Pando Moto Twin Leather Jacket Review – Road Tested over 620 miles: Looks and Excellent Performance

I must admit I’ve had my eye on the Pando Moto’s Twin Leather jacket for a while. It’s a classic leather motorcycle jacket with an asymmetric zip cut in a slim contemporary fashion. In essence, the quintessential motorcycle jacket. Nonetheless, I played it cool while accepting Pando’s offer to ship one out to me.

I’ve spent over 620 miles wearing this beautifully styled CE-Level AA motorcycle jacket. I wore it through the last days of spring and the first days of summer, with a few days in the autumn of 2025. In that time, I’ve mostly ridden twisty A and B roads.

If you’re thinking of purchasing one, it’s a thumbs-up from me. Read on for my in-depth review of how the Pando Moto Twin Leather actually performs on the bike.

Pando Moto bills its Twin Leather jacket for men as a protective CE-rated AA classic leather jacket, “the new perfect addition” to your gear. The brand also confidently states that it can be worn off the bike as a fashion item. I sought to put those claims to the test with saddle time on my trusty Triumph Thruxton 1200 R.

First Impressions

As I mentioned, I’d had my eye on the Twin Leather for quite some time, so I greeted its arrival with some inner fanfare. Opening the package (in autumn 2025) was not a disappointment.

Pando Moto’s flagship leather jacket is an attractive-looking moto garment. Were it not for the armour, it would easily pass for a fashion item. The diamond stitching detail on the upper arms catches the eye pleasingly. 

It’s a weighty jacket, as is the case with most leather motorcycle jackets, bound for protective duty. The 1.2 mm buffalo leather, however, felt a tad stiffer than I’d imagined. 

Slipping it on, it became immediately apparent that the cut was a good deal slimmer than I had anticipated.

I normally wear a size ‘L’ in my gear. I got the measuring tape out (stopping by the fridge for a snack first). I discovered it’s not entirely down to the Pando cut and might be down to an increase in my (ahem) frame. I later sized up from an L to an XL. (The brand recommends sizing up.)

Sizing aside, it’s got all the hallmarks of Pando Moto craftsmanship and attention to detail. I’m impressed before I’ve twisted the throttle, and I’m keen to wear it on the bike. However, a cold snap significantly delayed that test. Yet, in the meantime, I found reasons to wear it around the house. 

Style & Design

The black Twin Leather is Pando Moto’s contemporary take on the classic motorcycle jacket, channelling the original rocker cut – replete with asymmetrically positioned twin zips.

Instead of snap-down lapels, however, the Twin Leather has a snap crew collar with poppers that allow part of the front to be buttoned down into a lapel somewhat reminiscent of the Perfecto.

While it looks great in both configurations, my preference is for its unbuttoned form. I suspect that would reverse if the jacket featured a traditional lapel collar.

The Twin is a bona fide café racer jacket executed in Pando Moto’s signature style: minimalist and understated.
The diamond stitching is the standout visual of this piece. It runs across the upper arms, shoulder panels and the dropback. It isn’t, however, echoed in the polyester viscose lining, which I feel is perhaps a trick missed.

In typical Pando fashion, you have to look hard to find branding. A subtle debossed Pando logo sits on the back of the collar, almost nonchalantly.

The runestone graphics synonymous with the brand are concealed beneath the zips on the storm flaps, like a secret for those in the know. It’s a cool touch.

The only obvious branding sits on the inner jacket, also finished in the diamond stitching, centred on a small label in Pando Moto’s typeface in white, with a red tab on the lower lining.

Not many retro or classic riders want a jacket plastered in advertising, and Pando Moto understands this thoroughly. This confidently executed design means someone’s going to ask where you got it, anyway.

The buckles at the rear of the jacket are a fashionable nod to classic style, but with a functional purpose.

I enjoyed photographing the details on this jacket, and it seems the designers enjoyed creating them. There are numerous well-executed touches, like the high-quality piping and stitching throughout, blending form and function seamlessly (pun clearly intended).

Puns aside, this jacket is squarely aimed at café racer riders and works well on and off the bike, attracting compliments from friends and strangers.

Fit & Comfort

While I found the Twin Leather weighty, it’s a super comfortable jacket with great freedom of movement on the bike.

Straightaway, the defining feature of this jacket is its twin zip. It’s perhaps the motivation behind the name… I think. It’s a possibility that I’m afraid to say came to me rather late in the day.

More importantly, the dual zip offers two fit settings, giving the wearer more room when wearing bulky items underneath, like the thermal lining. I made use of it liberally.

I mentioned earlier that the leather is tough. It’s 1.2 mm buffalo leather, and it felt stiff to begin with, plus, a tad creaky out of the box. The Twin Leather requires a breaking-in period. A few hundred miles in, and the creakiness and stiffness are greatly reduced. The leather is softening and reassuringly moulding to my frame.

It’s been a while since I’ve had a brand-new leather jacket, and I’d forgotten about that aspect of ownership. I own two bike leathers: a brown Helstons and a black Merlin one. I remember a similar breaking-in period with those as well. Come to think of it, my two Belstaff wax jackets required a break-in, too.

Sizing

Digression aside, as I mentioned earlier, I swapped the size large for an extra large. I wear a large for most brands. After sizing up, I expected excess material to gather at the back, but this is minimal. The jacket, for the most part, retains its silhouette.

This slim-cut moto jacket, however, feels snugger than any other riding jacket that I own, particularly around the shoulders.

My feeling is you may wish to size up if you have relatively broad shoulders, as I do. Removing the detachable inner lining helps to create a touch more room inside. That said, Pando Moto actually advises sizing up. It’s advice worth heeding.

Movement & Agility

The Quatroflex back protector (sold separately) is fit for purpose, based on its CE-Level 2 (EN1621-1:2012) certification. Nonetheless, from a comfort and fit perspective, it felt bulky to me off the bike.

As such, despite sizing up, I still had a sinking feeling that, combined with the armour, the jacket would be tight and uncomfortable on the bike for any significant amount of time.

Actually, I found my movement and agility were unhindered on the bike and the jacket’s weight was unnoticeable. Nonetheless, I’d prefer that the back armour also be low-key D3O Ghost armour for a more relaxed fit off the bike.

The jacket’s integrated bi-swing panels are partly responsible for the unhindered movement on the bike. This proven way of giving wearers of a slim jacket extra room to move has been deftly and discreetly incorporated – low-key enough that I missed them initially.

Sleeve Zips

I found that the Twin Leather’s sleeve zips sit in an unexpected place. On my other jackets, the zips sit on the sides of the forearm. However, on this jacket, they are more on top than on the side. Yet, when I sat on the bike, they fell perfectly into place – on the side again. This might be a production quirk on this specific unit, or Pando Moto engineering at play. Either way, it works on the bike.

Performance & Functionality

The Twin performs its function admirably. It feels light on the bike, and it’s well-engineered and solidly built. Here’s how that performance breaks down.

Safety

As I mentioned earlier, it’s a weighty jacket, but reassuringly so. It feels every bit the CE-Level AA motorcycle garment (certified to EN 17092-3:2020).

Jackets approved as AA balance comfort with protection, making them ideal for commuting through to touring. I found that to be true with this jacket, riding both short and longer routes.

Starting with the sleeves, they are the perfect length with excellent coverage, even with short summer gloves. It’s worth noting that I have relatively long arms. Even so, the sleeves are in the sweet spot, so they don’t leave a massive gap when I wear short summer gloves. Nor did they bunch up when I wore my longer winter/autumn gloves.

Armour

The supplied shoulder and elbow armour help this jacket to achieve its AA rating, covering the impact-protection portion of the certification test. CE-Level 1 D3O Ghost armour is found at the elbows and shoulders.

Given the AA rating, some riders may like to see Level 2 armour instead and that’s fair. For me, the combination of Level 1 on the shoulders and elbows with the option of Level 2 on back armour works well.

I prefer lighter armour, as my riding isn’t especially aggressive. One of my other jackets carries CE-Level 2 armour at the shoulders and elbows, and I find it bulky. The combination found in the Twin is a nice halfway house: the reassurance of the AA shell with the low profile of lighter armour.

Earlier, I mentioned I have reservations about the back protector, not because of its perceived effectiveness but because of its bulkiness. Nonetheless, when I was on the bike, I didn’t really feel its presence. Maybe that’s because I’m in the zone, or maybe it’s actually not that big a deal.

Enhancements

Pando has included a jacket-to-trouser connection loop, which means you can secure Pando Moto jackets and trousers together. So in a slide, your gear reassuringly behaves as one piece rather than two. (During testing, there weren’t any incidents that put the abrasion resistance or the connection loop to work.)

Wearable Temperature Range

I wore the Twin Leather for a brief stint after the 2025 riding season in autumn, before it became too cold to ride. However, I clocked up the majority of the ~620 miles in the spring and early summer of 2026. During that time, the weather has ranged from ~8°C up to ~22°C.

I found the detachable diamond-quilted lining useful when the mercury was between 8°C and 14°C. On those days, in the middle of that range is where the inner lining is optimal – when combined with thermal base layers. Off the bike, it feels too warm at the upper limit of the range.

This is a spring and summer jacket. Between roughly 14 and 20°C, you’ll need to ditch the quilted inner lining – depending on how hot or cold you run. On days hotter than this, you might want to reach for something lighter – like a mesh jacket. I reviewed Pando Moto’s Air Tate mesh jacket here.

On the warmest days, you’ll find that once you’re moving, the cool air works through the jacket easily. Much of that comes from the perforated underarms, which offer good ventilation. It kept me cool in the saddle on one particularly long ride (in continuous motion) from the Denbigh Moors to Dolgellau, despite forgetting to remove the quilted lining.

On the motorway, it’s a different story as the day cools – British summer being what it is. On a couple of occasions, I felt cold as the sun went down with the constant wind-blast on my chest.

If you want to wear this jacket in late Autumn, in a temperate climate, such as the UK, I recommend wrapping up well.

Waterproofing

It’s a leather jacket, so don’t expect serious waterproofing. It will see off a light shower, which I rode through several times. A damp jacket actually moulds to your frame a little quicker, although clearly, it’s best to avoid getting a leather jacket continually wet.

Adjustability

At the back of the jacket, you’ll find adjustable straps with metal buckles. They look great and match the jacket’s classic aesthetic. Moreover, they earn their keep functionally too. There are five eyelets, so you can adjust the fit closer to your frame, as I did.

Additionally, you’ll find two poppers each at the top and bottom of the jacket that support the dual zip functionality. Meaning you can secure the jacket in one of two positions, depending on which zip you use. This gives even greater flexibility of fit, which I appreciated.

Storage

There are three outer pockets and one internal chest pocket with a zip. I tend not to load the pockets on my leather jackets as I find the silhouette goes wonky. Regardless, the pockets are ample enough for a phone, wallet and keys if that’s your preferred storage. The matt black YKK zippers, with leather pullers attached, also make access easy, with gloved fingers.

Ventilation

Speaking of zips, I found the zippered sleeves offered excellent extra ventilation when the weather becomes a tad warmer. The perforated armpits also allowed a cooling air current through the jacket while on the move.

Durability

At ~620 miles in, the Twin Leather is holding up well. Some of the paint is coming off the poppers, which is expected. It’s creating a nice patina in keeping with how a leather jacket should age.

The stitching is perfectly intact, and there is no wear beyond what I would expect. If anything, it’s holding up a little too well, still close to pristine. I’m keen to see it get that worn-in look.