Introduction
As it turns out, Royal Enfield, for its elaborate apparel business, doesn’t have a single proper motorcycle riding pants in its lineup. It has jackets, helmets, and gloves aplenty, but nothing that offers serious protection to the rider’s legs, hips, and bottom. Up until now, that is.
Say hello to the Gravity Drystar motorcycle riding pants. And, it joins the likes of the Gravity Drystar riding jacket and the Syncro riding gloves which we have already reviewed on BikeWale. Furthermore, like the jacket and the gloves, the pants too have come from Alpinestars’ existing riding gear catalogue. And if our previous reviews are any indication, that’s not a bad thing at all.
Additionally, these pants are both waterproof and breathable just like the former two.
The Basics
Now, the basic construction of the Gravity Drystar riding pants centres around 600 denier polyester that gives the pants high abrasion resistance in the event of a crash. There’s the Drystar membrane, which makes the pants waterproof but not stifling hot to ride in. And then there’s some stretch fabric, some accordions, and a couple of vents, all of which are meant to improve comfort levels for the rider.
However, the Drystar membrane isn’t bonded or fused with the outer shell of the pants, just like the Gravity Drystar jacket. It isn’t removable, though. As a result, the single vent on the thigh area passes airs on the liner instead of on the rider’s body directly. And this might prove to be challenging when the temperatures climb to the mid-thirties.
In terms of impact protection, the pants come with Alpinestars’ non-bulky, light-weight and unintrusive Nucleon Flex Pro Level 2 armours for the knee. The pants also offer in-built pockets to add hip protection if the rider so pleases. And there’s some reflectivity built into the pants in the form of the Royal Enfield logos around the ankle area.
The Features
The Gravity Drystar pants aren’t big on practicality. It only comes with three pockets in total, with one being water-resistant. It gets two air vents in total. And the reflectivity isn’t anything to write home about either. Having said that, it does offer three levels of adjustability for a finer fit via Velcros around the waist, calves, and ankles. And to make it easier to wear the pants over tall riding boots, it also comes with a zipper opening around the leg area. Plus, it can be zipped together with the Gravity riding jacket, or any other jacket via the zip provided, to keep the jacket from riding up and exposing the torso in a crash.
What’s Next?
At Rs 14,500, the Gravity Drystar riding pants aren’t cheap. But, it’s the waterproof nature of the pants along with the promised good breathability that makes them enticing. Plus, there’s the lure of Alpinestars’ years of expertise in producing quality and well-engineered riding gear that comes with the Gravity. But what does this translate into when it comes to our riding conditions? That’s exactly what we will tell you after using these pants over the next three months.
Product Details
Make: Royal Enfield x Alpinestars
Model: Gravity Drystar Motorcycle Riding Pants
Price: Rs 14,500
Availability: Royal Enfield Online Store
Pictures by: Kaustubh Gandhi