Here's the deal... My friend is trying to find some moto-pants... He's skinny and has REALLY DAMN LONG legs, so most pants don't fit him. The Alpinestar Bats (http://www.newenough.com/alpinestars_bat_pants_page.htm) are WAAAAAY too short for him... They are about two inches above his Sidi "Way" (http://www.newenough.com/sidi_way_tepor_boots_page.htm) boots...
So, I've been looking around for some pants that have a long inseam... I found these FirstGear Leather Overpants (http://www.newenough.com/firstgear_sport_tour_overpants_page.htm). They have a 36" inseam :o, which would probably be long enough... The problem is that they have Full-length, 2-way leg zippers (http://www.newenough.com/product_pictures/f/firstgear_stop_pants/leg_zippers.jpg). I've heard that this style of zipper doesn't hold up in a crash (he has heard this as well)... And the whole reason he wants moto-pants is for protection.
Anyone have firsthand (or even second) knowledge of Full-Length Side-Zip pants like these? Crash-worthiness? Durability?
Since he's probably going to be a mostly dry/warm rider (from what he says... But, we'll see when winter comes) and doesn't want something that's going to be hot as hell like my pants (http://www.teknicgear.com/catalog.php?styleid=1&pid=78) (that I only wear in the rain and cold). He's been thinking about the FirstGear FirstGear Mesh-Tex 2.0 (http://www.newenough.com/firstgear_meshtex2_pants_page.htm) or HT Air 2.0 (http://www.newenough.com/firstgear_ht_air_2_overpants_page.htm), but the inseam is still only 34 (which will still be a little short).
Any ideas on the "protection" of these pants?
A big money (but big value :bowdown:) is the Aerostitch darrien pants. I swear by them :thumb:. They do custom lengths for an additional fee but they last so well that they are a good deal. My pair is 4 years old and I wear them almost every day. They would not have a zipper in their design if it were not crash worthy. lots of posts on other boards by people that have crashed in the 'stitch gear. only complaint I can remember is one guy that had not done the jacket up.
Think of it this way... One commercial here featured a lady saying she was too poor to not buy quality. What she meant is that quality lasts so you don't have to replace it as frequently.
good luck