Twista Draggin Jeans are claimed to keep the bark on your legs if you slide along the bitumen, we got our resident two-wheeler to put ‘em to the test.
Okay, I didn’t purposely fall off my bike to put these Twista Draggin Jeans to the test. Call it serendipity. Even weirder, it was my first ever road crash and thankfully I wasn’t hurt. No word, no warning, warm tyres, perfect conditions. Weird.
How’d it happen? I was riding a Royal Enfield Continental GT for the photo point, having just done the same stretch on a Classic 500 during the launch for the company’s updated range of 500s.
I wasn’t going in too hot (around 50km/h) but I must’ve been lent over far enough for the sidestand and its mounting bracket to dig in and cause the front to wash out without notice. After all, the Continental GT is designed to be a cool, urban commuter, so cornering clearance probably isn’t a high priority. Anyway.
So, there I was sliding for about 50m towards the road barrier and thankfully I didn’t meet with oncoming traffic. I came off while riding around 50km/h…the best bit? There wasn’t even a scratch beneath the Kevlar just the surface of the jeans had worn away slightly as you can see in the picture.
The Draggin Twista jeans did an excellent job of saving my skin. As you can see, the Australian company’s proprietary Kevlar-based lining did its job to withstand the sliding forces, and I felt no sense friction burning. I only copped a small graze on my knee (most likely from impact), which probably could’ve been avoided had I been wearing the optional knee armour inserts.
The Twistas are made of a super-comfy stretch denim so there’s plenty of elasticity to throw a leg over the tallest of bikes. Other visual trickery includes the notable absence of seams where Kevlar would otherwise be obviously joined, concealing their identity as motorcycle jeans. The only difference is the overall weight compared with civilian jeans and the breathable, patented Roomoto full-length mesh liner.
As with all Draggin jeans, the Twistas are lined with Kevlar and another proprietary material called Dyneema, which is claimed to be the world’s strongest fibre. Draggin says this liner combination is better than basic, woven or knitted-Kevlar alternatives. The CE-approved jeans are said to be able to withstand and protect your bacon for 7.46 seconds (or 75m) of road abrasion resistance – a claim I can certainly confirm.
The science behind them is apparently in the lining, which is knitted in a way so that the loop of the weave faces the road. This means that when the rider is sliding, the knit of the fabric acts to dissipate heat away from the body and slows the rider’s momentum to reduce friction and thus minimise injury. You’ve probably seen or heard about Draggin founder Grant Mackintosh being towed by a motorbike like a water skier to demonstrate his product.
If that’s not enough, there’s also the optional CE-approved armour for the knees and hips of the jeans for added safety.
The Twistas aren’t aesthetically perfect, however. The coin pocket is on the wrong (left) side and you can’t fashion an upturned cuff to go with your Thruxton. Hardly deal-breakers, though. They are available for women, too. And in black. The fact that this picture tells a thousand words is enough said. Well worth it.
