Motorcycle Pants for Tall Riders: How Long Is Long Enough?

Motorcycle pants for tall riders have a problem the size label never mentions: staying long enough once you are sitting on the bike. In front of a mirror a pair can look fine. Seated, with your knees bent and your feet on the pegs, the hem starts to climb. Here is why, what a size guide can tell you and how to check the length before you order.

What Makes Motorcycle Pants for Tall Riders Different

A long leg changes three things on a bike:

• The hem climbs. Bent knees pull fabric up the shin, and a longer shin means the hem travels further. A hem that reaches your boot standing can sit well above it once you are seated.
• The waistband gets tugged. Pants that run short pull the waistband down every time a knee bends. Length and rise work as a pair, and our high rise guide covers the second half.
• The knee needs room. Stretch and a little space at the knee let it bend without hauling the hem up, and our relaxed fit guide shows how much is too much.

Why Length Comes Before Waist

You can take in a waist with a belt. You cannot add length. So a tall rider settles the leg first. The usual advice, to match your waist and trust the rest, works when your leg is about average. A stepless belt like the Tactical Belt has no holes to choose between, so it sets the waist exactly, within reason.

So check how fast the leg grows next to the waist on any chart. That decides whether sizing up buys you length or only a bigger waist.

What RoadVault's Size Guide Says About Length

RoadVault riding pants have one leg length per size, listed beside the waist:

Leg length runs from 101 cm (39.8 in) in XXS to 109 cm (42.9 in) in 4XL. That is one centimeter per size, while the waist moves five. The numbers are far longer than an inseam, so read them as the full length from waistband to hem. There is no separate long or tall cut, and the men's and women's cuts share the same sizes.

Say your waist is 85 cm, a size M with a 104 cm leg, and you need 108 cm. The 3XL has the length, but its waist is 105 cm, 20 cm bigger than yours, and no belt closes that. Close to a row of the table, the pants can work. Far from every row, believe the table.

How to Measure the Length You Need

Measure to where the hem should end, not to the floor. Riding pants stop at the boot top, so the number you need is shorter than the leg on your street pants. You need a tape measure and a pair that already works seated:

1. Pick a reference pair. Choose pants whose hem still covers your boot top with your knees bent.
2. Wear your riding boots. Sit on the bike, or a tall stool, knees bent, and note where the hem lands.
3. Lay them flat. Smooth the fabric, then measure from the top of the waistband down the outer seam to the hem. The guide is measured flat too.
4. Compare with the chart. Find the nearest leg length and allow the guide's 1 to 3 cm tolerance.
5. Reach for a pocket. Seated, open a thigh pocket. If the pants tug at your waist or knee when you reach, the length or rise is off.

The adjustable ankle opening gives a clean line over the boot, but it cannot add length, so settle the number first. Our guide to wearing pants over boots covers how the hem should meet the boot.

Common Questions

Do RoadVault pants come in a tall size?

Not as a separate cut. Each size has one leg length, from 101 cm in XXS to 109 cm in 4XL, and the men's and women's cuts share the same guide. Compare the leg length column with your own measurement before you order.

How long should motorcycle pants be?

Long enough that the hem still covers your boot top when you are seated with your knees bent. A mirror tells you very little, so check it on the bike or a tall stool.

Should a tall rider size up for length?

Only if the waist can take it. Each size up adds 1 cm of leg and 5 cm of waist, so a few sizes up gives you far more waist than you need. A belt takes in a little, not a lot.