on ALL my bikes- the Heritage softail is a completely different position from the RT and Triumph and the Himalayan is sort of between those...The 2 pair I kept (Klim K-50/2) and saint are good, the BMW summer definitely too low- hence gifted to my taller son. Yes- I used the adjust feature of the Saint and Klim- BIG difference. My jackets have been fine all along- Rukka and roadcrafter are almost perfect fits per your description. As I'm looking at another pair of pants, I will TRY for brick and mortar but there aren't many- I've been to Aerostich but it might be worth another trip. Thanks for adding to the info. Revzilla, fortunately, has an excellent return policy
 
I think covers-the-knee-in-riding-position is a good guideline, and is usually best for comfort as well. But the real goal is to protect the knee in a crash, when your leg could be in almost any position at impact. So the pad should still cover the knee when your leg is straight.

The pad pocket on my Airglides allows for four positions, the most comfortable for riding (2nd highest) just barely covers my kneecap when standing. The highest position puts the too much pad above the knee when bent, feels uncomfortable and makes my upper shin feel exposed. The slightly longer pad in the Hood kevlar-lined cargo pants is attached in its pocket with a hook-n-loop strip from top to bottom that allows more exact positioning - it extends about an inch above my knee cap when standing and is still comfortable riding.
 
D30 armor helps with the comfort issues.
I like the long BMW knee armor that also protects the shins.
 
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