A lot has changed in the motorcycle world in past couple of years. Vintage bikes continue to grow in popularity. Stylish resto-mods have eclipsed typical cafe racer bikes in the moto zeitgeist. Midsize modern classics like the Triumph Bonneville or the Ducati Monster offer a lot of style in approachable, affordable packages. Yet for all the fashion sense that’s come to motorcycles in the past few years, one thing that hadn’t quite caught up was, well, motorcycle fashion.
Personally, I’m of the school of thought that how you ride is just as important, if not more important than what you ride. A quality helmet, an armored jacket, a solid pair of boots and a good pair of gloves are the bare minimum for me. It’s a catch-22 though. Keeping safe and keeping warm is much easier to do than keeping safe while keeping cool. Harder still? Keeping safe while looking cool.
That is, until recently. Riding gear has gotten smarter, more comfortable and far and away more stylish. We don’t have to choose between safety and style anymore. We don’t have to look like Power Rangers just because it’s warm out and we want to keep our hides intact. Put another way, the style of riding gear has finally found the market that’s been looking for it all along.
We’ve recently added three lines of gear at Motoworks that fall into this category: Rev’it, Roland Sands Design, and Ugly Bros. What all three of these brands have in common is that they’re all making properly protective riding gear that strives to be as close to stylish daily wearables as possible. They’re gear that can actually just be worn as clothes, and given the landscape of riding clothing out there, that’s no small accomplishment.
Rev’it has long been a top name in adventure wear, but recently they’ve expanded into more stylish street wear. In particular, their line of riding boots are something we’re excited to have in the shop. They’re stylish, protective, but best of all, they’re lightweight and comfortable. Most of our favorite riding boots don’t manage to tick all three of those boxes.
Roland Sands is a big name in a number of different circles. Racer, motorcycle customizer, accessories designer and moto fashion designer. His riding gear has a style, but has also been put through the ringer. It’s also been particularly popular here in the shop since we started carrying it. Taking a look at these jackets and gloves, it’s no big surprise. The quality and details are remarkable, and the styling is classic motorcycle, but unlike anything else out there.
Like I mentioned before, as long as I’ve been riding, a helmet, armored jacket, boots and gloves have been a must. I always considered armored or reinforced pants extra credit. Since last season, they’ve become a must as well — especially if I’m out for a long ride or touring. For every-day use, however, it sure would be handy if I had a pair of kevlar reinforced jeans that didn’t look like dad wear. That’s where Ugly Bros come in. Stylish jeans and riding pants that are reinforced with fancy fibers, but also feature removable knee armor that loads from the outside of pants, rather than the inside. Want to commute with knee protection, but don’t want to change pants? There you go.
So here’s the best part. Our prices are the same as all the online retailers. You’re not going to pay more for the brick and mortar. No need to wait on shipping, or deal with online returns on anything that doesn’t Swing by the shop and try on everything that suits your fancy, then take it home knowing you don’t need to shop around for a better deal. If we don’t have it in stock, we can order it for you.
We’re excited to have these brands onboard right along side First Gear, ICON, Biltwell, British Customs, Bell and more. We’ve got so many options to make both your ride and your look your own. Come check them out.