Help Finding a Cafe Racer

[TREEMAN]

^^^^^^^ WOW...........

 

[apba1166]

Taking note of some your particulars...custom fit, grain, etc (my vicenza, brown, shows a lot of grain but each hide is different I suppose) why don't you see if Johnson will make you a custom one in Buffalo. Buffalo shows a lot of grain right out of the box, is pliable, etc. I also think Langlitz will make you a buffalo, and you could do a Cascade with a straight zip front, (better than crescent I think for what you want).

 

[cuchulain]

But the point that I'm trying to prove here is that saying Schott is an inferior brand is entirely untrue...

Sure, some may prefer the beautiful hide other companies are offering, or the lovely linings, period correct hardware, etc. etc. - but - that does NOT make a better jacket!

If better hide, construction, hardware and linings don't make a better jacket what does? Schott makes a fine jacket, but having owned Schott and now an AL (may as well be an Aero) I find the AL a much better jacket. Aesthetics are subjective, but craftsmanship and materials aren't, and Schott doesn't do either better than Aero in my opinion.

 

[zebedee]

No-one's saying that Schott don't make good jackets- the ones I've seen and tried are sturdy and look fine- but Aero (at least to me) seem much more durable and the overall style less 'store-bought' and mass-produced. If someone offered me a Schott at 30% of the price of an Aero, I'd take it, but there's not much choice between tailor-made and personalised versus standard cut and generic when you're looking at the prices Schott charge.

 

[nick123]

I think it may come down to aesthetic as well. Schott jackets have more of a "mass-produced" visual quality regardless of their actual build quality. Maybe it's the detailing, (ie, the lettering, etc) But they look less refined than some of the other makers. I know it's a cheap thing to say, but that's my impression. For instance the "professional dry clean" tag. Even if it's a wonderful jacket, little nuances like that are just reminiscent of cheaper brands.

 

[jacketjunkie]

If better hide, construction, hardware and linings don't make a better jacket what does? Schott makes a fine jacket, but having owned Schott and now an AL (may as well be an Aero) I find the AL a much better jacket. Aesthetics are subjective, but craftsmanship and materials aren't, and Schott doesn't do either better than Aero in my opinion.

I don't mean this to end in a Schott vs Scotland war, I am no fanboy of any maker, I like them all the same, yet I have to politely disagree.

First, you pick a lot of quality attributes there, but I feel you only pick the ones that Aero goes out on top.
More beautiful leather? Matter of taste, but arguably yes.
Nicer linings and more custom options? Yes. Better zips? Hell no. Historical accurate zips yes, but you'll find plently of people around here who had problems with their Aero zips in the past.
More functional? Not at all. Aero and Alexander do beautiful replica jackets suited for casual wear but if you want to ride, there wouldn't be any objective person's first or even second choice.
Longer lasting? Maybe. But that's your personal impression and not factually proven, simply because neither Aero or Alexander are in the business for as long. Personal anecdote; my Teamster pocket lining wore through in only a few weeks and has a big hole in it eversince.
Better stitching? Don't think so. At least not on the jackets I owned. The Alexander I owned, had botched stitching all over it and my Aero Teamster is not perfect either.

Point is, both Aero and Schott (take aside Alexander to avoid any trouble) have their good sides and not so good sides but I think saying one is superior to the other is not objective but in fact a very subjective matter of taste and what you are looking for.

 

[Monitor]

If better hide, construction, hardware and linings don't make a better jacket what does? Schott makes a fine jacket, but having owned Schott and now an AL (may as well be an Aero) I find the AL a much better jacket. Aesthetics are subjective, but craftsmanship and materials aren't, and Schott doesn't do either better than Aero in my opinion.

Who said better? I said it's more period accurate - Talon / Hookless / whatever hardware, for example, tartans, etc. but none of it is better than what Schott is using. How exactly is Horween hide better than the leather Schott is using? It may look better but as you said, that's the matter of aesthetics and therefore subjective. Does accelerated aging make a better hide? TBH, I'd think quite the opposite. As far as the weight of the hide, thickness, durability and weather protection goes, both hides are on par with each other. CXL Horween FQHH is 3oz and so is Schott HH. So what, is one hide going to start cracking, flaking and falling apart sooner than the other? I don't think so.

Having owned a number of both Schott and Aero jackets, I honestly never noticed any significant difference in the construction and the craftsmanship. Seen Aero's that were wonkier than Schott's and vice versa. I have however never seen an Aero that's more functional on a bike than Schott. Their shoulder gussets, for instance, are near useless and do nothing.

Aero certainly has the vibe of being less mass produced and more personalized garment, and with the right combination of details can overall be visually more striking than your standard 618 - which comes at a price of an aditional $500 - but inclination that this makes for a better jacket has zero basis in the real world.

 

[Superfluous]

Diesel jackets are undeniably the best, and far better than Aero, Schott, Vanson, Eastman, etc.

 

[Monitor]

Diesel jackets are undeniably the best, and far better than Aero, Schott, Vanson, Eastman, etc.

What about LW? Are they better than LW?

 

[Superfluous]

What about LW? Are they better than LW?

No, but True Religion jackets are better than LW.

 

[Monitor]

True Rlgn is a serious player. I have heard they're on par with RMC and Urban Outfitters.

 

[ProteinNerd]

I wouldn't go as far as to call Schott a fashion brand at this point. They're no Aero in terms of quality and the stoutness of their jackets but they're not Michael Kohrs or Calvin Klein either.

I think Schott makes a very, very good jacket, better than the vast majority of leather jackets you find people wearing, but having owned three Schott's and now, well an Alexander Leathers jacket there's no comparison, the AL is just a much better put together jacket than the Schott.

I think one reason might be the licensing or product produced for overseas. I'm not quite sure how it works but I do remember reading somewhere Schott produces lesser,'budget' jacket lines for UK/Europe.

Maybe this explains it....they produce a budget version and he two sides of this discussion are talking about two different levels of quality?

It doesn't really make sense to me if your whole marketing approach centres around high quality jackets, to then go and produce lesser quality jackets without making an obvious distinction between the two.

I've got to assume the few jackets I've seen in stores here in Oz have been these lower quality licensed out jackets as I wasn't really impressed and they really didn't deserve the praise some of the guys here are giving them.

 

[Monitor]

Here's my old Aero MC vs. 618 thread. http://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/aero-fqhh-motorcycle-jacket-vs-schott-618hh.74653/
The thread itself is irrelevant but I've made a relatively decent side by side photo comparison you can view here: http://s866.photobucket.com/user/DogLizard/library/MC

If anyone can point out a single part of the 618 that is in any way inferior in construction and workmanship to the Aero MC jacket, or is in any way anything less than perfect, I'll give you all my jackets & will pay for the shipping, while weeping.

I can tell you right away that the Aero MC jacket had busted seams on both sides where the bottom of the shoulder gussets connects to the back panel because the curve of the shoulder gussets ends right at the point where the most stress occurs.

 

[technovox]

I've owned several Schott cafe racers over the years- the last one had the older "Cactus" 60's label. I hate to say it, but the leather on the vintage Schotts I've had seemed like very low quality and "plastic-y" (sort of similar to some of the later AMF Harley leather of the 70's.) And the fit and feel on the Schotts never worked for me - the arms were always too short, the cotton lining too scratchy and coarse.
The one Schott that actually fit well, and had beautiful leather, was a "Restoration" Cafe Racer. Schott made a limited run of these with the Restoration Hardware company a while back- featuring period correct Talon zips, and drum dyed leather, simple Buco back. Of all the Schotts I've owned, this jacket maybe comes closest to the quality and beauty of an Aero. But I still had to add a costly after-market lining to it.
Just my experience.

 

[Fanch]

I used to frequent an Army/Navy store in Richardson, Texas where I bought my Cooper G-1 and almost bought one of their Schott jackets too but was impressed that the Schotts that I saw appeared nicely constructed and appeared that they would hold up well.

 

[Roma]

 

[Roma]

I have an athletic build too and find my CR from Aero very good. It doesnt allow layering, just a t-shirt for a comfortable fit, but I very much like the way it looks.

 

[GraceNote13]

I haven't read every post but has anyone mentioned Johnson Leathers? They'll make you a totally custom jacket Alan has multiple different leather options, plus they make most of the leather jacket for California motorcycle cops, so they know how to make a real riding jacket. One of my JL jackets is a vary manageable 2.5 ounce CXL steer that I love, just the right balance of thickness and softness.


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[nick123]

I haven't read every post but has anyone mentioned Johnson Leathers? They'll make you a totally custom jacket Alan has multiple different leather options, plus they make most of the leather jacket for California motorcycle cops, so they know how to make a real riding jacket. One of my JL jackets is a vary manageable 2.5 ounce CXL steer that I love, just the right balance of thickness and softness.


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Even JL has a variety of leathers at different price points. Most of the Johnson jackets we see here are custom, but Johnson sells some off the rack stuff which at eye level, looks like it fits more in with mass-produced jackets.

 

[ton312]

Damn man, that's really nice