Lets see those Motorcycle Jackets!

[dannyk]

drug dealer overlord jacket lol, so many different drugs goes into different pockets

I’m a big fan of the band The Clash. I remember reading a story Joe Strummer their lead singer and second guitarist told. He said he loved the original punk rock look of all the zippers. Any time he got stopped by the cops he had so many zippers the police would just give up checking them and his stash would be safe. In fact one night he actually got arrested and thrown in jail with his band mate Paul the bassist. The police missed part of his stash and they used it while in the clink that night.

 

[Bfd70]

 

[Edward]

I’m a big fan of the band The Clash. I remember reading a story Joe Strummer their lead singer and second guitarist told. He said he loved the original punk rock look of all the zippers. Any time he got stopped by the cops he had so many zippers the police would just give up checking them and his stash would be safe. In fact one night he actually got arrested and thrown in jail with his band mate Paul the bassist. The police missed part of his stash and they used it while in the clink that night.

Obviously Julie ratted 'em out....

Pal of mine came to visit from Belfast years ago, not long after I'd moved to London. The place to be in those days was Camden Market (before it became morel lucrative to turn it into a minime Covent Garden for the tourists and they ripped the soul of of it. Last I was up there, there was a tourist tat shop selling a T-shirt bearing the legend "Somebody went to Camden Market and all I got was this lousy t-shirt - not the low grade narcotics, shoddy Ramones merchandise, and rude tourists I specifically requested". Never a truer word...). We picked her up a fair decent, unbranded and use Brando style jacket, then spent the rest of the day - her wearing it - wondering why we could smell weed. Eventually we realised that the new, after-market lining someone had neatly sewn into the jacket had been carefully designed to conceal a stash, still in it..... (It was unceremoniously dumped in a bin in Soho post-haste, I mean we'd head of the Guildford Four.... ).

 

[Tom71]

Obviously Julie ratted 'em out....

Pal of mine came to visit from Belfast years ago, not long after I'd moved to London. The place to be in those days was Camden Market (before it became morel lucrative to turn it into a minime Covent Garden for the tourists and they ripped the soul of of it. Last I was up there, there was a tourist tat shop selling a T-shirt bearing the legend "Somebody went to Camden Market and all I got was this lousy t-shirt - not the low grade narcotics, shoddy Ramones merchandise, and rude tourists I specifically requested". Never a truer word...). We picked her up a fair decent, unbranded and use Brando style jacket, then spent the rest of the day - her wearing it - wondering why we could smell weed. Eventually we realised that the new, after-market lining someone had neatly sewn into the jacket had been carefully designed to conceal a stash, still in it..... (It was unceremoniously dumped in a bin in Soho post-haste, I mean we'd head of the Guildford Four.... ).

Totally off-topic, but I went to Brick Lane last year for the first time in ages.

When I was living in London in the 90´s that was more or less a no-go place after hours. I only went there very occasionally because I was poor and you could get a package of Snickers for half price (and the "best-before" date only a few months old).
I was pretty shocked what it has turned into. I mean the atmosphere is very pleasant and there are nice shops, but it really was the first time I felt "gentrification" not as a slow process but like a bang on the head.

 

[dannyk]

Totally off-topic, but I went to Brick Lane last year for the first time in ages.

When I was living in London in the 90´s that was more or less a no-go place after hours. I only went there very occasionally because I was poor and you could get a package of Snickers for half price (and the "best-before" date only a few months old).
I was pretty shocked what it has turned into. I mean the atmosphere is very pleasant and there are nice shops, but it really was the first time I felt "gentrification" not as a slow process but like a bang on the head.

I’m not English but another favorite band The Libertines/Babyshambles...Brick Lane is a part of their history and lore. Based on how they described it, made it sound like after dark youd only finder dealers, junkies, ladies of the night, and hooligans. But that was way back in 2000-20006ish era. I imagine like everywhere it’s been a bit gentrified and cleaned up.

 

[Edward]

I’m not English but another favorite band The Libertines/Babyshambles...Brick Lane is a part of their history and lore. Based on how they described it, made it sound like after dark youd only finder dealers, junkies, ladies of the night, and hooligans. But that was way back in 2000-20006ish era. I imagine like everywhere it’s been a bit gentrified and cleaned up.

I live fifteen minutes' walk from it. I've been a regular down that way since I moved to Whitechapel in 2001. Granted, I never went looking for the seedier side of things that the Doherty crowd romanticised / fetishised, but the truth of it is that even by 2002, when the London's Burning scene, so-called kicked off just up the road, mostly centre on the Rhythm Factory on Whitechapel High Street (now a Thai restaurant, I think), this part of the East End was already much more gentrified and safer than Doherty's quasi-Dickensian fantasy peddling would have had you believe.

 

[Edward]

Wentworth Street, if memory serves (near where the Petticoat Lane market still is) still has the occasional working girl on a quiet night. They've been known to give the Jack the Ripper walking tour people a right mouthful for scaring away punters before now.

 

[dannyk]

I live fifteen minutes' walk from it. I've been a regular down that way since I moved to Whitechapel in 2001. Granted, I never went looking for the seedier side of things that the Doherty crowd romanticised / fetishised, but the truth of it is that even by 2002, when the London's Burning scene, so-called kicked off just up the road, mostly centre on the Rhythm Factory on Whitechapel High Street (now a Thai restaurant, I think), this part of the East End was already much more gentrified and safer than Doherty's quasi-Dickensian fantasy peddling would have had you believe.

Of that I have no doubt. Besides often times the seedy side is only found by those looking for it. I love the music-not a huge fan of the lifestyle and personal issues. Unfortunately that side got a lot of fans caught up and messed up their lives. Drugs and junkie culture is not romantic.

 

[Tom71]

Of that I have no doubt. Besides often times the seedy side is only found by those looking for it. I love the music-not a huge fan of the lifestyle and personal issues. Unfortunately that side got a lot of fans caught up and messed up their lives. Drugs and junkie culture is not romantic.

Yes and no. I left London mid 95, and basically everything east of St. Paul´s Cathedral appeared pretty rough to me after dark. I much prefer London how it is now, where the City and the former East End (and a lot of areas south of the river which used to be pretty much dormant at that time) are fun to go out in a very relaxed way.

The other side of the coin is, that huge parts of London have become some sort of very expensive "theme park", miles away from the "around the corner public house with a pint of bitter starting at 1 quid". I loved London with all my heart, but with my financial means of those days, I simply could not have afforded to even be there with todays cost-level.

But probably I am totally wrong, and it´s all still there. I simply don´t know where to look anymore...

 

[Edward]

Of that I have no doubt. Besides often times the seedy side is only found by those looking for it. I love the music-not a huge fan of the lifestyle and personal issues. Unfortunately that side got a lot of fans caught up and messed up their lives. Drugs and junkie culture is not romantic.

Back around the peak of it - after the burglary, the prison stint and the band-split, the kids voted Doherty top of the NME Cool List for 2004. Interestingly, for all the mag too flack for glamourising the whole thing, all credit to them they actually published alongside the results column explaining why it was *not* cool and effectively telling the kids to think again. I remember reading it and seeing, between the lines, the mix of mea culpa and "what have we created!"

Course, that was in the good old days. A few years later the NME decided to chase quasi-eighties, synth pop rubbish, and what had been my Pravda was never the same. By 2007, I stopped picking it up. I did leaf through one or two issues when they turned it into a freesheet, and I distinctly remember thinking that it would have been fantastic..... if I was a fifteen year old emo girl who wanted my own version of Shortlist (essentially a GQ rip-off freesheet with fewer articles and more 'advertorials'). Turns out lots of others weren't keen either - they couldn't give it away. IT's only a website now.... But I didn't leave the NME, it left me.

 

[Monitor]

Yet another jacket I wish I never sold. No-name Pakistani cross zip that I thought would be easy to replace and yet I'm still struggling finding a Perfecto that can compete, let alone surpass it. Killer grain, mega-heavy leather (as you can see) and best part, literally the same Fine Creek tea-core effect bursting out of every seam and crease.

 

[JCSD]

LW PJ27

 

[sweetfights]

Overkill..??
View attachment 297940

I actually like that contrast stitching--

 

[AeroFan_07]

Langlitz:

The kid brought home his first bike, so I gifted him my Vanson Comet. We're doing a complete tear down and rebuild, so he'll have a little time to grow into the Vanson.

Sharp little Norton bike and Vanson jacket too. Excellent that you and he will be doing the rebuild together!! Such valuable time together...

I like the sharp black GTI behind it too...

 

[Edward]

Yet another jacket I wish I never sold. No-name Pakistani cross zip that I thought would be easy to replace and yet I'm still struggling finding a Perfecto that can compete, let alone surpass it. Killer grain, mega-heavy leather (as you can see) and best part, literally the same Fine Creek tea-core effect bursting out of every seam and crease.

Like so many mass-manufactured things (hell, the original A2s are a paradigm example of that), those budget jackets made in Pakistan can produce the occasional gem. You can see otherwise where they cut corners (aluminium not brass and so on), but if you hunt through enough of them it's true you will often find an outstanding diamond in the rough. The main thing after that is getting the cut right.... more often than not, jackets intended for the mainstream fashion market at present give me the impression that the makers think we're all built like a cat walking upright (massively long torso, tiny little legs, waist near the ground....).

Sharp little Norton bike and Vanson jacket too. Excellent that you and he will be doing the rebuild together!! Such valuable time together...

Yes, the only thing I regret about living abroad is I'd love to get the chance to work on a bike with my dad.

 

[Tusche]

Some time ago my Aero Trailrider. Heavy Steerhide.

 

[JMax]

Some time ago my Aero Trailrider. Heavy Steerhide. View attachment 313574

Now that is cool as heck. What a machine! And the Trailrider has long been on my scope. Aero has (had?) an original one for sale in their pre-owned section that I fretted over for some time. I imagine it is stellar on the bike.

 

[Tusche]

The Trialrider is my favorite jacket when it comes to a serious trip with my sidecar rig. Absolutely perfect

 

[abone]

Well, it is a motorcycle jacket picture! My Harley FXRG jacket with me and my road glide. Devil’s Tower Wy. It’s a great riding jacket, but not fashion wear.

 

[Downunder G Man]

Photo(s) already used in other threads sorry , but it is a Ben Sherman "Biker" jacket , zippered long sleeves and all.
I did a "restoration" thread on this as well.

Before "restoration" , the jacket had accelerated factory "patina" not to my taste

post restoration and looking like "new", during restoration on the last home run. VERY time consuming project !

First wear on the Harley run yesterday