Aero Connolly Leather vs FQHH

[KHainez]

I owned this Highwayman. I bought with no knowledge of the Connolly Steerhide. It was very nice and smelled of Roses. I've made that comment before and no one mentioned the use of Roses in the tanning. That is interesting.

I sold mine here and it was not an easy sell! I should I had kept it for no more than it sold for. I wish I could bottle that aroma. It was intoxicating.

The Lee Trevor below has the same scent.

Both jackets look incredible! You must have sold the Aero for a good reason. The rose smell is gorgeous mixed with the grain incredible. I took some more photos.

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[Monitor]

Monitor I feel for you I’ve been searching for many many years for that holy grail jacket that fits perfectly.. and it can be frustrating because even though I love all my jackets and wouldn’t part with them each one has very tiny fit discrepancies that no one apart from myself would notice. I think it’s part of the journey and the addiction. I just got lucky because I have no discrepancies with at all with this highwayman, thing is all I want to wear now is this jacket. I contacted Ken over at Aero and he said it’s definitely a Well St, Moffat factory jacket and then said he probably made it himself

Excellent post and yeah, it's exactly that. But I've mostly given up on finding the "grail" because that, in my case, is not possible. Some days I feel like I'd want to wear a cross zip style for the rest of my life while others, I can't stand it. That's why I often wish I had this simple, quintessential British style like the HWM (even tho Aero site says it's the Americanized version). I've had three of 'em and each was missing something (although realistically they were all great). My favorite, the Connelly was too short in the sleeves but retrospectively, it was the best of the lot and I wish I had kept it but back, not many people considered this hide something special, not next to the FQHH. . .

 

[KHainez]

Excellent post and yeah, it's exactly that. But I've mostly given up on finding the "grail" because that, in my case, is not possible. Some days I feel like I'd want to wear a cross zip style for the rest of my life while others, I can't stand it. That's why I often wish I had this simple, quintessential British style like the HWM (even tho Aero site says it's the Americanized version). I've had three of 'em and each was missing something (although realistically they were all great). My favorite, the Connelly was too short in the sleeves but retrospectively, it was the best of the lot and I wish I had kept it but back, not many people considered this hide something special, not next to the FQHH. . .

What you just stated is how I feel about my J106 FQHH.. I love the jacket but there are occasions when I’m wearing it and feel it’s too busy if that makes sense? It’s crazy because I know that if I decided to sell it I would regret it straightaway


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[Monitor]

What you just stated is how I feel about my J106 FQHH.. I love the jacket but there are occasions when I’m wearing it and feel it’s too busy if that makes sense? It’s crazy because I know that if I decided to sell it I would regret it straightaway


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Don't do it. I sold mine years ago and still regret it. And I sold it for the same reason. One week I was feeling like a complete poser in it, instead of just enjoying a great jacket I like and... Yeah.

That HWM is beyond gorgeous! One of the nicest I've ever seen. Both jackets and leathers. Hands down!

 

[KHainez]

Don't do it. I sold mine years ago and still regret it. And I sold it for the same reason. One week I was feeling like a complete poser in it, instead of just enjoying a great jacket I like and... Yeah.

That HWM is beyond gorgeous! One of the nicest I've ever seen. Both jackets and leathers. Hands down!

Thanks Monitor, I will definitely take your advice and hold on to it


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[willyto]

That hide is beautiful. The grain!

 

[Worf]

This is a great topic. Learn something new every day! Thanks loads!

Worf

 

[MET]

Once you could buy used Connolly hide jackets as low as £43 but after thanks to such topics it is impossible to lose less than £430.

 

[KHainez]

Once you could buy used Connolly hide jackets as low as £43 but after thanks to such topics it is impossible to lose less than £430.

MET that’s interesting to know and coincides with what Monitor said, of how in the past the FQHH was always the most sort after hide. Truth is in my opinion the Connolly hide is a far better leather. But then it all comes down to what you like. My most beaten up CXL FQHH is a 30’s halfbelt and I’ve really put a ton of wear into it, it’s beautiful in its own right but it will never have that “drape” to it or give off grain like the Connolly. I think we’re lucky nowadays to have the opportunity to own such beautiful jackets with such varieties of hide available


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[rocketeer]

Once you could buy used Connolly hide jackets as low as £43 but after thanks to such topics it is impossible to lose less than £430.

I guess you are referring to my post on my old jacket I bought on the dreaded eBay. I had put in a max bid straight off at £100 which is what I would have expected to pay. I wanted to try the Highwayman style and the best way was to get a used jacket .
Now I never said I wanted to sell this but everyman has a price, and if someone were to offer me £430 I would snatch their hand off. As it were, from experience folks out in the vintage jacket market are so tight they would not make an offer so may miss out.
At the moment there is a big vintage wearing thing out in the mainstream. You get youngsters buying stuff because it looks good on them, nothing wrong with that, you get the chancers buying to hopefully sell on and make something, but the bubble will burst one day as will the fashion for buying new denims with the knees ripped out and the old stuff may be cheaper again, a bit like A2s in the 1980s to what you paid then as to what you pay now.
A 30+ year old Highwayman jacket, well worn but not worn out, may indeed be classed as vintage wear, those not in the know may think it is a 1950s jacket, and to those in the know, the Highwayman in Aero Connolly may eventually become the most desirable vintage Aero out there.
Anyone want to make me an offer I can't refuse? 42-44, sheep lined, damage to lower lining and the metal puller broken off the zip, slight........ Just tried it on, I think it deserves to be worn again but for now it's back in the wardrobe

 

[rocketeer]

Here's me wearing the Connelly Aero with my 'Busa around 6 years ago.
Not the best standard jacket for biking, the suction from the wind pulled my wallet out and lost £80(hand warmer pockets, so add that to the cost of the jacket

 

[MET]

Anyone want to make me an offer I can't refuse? 42-44, sheep lined, damage to lower lining and the metal puller broken off the zip, slight........ Just tried it on, I think it deserves to be worn again but for now it's back in the wardrobe

Could you write some measurements? Ptp, shoulder, sleeve, back? I can't afford as much as £430 but if it suits we might agree on some price reasonable .
Sorry for going off-topic.

 

[rocketeer]

Could you write some measurements? Ptp, shoulder, sleeve, back? I can't afford as much as £430 but if it suits we might agree on some price reasonable .
Sorry for going off-topic.

PM mate

 

[Big J]

@rocketeer, you got your Japanese crotch rocket over there, I got my gentleman's club on wheels over here!
Actually, I bought it dirt cheap (should have set alarm bells ringing) from a wedding place that went under after Lehman's Shock. My wife loves RR's so that wasn't a problem, but there is a greater chance of her buying a new Phantom than my ever getting this thing rolling. It's in storage with my Jaguar XJS V12 DHC that is also a non-runner. How's that for being a sucker for punishment?
And I live in Japan, you know, they are kinda famous for making reliable cars! (but no class though).

 

[rocketeer]

@rocketeer, you got your Japanese crotch rocket over there, I got my gentleman's club on wheels over here!
Actually, I bought it dirt cheap (should have set alarm bells ringing) from a wedding place that went under after Lehman's Shock. My wife loves RR's so that wasn't a problem, but there is a greater chance of her buying a new Phantom than my ever getting this thing rolling. It's in storage with my Jaguar XJS V12 DHC that is also a non-runner. How's that for being a sucker for punishment?
And I live in Japan, you know, they are kinda famous for making reliable cars! (but no class though).

Hi Big J. For some reason the classiest most luxurious car they make(Lexus?) still just looks like a big Japanese taxi. The Rolls Royce(of old) can never be seen as anything but pure class

 

[willyto]

I think there are currently two Aeros on Ebay with this hide:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-...171337?hash=item3ad6c27509:g:KiwAAOSwEzxYbk~h

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Medium-V...971810?hash=item41d2b54ee2:g:rV0AAOSwTmtZ762c

 

[Big J]

@rocketeer, agree with you. Japanese cars are soulless. Totally and utterly souless.
Since we're talking, would you mind educating me? What's the quintessential English leather jacket style to wear on a real Kaff Racer?
Brando wore a cross zip that wasn't a Schott Perfecto on his Triumph, James Dean wore a Cal Leather cross zip on his, but these are very 'American' styles to my mind. What were Brits wearing back in the day?

 

[rocketeer]

@rocketeer, agree with you. Japanese cars are soulless. Totally and utterly souless.
Since we're talking, would you mind educating me? What's the quintessential English leather jacket style to wear on a real Kaff Racer?
Brando wore a cross zip that wasn't a Schott Perfecto on his Triumph, James Dean wore a Cal Leather cross zip on his, but these are very 'American' styles to my mind. What were Brits wearing back in the day?

Big J, I am sorry but I am no expert and cannot see into the past, but going by old photographs that have emerged lets have a think about it.
The Cafe racer was basically an amateurs representation of a road legal racing bike, most notably a Triumph engine in a featherbed frame, but not always. Whatever a youngster, who were the prevalent riders of these machines at the time made their street legal bikes look as racey as possible so the cafe racer bike could be anything with a few sports parts put on for show such as a BSA A10 with a set of clip ons and some rear sets. Lets call it all show but no real go. Others who could afford it would tune up the bike and maybe add some speed equipment to emphasise their machine was worth challenging should anyone wish to argue.
The lads that road these machines were just the usual teenagers of the day, the BSA Gold Star may have been an object of desire, occasionally someone would turn up on one but this was a semi professional race bike and priced accordingly, all that John Tickle stuff and Dresda gear was not for your average apprentice wage etc. Often once you reached your 20s you had a steady girl and got married, then it was family life and time down the cafe was just for the kids
Ah yes, the jacket. looking at those photo's, there are plenty on the net so I won't use up space, most would have been the Lancer or crossover style call it how you like or a straight zip jacket more often with a shirt style collar available from many manufacturers such as Bellstaff , Highwayman, Lewis , Kett etc rather than what is now often referred to as a cafe racer.
The throat fastening jacket was more often found on 1 piece leathers similar to todays styles though not with the Power Ranger colours of course, not to say the throat closure was not present on short jackets just not that common in the 60s, I had a second hand one in the 70s but it was just a bike jacket, can't remember the maker.
Cafe racer the person could be taken many ways of course. it could be a person who actually raced between cafes, not to be confused with so called record racing, or it could be just someone who said how fast they rode on whatever bypass, often with no credible witnesses to back it up and a 'blown up' bike sitting in their shed.
So as to what was worn back in those days it would have more than likely been anything that was available be it an expensive Lewis Bronx or even a Bellstaffe wax.
Why the modern companies name their jackets such is a puzzle to me though I suspect it was as they now make so many different bike jackets, this one was available and associated with bikes, cafe racers or not.
The Lancer jacket is so named as it zips up in the same manor as buttons on military jackets worn by horse mounted Cavalry Lancers from the Victorian(Crimean) period, or even American Civil War.
The modern Rocker, the originals being the perpetrators of the cafe racer, are usually fellows around the 40 year old upwards, there are a few youngsters out there but like in the 60s youngsters are tempted by speed, the modern Yamazuki is a more appropriate bike than an old BSA or Triumph. You will see these fellows at the Ace Cafe with their gleaming Tritons with all the Tickle stuff and four leading shoe brakes, often wearing their original jackets, with some newcomers to the scene sometimes the weight saving on the bikes is compromised by the amount of studs and motorcycle badges adorning such a jacket. The Japanese love the look but to the extent that they nearly all wear identical outfits.
Great days basically where anything goes.
A good chat, cheers JTee
(Any real cafe racer riders out there, would love to hear some stories, and of course what you wore)

 

[rocketeer]

I think there are currently two Aeros on Ebay with this hide:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-...171337?hash=item3ad6c27509:g:KiwAAOSwEzxYbk~h

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Medium-V...971810?hash=item41d2b54ee2:g:rV0AAOSwTmtZ762c

Spotted those as well Willy, Got to be worth a look or follow up

 

[handymike]

I might even give a Hwymn a try if I could find a connelly in size 36-38.