If you're searching for adventure motorcycle trousers, your riding probably isn't a ten-minute commute. It's long days on mixed roads, a loaded bike, plenty of stops and weather that changes between one pass and the next. Whether you ride an adventure bike or simply pack any bike for a long trip, your trousers have a different job to do. This guide covers what matters — movement, boots, pockets, airflow and colour — and how NORDRYK's three trousers measure up.
What Adventure Motorcycle Trousers Need to Do
Adventure days ask two things of your trousers. On the bike you sit for hours, then stand on the pegs, lean into a climb or swing a leg over the luggage. Off it you walk around a fuel stop, crouch to check a chain and sit down for lunch, so what you wear has to work in both places. A good pair covers five things:
- Stretch and room to move, seated or standing
- A cuff that works with tall boots
- Pockets you can use with gloves on
- Airflow for hot climbs, and room for a layer when it turns cold
- A colour that copes with dust after a few days on the road
Room to Move: Stretch and Cut
Standing on the pegs asks more of trousers than any commute does. A stiff, narrow leg drags at the knee and rides up the shin, and you feel it within the hour. Four-way stretch and a cut with some room through the thigh and seat let your legs move the way the bike asks.
The NORDRYK RoadVault is the closest of our three to that brief. Its fabric stretches in every direction, including when you're seated, and off the bike it reads as an ordinary pair of cargo trousers.
Ankle Cuffs and Boots
Adventure boots are tall, stiff and bulky, so the trouser leg has to make room for them. A narrow, fixed hem fights the boot every time you pull it on; one that is too loose flaps in the wind and can catch a peg. An adjustable ankle solves both: open it to pass the boot through, then close it down so the hem stays put. The RoadVault does this with adjustable ankle cuffs, and the Sentinel trousers with an adjustable hem from 32 to 46 cm.
Whether the leg goes over the boot or inside it depends on the boot, and our guide to wearing motorcycle trousers over boots or tucked in shows how to choose.
Pockets, Airflow and Colour
Adventure days run on small things you want within reach: a phone for the map, a card for fuel, keys, a snack. A zip keeps a pocket shut on rough roads, while a flap is quicker to reach, and our guide to motorcycle trousers with pockets compares the layouts. The RoadVault cargo trousers carry six; the Sentinel carries four.
Airflow matters the moment a climb turns hot. Zipped vent panels, as on the RoadVault, let you open up on the way up and close down again when the temperature drops, and a breathable fabric helps too. For cold mornings, choose a cut with room for a thermal layer rather than a heavier trouser you are stuck with all day. Neither trouser is a rain suit, so pack a waterproof layer for a proper downpour.
Colour is more practical than it sounds. Black shows dust, while mid-tones such as olive, army green and camo tend to hide both dust and dried mud better. The RoadVault comes in black, army green and camo, and the Sentinel in black, grey, olive and sand.
Common Questions
What are adventure motorcycle trousers?
Adventure (ADV) motorcycle trousers are cut for long days on mixed roads rather than short urban rides. They combine room to move seated and standing, cuffs that work with tall boots, plenty of pockets, ventilation and a fabric that copes with dust and changing weather. Cargo-style trousers such as the RoadVault and the Sentinel follow that pattern.
Are motorcycle jeans OK for adventure riding?
For shorter days mostly on tarmac, yes: Redback motorcycle jeans use stretch denim with a breathable mesh lining and pass for everyday wear off the bike. On a long day with luggage and changing weather, a cargo cut with vents is easier to live with, because denim holds on to water and heat.
What size should I choose for adventure riding?
Try trousers on with the layers you will actually wear, and if you are between two sizes take the larger one, because the trousers pull a little more in the riding position. If you sit at the top of the size range, our plus size motorcycle trousers guide covers what to check.
FROM THE RANGE
A Lighter Cargo Cut for Long Days
NORDRYK Sentinel — Motorcycle Trousers
Breathable stretch fabric, four pockets and an adjustable hem that goes over the boot, in four colours.
See the Sentinel →