Kevlar underpants?

[riles]

Hey guys, i'll start by giving you a little background. I like to ride my motorcycle to work, which is about a 5 mile ride on roads that do not go above 35 mph. I have been wearing jacket+gloves+helmet, but last week i slipped on some sand and went down. I got alot of road rash on my leg, because I wear really thin wool dress pants.

I always just assumed that going so slow (I was probably only doing about 15-20mph around this turn because it was right after a stop light) meant that i wouldnt get hurt if I went down. After my hospital visit, I now see that I was wrong. The leather dress shoes worked well though- they barely show signs of an accident after some polishing.

Here is my dilemma- I can't wear any pants over my work pants, because they will wrinkle my work pants and that will make me look unprofessional all day. I also don't really want to wear different pants in to the office, because once again, it is not a professional look when walking into the building - I work at an accounting firm.

Are there any thin underpants (I mean ankle to waist, not just boxers) that provide abrasion resistance? I was thinking something like a pair of tights but made out of kevlar or something similar. I want to be able to wear them all day without people noticing, or at least i can go change in the bathroom in the morning but the managers and partners don't have to see me walking in with motorcycle pants on.

I've seen some pants that are nylon mesh with pads, but I was kind of looking for something without pads but with great durability when sliding on the pavement.

Thanks guys.

[brooder]

www.dragginjeans.com. They're called Draggin Liners. Basically Kevlar based long johns. Here's a direct link. http://www.dragginjeans.com/category.aspx?categoryID=39. You could also try Draggin Jeans if you're allowed to wear jeans at work. As soon as I get a spare couple of hundred, that's what I'm doing.

[riles]

Wow, thats exactly what I'm looking for! Perfect!

They seem a little expensive, but considering what the emergency room visit cost me last week, these are a steal!

Unfortunately we can only wear jeans something like once every other month, and only on days where you donate $5 to charity to wear the jeans. We are allowed to wear golf clothes in the summer, though, and I found a pair of kevlar khakis, but I like this undergarment alot. I will definitely be ordering one soon.

[JBLUE]

your footwear needs to change also, is a good chance your leather dress shoes is the reason you slipped on the sand most dress shoes have a leather sole, leather soles are slippery you need a shoe that will grip the ground and leather dress shoes are not the answer you need a good pair of riding boots you can carry your dress shoes to work

[brooder]

Something else you might want to consider is talking to your bosses about wearing different pants in and changing once you get there. With the prevalance of motorcycle riders these days, I'm sure they'd understand why you came in wearing leather or textile riding pants.

[acraze]

Something else you might want to consider is talking to your bosses about wearing different pants in and changing once you get there. With the prevalance of motorcycle riders these days, I'm sure they'd understand why you came in wearing leather or textile riding pants.

I hope they would...

[BarMatt80]

man i ride to work with my dress pants, dress shirt(no tie anymore), and my jacket, helmet and tank bag. I just grab a wrinkle free shirt out of the closet along with wrinkle free pants. I even carry in my helmet, bag and wearing my jacket. I guess maybe I don't think the clothes make the person. Plus I don't work with customers much, sit at a computer, attend meetings and conference calls. Now if i have a meeting with a high ranking politic or the governor, i throw on a tie, that is the only difference. Plus the governor is a biker as well!

I would assume your employer would feel it is fine, but if it is a personal choice, well then go with that link. I could only imagine wearing them 8hrs plus. I expecially think they would not matter if you don't have customer interaction.

I wear a pair of docs, never had a slipping issues on or off peg.

[riles]

Well, the problem is that I am in a client serving profession, so I am often visiting clients or they are visiting us. Unfortunately, appearance is very important in our field.

Each time we begin work on a new client, we discuss what the particular dress code will be, and we need to stick to it.

As far as the shoes go, I don't understand how my footwear would dictate the traction that the motorcycle tire obtains on the road. My feet were on the pegs until the bike went down. I'm not arguing, I just think you may have the wrong idea of how I slipped. I was leaning into a turn and both the front and rear tires slipped almost simultaneously, and before I knew it I was sliding on the ground.

Thanks for the input guys. I knew it would be a bit unpopular of a discussion because anything less than full gear is dangerous, but these are the decisions we make every day and I appreciate it that I didn't get flamed here.

[DreKat]

I always wear my Swift Kevlar jeans and my Nitro riding shoes to work and change in the washroom. To heck with the boss who only cares about image and not employee safety.

[JBLUE]

Well, the problem is that I am in a client serving profession, so I am often visiting clients or they are visiting us. Unfortunately, appearance is very important in our field.

Each time we begin work on a new client, we discuss what the particular dress code will be, and we need to stick to it.

As far as the shoes go, I don't understand how my footwear would dictate the traction that the motorcycle tire obtains on the road. My feet were on the pegs until the bike went down. I'm not arguing, I just think you may have the wrong idea of how I slipped. I was leaning into a turn and both the front and rear tires slipped almost simultaneously, and before I knew it I was sliding on the ground.

Thanks for the input guys. I knew it would be a bit unpopular of a discussion because anything less than full gear is dangerous, but these are the decisions we make every day and I appreciate it that I didn't get flamed here.

I thought by your original post that you slipped on sand when you put your feet down while stopping but I still stand behind my post about your footwear you need riding boots that have a rubber sole, dress shoes have a leather sole which is slippery you are a grown man who makes his own decisions I am just sharing my opinions with you and I am not trying to flame you in any way just concern about my fellow rider

[riles]

Hey, no worries at all. I agree that I should be wearing more gear.

This was an eye opener for sure- I never really respected the danger of low speed crashes. Makes me cringe when thinking back to my college days of riding in shorts and a wifebeater. That could have done some serious damage.

I haven't ridden without a jacket and gloves (and a helmet of course) for a year or two now, but it looks like some more gear will be making into my "always wear" category.

[BarMatt80]

you said slow speed, but i know i don't ride nearly as agressive. Even more attentive. But that might mostly be that i have 24 miles of interstate.

[pronator]

Now you said that you can't wear pants over your work pants because of wrinkle issues. Have you actually tried this or are you making this assumption? I'm not being a jerk here; I really want to know.

I ask because I used to think and do the same thing: regular suit-type slacks to work on the bike. But then I got a pair of textile pants (a little big so I wore them as overpants) and wear them over my slacks with no wrinkle problems.

My commute is very similar to yours: surface streets, lower speed, about 5 miles.

If you got a pair of overpants designed to be overpants, they'll usually have a full or 3/4 zip on the legs. Easy to step out of without removing your shoes. Buy a pair locally, put 'em on over some work pants and sit on your (parked) bike for however long your commute is. Then check out your pants. If they're too wrinkled for your needs then return the pants. No harm, no foul.

I'm going to second JBLUE here and say that you should be wearing proper riding boots though. If wrinkled pants are bad, surely a cast and crutches are worse.

Is there a back entrance where you can sneak in and change before presenting yourself to the boss/office?

Sorry to hear about you going down, but glad you're still with us, intact, and looking to gear up a bit better! <where's the thumbs up smiley when you need him?>

[Vandil]

I also wear slacks every day and I wear a pair of armored First Gear over pants and boots. I just keep a set of dress shoes at the office under my desk. Takes maybe 5 minutes to take the over pants off and change shoes.

I do tend to buy the "wrinkle free" slacks though so that probably helps.

[DuncanS]

For the office or for clients I know well, I turn up in my gear and get changed. And I wear full gear - leather jeans, boots, armoured jacket with a high-vis vest over the top, gloves and helmet! Yeah, so I'm paranoid but I still have all my own skin. I carry my work clothes & shoes in a tank bag, just means I have to buy clothes which are wrinkle-free - you can even get suits with Lycra in them which can withstand this and look reasonable.

When I'm going to a new client I can't guarantee I'll be able to change anywhere before meeting the boss... so I go in my car.

First post, by the way... bought my 2003 750 last week. It's a great bike.