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Shift Silhouette Jeans

Shift Women's Silhouette Jeans Review

Review Summary
Pros
Cons

Ladies, you wanted it — now you can have it!

The Shift Silhouette Kevlar-reinforced, stretch riding jeans are protective and sexy!

Low-rise jeans with a women’s specific fit that hugs our curves; there’s no need to settle for men’s baggy riding jeans.

ATGATT: All the gear, all the time. Many motorcyclists live by that statement and I’m one of them.

Even when it’s a hassle to put on all my gear, I still do. Why?  Because I like my skin and prefer to keep it on my body!

In the summer, I often see riders wearing just shorts and t-shirts — and even flip-flops!  Are you kidding me?  I can’t help but think, “There’s a skin graft waiting to happen”.

Sometimes I want to skip my riding pants and wear jeans for errands or meeting the girls for lunch, but I’ve heard what pavement does to regular denim . Enter the Shift Silhouette Women’s Street Jean!

The design and development team at Shift Racing were right on the money with these Kevlar-reinforced riding jeans.

Shift Racing designs all of their women’s gear with a women’s-specific fit. In my opinion, the Shift Silhouette Street Jeans run true to the Shift sizing chart when I ordered them based on my hip and waist measurements. The Spandex woven into the jean fabric makes it stretch nicely to accommodate a woman’s curves.

Kevlar reinforcement panels and 12-ounce denim provide maximum abrasion resistance; yet surprisingly the textiles are not stiff. Even the knit Kevlar panels are soft and comfortable against my skin.

Motorcycle jeans or riding pants should be slightly longer than a normal pant to accommodate for riding positions. My inseam is almost 32 inches (81.3 cm) and I often have to buy jeans in long lengths. But the Shift Silhouette Jeans are longer than an average pair of denim jeans — good news for those with long legs!  For example, the inseam on a pair of size four Silhouette jeans is 34.5 inches (87.6 cm) long. Petite riders can easily hem the jean to the desired length.

The jeans have a slightly relaxed fit for me in the seat and thigh and the boot-cut leg fits easily over most motorcycle boots. The looser fit and Spandex stretch material allow the jeans to conform to my body without feeling restrictive when on my Ninja 500.

Another feature I love is the low-rise waist — on my pair, the rise is 7.75 inches (20 cm) from the crotch seam to the top of the front waistband. The back of the waistband rises higher on the waist to provide coverage when leaned over in the motorcycle riding position.

Shift Silhouette Jeans - Front View

Shift Silhouette Jeans - Rear View

In my experience, Shift delivers high-quality products and their attention to detail is apparent on their Silhouette Street Jean. Double stitching holds the 100% Kevlar reinforcement panels in place, providing extra abrasion resistance for impact areas including the seat, thigh, knee, and shin.

The Silhouette jeans also feature a YKK zipper and metal Shift logo buttons. Wear your favorite belt and/or hook the belt loops to a jacket’s belt loop attachment.

Embroidered Shift logos and pocket details make the Shift Silhouette Street Jean look more like designer jeans than riding jeans. Rivets add strength at stress points on the classic five-pocket design.

This is a riding jean, so no armor is included. If armor is a must, consider purchasing an armored under pant or knee protection to wear under the Silhouette jeans.

Shift Silhouette Jeans - Front View With Motorcycle

Shift Silhouette Jeans - Rear View With Motorcycle

Care and Functionality

The Shift Silhouette Street jeans are easy to clean. Machine wash on a gentle cycle in cold water, then line dry, or if you prefer, they can be dry cleaned. By the way, the shell is made from 63% cotton, 35% polyester, and 2% Spandex and as mentioned above, the reinforcement panels are 100% Kevlar.

The jeans are very comfortable to wear, on or off my bike. The waistband hugs my body when I’m standing, but when I’m riding my Ninja, the back of the waist gaps out an inch — wearing a belt solves this issue.

I wondered how well the thick denim and Kevlar reinforcement panels would breathe, but I was not disappointed. In 90 degree weather (32 Celsius) I did not overheat, even in stop-and-go traffic. To my delight, the Silhouette Street Jeans took me easily through a 30 degree temperature change, which started out at 60 degrees (15 Celsius) during the morning. I layered the jeans over leggings that morning and for a 30-minute ride, I was chilled at that temperature, but not cold.

For canyon carving the mountain passes — which have plenty of deer where I live — I still prefer an armored, heavy-duty riding pant; but for everyday running around town, the Shift Silhouette Street Jean is now my first choice.

Available in two colors, light indigo (pictured) or dark indigo, the jeans coordinate beautifully with everything in the extensive Shift women’s street gear line up. Every girl needs more than one pair of jeans — gee, I guess I will “have” to get a pair in dark indigo as well!

The Shift Silhouette Street Jean stylishly moves from motorcycling to working to shopping. And considering how well these protective jeans breathe, there is no excuse to ride in anything less.

Summary

In my humble opinion, the bare-minimum pant any motorcyclist should wear is a riding jean with increased abrasion resistance.

With a stretch fit and Kevlar reinforcements, the Shift Silhouette Street Jean gives most women enough freedom of movement to ride any type of motorcycle and to look darn good while doing it.

More:  Shift Viper Jacket  |  Shift RPM Women’s Gloves

China

wBW Product Review: Shift Silhouette Women’s Motorcycle Jeans

Manufacturer:  Shift Racing List Price: $119.95
Colors: Dark Indigo, Light Indigo. Made In: China
Sizes:  0 to 12 Review Date: August 2010
Note: Item was provided by a retailer, distributor or manufacturer with these Terms and Conditions.
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