Gear Review: Pando Moto Kissaki Dyn 01 Jeans

[SweatHog]

Motorcycle jeans have come a long way in terms of protection, styling, and comfort—and the Pando Moto Kissaki Dyn 01 jeans I recently got to try are proof. While Pando offers unisex jackets like the Capo, it also offers different moto jeans cuts for men and women. The Kissaki Dyn 01 is a women’s moto jean, and it looks like the Steel Black 02 is the men’s version. Since I’m a woman myself, I’ll be reviewing the Dyn 01 today.  

They’re a slim-fit, mid-rise, Dyneema jean (at the 25 percent level) with deep front pockets that can fit a modern smartphone. They also have a metal ring up on the right side of the beltline, as well as a pleasing charcoal black color. As with the Kissaki Black jeans, there is a YKK zipper that Pando says is waterproof on one of the rear pockets. However, as I remarked with that previous pair of jeans, there’s no waterproof lining inside the pocket—so I’m not sure how much it would help in the rain. I have yet to test this theory, and will update if and when I do. 

The Kissaki Dyn 01s come with SAS-TEC TripleFlex CE armor included for both your hips and your knees. It’s super-flexible and virtually disappears when you wear it, unlike more solid types of armor. However, because it’s so flexible that it takes on the shape of the rider who’s wearing it, that means it can also quickly un-shape itself when it’s left to its own devices. I hang my riding jeans up when I’m not wearing them, and this knee armor has a tendency to bunch up a bit when it’s not on me. That’s easily solved with some adjustment when I put them on again, but it’s also an important thing to be aware of. 

You know how I mentioned above that they were “slim fit”? We’ll, they’re a bit slimmer than that. What’s slimmer than “slim-fit”? These jeans, apparently. I tried a different Kissaki variant in 2019 that was also slim-fit, and while both these pairs fit me well, the Kissaki Dyn 01s are just a little more tapered. Wanna know how I know?  

As I’ve discussed here previously, I’m between 5’3” and 5’4”, depending on how good my posture is at the time of measuring. Added to that, a 27” inseam is probably still slightly too long for me, but I make it work. Pando Moto women’s jeans come in two inseam lengths: 32 and 34. That said, their cuffs are made with the possibility of rolling them up to fit in mind—and, you know, for fashion. There’s a neat little bit of reflective seam tape just inside that cuff to enhance your visibility in traffic if you’ve rolled them. Nice. 

Since I wear over-the-ankle boots as a matter of course, you can’t generally see that reflective bit when I wear them. However, I can tell you that where the Kissaki Black jeans required me to pull the legs up slightly to get the rolled cuffs to fit inside my boots, the Kissaki Dyn 01s are definitely slimmer. How do I know? Because I can simply put my boots on and zip them up without having to pull the cuffs up because they’re digging into my ankles. They just … fit. (Now, I realize this is a situation that only a very specific set of very short riders who also wear over-the-ankle boots will probably face. However, it’s good information for those riders to have!) 

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Super slim fit or no, they fit well and are very comfortable to wear both on and off the bike. They’re pleasant enough when it’s hot out, and perfectly fine when it’s cooler—though I do wear technical tights underneath to keep me comfy when I’m out on long rides. Since the armor pockets are made of a nice, smooth fabric and have no scratchy Velcro closures as are found in some riding jeans, there’s no reason to think they wouldn’t be fine without the tights, as well. Also, these jeans aren’t super-slippery in the saddle—which is a definite plus if you like having control over your body positioning as you ride. Fit and finish overall is quite high, and they’re about as good-looking as they are comfortable. 

In the U.S., we only have a few shops stocking Pando Moto at the moment, but stores that carry their gear appear to be located all over Europe and Asia. If these sound like something you want to try, you can also order directly the Pando website anywhere in the world. MSRP on these jeans is €339 ($395) at the time of writing. 

Riding photos: Joe Lucente

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