Post pictures of your pre-1940s American jackets

[himelator]

Im always in need of rare photos of pre ww2 American, Canadian and British jackets. I am also looking for discussion, stories and pictures that I can use regarding motorcycling and motorcyclists and motorcycle clubs from 1975 and before so if you have any good ones send them along!!!!

http://vintageleatherjackets.blogspot.com/

 

[BellyTank]

Welcome back-
I visit your blog often.
We don't see enough of you here.

NZ jackets, too?
Would you like to see a photo of my Dad, racing his Matchless 350,
in NZ, 1951, or is this not the right place?
Do you want to see and hear all the things you just mentioned,
in this thread..?... or did you mean you want them sent to your blog?

Eh? Eh.


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[himelator]

Absolutely...eventually Im hoping to gather up so great pictures and stories that I can publish in the book Im working on. For now Ive been super busy working on my samples for my vintage jacket line which is why I haven't contributed much to the forum. Ive been swamped of late as my deadlines are approaching, lol!

Welcome back-
I visit your blog often.
We don't see enough of you here.

NZ jackets, too?
Would you like to see a photo of my Dad, racing his Matchless 350,
in NZ, 1951, or is this not the right place?
Do you want to see and hear all the things you just mentioned,
in this thread..?... or did you mean you want them sent to your blog?

Eh? Eh.


B
T

 

[himelator]

oops didnt answer the question...here is great...if there are some good ones I will republish some on my blog....I enjoy the enthusiasm of the guys at the lounge, blogging is more a general public sort of forum!

 

[BellyTank]

Here you go, then.
Not very high quality photo but I prbably have a better copy someplace..
1951-grass race, Putaruru, N.Z. Matchless 350cc.

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[himelator]

Dad was quite the dude...so what is the story behind this picture....

Here you go, then.
Not very high quality photo but I prbably have a better copy someplace..
1951-grass race, Putaruru, N.Z. Matchless 350cc.

B
T

 

[BellyTank]

Details are sketchy but what I wrote, above is pretty much all we know about this day. He and his brother were bike crazy, their machines of choice, were Matchless and AJS but they also shared an Indian 1200. These bikes would all have been from the very late '40s. They used to hop-up their bikes, blueprinting, balancing, cams and carbs- they were really into the mechanical side. NZ is a great place for riding, or driving but back then, many of the roads, would have been loose gravel- pretty treacherous. Dad joined the Airforce, was a motor mechanic and kept on riding.

He doesn't remember anything about the jacket... but he's probably wearing his Airforce trousers in this photo.


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[himelator]

The jacket is a little souped up a-2 style...Ive seen some NZ jackets they are cool..not quite like the influence of NA jackets but wow..Nz is kinda like Canada in a tiny package. Beautiful scenic vistas and multiple habitats and geography's.. Did they dream of riding in English races? When did he give up motorcycling...did your mom ride on the back...I can always get more answers through the email himelator@hotmail.com if this is toooooo public. Im curious..what did your dad end up doing for a living...Im asking lots and lots of questions

 

[BellyTank]

I think I answered a few of these questions in my last post...

He was never in an MC club. He was not in WW2- too young-
only 19 in that photo, 1951.
He was a farm boy, son of 2 teachers, but went to farm school, very good with his hands- woodwork, metalwork, anything. Was brought up around the central North Island of NZ and then, during most of WW2, his school years, lived on Great Barrier Island, off the coast, where his parents were teaching.

Sure he won bike races- doesn't he look like he did..?
That particular raceday, was at Putaruru, a small, rural, agricultural and forestry town, in the Waikato district of NZ's North Island.

He was a farmer, then a motor mechanic in the Air force, then a maintenance engineer and tool maker in a large factory,
then he was a building contractor(construction)...

What did he end up doing..? collector, of course.
Collector, restorer, seller of all types of antiques, owner of many vehicles.
After he "retired", he took on the task of getting a historic, turn of the century(last) goldmining railway back into service- restoring old locomotives, laying track, everything.
Did that for 12 years, then gave it up when he had a serious cardiac, at 75. He didn't know he'd had a heart attack-
woke up, took 2 painkillers and a glass of water and tried to go back to sleep- lucky he didn't.

Now he just enjoys doing "nothing".

He has some hair-raising stories about motorbike spills- one early morning, travelling north on State Highway One, he rounded a corner, slid on black ice, laid the bike down and slid under an oncoming truck and trailer and out the other side. He got up, dusted himself off and rode another 100 miles home. When he got home, his mom told him he had a hole in the bum of his pants.

Another time, he braked a little late and caught the side mirror of another truck, full in the face. He saw his own face in the mirror,
just as he hit it... with his face. He remembers looking quite scared.
Broke the mirror and a tooth.


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[himelator]

wow thats wild...I like the locomotive part...my dad is 76 same age. I hope someone has taken up where he left off! Was he wearing Levis back in the day...did you guys have those in Nz? Was there a big leather jacket company in NZ? You have to post a few more pics of dad looking soo cool!

 

[BellyTank]

Hi.
I'll see if I can find some more- only have a couple of him on bikes,
which is a shame, since bikes were such a big part of his life.

I think he only started wearing jeans in the '70s, as work wear, when they became unavoidable as such. He's always been a "respectable" guy, smart clothes but obviously a functional version of clothes du jour for the bike. When Elvis was the latest thing, my Dad was 25 and still liked the musicals of the '30s and '40s.
Still does.

He was just a regular young guy, who liked to ride- no rebel, no cause.
The camera caught him out. I'm sure he thinks he looks terrible in that photo.

I don't know of any big, or famous old leather jacket companies in NZ.
(But we now have Real McCoys NZ/The Few for leather and Ande Whall for selvage denim!)


B
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[Benny Holiday]

Parallels

Funny how the story of your Dad parallels my father's post war exploits BT. Unfortunately I don't have any pics of Dad on his bikes or know what sort of jacket he wore, but he joined the RAAF in 1943 and was a mechanic during the war. He was also highly skilled at fixing anything you could name - he was an electrical welder, mechanic, panelbeater, the lot. I know that after the War he rode a Tiger 100 and had a BSA at some stage in the late 40s.

Oh, he was born in Petone, Lower Hutt, in 1925. His parents emigrated there from Yorkshire, and moved on again to Sydney when Dad was little.

 

[himelator]

My dad spent most of his time in school became a doctor....I think me being in "Scmata" disappointed him. My grandfather was in the sportswear business. He manufactured sportswear for years before his death in 1966. I was alive 3 months when he died so I figure that is what led to my clothing obssession. I would love other guys to send me some pics and stories as well...too many people are voyeurs and not enough content!! :O)

 

[himelator]

 

[himelator]