When you think of important motorcycle gear what comes to mind. Jacket, gloves, helmet, boots but do you think of chaps? Leather chaps are very important for a motorcycle rider. Think about it, leather chaps have been around before the automotive technology even came into play. The horsemen wore leather chaps to help protect them against the rubbing on the horse and saddle as well as brushing up against objects of nature burs, trees, cattle and even man made material such as fences etc. To this day horse riders still wear chaps. This is because it is an important piece of protection.
Now when thinking of riding a horse or a motorcycle I would say riding a motorcycle is much more dangerous. So why wouldn't you wear chaps. Well, some people do not like the look. There are so many styles of chaps to choose from that this should not even come into play. Think about the old cowboy days like John Wayne (the Duke). Now that was a man and he wore chaps. Nobody made fun of him. And he wore them for protection.
With so many styles to choose from everyone should be able to find there individual style. Some have zippered sides, some have laces and buckles. You can get them snug fitting or with a little flair like the cowboys wore. These are called bat wings as they flair out to the side and the back is open. You can get shotgun chaps which wrap around the legs completely. These are a slimmer fit and worn all the time in the winter as they provide more warmth and insulation than the bat wings. There is also half chaps which just cover the bottom half of the leg. These are mostly worn in the hot summer months. You can get stylish with fringe and conchos. And you can even get them with patches already sewn on, to make a statement.