Motorcycle gear is getting more advanced by the minute and an increasing number of options are designed to look like everyday clothes rather than obvious gear. Riding jeans are all the rave at the moment as they are a casual and more comfortable alternative to thick and heavy riding pants. REV’IT! is one of the biggest names in motorcycle gear nowadays and offers a small selection of four women-friendly jeans—which is more than a lot of brands, so that’s a start. I got my hands on a pair of the Westwood Ladies SF models to test and here are my thoughts about them.
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The pants look perfectly stealth, though the knees look just a little bulky due to the padding and the extra protective fabric. The point is that the Westwood pants don’t look like riding pants. They also don't feel like it either.
The jeans are fitted but comfortable—there is some light stretch in the fabric that makes the garment fit close to the body but also flexible and easy to move in. The materials feel very luxe and the garment is well built. There’s triple stitching down the leg and double stitching everywhere else. The jeans have good weight to them, which makes them feel extra sturdy. Note, however, that the waist is low cut which could mean flashing more skin than you expect if your riding jacket is on the short side.
The jeans offer three lines of defense. First, the material itself—they’re are made of a blend of denim and Cordura—a classic abrasion-resistant synthetic fabric used in a lot of motorcycle gear. Second, REV’IT! uses a special PWR shield knit to provide additional protection against abrasion on the seat and on the knees. There are Coolmax multi-channel fibers in the fabric meant to keep the rider cool and dry.
Third, the knees are protected by a pair of Seesmart CE-level 1 knee protectors. The pads are flexible and feel very comfortable on the knees. They are also super easy to remove once the pants When you put the feet on the pegs and the knees are bent, the pad offers good coverage of the area. In my case, it went from about an inch above the knee cap to the top of the shinbone.
There are pockets on the hips inside the garment that allow you to add a pair of Seesmart hip protectors (sold separately) should you want the additional protection. A set of hip protectors goes for $19.99.
Inside the garment, down the leg, there is a reflective strip of 3M Scotchlite meant to make you more visible in low-light situations. The issue with the reflective material being inside the jean rather than outside is that, unless you have to roll up the cuff of the pants, nobody actually sees it. At 5’8” and with my 32-inch inseam, the length is just perfect for me and rolling up the cuff would expose my ankles which defeats the purpose. Maybe some sort of reflective stitching on the leg of the pant should be considered instead.
I am very satisfied with the REV’IT! Westwood Ladies SF Riding Jeans. I would like to see more variety in the segment but the options the brand has on tap are good, basic, classic-looking ones. The quality of the jeans is there and aside from feeling like I have to tug at the back of the jeans to avoid —I haven’t worn low cut pants since my teens—the overall comfort is great.
I spent an entire day wearing them getting in and off the saddle and they are now my go-to riding pants. You will put the money for them as this specific model is priced at $239.99 (on Revzilla) but the quality of the materials and the feel definitely justify it.