What is it about kevlar yer not sold on...doesn't draggin' jeans have a video of a guy riding on his a$$ wearing those jeans. With that same material in a armored, vented riding gear, I would think it would be pretty good.
I bought draggin' jeans as I got back into motorcycling. I would like to get an armored kevlar suit as I presume the fabric has a higher resistance to tearing and abrasion than the other suits.
Wheaton -- here's a take on kevlar vs. nylon from the 2001 Aerostich catalog. It explains why some aren't sold on the fabric yet. Like the kevlar fact sheet noted above, this take is written by a manufacturer. It also might be a bit outdated. There's been a lot of development in fabrics since 2001.
Please note that I don't have a dog in this fight. I wear draggin' jeans (with separate knee armor). I also wear armored cordura pants. My choice at any one time depends on the weather, not marginal improvements in safety. I don't own Motoport or Aerostich jackets or pants. I'm just passing this on for the info.
"We still choose Cordura®, not Kevlar®. Here's why: Its advantages just don't make up for its disadvantages.
"In pure, undiluted form, Kevlar® is lighter than nylon and has greater tensile strength. It won't melt like nylon after touching a hot muffler (or from the friction-generated heat of a high speed slide on hot pavement). Unfortunately, it's expensive and difficult to work with, which limits design and construction possibilities. And believe it or not, pure Kevlar® fabric actually is much less abrasion-resistant than Cordura nylon. Kevlar® fibers have far less elasticity than Cordura® nylon fibers, a crucial handicap in a crash. Even the smoothest pavements have a rough aggregate surface that causes abrasive pulling. Nylon's stretchy fibers will elongate, ride over the surface irregularities, then snap back into the weave (like a tree bending in a strong wind), but Kevlar® fibers quickly reach their tensile limit and snap.
"To solve these problems, manufacturers blend Kevlar® with Lycra® and nylon. In this blend, "Kevlar®" is only about one third actual Kevlar®. This creates problems. Because of the additional nylon and Lycra®, much of its slight weight advantage over Cordura® is lost. It also loses some of its fire-resistant qualities. The blended Kevlar® fabric may burn or melt (just like nylon) when it comes in contact with a flame, hot component, or high frictional heat.
"Some Kevlar® suits may provide good crash performance because they are specifically designed for sanctioned competitive roadracing. Roadcrafter suits aren't, but fortunately they're designed for everything else, including abrasion resistance at highway speeds."
