5 Full-Featured Flannels For Motorcycle Riding

Fall is here, and so are cooler temps. Summer is fun and all, but triple-digit weather can be draining, so to celebrate the changing of the season, we’ve begun exploring appropriate riding gear to meet the demand brought by crisp mornings and chilly evenings.

Now, we all know that modern riding gear is constantly evolving—including flannel button-ups. While these shirts look like the comfortable, everyday staple pieces you've worn for years, they now include something more than you've been used to. Clothing manufacturers have infused the fabric with more rugged materials to keep riders protected from abrasion and impact, and designed these garments to accept protective armor to address concerns of both style and safety. This fall, gear up with flannels that deliver warmth and protection for the open roads ahead.

Viking Cycle's flannel shirt is a prime reminder that all flannels are not created equally. The exterior of this shirt looks classic and familiar, but it's been specially tailored and adjusted to meet motorcycle-riding needs. While you'll feel comfortable and laid back wearing this shirt on your bike, it is quite the formal piece of riding gear.

First, Viking’s flannel is made from woven cotton yarn fabric with dyed threads, which gives it a great first impression. The removable Level 3 armor on elbows and shoulders, and heat-resistant Kevlar material used in those contact points help to transform the shirt into a solid piece of riding gear for the fall season. To further increase the functionality of this flannel, Viking has also outfitted it with two upper snap pockets, as well as an internal reinforced concealed-carry pocket.

The art of designing flannel shirts with the unique task of providing riders with ample protection and everyday comfort has been mastered by a few manufacturers in the field—Milwaukee Performance being one of them.

Milwaukee Performance's checkered flannel might look like other flannels you've worn in the past, but it has definitely been built to serve you well on the open road. It features heavy-duty, durable construction and aramid-reinforced shoulders and elbows for extra tear resistance. Removable CE pads provide added protection for the road, making Milwaukee's checkered flannel easy on the eyes and great for the body.

Scorpion's Covert riding flannel has been on the market for a while now, but it's still proving to be a favorite among riders who value specialized gear. While these shirts appear to be plain, ordinary flannels at first glance, they do provide exponentially more features to those who wear one.

Instead of outfitting the shirts with small areas of reinforced patches, Scorpion has designed the entire shirt with a genuine DuPont Kevlar lining—not just at the shoulder and elbow sections. This attention to a most important detail has made this shirt an ideal choice for maximum abrasion and impact protection. To make this flannel even better, there are pockets for SAS-TEC CE armor at the elbows, shoulders, and back.

The Black Nine reinforced moto shirt from Speed and Strength is a great selection in the specialized flannel market. It features a comfortable cotton-poly blended frame, a snap-down collar, and hidden YKK main zipper opening as a solid foundation.

What the Black Nine shirt also offers is aramid fiber-reinforced shoulders and elbows, as well as expansion gussets in the shoulders to allow for more movement and flex while in riding positions. With multiple color options to choose from, Speed and Strength’s Black Nine reinforced flannels designed for the road deserve a spot in your closet, and regular rotation during the upcoming cooler months.

With the fall season finally here, your morning, midday, and nighttime rides are destined to be substantially colder. It's time to think about adding flannel as well as more protective options to your wardrobe. Highway 21's Marksman button-up flannel has that cool, classic look with the inclusion of a few state-of-the-art protective features.

The soft 8-ounce cotton flannel construction keeps the Marksman soft and comfortable, but it’s the removable CE shoulder and elbow armor as well as the removable perforated PE armor that makes this shirt a must-wear for riders this fall. A 165G DuPont Kevlar fiber is also used in the shoulder and elbow areas to give it a heightened level of protection. Action back shoulder expansion gives this shirt the necessary give for comfort while in the riding position, so it can be easily worn all day long—on and off the bike.