The Best Motorcycle Gear For Every Rider

While there’s an enormous wealth of options when it comes to buying riding gear, certain items undeniably lend themselves much better to specific applications than others. From sleek race and track gear designed to protect from high sides and low sides on the circuit or in the canyons to rugged adventure gear engineered to stand up to the rigors of two-wheeled off-roading to casual-looking items made to keep their wearer looking their best on and off the bike, today we’ll be counting down our picks for the best motorcycle gear for every type of rider. 

Selecting the gear that we did for this article was done in a multi-step process. After breaking down motorcyclists and distilling riders into three separate groups — sport, adventure, and casual — we then set about selecting what we believed to be the best gear from each class. After generating this initial list, we used criteria such as design, materials, features, and build quality in order to narrow our wider list down to just best-of-the-best selections that would make the final cut. This process was then repeated for each of the trio of aforementioned rider types until we had come up with our final selections that comprise the latest and greatest kit from each genre. 

Though it’s currently being applied to several different types of motorcycle gear, there are still a handful of factors that one should be aware of when buying motorcycle gear, no matter what items or riding style. Below, we’ll briefly break down the most pivotal factors to take into account when shopping. 

Materials: The materials used to construct a piece of motorcycle gear will always play an instrumental role in the item’s overall quality and durability. It’s also worth looking into the construction technique — or techniques — that was used to piece those materials together. 

Protection: A piece of motorcycle gear’s ability to protect its wearer can depend based on the situation. Exterior, shell constructions usually afford an item its abrasion resistance while blunt force and impact protection typically comes from the use of integrated padding and armor — making both of these areas crucial to review when shopping. 

Build Quality: Though some of this element boils down to the manufacturing technique(s) used to craft a piece of moto gear, a greater portion is owed to the overall level of attention to detail, craftsmanship, and quality control. While it can admittedly be difficult to get a sense of an item’s build quality simply from looking at it online, most manufacturers are pretty consistent with the craftsmanship and quality of their construction.                                        

Secondary Elements: While primary materials such as shell and upper constructions will play a more important role in determining quality, durability, and performance, it’s still very much worth looking into secondary elements on motorcycle gear such as any type of liner or membrane being used, ventilation elements, armor, and hardware such as zippers and buckles. 

Style: No matter the type of gear or style of riding it’s used for, motorcycle gear comes in all manner of different styles, from thoroughly modern items to unmistakably retro-inspired offerings. As such, we recommend exploring a variety of different available aesthetics before making your decision. 

Comfort: Though this wasn’t always the case, motorcycle gear has grown more and more comfortable over the last decade or two, all while offering higher and higher levels of protection. For this reason, this is another area that’s well-worth reviewing, especially considering the price of some of these items, as well as the long durations that they’re often worn for. 

Versatility: Specialist, specific motorcycle gear is terrific for the type of riding that it’s designed for. With that said, some pieces of motorcycle gear are able to lend themselves to multiple uses and types of riding — a factor that not only makes them more versatile and gives them a wider range of uses, but also one that increases the value and bang for your buck being offered. 

The Best Motorcycle Gear For Every Rider

Boasting a love for exploration and the outdoors, adventure riders face a myriad of obstacles and hazards that are unique to on and off-road riding. As a result, these rugged riders tend to opt for ultra-hardwearing piece of gear with stellar impact protection, as well as ventilation and fortification from the elements. Adventure riding gear also sports an unmistakably rugged, outdoorsy appearance that no doubt adds to its appeal for off-grid and go-anywhere use. 

Alpinestars Denali Aerogel Drystar Gloves

Best Adventure Gloves: Crafted from an amalgamation of stretch polyester, softshell, and Ripstop panels before being strategically  reinforced with ARshield in key areas, the Alpinestars Denali Aerogel Drystar Gloves are a lightweight yet thoroughly robust pair of adventure gloves that boast excellent protection from both impacts, scrapes, and the elements. Sold in three color options, these CE-rated moto gloves also feature Viscoelastic knuckles, a fully waterproof and breathable Alpinestars Drystar membrane, and NASA-developed Gold Aerogel Insulation

Arai XD-4 Helmet

Best Adventure Helmet: Combining regular full-face helmet profiles with the silhouette of motocross lids, the Arai XD-4 Helmet was engineered from the ground up for adventure riding and features a Complex Fiber Laminate over an EPS liner that allows it to tip the scales at only 3.66lbs. In addition to fantastic ventilation and Arai’s usual top notch craftsmanship, the XD-4 also boasts an adjustable and removable peak and a removable visor that allows the helmet to be worn with goggles. 

REV’IT! Expedition GTX Boots

Best Adventure Boots: Not unlike the item above, the REV’IT! Expedition GTX Boots aim to offer the best of both worlds from traditional ADV boots and MX footwear. Constructed around the brand’s Dynamic Support Frame, this pair of boots offers some of the highest levels of protection that money can buy — all while also being remarkably breathable and surprisingly lightweight. The boots are also stacked atop a set of super grippy Vibram Apex outsoles. 

Belstaff Long Way Up Gore-Tex Pants

Best Adventure Pants: After wearing various pieces of gear for the first several seasons of their motorcycle travel show, Ewan McGregor & Charlie Boorman officials partnered with Belstaff to deliver a range of super high-end adventure touring gear that includes the Belstaff Long Way Up Gore-Tex Pants, which are cut from a GORE-TEX Tri-Layer Pro Laminate Fabric before being fitted with a full suite of armor and adjustment and ventilation ports. 

Klim Badlands Pro Jacket

Best Adventure Jacket: The Badlands Pro Jacket is the direct result of Klim setting out to engineer the most capable possible ADV jacket with little to no concern for cost. On top of stellar ventilation and a robust suite of storage, the Klim Badlands Pro Jacket GORE-TEX Tri-Layer Pro Laminate Fabric shell with SuperFabric ceramic print overlays in key areas, while underneath lies an insanely well-equipped set of armor that includes Klim Aero Pro D30 armor, D30 Viper armor, and XRD Impact foam. CE-rated this motorcycle jacket also benefits from the addition of Biomotion Recognition and weatherproof YKK Vision zippers. 

Largely characterized by their appreciation for both modern and retro visual themes, the casual rider is typically a city-dwelling individual that primarily utilizes motorcycles as transportation, though occasionally goes on recreational rides. Because this type of rider’s gear is worn while en route to a destination — rather than riding for the sake of the ride — it’s imperative that these items look good and don’t stand out, whether on or off of the bike. 

Knox Hadleigh Waterproof Gloves

Best Casual Gloves: Constructed around a beefy shell made from a combination of 0.8mm Aniline cow hide, goat skin palms, and Nubuck leather finger overlays, the Knox Hadleigh Waterproof Gloves are heavily inspired by vintage race and riding gloves, while concealing a host of modern amenities and elements such as touchscreen-friendly gloves, soft gel knuckle, armor, a fully waterproof and breathable membrane, and Knox’s patented low-profile Knox Scaphoid Protection System.

Stylmartin Matt WP

Best Casual Boots: Produced in Europe in small batches, the Stylmartin Matt WP (Waterproof) Riding Shoes are a design-conscious and fashion-forward piece of moto-specific footwear that combines visual elements from classic sneaker designs with some retro basketball shoe influence — namely early to mid ’90s era kicks like the Air Jordan 6 and Air Jordan 7. Crafted around a set of Hydro-grain leather uppers, this riding shoes come loaded with a waterproof inner membrane, a breathable air mesh liner, a pair of removable, micro-perforated antibacterial innersoles, reinforced toe shifter pads, exterior polyurethane malleolus protection, and an oil-resistant outsole.

Roland Sands Design Ridgeline Jacket CE

Best Casual Jacket: Pieced together using a waterproof seam-sealed construction, the Ridgeline Jacket CE from moto gear purveyor and custom moto icon Roland Sands Design is a CE-rated riding garment that’s modeled after modern technical jackets. Cut from 500-denier N66 CORDURA that’s overlaid with ballistic-grade 1,000-denier overlays in key abrasion zones, the jacket features SAS-TAC flex elbow and shoulder armor, a removable articulated hood, all YKK zippers throughout, water-repellant neoprene cuffs, waterproof interior pockets, and a waterproof poly taffeta liner. This jacket does run a bit small, so we recommend ordering one size up — especially if you plan on wearing layers beneath it. 

SAINT Unbreakable Slim Jeans Armour Pocket

Best Casual Pants: Currently using its seventh-generation of custom-developed Dyneema-infused denim, the SAINT Unbreakable Slim Jeans look and feel like a regular pair of jeans — thanks to a game-changing single-layer construction — while boasting world-class levels of protection between the Dyneema and removable D30 armor. With stellar craftsmanship, bespoke trim and hardware, and premium materials, these riding jeans have an unmistakably premium look and feel to them as well. SAIINT also recently releases a more affordable yet still thoroughly protective pair of riding pants known as the Engineer Jeans.

Arai Rapide

Best Casual Helmet: While most retro-inspired motorcycle helmets draw inspiration from brain buckets from the ‘60s and ‘70s, the Arai Rapide takes inspiration from’80s era lids. Despite it decidedly vintage appearance, the Rapide is a modern helmet through and through, with the Japanese-made lid sporting an EPS liner covered by a peripherally-belted structural net composite. Sold in a variety of solid color options and throwback-inspired graphics and designs, the Rapide also weighs in at less than 3.5lbs, too. 

Possessing a major proclivity for speed and performance, sport riders require a unique array of kit, as this gear must allow the rider to freely move around while on the bike, while still providing ample slide and impact protection in the event of a high side or low side while out on the track or in the canyons. Often modeled after the prototype gear worn by MotoGP and WSBK riders, modern sport motorcycle gear tends to feature a sleek and sporty appearance with a focus on aerodynamics and stability as well as protection. 

Held Phantom II Gloves

Best Sport Gloves: A second-gen take on what was already one of the best pairs of sport riding gloves ever developed, the Held Phantom II Gloves feature a kangaroo leather shell that’s been constructed using special step seams. Designed using a spare-no-expense approach, the gloves feature knuckle protectors made from titanium, SuperFabric finger reinforcements,  stingray leather palm sliders, SuperFabric-covered GFK protectors on the side of the hands, and Kevlar overlays and SUPROTECT shock-absorbing foam on the back of the hands. Not only does these gloves afford world-class levels of protection, but they do a phenomenal job of not mitigating tactile feel or hand or finger movement. 

TCX RT-Race Pro Air Boots

Best Sport Boots: Borrowing a slew of features and systems that were first developed for use in MotoGP, the TCX RT-Race Pro Air Boots come loaded with a laundry list of noteworthy elements that include an Ortholite footbed, TCX’s Anti-torsion Double Flex Control System, perforated microfiber uppers, a reinforced multi-density polypropylene insole, a TPU gear-shifter guard, a Soft microfiber gaitor, an ergonomic polyurethane shin plate with air intakes, and an Olyurethane heel counter capped off with a replaceable side magnesium slider. Secured via a side zipper and several micro-adjustable aluminum buckles, these boots are also built on top of Michelin Burnout double compound rubber outsoles. 

Alpinestars Track v2 Leather Pants

Best Sport Pants: With hard knee covers and replaceable sliders, it’s blatantly clear that the Alpinestars Track v2 Leather Pants were engineered for high-performance, high-speed, on-track riding. Boasting a main chassis constructed from 1.3mm premium bovine leather, these pants sort accordion leather stretch zones, a pre-curved legs, Nucleon armor, and Astars’ Dynamic Friction Shield. And, while they were developed for the track, these pants are CE rated. 

Dainese Super Speed 4 Perforated Jacket

Best Sport Jacket: Trusted by a slew of the world’s top MotoGP and WSBK riders, Dainese unequivocally makes some of the best sport and track-focused riding gear on the planet. Case in point, the Italian outfit’s Dainese Super Speed 4 Perforated Jacket. Brimming with premium details, this perforated jacket is essentially the upper half of a set of race leathers — plus they can be connected to a pair of track pants such as the pair above. 

AGV Pista GP RR

Best Sport Helmet: While it admittedly doesn’t lend itself very well to street and road use, the AGV Pista GP RR — or Race Replica — is unquestionably one of the finest race helmets that money can buy. Equipped with a custom fitment system, alloy vents, a break-off spoiler, and metal hardware, the helmet features a wildly aerodynamic carbon fiber shell that’s also produced in several versions with forged carbon fiber constructions. 

The Best New Motorcycles You Can Buy Off The Lot

Now that you’ve got your gear all sorted out, you’re gonna need the right bike — a vehicle that can no doubt be found in our guide to the best new motorcycles that you can currently buy off the lot.