Classic Harley style caps

[Matt Deckard]

Anyone else know companies that make these?

Classic Harley caps? The kind that you'd see after the war. Very much a service cap?

This company does them, and some pretty rad sweaters.

A bit more Brando than what you saw in the last Indiana Jones movie.

http://libertymotorwear.com/?s=cap

 

[gtdean48]

I've seen them with different cords on another site...may take a while to find it again...

Watch out for the music = http://wildrecordsusa.com/fr_motorcyclehats.cfm

 

[jlee562]

Baron also has a ridiculously expensive one:
http://baronhats.com/rebel.htm

 

[rocketeer]

Harley Davidson were still making these in the mid 1980s. I bought one from FH Warr in London England around 1987, I still have it. it is black cotton with a black patent peak(bill) though I took the HD wing badge off mine and replaced it with a set of WWII Bombardiers wings. I will try to put a post of it up in a day or two.
Harley then produced some more in the 1990s but they had polyester crowns. I bought one then used it as a welding hat but the sparks burnt straight through. It wasn't a patch on the earlier cotton hat.
A couple of years back Harley Davidson yet again produced the hat. This time it was a poor quality(Made in China? I never looked) piece. Manmade crown, cheap plastic, textured peak. I won it on eBay, had it a week then re sold it at a loss.
I did try to make one, I succeeded but could never make another, dont know why as I took the measurements from my original.
To be honest the Baron hat looks too tall, more like Brando's, not the traditional shape. There is a guy in the States that makes nicer copies than the Baron and a lot cheaper, Ill search for the link and add it if I find it.
Bye for now, Johnny T

 

[herringbonekid]

http://www.thecurator.co.uk/1950s cap.htm

 

[Big_Papi_T]

I'll have to check my favorites when I get back home but there was a company a few years ago making exact replicas of the one Brando wore in the Wild One. There is also a company that specializes in original vintage m/c gear, including hats. Their name escapes me but I've done business with them (again I'll look for the link later).

Somewhere I still have my Harley cap I bought in 1980 from a local chopper shop. I use to wear it in my outlaw biker daze (not a mispell ). It still has a stampede string to keep it from blowing off when I was blasting down I-5 (we didn't have helmet laws back then), & I had stitched an original WWII-era German eagle patch on the front of it (hey, I've grown up since then! lol).
I also have my uncle's early 50's leather Harley cap he wore when tooling around on his '53 panhead. He gave it to me when I was 13, and I use to wear it all the time before I outgrew it. It needs some TLC to get it back into shape (and though I don't wear it anymore, don't even think to ask me to part with it!). I'll try and snap a picture or two of them for you.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Interesting. The curator one has a cotton sweat and not leather yet they say it's spec. Also that it's made by Stetson, but I'm pretty sure Stetson outsources all their caps.

 

[Big_Papi_T]

I checked my favorites and found the one for Cyclemo's Vintage Motorclothes, unfortunately they don't seem to have much in the way of true vintage items (clothing /hats) anymore. Instead they are selling t-shirts etc with "vintage" prints. I haven't checked them out in over a year. I can't locate the link for the Brando hat ...I'm going to look through my files later because I know I saved some photos of the hat a few years ago. It *might* have been Baron's, *BUT* if it was, it was of much better quality than the ones they have pictured now!

As for my personal hats, I found my uncle's (boy does it need work!), but for the life of me I cannot locate the one I wore. I'm thinking its packed away in storage. I'll try and get a pic of my uncle's.

I remember back in 1980-81 when I had mine, another biker saw it & bought one, only he removed the cords & replaced it with a 1950s era flexabile metallic chin strap like Brando had on his.

Sorry I couldn't be much more help Matt.

 

[seabass]

Not Harley But Cool

 

[Edward]

I've seen them with different cords on another site...may take a while to find it again...

Watch out for the music = http://wildrecordsusa.com/fr_motorcyclehats.cfm

I have one of theirs, in the green with a brown peak. Wish I could find a brown rope for it (choice was only black or white). Nice hat, though worked out fairly expensive by the time it came from the US. Some sort of man-made material on the body, if that matters to you. I've never had the nerve to wear it out anywhere as of yet. I'm still a bit wary of the way the front sits up (as designed) - there's a large piece of plastic inside to hold it's shape. I'm tempted to cut that down. I was looking for a civilian alternative to a USAAF crusher cap, one that would have the general look without an overt military uniform appearance, but it's a bit too dark green for that, and the bill is too dark also.

I also have one from a guy on MySpace - can't remember the name, somewhere in NYC... can't find him any longer as I deleted my mySpace account last year. Great hat. Wool body, very similar in construction to the ones in the pictures on the Curator website. I bought it for a Johnny Strabler costume, and while I agree with the views expressed elsewhere that Brando's was probably a heavy drill cotton, this one looked great. One of the 'bears' who was at that night just loved it - seems if ever I decided to switch teams, I'd have a pulling hat. lol Don't have access to Facebook here, but I posted a link to the photos somewhere on the FL at the time (Brando Jackets thread, I think).

http://www.thecurator.co.uk/1950s cap.htm

These look great, will definitely investigate...

Freddies of Pinewood do a limited number, including a nice take on the Strabler and Elvis' hat:

http://www.freddiesofpinewood.co.uk/categories/mens/3-motorcycle-caps

I have my eye on the black johnny hat. Not sure I'd wear any of them with an MC jacket, but they'd look great with a halfbelt.

 

[Big_Papi_T]

My Uncle's early 50's H-D cap:

Well, I've got booku homework to get done for tomorrow, so I'll look through my files in the next day or two for the "authentic" repro Brando cap that I saved about 5 or 6 years ago (& *maybe* I'll locate the manufactures name with them too).

Earlier this evening I took some photos of my Uncle's original 1950's cap. I'm more than a bit appalled by what the ravages of time & storage did to it (as well as hard living) :eeek:. I recall that my father did not want me to have it, he hated motorcycles & its influence on my life as a kid, so he actually once piled some junk on it (hence the inner band got squashed, giving it a lop sided look). I'm wondering *if* anyone knows of someone who could one day do a restoration?

Anyhow, here's the cap from front & side:

Sorry this one is a little blurred, its an attempt to show the stamping on the underside of the bill. It reads:
KANT-KRACK
U.S. PAT.-3047880

Finally the inside of the cap. You can see the lop-sided damage I was talking about. If you look real close you can still make out the Harley bar & shield printed on it:

...as a little aside, as a rebellious teenager I found that the space between the front of the cap & the stiffener was perfect for hiding a pack of cigerattes!

"Hey Johnny, what'ya rebelling against?"
"What'ya got?"

 

[rocketeer]

Here's mine. As stated, purchased around 1987.
The best material is cotton as it shapes better than polyester but does fade a little if worn in the sun(over many years I may add).
This hat has had the stiffener removed from the sides and only the front piece of plastic remains to create the crusher look.
Personally I think the original Brando style is too tall.
These hats were available befor WWII as I have a few old ads from magazines around some place. Also other manufacturers made them including BUCO and possibly the Indian Motorcycle company

Here I am at the War & Peace show in the UK a few years back, posing against the Tomb Raider Land Rover. Not a copy, the real film car/truck.

PLEASE dont go on about wearing modern combat pants and boots with an original WWII A2. I dont do re-enactments, soldier dress up days or living history. It's my look and I am happy with it

And a few hat close ups:-

Just n case, no its not for sale.

'Johnny'

 

[rocketeer]

I have one of theirs, in the green with a brown peak. Wish I could find a brown rope for it

Try your local haberdashers or curtain supply's. I made one of these hats, copying my original and obtained the perfect rope in cotton.
I did try to start retro ing them myself but didnt really have the time to put into it.
'Johnny'

 

[Matt Deckard]

These two are totally the classic Harley caps from back in the day. Pretty sweet. Does that cotton topped one have a leather sweat?

 

[rocketeer]

These two are totally the classic Harley caps from back in the day. Pretty sweet. Does that cotton topped one have a leather sweat?

The sweat band is not leather, it is a coated cotton I think though it was broken up in places due to.... sweat. This is one of the last cotton hats, produced in the 1980s and purchased from FH Warr, England's oldest Harley Davidson dealer
Johnny

 

[Matt Deckard]

Seen any earlier than the 80s?

 

[seabass]

Dont Laugh Guys !
Not Harley But Harley Style

Cap By Diamond Dave

 

[seabass]

Again Dont Laugh !, or my sidekick will k... Y... B...
Mr Freedom Horsehide

 

[seabass]

Dont laugh !
Wool melton biker style

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

That one is it Che. Like it alot who made it?