I don’t know about you, but my riding career started out with dad’s well-worn riding jacket, a pair of jeans, sneakers and a passed-down helmet. This mentality quickly changed once I grew into motorcycling and proper gear was purchased for the slide rather than the ride. However, one thing always seems to creep back into a motorcyclist’s life; our favourite pair of jeans. Most riders, myself included, find gravitating back to riding jeans over textiles a common reality, but even then, most double-layered Kevlar jeans are just so uncomfortable, sad looking and just too hot for summer. Unfortunately, this leads the majority of us to make the mistake of sliding a pair of non-riding jeans back on for our daily commutes, adventures and even open-road riding.
With that said, a few companies have made this silly excuse almost inadmissible with brands like the Italian company PMJ ditching the dinosaur of heavy double-layered Kevlar technology for something called ballistic Twaron—the material that makes single-layer riding jeans possible. Single layer? Is that even worth it and is it any safe? Well, recent tests in material technology have seen single-layer riding jeans achieve CE ratings of AAA, which is the highest possible rating for abrasion resistance and construction. So, we are talking about a riding jean that offers phenomenal cooling, comfort and in PMJ’s case, trendy slim-fitting motorcycle jeans.
With myself being intrigued by this new tech and at the same time in the market for an inner-city riding jean, I got into contact with the South African importers of PMJ, IMI (Italian Motorcycle Importers).
So, who are PMJ? PMJ are an Italian-born and bred company that has had its roots planted deep into high fashion for the last 30 years, collaborating with famous brands like Hugo Boss and Versace to name a few. They take pride in being a 100% made-in-Italy brand that handmakes their protective motorcycle jeans. With almost 14 years in the motorcycle industry, they have now become the best-selling protective motorcycle jean in Europe.
After having a close look at PMJ’s line-up, Sean Powell hooked me up with a pair of “street” jeans, which come with a single “A” rating to compliment my town and around riding. The street jeans are your more traditional stone-washed ripped jean, with a slim upper leg fit and straight leg cut at the bottom to fit riding sneakers. The first fit saw me go a size bigger than usual going for a size 32 as opposed to my usual 30 waist, which is not unusual for a European fit. In saying that, ‘IMI’ do bring in sizes 30 to 42 with a variety of leg lengths to go with it.
Before hitting the road, Sean paired my riding jeans with one of PMJ’s latest classic denim jackets, called the West jacket. Not only did this add to my off-season Steve McQueen look, but it too was backed by a class AAA PPE rating.
After two months of literally living in the jeans and with the seasons starting to head into summer, I was enjoying my new skin. The first two positives, which are major for me, were how flexible the jeans are when changing riding position on the bike and how well-ventilated they are out in the field. I spend a lot of my time riding but a majority of it standing still photographing motorcycles, which means 20 to 30 min on location in the hot sun, pushing the bike around and getting low for those aggressive shots. I was impressed with how easy they were to live with not only on the bike but off the bike too.
Again, the above is all thanks to the material that is used and how the abrasion resistance comes about thanks to aramid fibres woven into the denim itself, allowing the single-layer denim to form the protection. It is just awesome to see and understand how these protective motorcycle jeans look like normal, everyday slim-fit jeans but they’re lined with ballistic Twaron abrasion-resistant material. This material also gives the street a slide time of 1 second on the “Cambridge machine” (equivalent to around 4 seconds on asphalt).
The level of protection one gets from their gear should always be considered, and for me, that was made simple. I knew these jeans were going to be used for quick pop-around meetups and slow-town riding. So, the safety rating of just a single A was acceptable, while considering an AA or AAA was going to be overkill for town riding, much more expensive and heavier.
The layout of the jeans is pretty simple, with your traditional five-pocket design and your level-1 knee armour, which for once, lined up perfectly with my knees. I’ve always hated knee protection as they tend to scratch the hell out of my knees, but with PMJ this was not the case. For washing, you can also remove them when necessary and they are cleverly relocated with Velcro to make sure they don’t move around. The street jeans are also hip-protector-ready.
When it comes to fit and use, these jeans have their small compromises and I mean dinky. If you have rugby player thighs you are not going to fit in a pair of PMJs and if you like your pocket space, then again, the tight fit offers very little. If you’ve got a small credit card wallet like mine, all good, but if you’re rolling in the green then you are going to run out of space. You also have a button up front instead of a zipper system, which really isn’t a compromise and I think it adds to the overall classic look and feel of the jeans.
All in all, the PMJ street jeans, offer great value at R2999 and I think PMJ are bringing in products that suit the daily commuter and inner-city riders’ needs with a middle-ground offer. They also have a more subtle pair called the “new rider” jeans which retail for R2400 and come in a darker blue.
After taking a closer look at what other riders wear on the road, I’d say only 25% of motorcyclists wear protective trousers, but I think new products like these can convince more riders to gear up rather than down. So, pull into IMI in Bryanston and give their PMJ line a browse as they have an array of styles for both men and ladies. I’ve already got my eyes set on their Cargo and Café riding pants.
