The REV’IT! Airwave 2 pants are a perfect match for the Airwave 2 jacket (review).
The pants also match with many other REV’IT! jackets.
This is one of the reasons why the Airwave 2 pants are so popular.
We reviewed the Airwave pants in July of 2013.
The Airwave 2 pants are an update to that very popular original. Back in the ’70’s, when I used to buzz around town on my on/off road Kawasaki 185, I never gave a thought to wearing any protective gear other than my $20 helmet.
I’m not sure they even made any dedicated gear for women back then!
Even 10 years ago it was difficult to find good quality women’s pants.
And those that were available had styling that made your backside resemble the Stay Puff marshmallow man. But we’ve come a long way baby…
Along with the new REV’IT! Airwave 2 jacket (review), I have been wearing the matching Airwave 2 mesh pants and there won’t be any need to call in the Ghostbusters for these.
Fit and Sizing
Perhaps I should start with the fact that I’m short. I have a 27.5” inseam, which makes most motorcycles too tall and all pants too long.
So I was delighted to discover that the Airwave 2 pants come in different lengths. I promptly ordered the ‘short’.
Kudos to REV’IT! for recognizing that women are not one size fits all.
I measured myself for the length but I may have fudged on the waist size a bit (I was quite sure I could lose that last 5 pounds from Christmas). So when I first tried the pants, the waist was a little snug.
They fit the same way as all my other pants in that size however, so they are sized correctly.
I did find out that they fit better when you remove all the information booklets from the pockets, however!
And the length is just right for motorcycle pants — they’re a little long when standing but just right on the bike. They feel good when I’m wearing them.
The pants also well proportioned and they don’t make me look fat. The waist doesn’t gap; it comes up to my actual waist and they don’t bind anywhere when I sit.
The Airwave 2 pants are available in this nice silver and black combo or in an all-black version. Both have a list price of $209.99.
Construction
The Airwave 2 pants share the same sturdy materials as the jacket. There are large mesh panels from the waist down to the knee pads and below the knee to the hem, while the back of the legs are all mesh.
The rest of the pants are made out of 600D polyester and like the jacket, all of the panels are doubled-stitched with bar tacks at the stress points.
There are adjustment straps at the waist that allow up to 6” of adjustment, along with stretch panels on either side. That little bit of stretch on the sides helps a lot with the comfort level.
Not very many women’s pants come with this much waist adjustment and I’ve always thought that was a little silly, because I would think women would need more adjustment in this area than men.
In order to clear my hips, a lot of my pants end up leaving a gap at the waist. Perhaps other manufacturers should take note of the REV’IT! design?
The back of the waist on the Airwave 2 pants is located a little higher than the front and it is lightly padded.
The Airwave 2 pants are also designed to accept the REV’IT! “Strapper” suspenders, which connect to the short zipper in the back and to hook-and-loop attachment points in the front.
Hook-and-loop at the hem allows the cuffs to be tightened about 3”, while the pant legs also have 12” zippers at the bottom to help you get your boots on a little easier.
Speaking of zippers, all of them on the Airwave 2 pants are the heavy-duty YKK type. They have a zipper pull design that is similar to the jacket, with an attachment point on the end.
And like the zippers on the jacket, the Airwave 2 zippers appear to be designed for a zipper pull but the pulls not included. This isn’t as important for me on the pants, because I put on the pants before I pull on my gloves and I rarely store stuff in my pants pockets while riding.
There are two slash cut pockets on the front of the Airwave 2 pants that are quite large. Both are mesh, so there is no place on the Airwave 2 outfit to store anything you might want to keep dry.
I have waterproof luggage on my bike so this isn’t a big deal to me but it might be if you like to carry a wallet or phone.
On the back of the pants there are two rough, rubberized patches to help you stay in the saddle.
This is a good idea and they do make me feel very “planted”, but I wish they had made them in the same silver color as the surrounding material instead of black, because the black is visible from the rear and it kind of looks like, well, like I sat in something.
The coolest thing about the pants is the flap closure mechanism in front. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything like it, at least not on women’s pants.
The flap has a slide on it that narrows on the end and it fits over a metal button on the other side. You then pull the flap until the button snaps into the narrow end, which holds the flap closed quite securely. In fact, it’s actually a bit difficult to get open.
Hopefully I’m never in a big hurry to get them off!
Like the jacket, the Airwave 2 pants do not come with a liner, but unlike the jacket I prefer my pants this way because it’s difficult to get the fit of the pants right when you have to worry about liners — they are either too baggy without them or too tight with them.
I never wear the liners on my other pants, preferring to keep a pair of light-weight waterproof running pants in my saddlebags that are easier to put on and wearable off the bike.
The pants also have some nice styling touches: accordion panels above the knees and below the waist band in the back, contrasting black at the knees, waist and pockets and a small REV’IT! logo in synthetic leather on the back of the waist band.
Safety and Protection
The Airwave 2 pants have the same CE rated Knox protectors in the knees as the jacket. The hip pads are different though; they are the REV’IT! SEESMART brand, which is a very thin rubber-like material in a matrix pattern.
Designed to be lightweight and highly flexible while still passing the CE-level 1 impact tests, you can’t feel the protectors when the pants are on and the design allows air to flow through them so it’s easy to forget they’re inserted.
As with the Airwave 2 jacket, all of the protectors in the Airwave 2 pants are very unobtrusive and fit well to your body joints so the pants are also very comfortable to wear.
There is some adjustability in the pocket for the knee protectors so you can make sure it’s in just the right place. For added visibility there are reflective strips along the outside seam of the lower legs for nighttime safety.
Ventilation
Good air flow to the lower extremities is particularly important to me. My bike has a 103 cubic inch, air cooled motor that is located right underneath me when I’m seated.
Because of that, my seat and legs can get pretty toasty, so I was happy to see the large amount of mesh on these pants.
In a “feet forward” riding position, most of the air flow comes in through the shin area but it seems to flow up the leg and out the back for good air circulation. As with the Airwave 2 jacket, the lighter color will be welcome when it gets really hot here.
On the Bike
So how does this outfit work on the bike? The day the jacket and pants arrived a blizzard blew through the state, so I had to wait a few weeks to bike-test the outfit.
The thermometer finally climbed to 80 degrees, so I jumped on the bike for a ride.
The biggest compliment I can give any motorcycle gear is that I never think about it while riding. Protective clothing shouldn’t be distracting; it should just be there protecting you.
The Airwave 2 is a good example of this.
There is nothing to annoy me — no pinching, no rubbing and no flapping in the wind. It really feels very close to riding while wearing no gear at all!
So I say to that sportbike guy that zoomed by me wearing a tank top and flip flops: there is no excuse not to wear motorcycle gear.
Conclusion
The REV’IT Airwave 2 pants are a nice compliment to the Airwave 2 jacket and they also work with many other REV’IT! jackets.
With the same quality construction and comfortable fit, this outfit makes a great combo for hot weather riding.
| wBW Review: REV’IT! Airwave 2 Pants | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: REV’IT! | List Price (2016): $209.99 |
| Colors: Black or silver. | Made In: Vietnam |
| Review Date: April 2016 | |
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