How to Choose Motorcycle Riding Pants

Start with this: of the 12 riding pants in our registry, only 4 publish an EN 17092 garment class — two at AA (EN 17092-3) and two at A (EN 17092-4). Three more publish a knee-armor level with no garment class, and 5 publish nothing at all. That one count tells you how to shop for this category: a pant that publishes a class has been measured, and a pant that publishes nothing is asking you to take its word.

Pants are the biggest hole in most riders’ kit. Helmets are legally required to meet a standard to be sold in the US, jackets are the first thing anyone buys, and legs get a pair of jeans. If you want the argument for covering them at all, that is a separate page; this one assumes you are convinced and want to know what to look at.

The three formats

The specs that matter, in order

• EN 17092 class (the garment). AAA, AA, A, B or C, with AAA the highest protective class. AA is the sensible target for touring and ADV; A is reasonable for urban pants. Our EN 17092 guide explains what each class is tested for. Two pants in our registry publish AA and two publish A.
• EN 1621-1 level (the armor).Level 1 or Level 2 for knee and hip, and they are separate items — a pant can ship Level 2 knees and nothing at the hip. The best disclosure in our registry is a premium ADV pant publishing an AA class alongside CE Level 2 hip AND knee armor; the CE armor guide covers what the levels mean.
• Whether hip armor is included.One pant in our registry publishes knee armor to EN 1621-1 Level 1 and uncertified EVA foam at the hips. Another has hip pockets with the armor sold separately. Neither is dishonest — both publish it — but you have to read the line.
• Waterproofing: laminate or liner. A laminated membrane (GORE-TEX and equivalents) keeps the outer fabric from soaking; a zip-in waterproof liner is cheaper, and the outer wets out and gets heavy.
• Venting.Thigh vents with real zips make summer riding possible in a textile pant. A mesh pant with a published class is the hot-weather answer — two in our registry publish EN 17092-4 A with Level 1 armor.
• Connection to the jacket.A short zip at the back keeps a jacket from riding up. Several pants publish an 8-inch connection zip; check it matches your jacket’s brand.

Three pants that show the range

All three are from our riding pants ranking, chosen here because each one publishes its specs clearly enough that you can check them against this list.

Best disclosure: AA class, Level 2 armor

KLIM Carlsbad Pant

CE AA EN 17092-3 garment; KLIM Rogue CE Level 2 hip and knee armor

The pant that publishes both numbers this page shops on: a CE AA rating certified to EN 17092-3 for the garment, and KLIM Rogue CE Level 2 armor at the hip and the knee. The shell is a GORE-TEX Performance Shell laminate, so there is no drop liner to wet out, with 630D CORDURA twisted-yarn overlays in the abrasion zones and goat leather inside the knees. Expensive, and the only pant here where nothing had to be inferred.

See the full riding pants ranking

$659.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 17, 2026. #ad How we’re funded

Published A class at a mid price

Tourmaster Adventure Lite Pants

CE A EN 17092-4 garment; Armanox CE Level 1 hip and knee armor

The cheapest pant on this page that publishes a garment class — CE-certified A to EN 17092-4 — and it ships with Armanox CE Level 1 armor at both the hip and the knee, on a laminated 420D waterproof shell rather than a drop liner. That is a specification most pants at twice the price do not match line for line, and the reason a mid-price Tourmaster is ranked above better-known names.

Compare the mid-price pants

$199.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 17, 2026. #ad How we’re funded

The overpant route

Tourmaster Overpant Evo

Armanox CE Level 1 knee armor; no hip armor or garment class listed

The one pant on this page you put on over what you are already wearing. Full-length YKK zippers down each leg, 600D Carbolex polyester with 1000D ripstop overlays, large thigh vents and Armanox CE Level 1 knee armor with an adjustable fit. Tourmaster lists no hip armor and no waterproof membrane, so this is a commuter's abrasion-and-knee layer, not a touring pant.

See the overpants

$169.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 17, 2026. #ad How we’re funded

Read them as a ladder rather than a ranking. The KLIM publishes a CE AA EN 17092-3 class with Level 2 hip and knee armor and a GORE-TEX laminate — the most complete disclosure in the category, at the highest price. The Tourmaster Adventure Lite publishes a CE A EN 17092-4 class with Armanox Level 1 hip and knee armor, which is a real rating at a quarter of the money. The Overpant Evo publishes Armanox CE Level 1 knee armor, 600D Carbolex with 1000D Ripstop overlays, large thigh vents and an 8-inch jacket zip — and no hip armor, no membrane and no garment class, which Tourmaster states plainly and so do we.

Fit: the test that takes ten seconds

1. Sit down in them in the riding position.Knees up, as on the bike. The knee armor must still be over your kneecap — if it has slid onto your shin, the pant is too long or too loose and the armor is decorative.
2. Check the cuff against your boots. With your knees bent, the cuff should still reach over the boot. A pant that rides up exposes your shin at exactly the wrong moment.
3. Allow for the liner. If the pant has a zip-in thermal or waterproof liner, try it on with the liner in. Most people buy for the summer fit and then cannot close the pant in November.
4. Check the hip armor position standing AND seated. Hip pockets are often cut for an average torso length; if the pad sits above or below your hip bone, size or brand is wrong.

Our full gear fit guide covers the same checks for the rest of the kit, and knee guards are the route to leg impact protection if pants are not in the budget yet.