Review: Kevlar-Lined Skinny Jeans for Motorcycle Riding

Longtime motorcycle apparel manufacturer Draggin Jeans has several new styles for women including the Drayko Racey skinny jean that I reviewed all season.

Draggin Jeans is the first motorcycle clothing company to incorporate Kevlar into its motorcycle gear. Kevlar is the brand name of the abrasion-resistant fiber made by DuPont that has revolutionized the safety clothing industry over the last quarter century. I’ve been a fan of Draggin Jeans pants since I first reviewed a pair in 2010.

My riding buddy Debbie Gould is modeling the Drayko Racey jeans (funny name, yes!)for me alongside her Harley-Davidson Road King that’s fit with a Motor Trike brand trike kit. Here’s my review after I wore the jeans all summer and autumn.

kevlar lined skinny jeans drayko racey — Debbie is wearing my size 6 (US sizing) Drayko Racey jeans and they fit her just right. My previous Draggin Jeans were a size 4, but I found the Drayko Racey style size 4 to be too tight. So I ordered a size up. The 6 even fits Debbie who is smaller than me, so I recommend ordering one size larger from your regular jeans, especially if you want to add the knee armor.

kevlar lined skinny jeans drayko — The Drayko Racey jean by Draggin Jeans is slim fitting against the legs. The denim is soft and broken in and only feels better with wear. The mid-rise waistline (as seen in the previous photo) is comfortable when standing, but you can see here that when seated on her motorcycle Debbie’s lower back is exposed a bit. The solution I found is to pull the jeans up high before sitting on the bike.

The jeans are made of 64 percent cotton, 35 percent polyester, and 1 percent elastane. The latter gives the jeans a nice stretch making them much more comfortable than my regular jeans, and ideal for riding when I’m in a bent leg position for a period of time.

The jeans are lined with trademarked fabric named Roomoto, which offers a level of “climate control,” taking heat and sweat away from your skin to keep you cool. There’s an anti-bacterial treatment on the lining, and the fabric is designed not to “burn up” should the jeans come in contact with the pavement.

The lining covers the Kevlar that’s sewn in to the jeans, as you’ll see in the next two photos. The Kevlar takes the brunt of the impact, lasting 4.4 seconds of abrasion resistance force, according to the specs on the company’s website. My older pair of Draggin Jeans did not have a mesh lining so the semi-roughness of the Kevlar was on my skin. Plus the whole jean was very warm in the heat. It’s nice to see this huge improvement in design to maximize comfort.

kevlar lined skinny jeans inside front — The inside of the jeans are lined with a silky soft mesh lining that covers the Kevlar fabric. You can see the Kevlar underneath in yellow in this front view where it generously covers the knee area. The mesh lining also has a pocket in it to accept the optional knee armor.

kevlar lined skinny jeans drayko racy inside rear — The yellow Kevlar panels underneath the soft breathable lining in the rear view extend from the hip and butt area all the way down to the sides of the knees and beyond. Other pants I’ve reviewed have a gap between the hip and butt coverage and the knee area. No gap here optimizes safety. You’ve got safety coverage from your waist all the way to where your riding boots would end on your calf.

kevlar lined skinny jeans drayko racey front — Draggin Jeans Drayko Racey have standard blue jean styling with five pockets, including the little coin pocket nested in the right hand pocket. The photos on the website show a model wearing these pants that seem painted on her, but I like that the size 6 Debbie is wearing are not super tight against her legs leaving room for the armor if she wants. She’s normally a size 2-4, but she—and I—couldn’t get the size 4 over our hips.

kevlar lined skinny jeans drayko racy back — Only my friend Debbie (who rocks these jeans, doesn’t she!) would let me shoot her butt for my review. The pockets have a raised cushioned D, the signature of Draggin Jeans, sewn in. The brown leather patch at the waist says Drayko. There are generously-sized belt loops. Panty lines? You be the judge. Yes she’s wearing some. Hard to tell though among the wrinkles in the pants.

kevlar lined skinny jeans drayko racy armor — The knee armor stays put in a pocket in the mesh lining with little Velcro pieces at the top and the bottom. I’ll be honest. I should wear armor all the time, but I find knee armor restricting when my knees are bent when riding, so I only use the armor sometimes, when I feel like it. (Sigh, I know.) When I’m wearing high boots, the armor hits the top of the boots so the armor doesn’t work with all my boots, something to consider.

kevlar lined skinny jeans drayko racey motorcycle — The Drayko Racey is the only skinny leg style in Draggin Jeans’ women’s collection. This means the pant legs are tight around the ankles allowing you to tuck the pants into high boots.

Draggin Jeans has been making Kevlar lined riding apparel longer than any other modern motorcycle brand. I appreciate that the company continues to improve on its products giving customers what they want. One of my biggest issues about its Kevlar lined jeans in the past was the bulkiness and the fact that they didn’t look like my regular pair of riding jeans. I wore them anyway because I wanted the protection.

The Drayko Racey solves this problem with its skinny jean design—similar to many of our modern jean styles—and includes a high level of abrasion-resistant protection built in, along with being super comfortable—finally! The armor to me is a bonus.

OK, let’s get to the price. $232.17. I know. But these jeans are so worth it. I’ve had my old Draggin Jeans for six years now after many wearings (until I replaced them with these newer, more comfortable ones). The peace of mind I have every time I get on my motorcycle wearing these protective jeans is worth the dollar amount. Draggin Jeans has testimonials on its website where these jeans saved a rider’s hide in a crash.

These are well-made jeans, and so long as you follow the washing instructions—cold water, tumble dry low—they should last a long time, assuming they don’t hit the pavement in a crash.

Draggin Jeans is based in Australia but has been selling to the US and the world for two decades so there is no problem with buying and returning. They’re just like any other online retailer. My orders have taken only about four days to get to me from down under.

There’s a sizing chart with US sizes (see my note in the first photo caption about sizing up) that goes from size 2 to 14. The armor priced at $25 is currently being offered as a gift with the purchase of the jeans. Visit dragginjeans.net to order. Then let us know what you think in the comments below.

15 thoughts on Review: Kevlar-Lined Skinny Jeans for Motorcycle Riding

Jeri

What about us bigger women we are not all a size 2 to 14?
1. Genevieve Schmitt
  
  We’ll make sure the manufacturer sees your comment. Thanks for posting.
Shauna

Looks like some good improvements. I have a pair of older Draggin Jeans that because they are warmer I save for longer highway riding. One thing I like about my pair is that despite being mid-rise are cut slightly higher in the back and have a double loop at the back. Much better for those of us with smaller waists and not to get the awful pooch of denim from possibly having to cinch our belt. But hopefully the extra wide belt loops will be just as good. The idea of the stretchier fabric also sounds good.
Mag

I agree with B. Fitzgerald! Only to size 14 … I’ve been looking for women’s riding jeans for a couple years now, and it’s hard to find them larger than size 14 (my size is 14-16), and if you do it always says to size up. Also, I would love to find an inseam of 35 inches. Everything seems to be 30-32 inches.
Kelly Angel

I’ve had Draggin/Drayko jeans since about 2010. Out of all the motorcycle jeans (Draggin or otherwise), the Draggin Classics fit me the best. Its higher waist with a more generous cut keeps the backside covered. Yes they are pricey, but I won’t ride without protection and these are my go-to jeans. I’ve had the blue ones since 2012 and recently acquired black ones for work.
B. Fitzgerald

Did the manufacturer ever think about the average size of the female population? Anyone over an American size 14 (actually a 12 according to the review) cannot get these. I guess they think only skinny girls should ride.
Donese Ford

Kudos for Draggin for making these, but there has got to be a better way to manufacture women riders’ jeans without them costing so much. I have a pair of Kevlar leggings (Kevlar material covers the whole legging) that came with the knee armor and they only cost me $180. Having jeans made for riding would be wonderful, but $319? I don’t know many women riders that could afford these. As for them lasting long, I’ve had the same pair of regular jeans for over 10 years and they’re still holding up fine, and I didn’t even spend $50 on them.
1. Genevieve Schmitt, Editor
  
  Donese,We accidentally listed the price in Australian dollars. We have since updated it to the correct amount in U.S. dollars, which is $232.
Catherine Matthews

I think it is great that finally a company makes protective gear for women. However, I am consistently disappointed that they are not cut for the average woman’s body. On small women the waist band gaps in the back or goes too low. For fuller figures, they don’t fit curves of the tummy or hips. Some women have small legs and some have fuller legs, and women who have a bit of tummy don’t always have full legs. They need to develop a better fit before I will pay $300 for them.
1. Genevieve Schmitt, Editor
  
  Catherine, We accidentally listed the price in Australian dollars. We have since updated it to the correct amount in U.S. dollars, which is $232.
Lindyloo

I have a pair of the Draggin Slix which fit great and look like leather but are soft. Skinny fit but I have to wear a belt otherwise my back is exposed. They don’t wrinkle as much as the denim so I’m not sure if I’d buy these new ones.
Wendy

I have two pairs of the Draggin jeans, and these are an example of how men’s motorcycle clothes often differ from the women’s in functionality. Here, it is the mesh which is not present in the men’s jeans. It is a third layer that actually makes the jeans quite hot and sticky, but they put it there so the jeans won’t have a seam in them across the knees like the men’s do. It would be nice (and cooler, less sticky) if they could come up with an integrated design for the kevalr that leaves the mesh out. I cut it out of both of my pants and stitched the kevlar down to make the pants significantly cooler to wear, if less cosmetically pleasing, in the hot weather.
Evelyn

I continue to be amazed that, as a woman, it’s OK to expect me to spend more than $300 on a pair of jeans that I have to “pull up” before I sit down. As more and more women ride, we need to demand clothes that are made to fit our bodies. Come on Draggin, make a pair of jeans a woman can wear, is comfortable, and affordable.
1. Genevieve Schmitt, Editor
  
  Evelyn,We accidentally listed the price in Australian dollars. We have since updated it to the correct amount in U.S. dollars, which is $232.
Patti Caruana

Nice looking jeans. And you’re right! The price can be rationalized with the feeling of protection and long-lasting quality.But … between the small sizing and limited to size 14, this product is not available for half of women riders. The largest-sized lady must be a size 12 or less to wear these jeans.I just purchased the Bella model of Slider Jeans. The sizes offered are only to size 18, but they are sized larger than expected, so ladies up to size 20 can wear them. I cannot attest to their longevity, but they are very comfortable. They have the same mid-rise and stretchy soft material with pockets for knee protection.I just wanted to give everyone an option for most ladies to be safer.