Japanese Gear Maker Flagship Introduces Esforride Moto Pants

Do you ever hop on a friend’s bike, or maybe go for a demo ride on a bike and wish you had more grip on the tank? If it’s your bike, applying some type of tank grip is a choice you can make. However, if it’s someone else’s bike, that decision isn’t up to you—or maybe you just don’t like the way tank grips look.  

Presumably, that’s what the folks at Japanese gear maker Flagship were thinking about when designing the Esforride motorcycle riding pants. They’re made of a polyester mesh and cotton fabric combination, like many non-motorcycle-oriented pants—but with one very important feature. The inner thighs of the Esforride pants feature a big, single-piece, suede panel to help you grip the tank of any bike you choose to ride.  

These pants feature a simple and unobtrusive lightweight design, in a straight-leg cut that should mostly blend well visually on or off the bike. Granted, that suede panel will probably get you some questioning looks from non-riders you encounter off the bike, but it’s entirely up to you if that’s your style or not. Is the functionality worth it? We haven’t ridden with these, so we can’t offer any opinion about that part of it, but it does look as though it could work. 

10 Photos

These pants were designed for the Japanese market, and can be ordered directly from Flagship’s website at a cost of 17,380 yen, or about $158.35, which includes tax and free shipping within Japan. Although they include pockets for both hip and knee armor, it seems likely that riders are meant to plug in whatever armor they prefer after purchase. No mention of armor specifications is made in the description, and the photos appear to show mesh placeholders in the armor pockets, rather than proper motorcycle armor. Any soft, unobtrusive armor you like would likely fit just fine in those pockets.  

The Flagship Esforride pants come in sizes S through 3L. All measurements are given in centimeters in the size chart. Size Small is a 79cm waist and 76cm inseam, which translates to a 31-inch waist, 30-inch inseam. Size 3L is a 95cm waist and 80cm inseam, which translates to a 37.4-inch waist, 31.4-inch inseam. Handily, if you’re in Japan and order the wrong size, Flagship offers free size exchanges for your correct size instead.