Chaps
Road Captain
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 502
Likes: 1
RE: Chaps
ORIGINAL: robbie52
Wear them to keep warm, but glad I had them on when I went down. Jeans don't last long sliding down the highway.
Wear them to keep warm, but glad I had them on when I went down. Jeans don't last long sliding down the highway.
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 979
Likes: 0
From: west of the west side of Indy, many miles from nowhere
RE: Chaps
I wear them when it's under 50 degrees - really makes a difference. One of the moto magazines did an interesting test some years ago with leather, denim, and kevlar reinforced fabric to see what would happen during an accident where the rider would slide down the road to a stop. The denim shredded in a matter of seconds. It was a good argument for wearing them all the time.
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
From: Powhatan Arkansas
RE: Chaps
I read a study where denim lasted about 4 feet, Kevlar was like 10 feet, good quality leather was 84 feet. I only wear them when its cold. I figure if I am not going to put a lid on why leather.
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,314
Likes: 5
RE: Chaps
I wear chaps up to about 70 degrees....if you get the lined ones they are way easier to put on and more comfortable....also what works good for me is to zip the legs about the first 6 inches before putting them on, because the hardest part was always getting the zipper started.
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 811
Likes: 0
From: Inverness, FL
RE: Chaps
ORIGINAL: beaucoup_dinkydow
Put on my chaps last week, when the wife was on her way home.
Wore just the chaps and a T-shirt, nothing else underneath.
She got a big kick out of it.
Put on my chaps last week, when the wife was on her way home.
Wore just the chaps and a T-shirt, nothing else underneath.
She got a big kick out of it.
I like to wear my chaps most of the time. On the freeway to stops road debri from scratching up my shins. I must wear slacks to work so if I ride to work it keeps my slacks clean and they don't ride up making me look like a dork with flood-waters.
Road Master
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,172
Likes: 0
From: WI/ The State of Harley
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Southpaw Super Glide: A Left-Hand-Drive 1979 Harley FXE Built to Fit the Rider
Verdad Gallardo
The Best and Worst Harley-Davidson Moves of 2025
Verdad Gallardo
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,340
Likes: 2
From: Omaha Nebraska
RE: Chaps
I wear them on the road. Helps with the wind flapping the crap out of your jeans, that to me will drive ya nuts after a few hundred miles. Also it helps when getting smacked in the leg with big bugs.
Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 151
Likes: 0
From: Virginia
RE: Chaps
I use Carhart bibs, both lined (winter) and unlined (spring, summer,fall). The heavy duck material works great in fending off the winds and you can throw them in the washing machine to rid them of dirt and critters.