My Vanson Enfield Finally Came Today

[HoosierDaddy]

Peacoat...
We've just...uh...matured..
HD

 

[Peacoat]

Peacoat...
We've just...uh...matured..
HD

Yep, although I do work out on a regular basis to stay as close to that look as I can. Each year it gets more difficult.

 

[univibe88]

It's a fantastic jacket! When you ride up here to Mass to see where it as made, make sure to drop me a line. I'll definitely go riding with you.

 

[pjstrass]

Enfield

Is the zipper box plastic or metal ? I have a discontinued Raider which has the plastic..only flaw in the ointment . Thanks.

 

[Peacoat]

Is the zipper box plastic or metal ? I have a discontinued Raider which has the plastic..only flaw in the ointment . Thanks.

I talked to Larry about the plastic part at the bottom of the zipper. He said they had some "problems" until they switched to the current part. No problems since then.

I know that on some of my brass zippers, the "guide" will get bent and won't work properly. Maybe that is what he is talking about. I never would have noticed the piece on the bottom of my zipper had it not been brought to my attention by several comments on this board. When I looked at it, I couldn't figure what the controversy was about. It is black and not brass, but it does appear to be very substantial.

 

[Navin323i]

Is it bad for the zipper box to be made of plastic instead of metal? My initial thought is that it's unlikely that a zipper box would somehow fail on you (such as breaking) if it's made of plastic. I would be more concerned if the zipper pull tab were made of plastic instead of metal on a leather jacket since there's a greater likelihood that the tab could break especially if the jacket is a heavy one.

 

[OneEyeMan]

My Enfield's zipper also has the plastic box and male slider pieces at the bottom. They're very substantial chunks of plastic.
If anything, I think they're an improvement over the brass pieces because they have a lower coefficient of friction, thus allowing easier sliding of the parts. Sorry, that's the engineer in me coming out.
Lenny

 

[Bonneville]

Beautiful jacket!! One of the things I like about the look of the Enfield is the small collar, ...some collars on jackets are way to wide and when they lay down on your shoulders it looks like you have no manly shoulder width. Not so with the Enfield by the looks of things, pretty much the full width of your shoulders are exposed as opposed to being covered by a disco era wide collar. Good classic looking choice.

 

[Peacoat]

Beautiful jacket!! One of the things I like about the look of the Enfield is the small collar, ...some collars on jackets are way to wide and when they lay down on your shoulders it looks like you have no manly shoulder width. Not so with the Enfield by the looks of things, pretty much the full width of your shoulders are exposed as opposed to being covered by a disco era wide collar. Good classic looking choice.

Yes, the collar is short and stiff, which keeps it from flying about in the breeze of a bike without a windshield.

 

[Bonneville]

Yes, the collar is short and stiff, which keeps it from flying about in the breeze of a bike without a windshield.

Peacoat, how would you describe the hand of the Enfield leather, dense? stiff?, spongy? soft? pliable?, waxy, oily? flat/smooth textured? etc.
Any chance of a close up shot or two? Very interested in leather character.
Cheers, Ted.

 

[Peacoat]

Peacoat, how would you describe the hand of the Enfield leather, dense? stiff?, spongy? soft? pliable?, waxy, oily? flat/smooth textured? etc.
Any chance of a close up shot or two? Very interested in leather character.
Cheers, Ted.

When I first got it, the jacket was dense, stiff, smooth and shiny. Now it is dense, smooth, still a bit stiff and not shiny.

I don't much care about "aging" my leather jackets, but I do care about breaking them in before they go on the road. To this end I first use Hoosier Daddy's method of misting the leather. Then while the leather is damp, I knead and manipulate the leather to soften it. After it has loosened up a bit, I wear the jacket as much as I can to break it in. In the summer this means wearing it inside. I also mist the jacket while wearing it. Doesn't take a lot of work to break it in, but it does loosen up the leather and makes it comfortable for a long ride.

With this jacket I used the above technique, plus I have worn it on several early morning rides when it was cool enough to do so. It is now well broken in and ready for cool weather. Although broken in, it still stands on its own, which is why I say the leather is a bit stiff. But this isn't stiff in a bad sort of way that is uncomfortable. Quite the contrary; it is a comfortable jacket to wear. It is a thick jacket and I would expect it to stand on its own for quite some time.

The leather is not spongy, soft, pliable, waxy, oily or textured. If I have time in the next couple of days, I will post some pics of the jacket now that it has broken in. I will try and get some close up outside shots to give you a better idea of how it looks after break in.

 

[Peacoat]

Bonneville: Here are some shots I took for you yesterday. Notice the jacket has relaxed quite a bit. It still stands on its own, although it is now at 1/2 mast. I tried to get shots of the developing grain. Hope this is helpful.

IMG]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r285/bluesharp766/Misc001.jpg[/IMG]

IMG]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r285/bluesharp766/Misc003.jpg[/IMG]

 

[Peacoat]

Well, I see all of them didn't paste. I'll try the other two in this post.

 

[Bonneville]

Thanks again Peacoat. The leather looks very nice indeed. I like a bit of shine on leather. Really looking forward to receiving mine. I happened to show the picture of your standing Enfield to my buddy, he couldn't believe it. His recent riding jacket was almost as expensive but definitely never stood up on its own, even when new. It seems a lot of lesser quality moto jackets these days have the daylights milled out of 'em. I don't like what that does to the leather.

I've ordered mine shortened a couple of inches. Not sure how I feel about the unorthodox wind flap, I may ask for removal? I keep rechecking my measurements for fear of having ordered a too short jacket. :eusa_doh: (the joys of online garment purchases).

 

[Bonneville]

Well I went with the zips on the side pockets of the Enfield ala the Model B.

I really do like the look of the leather on your's Peacoat. How do you find the Vanson zipper quality, heavy duty?

I must say that I have been very well treated by Kim, head of Vanson sales, very professional.

 

[andy richards]

Thanks for posting these pics, Peacoat! The leather is breaking in very nice.
Good luck with you jacket and wear it in good health.
Andy

 

[Peacoat]

Well I went with the zips on the side pockets of the Enfield ala the Model B.

I really do like the look of the leather on your's Peacoat. How do you find the Vanson zipper quality, heavy duty?

I must say that I have been very well treated by Kim, head of Vanson sales, very professional.

All Parts of the zipper, the pull, slider, teeth (chain), box, bottom stop and top stop are all heavy duty and high quality. I like the Vanson zipper assembly much better than the Aero zipper. Don't read that the wrong way as Aero zippers work fine, but there is just so much more of it on the Vanson. The Vanson chain size is probably twice that of the Aero.

And yes, Kim is a pleasure to work with.

The shine is now pretty much gone from the leather. It still looks to be shiny in the photographs, but it really isn't. I used Hoosier Daddy's method of misting the leather while I wore it to aid the break in process, and that pretty much took off most of the excess shine. I don't do anything to artificially age my jackets, but just to aid the break in process. It is still a smooth leather that is starting to show some grain (as much as can be expected for cowhide) but the surface is no longer slick looking.

I have worn it on some early morning rides, and it is a pleasure to wear on the motorcycle. Probably my favorite leather motto jacket--and probably my last one. I don't see how a Langlitz could be any better.

 

[Bonneville]

Bonneville: Here are some shots I took for you yesterday. IMG]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r285/bluesharp766/Misc001.jpg[/IMG]

IMG]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r285/bluesharp766/Misc003.jpg[/IMG]

Made the mistake of looking at these pics again, ...don't think I'm gonna make..it.....can't.....hang...on......

 

[Peacoat]

I wonder how far behind Vanson is these days. Have you talked to Kim to see how much longer it might be?

 

[Bonneville]

Yes I did Peacoat, "might be something that can be shipped before end of year" was the update. On a side note I happened across the same custom Enfield (zipped side pockets) offered by a 'label' in Japan; price = $1600!!
Victim X Vanson is the label (I kid you not).