Carrying on a motorcycle isn’t easy. The biggest challenge is that if you always ride in full gear (ATGATT) and your gear is properly fitted, your jacket will be too tight and close to the body to carry a firearm underneath it. Motorcycle leathers need to be tight enough to keep the jacket armor in the right place if you come off the bike.
As such, they usually don’t have room underneath to accommodate a firearm and holster no matter what the configuration. Additionally, in order for a motorcycle jacket to properly do its job, it pretty much has to be zipped most or all the way up.
That means if you carry your firearm M7 style, under bust, in a regular shoulder holster, or in a belly band type carrier, you have to unzip your jacket all the way, unhook it, and then still get to the firearm…in motorcycle gloves. In an emergency situation.
Not a great setup.
Then there’s belt carry, which a lot of people favor. Some people like to open carry on the belt. I’m not a huge fan of that, mainly because I think it’s an invitation to be harassed as well as presenting a tempting opportunity for someone to try to swipe the firearm when you’re sitting at corners or stoplights.
I also find that the slightly forward riding position I favor on my bike makes any kind of belt carry uncomfortable and awkward, no matter what the position. You also still have the tight jacket problem here, especially if you carry IWB – it’s a lot tougher to get up under a tight leather jacket than a regular shirt. And if you have a riding set that zips together, jacket to pants…forget it.
So my current solution is a thigh bag, the Anaconda Warrior Pack from WC Couture on Etsy. There are two firearm pockets in the bag, the outside one being an easily accessible flap pocket that’s quick to get into. It comes with several straps with clips on the ends that you can adjust to hold the bag to your waist and upper thigh so that it doesn’t move around when you’re on the bike.
I’ve worn this system a number of times now and can attest that once you get the straps adjusted to the right place, it won’t move while you’re riding. The fact that it has a mini-chain ID holder for your ID, CHL, credit card and some cash, and a couple of extra slim pockets for whatever else you might want to carry, is an added plus.
The folks at WC Couture are really great and will customize strap lengths for you if you just ask.
I also like this form of carry because it doesn’t look like a holster, doesn’t require you to navigate a thumb break while wearing motorcycle gloves, and will fit a variety of compact firearm sizes.
Granted, the styling is a little Mad Max, but as it happens, that’s my personal style anyway, so I got lucky there. YMMV. Do you carry when you ride?