I got my Dainese Alien pants in the mail today, 1 day earlier than the UPS tracking told me they'd be here. Sweet. I haven't ridden in them yet, but you better believe I tried em on, so here are my first impressions.
FIT 9/10
I bought these off Revzilla.com, and their sizing guide has been pretty spot on for everything I've bought there. This is no different. I was worried about the sizing, because I'm a hefty lad, and the waist to inseam ration pegged these pants at being fit for Manute Bol. I called their customer service and after talking to them, felt confident I'd be OK. Put them on, and the sizing was about perfect. The knee armor is right where it needs to be, the pants don't go down too far, the waist is snug but spot on. Very happy.
HOWEVER, when first slipped them on, my immediate thought was, "Jesus Christ, do the Italians have any genitals?" These aren't like baggy jeans, these ride pretty snug to the boys. Now, I'm not exactly packing a ton of heat or anything, and I'm certainly not going to draw any stares away from Dirk Diggler on the set, so I was a little surprised. It's not like you feel like your junk is in a vice or anything, and they aren't what I would call uncomfortable, it's just odd wearing something that...form fitting...in the crotchal regions.
It is the close association with my situation that causes me to dock a point. therwise, while the fit is snug around the calves and thighs, it feels nice. Feels like a second skin, not a pair of pants. I love wearing them.
COMFORT 8/10
Kind of hand in hand with the fit descriptions, they fit wonderfully, and are very comfortable to wear. I opened the calf expansion zipper, not because they were too tight for my calves (tho they were snug to them) but because zipped the zipper pulls lined up right on my achilles and hurt like hell when I fastened the Vortice boots. Unzip the calf expansion panel, and the zippers move a little to the sides and the feeling in the boot is great. Like I said above, it is a pant I enjoy having on. I just knock one point for putting my Mr. Fuji in a head lock.
Now, I don't know how the stratch panels will flow air on the bke, but I'm going to dock another point for the warmth. Give a brother a vent below the knees man. Inside in the A/C my legs were starting to perspire a little...I could have used some perf or something. Maybe at speed they'll be great, but I'm guessing in the Virginia heat these things will register on the hot side.
SAFETY 10/10
Safety-wise, these are the bees knees. Excellent armor in the knees and full shin armor. Between the shin armor and the Vortice shin protection, I feel like my legs are in good hands. Dainese engineering and quality is found throughout. They don't have pucks, but that is the purpose of these...a pant that will look great in the civilian world, but that you could take to the track if you aren't a knee dragger. Perfect for me
TECHNICALITY AND FEATURES 10/10
Great stretch fabric where it needs it, their D-skin leather which is supposed to be stronger than regular leather, well placed, top end armor, leather accordion stretch panels above the knee...you get what you pay for in this pant. For sure. It also has a zip to attach a jacket. I rock an Icon, so no help, but this feature has me desperately wanting an Alien jacket now. Plus, nice reflective strips on the knees and sides. They don't affect the look of the pants from a style perspective...nice and unobtrusive, but highly reflective (as you see from the flash in my pics).
LOOKS 10/10
THEY LOOK GREAT. Man do they look great for the street. I can't wait to take them out tomorrow (please don't rain.) See the pictures below. Even on my frumpy frame, the pants look awesome. They were designed to minimize butt sag, but they still have but sag. I guess just not as bad as some other pants. I'm not going to dock it a point for that...it's the best looking street leather pant out there, IMO. I wish they'd offer it in colors (red please) but who can argue the blackout scheme?
PRICE 9/10
It is not a cheap pant at $429. BUT, you get your total money's worth. And there are lots of competitor leather pants in the same price range I don't think are this nice. You don't get knee pucks, but that's not a price shaving point, they are designed with the street rider in mind who wants to do the occasional track day. They afford you race track protection without knee pucks that look odd on the street. It's meant for that specific niche market. Considering the price of their Alien jacket, I think these pants are very reasonably priced for what you get.
The camera angle makes my lgs look stubby and my feet look small. I couldn't get the camera moved back farther so I had to elevate it and angle it down to get everything in. Sue me
This is with my Icon Motorhead jacket, Icon gloves and Bell Revolver helmet:
Sans jacket so you can see the fit around the waist a little better. It is low cut under the belly button, which is nice. My Icon jacket should be longer in the front, which is also why I want an Alien jacket to match. I hate the gap.
FIT 9/10
I bought these off Revzilla.com, and their sizing guide has been pretty spot on for everything I've bought there. This is no different. I was worried about the sizing, because I'm a hefty lad, and the waist to inseam ration pegged these pants at being fit for Manute Bol. I called their customer service and after talking to them, felt confident I'd be OK. Put them on, and the sizing was about perfect. The knee armor is right where it needs to be, the pants don't go down too far, the waist is snug but spot on. Very happy.
HOWEVER, when first slipped them on, my immediate thought was, "Jesus Christ, do the Italians have any genitals?" These aren't like baggy jeans, these ride pretty snug to the boys. Now, I'm not exactly packing a ton of heat or anything, and I'm certainly not going to draw any stares away from Dirk Diggler on the set, so I was a little surprised. It's not like you feel like your junk is in a vice or anything, and they aren't what I would call uncomfortable, it's just odd wearing something that...form fitting...in the crotchal regions.
It is the close association with my situation that causes me to dock a point. therwise, while the fit is snug around the calves and thighs, it feels nice. Feels like a second skin, not a pair of pants. I love wearing them.
COMFORT 8/10
Kind of hand in hand with the fit descriptions, they fit wonderfully, and are very comfortable to wear. I opened the calf expansion zipper, not because they were too tight for my calves (tho they were snug to them) but because zipped the zipper pulls lined up right on my achilles and hurt like hell when I fastened the Vortice boots. Unzip the calf expansion panel, and the zippers move a little to the sides and the feeling in the boot is great. Like I said above, it is a pant I enjoy having on. I just knock one point for putting my Mr. Fuji in a head lock.
Now, I don't know how the stratch panels will flow air on the bke, but I'm going to dock another point for the warmth. Give a brother a vent below the knees man. Inside in the A/C my legs were starting to perspire a little...I could have used some perf or something. Maybe at speed they'll be great, but I'm guessing in the Virginia heat these things will register on the hot side.
SAFETY 10/10
Safety-wise, these are the bees knees. Excellent armor in the knees and full shin armor. Between the shin armor and the Vortice shin protection, I feel like my legs are in good hands. Dainese engineering and quality is found throughout. They don't have pucks, but that is the purpose of these...a pant that will look great in the civilian world, but that you could take to the track if you aren't a knee dragger. Perfect for me
TECHNICALITY AND FEATURES 10/10
Great stretch fabric where it needs it, their D-skin leather which is supposed to be stronger than regular leather, well placed, top end armor, leather accordion stretch panels above the knee...you get what you pay for in this pant. For sure. It also has a zip to attach a jacket. I rock an Icon, so no help, but this feature has me desperately wanting an Alien jacket now. Plus, nice reflective strips on the knees and sides. They don't affect the look of the pants from a style perspective...nice and unobtrusive, but highly reflective (as you see from the flash in my pics).
LOOKS 10/10
THEY LOOK GREAT. Man do they look great for the street. I can't wait to take them out tomorrow (please don't rain.) See the pictures below. Even on my frumpy frame, the pants look awesome. They were designed to minimize butt sag, but they still have but sag. I guess just not as bad as some other pants. I'm not going to dock it a point for that...it's the best looking street leather pant out there, IMO. I wish they'd offer it in colors (red please) but who can argue the blackout scheme?
PRICE 9/10
It is not a cheap pant at $429. BUT, you get your total money's worth. And there are lots of competitor leather pants in the same price range I don't think are this nice. You don't get knee pucks, but that's not a price shaving point, they are designed with the street rider in mind who wants to do the occasional track day. They afford you race track protection without knee pucks that look odd on the street. It's meant for that specific niche market. Considering the price of their Alien jacket, I think these pants are very reasonably priced for what you get.
The camera angle makes my lgs look stubby and my feet look small. I couldn't get the camera moved back farther so I had to elevate it and angle it down to get everything in. Sue me
This is with my Icon Motorhead jacket, Icon gloves and Bell Revolver helmet:
Sans jacket so you can see the fit around the waist a little better. It is low cut under the belly button, which is nice. My Icon jacket should be longer in the front, which is also why I want an Alien jacket to match. I hate the gap.