5. Motorbike pants that fit

I wrote in my last blog (4. Riding Gear) that I have had difficulty finding a pair of bike pants that fit. Thankfully, I have now solved the problem and have just bought a pair of BMW Rallye 2 Pro pants, which nicely match my jacket :).

The pants or my physique were not the problem, it was (and it seems ridiculous now) my assumption that it is just like buying a pair of regular pants. Thanks to the sales assistant, I am now a lot wiser.

Pant length
I was going about it all wrong, firstly the bulk of the time I am going to be in a sitting position so therefore the pants need to be much longer to accommodate bent legs. Secondly, I tried them on with my boots (motorcross style BMW Rallye GS2) this time, what a good idea! The boots and pants are designed to work together, the pants being worn on the inside the boots. This has the great advantage of being able to tuck the bottom of the knee pads, which extend to mid shin, into the top of the boots. The knee pads are then held in place under the large velco tab of the boots. The secured knee pads which are fairly large and go around the sides of the knees are now nicely positioned to protect the knees whether sitting down, or standing up.

Loose Fit
It is also necessary for the pants to be a bit baggy from the thigh up to be comfortable. Firstly, enough room in the crotch area prevents squashing! Secondly the air vents on the top of the pants work much better when the material is a bit gathered and has folds in it. If the material was tighter and flush to the leg then much less air would pass into the vents and keep you cool.

So there you go - a pair of bike pants that fit. Also as the Rallye 2 Pro's come with thermal/waterproof gortex inners and armour, no need for me to buy seperate waterproofs or knee protectors.

4. Riding gear

Just over 16 weeks left before I start the trip now, the same length of time as the trip itself.

I have a large to do list which I put together a few months ago, most of the tasks however are still outstanding as I kept putting them off until nearer the time, there's not much of that left now!

I've pretty much worked out what riding gear I will use on the trip, here's the main stuff:

Helmet
Arai XD-3

Jacket
I'm taking the BMW Rallye 2 Pro, it looks great and is very comfortable.

All the pads and protectors (back, shoulders & elbows) stay in the right places and they're soft and flexible I hardly notice them. It's the first bike jacket I've had that I don't have to periodically fiddle with to get the pads to sit in the right place and not dig in somewhere, on this jacket they just fit.

It has lots of vents and a detachable waterproof and fleece inner. I've used it in Sydney on fairly hot days with the fleece in and all the vents open and it's not too hot. Plenty of big pockets, some with zips and bigger ones with easy access pop studs. It also has an integrated removable bum bag for keeping valuables in when walking around without the jacket.

I bought it at a BMW dealer in Berlin on a trip last year for 577 Euros (approx. US$ 750), went with the black/grey option, it also comes in blue/grey.

Pants
I tried the BMW Rallye 2 Pro pants that go with the jacket above, but I guess I am not built like your average German as all the sizes I tried either didn't fit around the waist or the knee protectors were right down by my shins! So currently undecided on the pants. Also not sure whether to get an all in one solution with waterproof, thermal and built in protection like the Rallye 2 Pro or buy a combination of riding pants, waterproofs and separate knee protectors.

[update: see next post '5. Motorbike pants that fit']

Boots
BMW Rallye GS2