How to Size a Motorcycle Shirt: Why Fit (Not Fabric) Decides Whether You Overheat

Two riders buy the same shirt. Same Kevlar®, same Level 2 armour, same price. One picks XL off the drop-down because he is "an XL". The other lays his best-fitting shirt flat on the kitchen table, measures it, and picks L-T.

In a 50 km/h drop, the first rider's shoulder protector has rotated onto his chest before he hits the ground. The second rider's is still over his shoulder. Same shirt. Different outcome. The variable was fit, and it was decided at the checkout.

This article is about that variable. For the full summer kit, start at the Summer Motorcycle Gear Australia pillar.

In this guide

• The two ways mesh fails
• Why "I'm an XL" goes wrong
• What armour shift does in a crash
• How to measure for a motorcycle shirt
• Reading the size chart
• Tall sizes and big sizes
• When made-to-measure is the answer
• 24/7 chat
• FAQ

The Two Ways Mesh Fails

Too loose. The armour is held in place by the shirt's pockets, and the pockets are held in place by the shirt fitting your body. Add 5 cm of slack through the chest and the whole system floats. Tug the shirt and watch the shoulder cups travel. In a crash they travel further.

Too tight. Mesh works because air passes through it and across your skin. Pull it flat against you and there is nowhere for the air to go. You have bought a Kevlar®-lined sweat trap with armour.

The target. Snug through chest and shoulders, so the pockets stay aligned with the joints. Enough room at the waist for the armour and the crouch. Sleeves to the wrist bone with your arms on the bars, not at your sides. That is a narrow window, and guessing from the size you wear in T-shirts is a coarse tool for hitting it.

Why "I'm an XL" Goes Wrong

A T-shirt size is a design assumption: one chest-to-waist ratio, one arm length for each chest size, one shoulder width. A motorcycle shirt has armour pockets that have to land on specific joints, so the assumption matters more than it does for a T-shirt.

Riders who fall outside the assumption are not rare. They are most of the people who complain about fit:

• Tall riders whose sleeves end 5 cm short in a size that fits the chest
• Rugby and AFL builds, wide through the shoulders, who size up and end up baggy at the waist
• Riders above 2XL, where many brands scale the medium and get the proportions wrong
• Women, who are usually offered a smaller men's cut
• Anyone who carries weight in one place rather than evenly

The Crosswind™ runs 20 sizes, XS to 8XL with a tall cut from M-T to 6XL-T, for exactly this reason. Twenty sizes catch most riders. The method below is how you find yours instead of guessing.

What Armour Shift Does in a Crash

A typical low-speed crash is three to five impacts in about two seconds: first contact at shoulder or hip, a roll or tumble, back or second shoulder, a short slide, and a final stop against something. The armour has to be over the joint for every one of those, not just the first.

Armour that starts correctly positioned moves a little through that sequence and ends up roughly where it should. Armour that starts 5 cm off can end 10–15 cm off.

• Shoulder protector rotates forward onto the chest in a tumble. The joint takes the second hit bare.
• Elbow protector slides up the arm or down toward the wrist. The point of the elbow, the part that fractures, is uncovered.
• Back protector drops toward the lumbar spine, leaving the thoracic region, which is higher and more vulnerable, exposed.

Fit does not stop the armour moving. It stops the armour starting in the wrong place. Which armour goes where, and why, is in the Motrox CE Armour Guide.

How to Measure for a Motorcycle Shirt

Do not measure your body. Measure a shirt you already own that fits the way you want the riding shirt to fit. Lay it flat and buttoned on a table and take six numbers with a fabric tape.

"½" means the flat width of one side only, which is how shirts are measured. Double A to get the shirt's full chest. For the armour to sit comfortably, your own chest measurement should be roughly 10–15 cm less than that doubled figure.

Chest and hem set the torso. Back length sets where the back protector sits. Sleeve and shoulder set the shoulder and elbow pockets. Upper arm sets the elbow pocket fore and aft. Miss one and one protector is in the wrong place.

Reading the Size Chart

Every Motrox shirt page carries a garment chart: the shirt itself, laid flat, in centimetres, A to F for every size. Compare your six numbers against it.

• Match on A (chest) first. That picks your base size.
• Check C (back length) and D (sleeve). If either is short on you at that size, go to the Tall cut of the same chest size.
• Between sizes: go up one if you wear a hoodie or thicker layer underneath. Go down one if you only ever ride in a base layer and want the armour tight to the joint.
• Check F (upper arm) if you lift or have big arms. A sleeve that is tight at the bicep pulls the elbow protector up.

The full chart with the measuring diagram is on the Shirt and Leggings Size Guide. One set of measurements covers the Crosswind™, the Outrider™ flannel and the Vanguard™ hoodies. Measure once.

Tall Sizes and Big Sizes

Tall (-T). Same chest, longer body and sleeves. If your sleeves always run short, or your shirts always ride up when you reach for the bars, Tall is the fix. It is not a bigger size; it is a longer one.

5XL to 8XL. The chart is proportioned for the size, not scaled from a medium. A 7XL Crosswind™ has a 173 cm chest and a 64 cm shoulder. If you have given up on riding gear because nothing fits, measure a shirt that does and compare.

Honest trade-off: 20 sizes is a lot, and it still is not everyone. If your six numbers do not land on any row, the next section is for you.

When Made-to-Measure Is the Answer

The Crosswind™, Outrider™ and Vanguard™ are stocked, standard-size garments. They are not cut to your measurements. That is why they ship in 15–19 days instead of six weeks, and why they cost $239 instead of $600.

Motrox's made-to-measure work is in leather and textile: custom motorcycle jackets, suits and pants cut to your body. That is the right call if you are outside the shirt chart entirely, if you want a certified textile or leather garment that fits like it was built for you, or if you ride enough that fit is worth six weeks.

For a summer mesh shirt, 20 sizes and the method above get most riders a fit that keeps the armour where the certificate assumed it would be. If you measure and still cannot decide, the chat is faster than guessing.

24/7 Chat

Fit is where the questions come from. The chat on motrox.com.au is staffed by people who do this every day, and the common ones are quick: which seam is the collar seam, whether a number looks wrong, whether Flying Bats will print through a light colour, whether to go L or L-T. Send your six numbers and your height before you buy; it is cheaper than asking after.

From the workshop

A set of numbers came through chat with a 44 cm back length and a 108 cm chest. Those two do not belong on the same shirt. The chat asked for a photo of where the tape was sitting. The top of the tape was at the top of the collar, not the collar seam, and the real number was 51 cm. Seven centimetres is the difference between an L and an L-T, and between a back protector that covers the spine and one that stops at the shoulder blades. The photo took him two minutes.

FAQ

How do I measure for a motorcycle shirt?

Lay a shirt that fits you well flat and buttoned. Measure half chest, half hem, back length from the collar seam, sleeve from the shoulder seam, shoulder seam to seam, and half upper arm. Compare the six numbers to the garment chart on the product page.

How tight should a motorcycle shirt fit?

Snug through chest and shoulders so the armour cannot travel, with room at the waist for the crouch. If you can grab a handful of fabric at the shoulder, it is loose. If the mesh is flat against your skin, it is tight. Both are wrong for different reasons.

Does fit affect motorcycle safety?

Yes, more than most riders think. Armour that starts 5 cm off the joint can end 15 cm off during a tumble, and a shoulder protector on your chest does not protect your shoulder. Fit is what keeps the armour where the test certificate assumed it would be.

What is a Tall size in a motorcycle shirt?

Same chest measurement, longer body and sleeves. Motrox shirts run M-T to 6XL-T. If your sleeves end short or the shirt rides up when you reach the bars, Tall is the fix.

Is the Motrox Crosswind™ made to measure?

No. It is a stocked garment in 20 standard sizes, XS to 8XL plus tall. Motrox made-to-measure is for custom leather and textile gear. Twenty sizes and a flat-measured shirt get most riders the right fit.

Can women get a Motrox shirt that fits?

The same six-measurement method applies and the chart runs from XS. A shirt matched to your flat measurements fits better than a guessed small men's size. The Valkyrie™ leggings are cut on a women's pattern to begin with.

Should I size up for armour?

No, if you measured a shirt that fits. The 10–15 cm difference between your chest and the shirt's doubled half-chest already allows for the armour. Size up only if you ride with a hoodie or thick layer underneath.

How long does a Motrox shirt take to arrive?

15–19 business days, delivered free Australia-wide. Order before the heat arrives, not during it.

Measure tonight. Ten minutes, a shirt that fits, a fabric tape. Then order the Crosswind™ in the size the chart gives you, with the armour that matches your riding, and use MOTROX10 for 10% off. If anything in the chart confuses you, the chat is open now. Not sure which fabric you want in the first place? Mesh vs textile vs leather settles it.

Open the size guide → · Shop the Crosswind™ → · Outrider™ → · Riding in 40°C · Back to the Summer Motorcycle Gear Australia pillar.