British Rocker Jackets c.1956-1969

[Monitor]

Nick, those are... Colorful. lol I do like The Dead Milkmen, though.

By the way, this is kinda neat: https://vimeo.com/12583490

 

[IXL]

Any of you guys interested in this stuff should pursue a copy of the book "Or Glory." Some great photos.

 

[Stearmen]

Yip, Brando is acknowledge in the first post on the thread. He definitely had an impact, even despite the revisions to the look that made it different again than the Hollister vibe. I've aways wondered why the studio chose to put him on a non-American bike... was it just cheaper? Cheaper to run? An insurance thing? Performance led? The better Brit bikes were always much more efficient, to my mind, than the Harleys which had bigger engines and less performance. (No bias here - I'm Irish. ). I think nowadays they'd fall overhemselves backwards to make a thing of him riding an American motorcycle. [huh]
.

The reason they put him on a English bike was pure recognition! The Triumph Thunderbird with it's nacelle looked like no other bike at the time. Also, it was a good contrast to have the different factions of the gang on apposing motorcycles. Brando and his men on British, Lee and his men on Harley's. On a side note, off screen Marvin raced Triumph's at the time!

 

[Edward]

True, I'd forgotten they delineated the gangs that way. The BRMC were more my bag of the two.... I read an old interview with Sonny Barger where he said that Lee Marvin was more the inspiration for his style in early Angels days. (Barger is said to have bought the striped shirt that Marvin wore as Chico, and sported it to many early Hells Angels events).

Any of you guys interested in this stuff should pursue a copy of the book "Or Glory." Some great photos.

Yes, that's a great one. Pricier - but worth it - is that German fella's book which concentrates on the jackets - "Pride and Glory".

 

[Monitor]

The myth of the so called Holister riot made up the basis for the plot of the film but supposedly it was this photo that served as a main inspiration for both Strabler and Chino. To this day I am trying to figure out what's that jacket the guy on the motorcycle is wearing... lol



But that's going off topic. Back to the British biker scene!

 

[navetsea]

just being in black and white make lots of photos or scenes look more interesting.

 

[havocpaul]

A couple of great books worth checking out, 'The Clash' by Bob Gruen and 'The Clash Before and After' by Pennie Smith, the one band that perfectly mixed rock and leathers. Plenty of Lewis Leathers (already vintage ones when they were wearing them in the late 70's early 80's), and, after their early tours of the States, American biker jackets, leather patrolmen/police jackets, Flight jackets and Korea/Vietnam tour jackets. Particularly Joe Strummer who loved vintage leathers and could wear them with real style.

 

[rocketeer]

Great photo. Such a shame sidecars are so rare these days; I suppose it's because of the success of the small, family car... What was the Rocker scene like in the Eighties? The Ace Cafe closed originally in '69, and I had the impression the Bee up in Watford was gone by then too. Was there anything of a scene, the way we see one clustered round the Ace these days?

This was my first bike. 250 BSA Starfire. It is still around but now a 350 and blue
As a side note to the music fans. Alison Moyet of Yazzoo lived in the 3rd flat from the left in the background.

It was Rock n Roll pubs for most of us. There were no ride outs as such with todays bike scene, an early Mod and Rocker revival coincided with a Skinhead movement as well but the skinheads were more about racism but a few took to riding scooters. There was some violent nteraction between the mods n Rockers but nowhere near like the early days.
As for the Ace, you heard older bikers talk of it but only in London areas but basically it was just a shut down cafe(Pronounced Kaff by most of us English).
Heres me doing a sidecar wheelie, I could do this as far as you wanted. May have pulled on the bike frame a bit but who cared.

I'm not sure when the Highwayman Lightningalikes first came out. It does appear that Rivetts were producing Highwayman jackets at least of the shirt collar / straight zip style before Lewis. Can't find nay information out there on when Lewis bought Rivetts, so I don't know the eact relationship between the designs.

I dont think Lewis ever bought out Rivetts, they were still in Leytonstone till about 10 years ago but have gone now. They sold most makes of modern such as Alpinestars and Dianese and Frank Thomas etc.

question..... I bought it at Christmas, but not looked in a while. I have a feeling it did cover Lewis, but it's not really comprehensive on the British stuff. I'll have to look it up when I'm back in Blighty.

I have a first edition for sale if anyone is interested, pm me.

Here are a few bikes from the Rockers Reunion ride to the Queens Westcliff(near southend on Sea) around 1986

First, Chelsea Bridge. Some riders wearing original 1960s gear already

An Egli Vincent at the Ace of Hearts transport cafe on the A13

The wearing of Power ranger gear for me goes with the bike, it looks correct, mainly with the sports bikes though the adventure lot can get away with the old Trials Master style. the same as old gear on old bikes looks right.
Just for Kicks(pun intended) I went to the Ace's Cafe racer day on the Hayabusa but in my older gear. On entering the car park it went like this as the marshall spoke to me looking at my black jacket 1960s Kangol and Mk8s. "You'r with the Cafe racers yea? Park just over.......(Then he clocked the Busa) Oh, down the end there" Sorry no pics but it was fun, and I was going to Jack's Hill Ton Up day to do the same but working that day

 

[Sloan1874]

Great pics.

 

[Monitor]

Yep, and great read!

 

[breezer]

The Clash were very much into their leather jackets, Paul Simonon especially. A couple of years ago he did a collaboration with Lewis Leathers & Sailor Jerry rum ( see Monitor's profile pic above) - he was often seen in a Bronx jacket throughout the Clash's heyday. If you watch the Radio Clash video you can see Joe & Paul wearing black leather jackets on the streets of NYC - Joe's might be a police leather? Their pvnk phase was over pretty quick and they soon started sporting more of a rocker & Teddy boy look…..always looked great!

see also The Black Leather jacket by Mick Farren, which I'm sure has some good stuff on rockers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Leather_Jacket

There is also a documentary film of the book - am just about to watch it on Youtube, see if its any good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VpJkzB6lZU

 

[Stearmen]

The myth of the so called Holister riot made up the basis for the plot of the film but supposedly it was this photo that served as a main inspiration for both Strabler and Chino. To this day I am trying to figure out what's that jacket the guy on the motorcycle is wearing... lol



But that's going off topic. Back to the British biker scene!

Look again, the rider of the Indian Sport Scout, is not a guy, but instead a lady, probably why all the strange looks! Looks like she is wearing an Indian Ranger Jacket. Not many long hairs back in 1947.

 

[rocketeer]

The myth of the so called Holister riot made up the basis for the plot of the film but supposedly it was this photo that served as a main inspiration for both Strabler and Chino. To this day I am trying to figure out what's that jacket the guy on the motorcycle is wearing... lol



But that's going off topic. Back to the British biker scene!

What is the legend on the guys jacket(Stripy arms) Looks vaguely like Steel City Jacket MC or KC, guessing here as I cant see all the lettering.

I shall post some more 60s items and biker photo's later, but now it's........A ride out to Thetford Forrest.

 

[Monitor]

Look again, the rider of the Indian Sport Scout, is not a guy, but instead a lady, probably why all the strange looks! Looks like she is wearing an Indian Ranger Jacket. Not many long hairs back in 1947.

My friend also said that's a woman, and pointed out the hand, which does look a bit small. But... But then, if this photo really was the basis for Brando's look in The Wild One, then that would mean that the most iconic bad boy biker / rocker / greaser / whatnot look actually belongs to a woman?

 

[Edward]

What is the legend on the guys jacket(Stripy arms) Looks vaguely like Steel City Jacket MC or KC, guessing here as I cant see all the lettering.

I shall post some more 60s items and biker photo's later, but now it's........A ride out to Thetford Forrest.

Looks to me like it's "Yellowjackets". They were a known gang; the sweater would be black and yellow stripes, if mrmory serves. A yellowjacket is a hornet type insect, as depicted in their insignia.

 

[rocketeer]

Yes good knowledge there. Never heard of them myself so had no idea as I only know the well known clubs such as Booze Fighters and the later 1% ers. The same picture comes up if you Google Yellow Jackets MC

Looks to me like it's "Yellowjackets". They were a known gang; the sweater would be black and yellow stripes, if mrmory serves. A yellowjacket is a hornet type insect, as depicted in their insignia.

 

[Stearmen]

Yes good knowledge there. Never heard of them myself so had no idea as I only know the well known clubs such as Booze Fighters and the later 1% ers. The same picture comes up if you Google Yellow Jackets MC

The 1% stood for thumbing their nose at the AMA rules for racing at the time. It had nothing to do with gangs, that came later!

 

[Edward]

The "1%er" tag comes from a statement which was supposedly made in the wake of the Hollister incident by an AMA spokesman to the effect that "99% of motorcyclists are law-abiding, American citizens". Notably, in recent years the AMA has publicly stated that it has no record of this statement actually being made on its behalf, and that it is probably apocryphal. Nevertheless, the popular belief that it was made gave birth to the notion of the "1%" of outlaw biker clubs that were not associated with the AMA.

The Yellowjackets are probably the oldest surviving MCC in the USA; they were incorporated in 1938, but may have existed in a less organised fashion as early as 1930. They decline the label "outlaw" in the sense of implying involvement in criminality or "terrorism", expressly on their website. Some great historial photos on there too:

http://www.yellowjacketsmc.com/Historical.html

I'm sure I've seen Yellowjackets wearing the 30s-style racing sweaters at Goodwood Revival; I assume they're an affiliated group, given how important colours issues and such are.

Edit: The Hollister incident, as alluded to above, was as much journalistic fabrication as any atual event. Most of the famous photos - especially the one of the guy astride a bike, inside a bar, surrounded by broekn bottles, were completely faked. As I recall reading, the "biker" in that photo was one of the town drunks that the journo persuaded to pose in exchange for booze money...

 

[Edward]

My friend also said that's a woman, and pointed out the hand, which does look a bit small. But... But then, if this photo really was the basis for Brando's look in The Wild One, then that would mean that the most iconic bad boy biker / rocker / greaser / whatnot look actually belongs to a woman?

Hey, well... I love it when evidence turns up that something so manly-manly was inspired by a lady... it's as funny as how utterly camp so much cowboy gear is. I'd say it's a lady too.... I've yet to see a photo of a man with hair that long in that period of history. The figure also looks female to me too - note how the jacket seems to drape around something protruding at just the level where a generous bosom would protrude from the chest...

 

[rocketeer]

Back on track now a few more picks from my retro Rocker days, that is the early 1980s to the 90s when the Ace Caffff was just a shut down tyre warehouse.

Here is my old Matchless G12. A too lean mixture has just burnt a hole in the pistons and we have come to a halt on the A12 heading to the Brighton Rockers Reunion around 1986-7(Their second to Brighton?). Thats my ex, a totally natural passenger. It pelted down wit.h rain a few moments later. I fixed the bike and kept it till 1989, despite what the present owner recalls.

Next up is a Kangol 1960s skid lid and my original Stadium goggles I bought in 1976. I last wore these to the ACE Caff racer day together with my Eastman Luftwaffe jacket(with 1960s style zip pockets.) but riding my Hayabusa. That surprised the marshall who directed me initially to all the Tritons parked up.

Last, compare the gloves I wear when riding my BSA A65 to those riding the Busa.
The Power Rangers offer comfort, protection and look stylish riding the Suzuki as the Police issue wrist length gloves do offer comfort but no real style for modern sports styling. Where as the Police gloves and helmet perfectly suit the look of the old BSA, protection of course is your choice.