< Gear That Fits >

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I just received some black leather overpants from Fox Creek Leather.  When the UPS man delivered them we chatted while I opened the package.  He looked at them and said “are those brown?” and then replied to himself immediately, “no they ARE black”.  It isn’t that they look brown but that they are such a deep rich warm black.   The leather is thick and soft and gorgeous.

Trying on the overpants led to disappointment as the pants  were definitely too small even though I had followed the sizing instructions.  It is just that they sit a bit higher on the waist than my Levis.  Great customer service at Fox Creek Leather made for a no hassle exchange.  They sent me a size larger while I sent the first pair back.  The second pair of overpants, thankfully,  showed up right before my California trip and, best of all, they fit perfectly over my jeans.

DESIGN and WORKMANSHIP

The leather, workmanship, and hardware are all outstanding.  There are brass snaps and heavy-duty zippers on the sides.   After snapping a few photos, I trimmed off just under 2″ off the bottom of the legs, right below the first snap.  Now I wouldn’t be walking on them.  The trimming was easily done with decent scissors.  I considered taking a bit more off but am glad I didn’t.  It is always surprising how much pants and sleeves ride up when in riding position.

As far as styling goes I’d like to see them be a little less flared at the bottom.  They are overly accommodating even for someone with large calves like me.  If I had really large boots and cowboy jeans it might make sense.

FIELD TESTING

So,  now came the chance to test them in a real riding situation.  It was July and the sun had finally come out in Oregon so it was time to head to the mountains.  I ended up going east over the Cascades then South until I got to Yosemite National Park.  From there I rode  into the San Francisco Bay Area and did one very hot day ride up Mt Hamilton.  The last section was back north through Lassen Volcanic National Park, on over the Siskiyous, and back to Oregon.  I never saw a drop of rain in my 2000+ miles.   The temperature ranged from the high 50s to nearly 100 degrees.  The overpants were remarkably comfortable through the entire trip.  I never once thought about taking them off at any stops. 

The only bothersome thing  is I could feel the heat from my cylinders through them when it was really hot outside.  I normally wear armored pants which insulates my shins more.  So if you have a BMW boxer you will probably notice this.  This is not the fault of the overpants of course.

On the plus side, they are extremely easy to get on and off and to clean.  They have 3 snaps at the lower part of the leg and them full zippers the rest of the length of each leg.  They are also lined above the snaps helping legs and boots slide in.  After a long ride just wipe the bugs off with a damp cloth and they are as good as new.  Since my return I have done numerous in town and short rides.  The ease of getting them on and off makes me favor these overpants for my short rides.

Summary

The leather is so soft and thick, the overpants fit like a well-worn glove right off the bat.  The quality is outstanding. You will love them!  The friendly customer service at Fox Creek Leather makes for a smooth, pleasant transaction as well.  Can you make these in brown?

P.S. you can buy them at Fox Creek Leather.

Tags: black leather, brown leather, Fox Creek Leather, leather, leather pants, motocycle overpants, motorcycle gear review