Richa Stripper 2 (Suburbanite) trousers black

The Richa Stripper 2 pants have been designed for the short-distance or urban commuter who wants to be protected in terms of abrasions and impacts, as well as from the elements; but who wants to be able to quickly shed his motorcycle trousers when he gets to his destination; be that a place of work or the railway station.

 

The Stripper pant’s USP is the zips that run down each leg from the waistband to the hem. When you have undone the zips completely you can rip the pants off like Magic Mike in one of his nightclub dance routines! That having been said, most of the time you wouldn’t totally undo the zips. You’d leave the zip runners in place at the waist, and then simply step into, or out of, the waist band.

 

Now we have seen other pants that use zips in the same way, but those that we have come across are all just waterproofs with no abrasion resistance in the outer fabric and no armour. The Strippers, by contrast, are properly protective riding trousers.

 

You can put them on over your work trousers in a matter of seconds. At the other end you can be out of them in a similar timeframe.

 

They really are the last word in convenience for those who want the flexibility to wear protective wear when they need it; and to be able to divest themselves of it as soon as they don’t.

 

The Strippers are made from a cordura-style fabric. They are equipped with a waterproof membrane, but not all waterproof membranes are equally resistant to the rain. The highest performing membranes come from Gore. A Gore-Tex membrane will often have a waterproof rating of 25,000 mm as measured on a piece of equipment known as a Hydrostatic Head. The score for the Stripper’s Aquashell membrane is 10,000 mm. But that is not nothing. In a Gore-Tex membrane you can ride for many hours in heavy rain and never get wet; 25,000 mm is about as waterproof as it gets. The range of 10,000 to 15,000 mm is considered to be appropriate for  riding in ‘heavy rain for a moderate duration’. Technically, it is considered to be suitable for ‘general touring and highway speeds’. 

 

Now this may be what AI tells us, but we’re sticking to half an hour or so in moderate rain. But let me put this succinctly. If you have a commute that is an hour or more, the Strippers may not be up to the job if it rains for the duration of your journey. You certainly wouldn’t go touring in a pair of strippers; ditto if you’re on a long day’s ride out the Strippers may not keep you dry if the heavens open, and you’ve got a long ride home.

 

In terms of protection from abrasion and impacts, the Strippers also have their limits. They are rated A under EN17092 for abrasion resistance. Now that means they will be appropriate for the kind of commuting we’re talking about here. But for zooming along the A3 on your GS at an indicated speed of 77 mph, they’re probably not your best option.

 

They come with Level 1 D3O, but it’s the older shaped stuff which performs to a standard that is very close to some of the modern Level 2 armour. Again, it’s totally appropriate for the job at hand. Now as the Strippers are only A rated they don’t have to come with hip armour. And indeed to hit a price point Richa has not supplied hip armour. But here at Motolegends we tend to the view that hip armour is probably more necessary than knee armour, so we are going to fit D3O Ghost hip protectors into all the Strippers that leave the building.

 

There’s not a lot more to tell about the Stripper 2s.

 

You get an adjustable waist band. There are Velcro flaps at the ends of the legs. The pants are equipped with three external water-resistant pockets.