Buco j27 jackets - originals and repros

[trapp]

The Buco j-27 doesn't seem to have the fanbase of the early D-pockets and the j-100, but I've always thought it was still a great design. Not many of the current great jacket makers are reproducing it (Lost Worlds being the exception - they do both variants) and in general there seems to be a dearth of information about the jacket. This isn't terribly surprising since it's a service oriented jacket and seems to occupy that late 50s - early 60s period. Still, it seems to be a great riding jacket and an unnecessarily mysterious model.

If anyone has knowledge of the Buco j-27, I'd love to gather it in this thread.

If anyone who has owned, worn, or handled a j-27 then PLEASE post your impressions. I would love this to be a catch-all thread about the model. I'm personally especially interested in impressions with respect to fit and leather quality, approximate date when the variant appeared (that is when the deep flap pocket was moved to the upper left chest), whether the model ever appeared in horsehide (I've only seen steerhide labels), and more.

Cheers!

 

[trapp]

Also...although I'm interested in originals, I don't at all want to exclude good reproductions of the j-27 in this thread. If you have one from Lost Worlds or another maker - please contribute - and don't forget photos

 

[zhz]

Did a quick search on ebay and found these two:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1950s-PJ-27...pt=Vintage_Men_s_Clothing&hash=item46261f58dc

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-1950s-...66?pt=US_CSA_MC_Outerwear&hash=item3a956b2b9a

 

[trapp]

I find this one a bit more inspiring.

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And another:

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[trapp]

This one belongs to a lounger (thanks for the pic):

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[trapp]

The Lost Worlds versions - handy to show the two variations that appeared in the original model:

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[trapp]

Found this pic on the "Jockey Journal" (great name!):

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[ace12]

Hi trapp I'm glad someone has taken the time to "re-introduce" the buco pj27! For the matter of fact I'm the one who owns the 3rd jacket in the thread. This baby serves me well with its exceptionally large pocket where my passport can fit right in when traveling aboard. There is even a slot inside the pocket to hold a pen securely! I've learnt that this particular style with the large pocket was made for police department - so there you go for those nasty white tickets!



Here is my family of pj27. The one in the middle is horsehide and the condition is as new... unfortunately I don't wear it as often as I'd love to because it's pretty darn large on me! Cheers

 

[trapp]

Wow, a family indeed! That's a great photo of some fine jackets. Can you talk a bit about them? The cuffs look like they might vary between the two jackets in front, but it's difficult to tell.

I wonder if the middle one is actually tagged as horsehide? I've searched around and haven't been able to find any examples of horsehide originals in that variant (flap pocket up high).

 

[trapp]

Here's an original Buco j27 with the lower flap pocket - and it's in horse. My impression is that the lower flap version is the earlier version and that the movement of the top flap pocket to the breast (leaving only one zipped pocket) happened a bit later. These are from the web - that's not my hand

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[Monitor]

Ace and Trap, could you guys please tell me, what's the length of these beautiful jackets?

 

[trapp]

Ace will have to handle that one.

So far, I'm just an admirer of the model and have never seen a j27 in person (I'm hoping to soon). All of the photos I've posted are from the web.

 

[trapp]

Yet another steerhide top-pocket with nice wear. The steer seems to brown out nicely:

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[Monitor]

I have yet to see a Buco that I haven't fallen in love with. Joe certainly knew his business.

 

[Edward]

This is one I'd like to see reproduced. Maybe Aero will add it to their Buco repro lineup.

 

[tmitchell59]

Great pics and information! I have not handled a Buco of any kind and curious to the weight of the jackets. I just bought a near mint Sportclad in HH which is a fairly light jacket although very comfortable. The Sportclad is probably early 50s vintage.

Terry

 

[Plumbline]

I bought an Alpinestars " adaptation" of the J-27 ( it had elasticated leather sections in the waistband at the sides rather than the belt and two handwarmer piockets ... but other than that it was a very close representation ) in the early 80's ... it was a GREAT jacket to wear and the "chest pocket" was one of the most useful things I have ever had on a motorcycle.

Great jackets IMHO ... and incredibly under-rated compared to the J-24 and J-22 and J-100

It should also be noted that the one shown previously with the lower "flap pocket" ( lost worlds and the web pic from Trapp ) is a J-15 if I'm not mistaken

 

[ace12]

Thanks for the enthusiasm guys! Let me begin with the first question by trapp. As you can see from the family photo #8, they're all very different in condition. I'll start from the first jacket on the left. This one is one of those described as cardboard, however it drapes comfortably over you after putting it on for a while. There is a visible sheen on the surface as you can see it clearly in the photo of #5. The middle one is soft as butter, the condition is the best I have so far and yes trapp, it's tagged as horsehide! Finally as for the jacket on the right, you literally have to put a "handle with care" sticker on it, however this jacket has some character to it due to its patina (the photo in #13 is a closeup of this same jacket:eusa_clap). I even had to replace it with a new lining due to its poor condition. Unfortunately, most of the size tags are missing and the only one still possesses it is the one made by horsehide (44). Despite the fact that they're vintage jackets, judging by the (one and only) size tag of the horsehide jacket, the size is true to modern size - I normally wear size 38 and this is a duvet on me!! The best fit for me is the one on the left and it feels like a size 40. I don't see any differences in terms of cutting among them, however the pj27 is NOT supposed to wear snug (imagine all the goodies carrying around the belt of a patrolman!) If you're planning to get one, mind you there are two versions - with or without belt loops.



Here is some interesting details inside the large breast pocket! See where the pen fits!



Monitor, the length of these jackets taken from the base of collar down to the bottom is about to 25" give or take!

Terry, the weight of this particular buco is slightly below 2.4 kg.

Plumbline, I absolutely agree with you - the pj27 is sooooo underrated!

 

[Blackadder]

Ace, very nice jackets indeed. Thank you for all the info and pics.

 

[ace12]

Ace, very nice jackets indeed. Thank you for all the info and pics.

No, thank YOU for this opportunity!