8 Best Motorcycle Riding Pants for Women: Textile, Denim and Leather Picks I Actually Ride In

Six years ago I bought my first pair of “women’s” riding pants and spent the entire ride hitching them up at the waist while the knee armor floated somewhere near my thighs. That one miserable afternoon sent me down a rabbit hole of buying, returning, and eventually falling in love with a lot of gear.

Since then I’ve ridden in everything from £80 leggings to £600 laminated touring shells, on a naked bike, a sport bike, and a tall adventure bike. This list is the result of all that trial and error: the eight pairs I’d happily spend my own money on again.

A quick note on why I care so much about women’s-specific cuts. It isn’t marketing fluff. Hip-to-waist ratios, inseam length and knee armor placement genuinely differ, and if the armor isn’t sitting on your knee when you hit the deck, it’s just expensive padding.

1. Klim Altitude Women’s Pant — The Best All-Weather Touring Pant

If I could only own one pair of riding pants, this would be it. The Altitude Women’s Pant is built from a GORE-TEX Performance Shell laminate, which means the waterproof membrane is bonded to the outer fabric instead of hanging inside as a separate drop liner.

That construction detail matters more than it sounds. A laminated pant doesn’t soak up water and go heavy, and it doesn’t leave you clammy the way a cheap liner does. I’ve ridden through four hours of steady Welsh rain in mine and stayed completely dry.

Protection is D3O at the knees and hips, and the knee armor has two height positions so you can actually line it up with your kneecap. There are waist adjusters, two thigh vents for warmer days, and a connection zip for Klim jackets.

Fit and sizing notes

Klim cuts this in women’s sizing rather than making you guess your way down from a men’s pattern. I’m usually a UK 12 and took a size 30, which left room for a base layer without looking baggy.

The trade-off is price. At roughly $550 it’s comfortably the most expensive pant here, and in 30°C heat those two vents only go so far. It’s a three-season pant, not a desert pant.

2. REV’IT! Airwave 3 Ladies Pants — Best for Hot Weather

Once the temperature goes past 25°C, this is the pair I reach for every single time. The Airwave 3 Ladies is almost entirely mesh, with PWR|Shell ripstop panels at the hips and knees where you genuinely need abrasion resistance.

It ships with SEEFLEX CE Level 2 knee protectors and SEESMART hip armor included, which is rare at this price point. So many brands make you buy the hips as a separate line item.

You get adjustable knee height, a stretch panel at the waist, laminated reflection on the calves, and a short connection zip to a REV’IT! jacket. Expect to pay around $250.

How it feels on the bike

Airflow is superb. At 35°C in Spain I could feel the breeze moving across my knees, which is not something I can say about most textile pants. That said, mesh offers zero weather protection, so it’s a summer-only pant unless you carry rain over-trousers.

3. Alpinestars Stella Andes V3 Drystar Pants — Best Waterproof Commuter

The Stella Andes V3 is the pant I recommend to friends who commute all year and don’t want to think about the weather. The Drystar membrane is fixed inside the shell, so it’s always there when the rain starts and you’re not scrambling to zip in a liner at the roadside.

It comes with a removable thermal liner for winter, Nucleon Flex Plus CE Level 1 knee armor, and pockets for hip protectors. Waist adjusters and a connection zip to the matching Andes jacket finish the package.

At around $270 it undercuts most laminated pants and still keeps you dry. The downside of a fixed liner is that in prolonged rain the outer fabric wets out, so the pant feels cold and heavy even though you’re dry underneath.

Sizing runs true to Alpinestars’ women’s chart. I’d go up one size if you plan to wear them over regular trousers rather than a base layer.

4. Dainese New Drake Air Lady Tex Pants — Best Summer Textile for Urban Riding

Dainese’s Lady line is one of the few that genuinely re-patterns a garment instead of relabelling a men’s size, and the New Drake Air Lady Tex is my favourite of the bunch for city riding.

It’s a Cordura-based textile with mesh inserts, removable composite knee protectors, and a cut slim enough to wear over jeans without looking like you’re heading to Mongolia. There’s a jacket connection zip and reflective piping for night riding.

Hip protection is optional on some versions, so check the spec sheet before you buy. Budget around $240.

What I like and what I don’t

I love how light they feel and how easily they fold into a top box or backpack. I don’t love that they’re not really waterproof, so from April to September I keep a cheap pair of over-trousers in my bag just in case.

5. Bull-it Sadie Ladies Jeans — Best Value Aramid Denim

If you want to look normal off the bike, a riding jean is the answer, and the Sadie from Bull-it is the best value pair I’ve owned. It uses the brand’s Covec liner rather than a traditional woven aramid, which keeps the denim noticeably lighter and cooler.

CE Level 1 knee armor is included, there are pockets for hip armor, and the straight cut doesn’t squeeze your thighs when you swing a leg over. Expect to pay somewhere between $150 and $180.

The honest caveat: any lined denim is warmer than single-layer denim, and the Sadie is no exception. In August traffic I’d still rather be in leggings.

6. Rokker Rokkertech High Waist Lady — Best Premium Single-Layer Denim

Rokker’s Rokkertech denim is a single-layer fabric woven with ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, which means there is no liner at all. The result is a jean that feels like a normal jean, breathes properly, and slides rather than grabs on asphalt.

The High Waist Lady cut is the version I’d pick, because the rise actually covers your lower back when you’re leant forward on a sport bike. Armor pockets are cut for CE Level 2 knee protectors, and hip armor is available too.

Is it worth the money?

At roughly $400 it costs more than two pairs of the Bull-its. For me it’s worth it because I wear them off the bike as well as on, so the cost per wear works out. If you only ride weekends, save the money and buy the Sadie instead.

7. MotoGirl Kevlar Leggings — Best Leggings for Everyday Riding

MotoGirl is a UK brand that makes women’s kit exclusively, and their armoured leggings are the single piece I wear most often. They’re lined with aramid fibre at the hips, knees and seat, and CE Level 2 knee armor is included as standard.

They stretch, they look like ordinary leggings, and they come in sizes up to a UK 26, which is far more inclusive than almost anything else on this list. Prices sit around £150 to £200 depending on the colorway.

Where they fall short

There’s no weather protection and the fabric is thin, so I wouldn’t tour in them and I definitely wouldn’t take them on track. They’re for the commute, popping to the shops, and looking vaguely normal at the pub afterwards.

8. Dainese Delta 4 Lady Leather Pants — Best Leather for Sport Riding

When I’m riding something quick and want maximum abrasion resistance, leather is still the gold standard. The Delta 4 Lady takes Dainese’s long-running sport pant formula and re-cuts the same materials into a women’s hip and waist pattern.

You get premium cowhide with stretch panels behind the knees and at the waist, CE composite knee protectors, and a jacket connection zip so your top and bottom stay together in a slide. Waist adjustment lets you fine-tune the fit over a base layer or a thermal liner.

Budget around $450. They’re heavy and hot off the bike, and they are not remotely waterproof, but for a track day or a fast Sunday morning nothing else here comes close.

Fit Notes and Buying Tips I Wish I’d Known Sooner

After eight pairs and a lot of returns, these are the rules I follow before I hand over my card.

Measure your inseam, not your dress size

Every brand’s women’s chart is different, and the number that matters most is your inseam, because it determines where the knee armor lands. If a manufacturer publishes an inseam range, use it. If they don’t, order two sizes and send one back.

Assume hip armor is an extra

Knee protectors come as standard on almost everything. Hip protectors very often don’t. The REV’IT! Airwave 3 Ladies and the Klim Altitude are the two on this list that include hips out of the box, which is worth factoring into the price.

Buy for the climate, not the colour

Mesh pants are miserable in February and laminated pants are miserable in July. If you ride all year, the honest answer is that you need two pairs, and a $250 mesh pant plus a $270 Drystar pant costs less than one premium leather suit.

Start with the climate you ride in most, get the fit right at the knees, and upgrade from there. My own cupboard has ended up with a mesh pair, a laminated pair, and two pairs of denim, and I don’t regret a single one of them.

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