Pando Moto Boss Dyn 01 review | AAA-rated motorcycle jeans

Date reviewed: April 2025 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: £279 | pandomoto.com

The Pando Moto Boss Dyn 01 jeans on review here make claims of high levels of protection – which we’ll cover in this review – while promising to be comfortable and easy-fitting. They come with a two-year manufacturing warranty and what’s described as a lifetime crash warranty.

I’ve been wearing them on a BMW R1250GS, Zontes ZT350-T, Honda Hornet CB750 and a Honda ADV350 to find out if they’re worth the relatively premium price…

Pros & Cons

Construction and fit

The Pando Boss Dyn 01 jeans look like traditional denim, but the outside is actually made of 73% Cordura, 25% nylon 6.6 (which is temperature and wear-resistant), and 2% elastane for stretch.

According to the label in the jeans, the key impact areas of the hips, knees and bum also carry an additional Balistex 78% UHMWPE (Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene) abrasion-resistant material making up the part-lined element. However, the card tag attached to the jeans says that the part-lined areas contain 65% UHMWPE.

There’s reflective tape on the turn-ups (though I doubt you’ll need all 18cm), but it’s not very bright

The stitching appears consistent throughout and of high quality, and overall the design is very casual looking, with just some hints of being motorcycle jeans thanks to the seams running across the upper backs of the legs, and the pairs of stitches under the knees. They’re certainly not as ‘biker’ looking as the Pando Karl Devil jeans, which have a similar material construction but incorporate concertina stretch panels and externally-removable knee armour, but the Boss Dyn 01s aren’t quite as ‘normal’ appearing as some of the best motorcycle riding jeans we’ve reviewed.

The inside of the bottoms of the legs has black reflective tape that could add a bit more visibility if you turn them up, but I was unable to see any noticeable reflection when photographing them with direct flash or under torchlight.

Sizes available are 30-38” waist, each with 32, 34 or 36” inside legs.

Surprisingly, unlike many other brands, Pando has chosen to use traditional rivets on the Boss Dyn 01s. Where many use flat rivets – or leave them off altogether – there’s a slim chance that the ones fitted here could mark your tank.

Protection & Certification

Pando says that the Boss Dyn 01 jeans (and the Karl Devils) are ‘AAA+ rated in accordance with the EN17092-2:2002 standard’, but we need to be clear here: there is no such thing as AAA+.

The highest certified level under the EN17092 standard is AAA, which measures abrasion resistance using a ‘Darmstadt’ machine that spins samples up to a set speed, then lets them slow down through friction while rubbing on a concrete slab. Once stopped, if there’s no hole over 5mm in size, it’s a pass.

This test does not measure time or distance, so it’s not clear where Pando has got its claims of 6.7 seconds of ‘drag time’ or 71 metres of ‘drag distance.’

While I’m keen to agree that the 17092 standard has a relatively low bar set in AAA, and that many garments can exceed its requirements, Pando’s claims add confusion to a test methodology that’s intended to help riders compare products when buying.

With clearly documented evidence, higher performance would be great to share, but while Pando says that it had the Darmstadt machine run at 120% its usual AAA speed, there doesn’t appear to be anything available to corroborate this.

The Cambridge machine test – which uses a 60 grit abrasive belt for the older EN13595 test standard – does measure time, and a distance could be extrapolated from this as the machine runs at a constant speed, however giving results as a distance would still be incorrect as the results are only ever meant to give a relative abrasion time.

No lab test can guarantee a time or distance on varying road surfaces, not least because the surface-dressed roads that most of us enjoy are up to 4.5 times more abrasive than the Tarmac that the Darmstadt machine simulates, and a brand making claims of ‘slide times’ leaves themselves open to potential litigation in the event of someone suffering an injury.

Having said all that, it’s great to see that the Pando Boss Dyn 01 jeans are AAA-rated under EN17092, which the label inside them correctly states. Beyond that we have no reliable evidence in terms of any enhanced protective performance, and it is disappointing to see the waters of safety muddied this way. If I can gather some documentary evidence of enhanced results I will of course update this review.

Given the AAA rating, it’s disappointing to find just Level 1 armour (Level 2 offers greater impact protection) at the hips and knees, and that it’s the smaller Type A template. In fact, the protectors used at both locations are the same SAS-TEC SC-1/KAairs.

Using slim armour like this does make for a more naturally-shaped jean, but D3O’s Ghost armour – for instance – is available in Level 2 and does (just) fit in the knee pockets.

From April 21 2018, all new motorcycle clothing is deemed to be Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). To meet this legislation, it must be tested to a recognised standard. For more information on the new laws, click here.

What is Pando Moto’s lifetime crash warranty?

Pando Moto is so confident in its kit’s protective performance that it promises to replace it – or with an equivalent if that model’s no longer made – if you crash in it.

There are some caveats, and you can check the full terms of the Pando lifetime crash warranty here, but these are the key points:

• The item must be damaged beyond use, for instance having tears, holes or abrasion in the key impact areas that renders it unsafe.

• Pando Moto’s R&D department will assess the photos you send of the damage to decide if the warranty applies, or if the gear is still safe for further use after the accident.

• Items that do not display significant damage, or that show minimal wear from casual use will not be eligible for replacement, and in this case Pando Moto will have decided that the items can still be worn without compromising safety or functionality.

This is a good idea for helping keep riders on the road and for gathering reviews, and it’s a relief to see that – judging by the testimonials on the website that presumably resulted in the garments being replaced – Pando Moto isn’t taking chances with what it honours; the risk in declaring an item as still safe after a crash is of course something any company needs to be careful with.

Pockets

The Pando Moto Boss Dyn 01 jeans have traditional pockets with two at the front, which are a good enough size to get a Google Pixel 7 Pro in, a front right coin pocket and two on the rear.

A metal ring is attached just above the right pocket to clip your keys to if you want.

Fastening

A metal YKK zip secures the fly, with a rivetted popper attaching the top. There are six belt loops, with two of them being next to each other at the rear to help reduce the chance of the back pulling down under the belt while riding.

The amour can be slipped into one of two pockets to adjust the height

Adjustment

Beyond using a belt, and two positions for the knee armour, there’s no adjustment built in – as you’d expect of a traditional-style pair of jeans – though the stretch material does make them very accommodating and comfortable.

Clockwise from top left with the jeans inside out you can see the knee armour pocket, the mesh lining covering the fronts of the legs, the UHMWPE liner on the bum and hips, and the bare denim

Ventilation

Most riding jeans (with the exception of those with a waterproof membrane) offer very good breathability when riding in hot climates, and even those with a full or part lining typically provide little resistance to the wind. In warmer climates, riding jeans can offer a great solution.

The Pando Boss Dyn 01 jeans also feel unusually cool against the skin thanks to the material used inside.

Warmth

Needless to say, riding jeans aren’t great in the cold, but if needs be, popping a pair of waterproof over-rousers on will cut the wind and improve warmth. Paired with a thermal baselayer (like the Zerofit Heatrub reviewed here), you should have no problems.

Liner

The key impact areas of the Pando Moto Boss Dyn 01 jeans have a secondary layer of Balistex, and other zones have a fine mesh – in either case, these help reduce the chances of skin shear injury in a smaller crash that might not hole the jeans, but can see single layers of material cause painful damage as the flesh is grabbed and pulled. There’s no additional lining on the backs of the legs, or the lower fronts.

Waterproofing

The Pando Moto Boss Dyn 01s are not waterproof jeans, though in my experience denim isn’t the ideal material to use in the rain anyway.

Cleaning

The Pando Moto Boss Dyn 01 jeans can be machine washed at 30°C, but they should be inside out and with the armour removed. They mustn’t be tumble-dried or ironed, and should be left to dry naturally, away from direct heat and sunlight.

Four alternatives to the Pando Moto Boss Dyn 01 jeans

Here at Bennetts BikeSocial we’ll only review AAA-rated jeans as there’s such a wide choice at a range of prices. Here are some others to consider:

• Roadskin Paranoid X, £199.00 | Pairing Roadskin’s already AAA-rated Taranis Elite single-layer jeans with a full coverage DuPont Kevlar para-aramid lining means these offer great protection while still looking as much as possible like ‘normal’ jeans. Supplied with Level 2 armour, you can read the full review of the Roadskin Paranoid X jeans here.

• Hood SK11, £189.99 | Also available in ladies’ sizes, and with a stretch denim outer and full coverage K-tech para-aramid lining, Hood jeans look just like ‘normal’ jeans, but additions like denim-lined pockets for longer life and flat rivets show the thought that’s gone into making them great, all-day comfortable motorcycle jeans. Supplied with slimline Level 1 D3O Ghost armour as standard, an additional £10 gives you the full set of Level 2 versions that are barely any thicker. Read the full review of the Hood SK11 jeans here.

• Roadskin Taranis Elite, £179.99 | Also available in ladies’ sizes, the Taranis Elite is a superb single-layer jean (with a lightweight mesh liner to prevent skin-shear injury), that comes with Level 2 armour as standard. Read the full review of the Roadskin Taranis Elites here.

• Spada Ronin Raw Indigo, £159.99 | Also available in ladies' sizes, these Spada jeans are part-lined AAA-rated with Level 2 armour at the knees and hips. The classic styling does a great job of hiding the fact that they're bike kit, and the relatively low price makes them extremely tempting.
  Full review of the Spada Ronin Raw Indigo jeans coming soon.

These are just four of many alternatives – you can find all the jeans we’ve tested here and be sure to regularly check for the discounts available through Bikesocial membership.

Pando Moto Boss Dyn 01 jeans: Verdict

The Pando Moto Boss Dyn 01s are extremely comfortable and easy to wear AAA-rated jeans, with only a small amount of pressure at the knees due to the armour. It’s a shame then not to find Level 2 armour, which could have been incorporated with little or no detriment to the styling.

While looking like ‘normal’ jeans, there are hints that they’re bike kit in the seams across the backs of the legs and, much more subtly, the stitches just below the knees, but these are very easy to overlook in what are a good-looking pair of protective motorcycle riding pants. Despite the questionable communication of the certification standards, the Pando Motos do come recommended.

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