You are likely looking for a way to stay safe on your bike without wearing a heavy, clunky riding “shirt” that offers little protection while still managing to boil you into a soup of your own sweat. 

At Bohn, we have spent over 25 years helping riders find that perfect balance between comfort and protection. We know you want to look like yourself and feel the breeze while knowing your bones are guarded if things go sideways.

But riding shirts? They’re often doing all the wrong things.

An ill-fitting shirt can mean your armor shifts during a fall, leaving your elbows or shoulders exposed to the hard ground. This often happens with loose "protective" shirts that look good but do not hold the pads where they belong. 

This guide will help you understand what makes a motorcycle riding shirt truly effective. We will look at how different materials and designs impact your safety and comfort during every mile of your journey.

Armor shift means failure - snug gear keeps protection in place so you can ride with confidence.

Two Approaches to Motorcycle Riding Shirts

When you start searching for motorcycle riding shirts, you'll find two main categories: outer riding shirts designed to be worn as your top layer, and base layer systems that go underneath.

Understanding the difference between these approaches helps you make a smarter decision about what actually works for your riding style.

Approach 1: Outer Riding Shirts

These shirts are designed to be your outermost layer. Brands like Pando Moto, Saint Unbreakable, Tobacco Motorwear, and John Doe build the protection directly into stylish shirts you wear as your top layer.

Pros: One-piece simplicity with abrasion resistance built in. Looks like regular clothing and shows your personal style.

Cons: Loose fit allows armor to shift during crashes. Limited weather adaptation and often expensive for what you get.

If this is what you’re after, we’ve listed out some of the best brands below. But before you take a look at the options, consider Approach #2…

Approach 2: Base Layer Systems

These are tight-fitting shirts worn underneath your regular clothes. Brands like Bohn, Dainese Pro-Armor, and Rev'It Proteus focus on keeping armor locked in place under any outer layer you choose.

This allows armor to stay locked in place with a snug fit that’s both comfortable and performant in crashes. Then you can wear any shirt, hoodie or jacket over top offering flexibility with differing temperatures and the amount of abrasion resistance you need. 

The Best Motorcycle Riding Shirts: Base Layer Systems

Now that you understand why the base layer approach solves the armor-shift problem, let's look at which Bohn products work best. These three options cover different riding conditions and protection needs.

Bohn Cool-Air Mesh Armored Shirt

This is the shirt you want when the temperature hits 80℉ or higher. It is made from open-weave mesh that lets air flow directly to your skin. Inside, it features SAS-TEC CE-Level 2 armor that stays snug against your body.

Get Bohn Cool-Air Mesh Armored Shirt

Bohn All-Season Armored Shirt

This uses soft Lycra™ fabric that feels like high-quality athletic wear and stretches to fit your body perfectly. It keeps your SAS-TEC armor in place under your favorite hoodie or light jacket. This is a great "invisible" layer for any riding scenario.

Get Bohn All-Season Armored Shirt

Bohn Performance Thermal Armored Shirt

For crisp morning rides or winter trips, this thermal version adds warmth without bulk. It manages your body heat while providing CE-Level 2 SAS-TEC impact protection. You can wear this under a leather jacket to stay warm and protected.

Get Bohn Performance Thermal Armored Shirt

The Best Motorcycle Riding Shirts: Outerwear

For outer shirts, several brands stand out that pair well with any of Bohn’s base layer shirts (Airtex, Cool-Air or Thermal). 

Our Own Bohn Flannel

If you like the “outer shirt” vibe but you do not want to give up serious protection, Bohn’s Kevlar® flannels are one of the cleanest solutions. Instead of trying to hide armor inside a loose button-up, these flannels focus on what an outer shirt is best at: abrasion resistance and everyday wearability.

Get the Bohn Flannel

Pair the flannel with a Bohn armored base layer underneath, and you get the best of both worlds: CE-Level 2 impact protection that stays locked in place, plus a Kevlar®-lined outer layer that looks like normal clothing.

Why the Bohn flannel works so well

• Fully Kevlar®-lined, not just “reinforced panels.” A lot of riding shirts only reinforce certain zones. A fully lined flannel is a much more confidence-inspiring outer layer if you actually slide.

• Looks normal off the bike. It reads like a regular flannel, not “motorcycle gear cosplay,” so you will actually wear it more often.

• Layer-friendly system. You can run any armored shirt from us underneath your flannel: Cool-Air mesh armor in hot weather, Airtex for most rides, or Thermal for cold mornings or shoulder seasons.

• Comfortable mobility. A flannel cut and feel is naturally easy to move in, which matters for turning your head, reaching controls, and staying relaxed on longer rides.

• Better protection strategy than armor-in-a-loose-shirt. Outer shirts that include armor can still suffer from armor shift because they need a casual fit. With Bohn, the armor belongs to the snug base layer, and the flannel’s job is abrasion resistance.

In practice, the Bohn flannel is best for riders who want something they will genuinely wear off the bike, too. It reads like regular workwear, it layers easily across seasons, and it gives you an abrasion-focused outer shell that you can keep consistent while swapping the base layer underneath depending on temperature. If your goal is “casual looks with serious protection,” this is one of the simplest ways to get there without pretending an overshirt can do everything at once.

Pando Moto

Pando Moto has earned a strong reputation for creating riding shirts that look like everyday button-ups but hide serious protection inside. Their Steel Black and Capo shirts use Cordura denim shells with Kevlar reinforcement in key impact zones. This combination gives riders a clean, casual look without sacrificing abrasion resistance.

These shirts are designed to be worn as your main outer layer. They’re ideal for riders who want protection without looking like they’re wearing motorcycle gear. The focus is on blending streetwear style with real-world safety performance.

Tobacco Motorwear

Tobacco Motorwear specializes in Dyneema-reinforced riding shirts with a strong vintage and heritage aesthetic. Their shirts are built to look like classic workwear while offering modern abrasion protection. Dyneema gives them extreme strength with very low weight.

These shirts are designed for riders who value both style and durability. They’re especially popular among scrambler, tracker, and classic bike owners. The focus is on timeless design with modern materials.

Icon

Icon offers riding jerseys like the Upstate Riding Jersey with moisture-wicking fabrics and armor compatibility. These are styled like motocross or street jerseys but built for road use. They’re lightweight, breathable, and aggressive-looking.

Icon’s designs appeal to younger riders and street bike enthusiasts. The fit is athletic and the styling is bold. Protection is integrated without making the shirt bulky.

Why Loose Riding Shirts Fail When It Matters

A real motorcycle riding shirt uses technical fabrics and reinforced stitching to hold everything together. But if the shirt fits loose enough to be comfortable as an outer garment, the armor will likely move during a crash. When you hit the ground, the road grabs the fabric and pulls it.

A loose shirt can rotate around your body, moving even the best armor away from the joint it was meant to protect. We've spoken with far too many riders who crashed in “riding shirts” yet still ended up with life-altering joint injuries. The jackets even held up well to abrasion, but armor pockets shifted during impact.

Loose riding shirts let armor shift when it matters most. A snug Bohn Armored Shirt keeps SAS-TEC locked in place during any impact.

The Pando Moto Capo and similar shirts are beautifully made products. But they can't escape the basic design constraint: a shirt that fits loose enough to look normal won't hold armor in place during a tumbling crash.

3 Truths About Motorcycle Gear

Truth 1: The First Hit is Most Dangerous

The most serious injuries happen the moment you hit the ground. Impact protection helps prevent broken bones by soaking up that initial energy. You need armor that handles the hit but stays flexible.

Even premium shirts from Pando Moto face this challenge. Their Kevlar protects against abrasion beautifully, but if armor shifts during initial impact, it doesn't help your elbow or shoulder.

Truth 2: Loose Gear Equals Useless Armor

A jacket or shirt that fits like a casual button-up might be comfortable, but the armor will likely rotate away from your joints in a fall. To stay safe, your armor needs to be held tight against your skin. We design our shirts to fit close to the body specifically to keep that SAS-TEC armor locked in the right spot.

This affects every outer riding shirt on the market because they all need to maintain that casual, comfortable fit. It's not a flaw in manufacturing from Tobacco Motorwear or John Doe. It's a design constraint they can't escape.

Truth 3: Discomfort is a Safety Hazard

When you are too hot or restricted by heavy gear, you lose focus and your reaction time slows down. Breathable gear that moves with you keeps you sharp and ready to respond to traffic. If you are comfortable, you are more likely to wear your gear every time you ride.

This is one area where modern riding shirts have made real progress. Materials like Pando Moto's Cordura denim and Saint's aramid panels are much more comfortable than older protective gear. The base layer approach takes this further by letting you adjust your outer layer based on weather while keeping armor consistent.

Understanding SAS-TEC Armor Technology

The most important part of any riding shirt is the armor. We use SAS-TEC armor because it is a viscoelastic foam that stays soft and bendable until you hit it. Upon impact, it hardens instantly to absorb the shock before it reaches your body.

This technology allows us to give you invisible protection that you can wear under your normal clothes. The material has an armor lifespan of up to 10 years. Many other types of armor get brittle or lose their strength after just a few years.

SAS-TEC is smart armor - soft and flexible while riding, it disperses impact energy across the whole armor piece to protect your body. 

You'll find CE armor in Pando Moto and similar riding shirts, though cheaper brands may use harder foam or plastic inserts. The key advantage of SAS-TEC is the combination of impact absorption, flexibility, and long-term durability.

Understanding Armor Ratings

You will see terms like CE-Level 1 and CE-Level 2 when looking at gear. CE stands for "Conformité Européenne," which means the gear meets European safety standards.

CE-Level 1 is the basic standard for impact protection. Most Joe Rocket and budget riding shirts use Level 1 armor. CE-Level 2 is the higher standard and can absorb much more force than Level 1.

All Bohn armored shirts come with CE-Level 2 SAS-TEC armor as standard. Our elbow and forearm guards are 5 × 12 inches to give you plenty of coverage. Shoulders are 5 × 8 inches for most riders, and we use a larger 6 × 9 inch pad for our 3XL to 5XL sizes.

The Secret to Staying Cool

Riding in 90℉ weather can be brutal in a thick leather jacket. Many riders wear just a t-shirt because of the heat, which is risky. Our solution is the Cool - Air shirt.

A mesh under-layer with SAS-TEC armor gives you t-shirt airflow with high-end jacket protection. The fabric wicks sweat away from your body. Feeling the wind through your gear on a humid afternoon is a massive relief.

Sizing That Actually Fits You

One big problem with motorcycle gear is that it is often built for one specific body type. A Pando Moto shirt sized for your chest might have sleeves that are too long. A Tobacco Motorwear that fits your torso might be too short if you're tall.

We know that riders come in all shapes and sizes. That is why we offer sizes from 3XS all the way to 5XL. We have designs for petite women starting at 4'9" and tall riders up to 6'10".

Every rider deserves real protection. Bohn fits all sizes - 3XS to 5XL - so SAS-TEC armor stays exactly where it should.

Our gear is designed in the USA at our headquarters in Mooresville, NC. We focus on making sure every rider can be protected.

Caring for Your Gear

The great thing about our riding shirts is that they are easy to keep clean. You simply pull out the SAS-TEC armor pads and toss the fabric shirt into the washing machine. The fabric dries quickly, so it is ready for your next ride in no time.

Your SAS-TEC armor can last up to 10 years if you take care of it. Just keep it out of direct sunlight when you are not using it. This makes Bohn a great long-term investment for your safety.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I wear a Bohn armored shirt by itself?

You can, but we recommend wearing a layer over it for the best look and extra protection. Since our shirts are mesh or Lycra™, they are somewhat see-through. Wearing a light jersey over them looks better and helps with abrasion if you slide.

Does the armor feel heavy or stiff?

The SAS-TEC armor we use is very lightweight and flexible. It uses your body heat to become even softer as you ride. Most customers tell us they forget they are even wearing it after about ten minutes on the bike.

What if I am between sizes?

Since our gear needs to be snug to keep the armor in place, we usually suggest choosing the smaller size if you are between two. The Lycra™ and mesh fabrics have plenty of stretch to keep you comfortable. You can always check our sizing chart or call us for help.

Is Level 2 armor better than Level 1?

Yes, Level 2 armor is tested to handle more impact force. We put Level 2 SAS-TEC armor in all our shirts because we believe impact protection is the most important job of our gear. It offers much more peace of mind.

Will this shirt fit under my current jacket?

Yes, that is exactly what it is for! Our invisible protection is thin enough to fit under leather jackets, denim, or even rain gear. It is a great way to add high-quality armor to a jacket that didn't come with any.

How do I know where the armor should sit?

The shirt is designed so the armor pockets line up with your joints naturally. Our elbow/forearm section is 5 × 12 inches to ensure it covers your whole arm. If the shirt fits snug, the armor will stay exactly where it needs to be.

Where is Bohn Body Armor made?

We are proud to say our gear is designed and sewn in the USA. Our team is based in Mooresville, NC, and we have been a family-owned business for over 25 years.