Most motorcycle jackets have the option to connect them to a pair of pants. I remember buying my first motorcycle jacket and seeing the zippers for the first time. Immediately, I wondered if it was important to connect the jacket to the pants.
Zipping a motorcycle jacket to the pants is important. It prevents the jacket from sliding up during a crash. Ultimately, it protects your lower back from some dirty road rash.
Why the zipper is important during a crash
They say there are only two types of riders. The one that already fell, and the one that still has to fall. That’s why we want to be well protected, just in case we crash today.
Buying a good pair of motorcycle pants and combining them with a jacket is a good start. Putting on boots, gloves and a helmet finishes your protective gear off, doesn’t it?
Well, not completely. There is one little thing you are forgetting. Yes, it’s connecting the jacket to the pants. If you ask me, zipping your jacket to the pants is an absolute must. Why? Because if you don’t, your jacket will slide up during a crash. You don’t want to end up with some nasty road rash, which is why you are wearing your gear in the first place.
Most motorcycle jackets and pants can be connected with a zipper. Some will connect with a pair of push buttons, and rarely there is no way to connect the two of them.
Different type of connections
Does your jacket seem to have two connectors? Do you see a zipper AND an elastic loop? Well, don’t be fooled!
The elastic loop is there to prevent your jacket from moving upwards in the wind. However, it doesn’t stand a chance against the forces during a fall. The elastic band will not protect you during a crash, so don’t use it! It’s only there for people who cannot connect their jackets with the zipper.
Sewing the zipper in your pants
Typically, jackets and pants of the same brand have the same kind of zipper. This means you can zip them together with no problems what so ever. However, there are three scenarios where the standard zipper technique won’t work for you.
- First of all, you’ll find that brands change zipper size over time. In that case, your old pair of pants cannot be connected to your brand new jacket.
- There’s also a lot of people out there who like to combine different brands. You won’t be the first person to combine a (for example) Dainese leather jacket with Alpinestars leather pants.
- And last, you’ll find out that motorcycle jeans usually don’t feature a zipper to connect.
Luckily, there is a solution! Most brands will supply you with a spare zipper. This zipper can be sewed into that pair of pants from the other brand, or the kevlar motorcycle jeans.
I’ll be honest; I’m not that much into sewing. I just brought my kevlar jeans to a tailor, who sewed the zipper into my jeans for ten bucks. All I needed to do is wear my jacket with my pants, so that he could see where the zipper should be.
Always make sure to use safety stitching. My tailor used extra strong stitching and double stitched the zipper. It’s an important
Connecting different brands with an adapter
The above solution of sewing the spare zipper into your pants sounds like a good idea, but what if your pants already have a zipper which doesn’t fit your jacket’s zipper? And what if you want to combine different brand each time?
In that case, you can ask your tailor to make an adapter. An adapter can be made by putting two spare zippers together. You can make several adapters in case you have several brands which you would like to combine.
My advice is to always write down for which brands the adapter. As you buy more and more clothing, it gets harder to keep the adapters apart.
Great solution from REV’IT. The connection belt
Don’t want to sew the zipper into your brand new pair of jeans? In that case, REV’IT has a
The belt consists of a normal leather belt, with an attachment fitted with a zipper. This way, you can connect your jeans to your jacket without sewing the zipper in permanently.
The downside is that it only works with REV’IT jackets, but you could always sew your spare zipper into the REV’IT belt. I’ve even seen people making this belt themselves.
There is one disclaimer though. In case you crash, the belt will pull on the belt loops. You must be sure that the belt loops are strong enough to withstand these forces. I believe that the REV’IT belt loops have been reinforced, but you should always check if that’s the case with your pair of jeans.
Easiest way to zip your motorcycle gear together
Remember those movie scenes where a girl tries to get into skinny jeans which are two sizes too small? Zipping your jacket and pants together, can be a bit of a struggle as well.
I’ve tried different types of techniques to get them connected easily. I’ve tried it whiles standing, sitting, laying down. I used my right hand, my left hand and added a mirror.
The easiest way is (obviously) to ask your passenger to zip your gear together. However, most of the time I ride by myself.
In that case, the easiest way to connect them (in my opinion), is by zipping them together BEFORE you put on all your gear. I usually just step into my pants and then zip them to my jacket. After that, I pull my pants up and put on my jacket. It feels like putting on a one-piece suit, but it just saves the struggle of connecting them
Is it more comfortable to ride with connected pants?
So we know that it’s important to use the zipper in order to stay relatively safe during a crash. Another reason to use the
Comfort may not be the first thing that pops into your mind when zipping your gear together. Especially not when you try to bend down to tie your shoes, to only find out you cannot bend down anymore. But don’t be fooled, because connecting your motorcycle gear together does add extra comfort.
You have probably seen it before. A (foolish) motorcyclist riding his bike in a T-shirt. Their shirt will be blow up into their armpits and it will offer no protection whatsoever. I personally use a mesh jacket for these hot types of days.
The zipper doesn’t only prevent the jacket from sliding up in a crash, it also stops it from shifting up in the wind. An open back isn’t very comfortable on cold days, but also on warmer days, it can cause muscle ache on longer rides.
Constant battle: to zip or not to zip
There has been a constant battle between my friend and me about zipping your gear together. I do it 95% of the time. I do it without thinking, like putting on your safety belt in a car.
Some of my friends, however, rarely zip their gear together. They know it’s better, they say they should do it, but they just simply don’t.
So I’m wondering. What about you? Do you zip your gear together? And why do you do it? Is it to increase your level of safety, or do you do it because it feels more comfortable on the back? Please let me know!
