One of the problems with being 6ft 3in tall and having a 34in waist is finding jeans that are long enough in the leg without being too big around the waist.
Luckily I found the Furygan K11 X Kevlar jeans, which are probably the best fitting jeans I have - of any jeans at all, not just bike jeans.
They’re certified to the highest AAA level of CE, have D3O Ghost hip and knee armour that’s so thin and flexible I often forget it’s there. For me, these really are the ultimate denim riding jeans.
After trying them on I was impressed with how flexible they were, which is due to the single-layer build, and feeling of strength from the buttons for the fly and waist, as well as solid stitching.
Then there’s the fit. These fitted perfectly and true to their size, in a regular leg length (the only one available). They’re described as a straight leg fit, but I find they have a nice modern fit that follows the shape of the leg and has a relatively narrow opening around the ankle - well, narrow for motorcycle jeans anyway.
The narrow ankle opening does mean that I can’t fit them over my Richa boots (or any full-length boots for that matter), however I most often wear them with a pair of Furygan’s Get Down low-cut boots and this combination works perfectly for my 15-mile commute.
The single-layer denim is reassuringly thick, much like a pair of older Levis, though there is limited stretch in it, which I found to be a bit uncomfortable at the end of a day in the office.
A bit more stretch around the seat wouldn’t have gone amiss, but whenever I’ve ridden into work wearing them I’ve not felt the need to change into something more comfortable when I arrive.
The opening for the pockets is quite narrow, which I did initially find awkward - but I got used to it eventually. I find the pockets are quite wide as opposed to deep, so things sit side by side in them instead of stacked. This means I don’t feel like things are going to fall out while I’m riding. Sitting on my Yamaha XT660X with an iPhone Mini and my wallet in the pockets was perfectly comfortable.
The D3O Ghost armour is brilliantly comfortable. Thankfully I haven’t needed to use it for its main purpose, but day-to-day I’ve barely even noticed it’s fitted. It’s thin, flexible and sits comfortably on my knees both on the bike and while sat at my desk.
I have no complaints about these jeans while riding, even when temperatures were up into the mid-thirties in Celsius.
Even with their lack of venting, I didn’t find myself overheating. Wearing them during the day though I would try to avoid being in the sun for long as they seemed to get warm, which would be uncomfortable after a while.
Unlike some other riding jeans I’ve worn, I feel confident in these jeans, even at motorway speeds.
In my opinion, the Furygan K11 x Kevlar jeans are brilliant. Off the bike they fit nicely and look smart and the unobtrusive armour means I can wear them all day at work.
More importantly, on the bike they don’t ride up, are comfortable enough for the ride between fuel stops and most importantly of all they look good while doing it!