Vintage Cafe Racer Jackets

[Warbaby]

I found this Canadian Brimaco cafe racer jacket at the thrift shop yesterday. It's very heavy horsehide, in great condition, and fits me perfectly - definitely too cool to pass up. Anyone have an approximate date for it? The zipper is an Acme aluminum, the pockets are lined with heavy black corduroy. The only info on Brimaco that I could find was from The Art of Vintage Leather Jackets blog, "Brimaco was one of the earliest leather jacket companies in North America. I had the pleasure to interview the owner about his company 4 years ago. The man was 76 years old. He stated Brimaco opened before 1900 by his "grandfather". Brimaco's stock and trade was the clearly "British" style cafe racer, which they manufactured very early on".

I'm not sure yet if I'm going to keep it or sell/trade it. To me, it seems a bit too motorcycle-specific to wear if one doesn't have a bike, particularly when one is over 60. Opinions?

 

[jamespibworth@n]

The quilted padding looks typical of a late 70s jacket. But there is something about it that looks much earlier. The details like the side vents, lining and the label looks earlier?

James.

P.S
Also its long in the body so I am sticking with late 70s.

 

[clown70]

Greetings everyone,
This is my first post and I am very excited to be part of the vintage group..! My questions is, I have been looking , I mean really looking for a vintage cafe racer jacket to wear when I ride my motorized 1957 Schwinn around town. I of course have tried E-Bay and some of the local bike shops, Goodwill stores but still after several months NO Luck!
Can someone please sugguest any stores/shops in the greater Los Angeles or Orange Country area that has a decent selection of old vintage mototcycle jackets to choose from. I know this jacket will not be cheap but I more concerned with selection and finding the right one. Any info would be greatly appericated.
Thank you everyone!

 

[HighandDry]

Give Insurrection in Seattle a call. They have a great selection. http://www.insurrectionvintage.com/

I love my 1960's Bates

 

[JohnnyLoco]

From my experience it is really hard to find vintage cafe racer jackets in good condition at your local thrift, pawn, or vintage shops. They are just so cool and popular but not as plentiful as your standard Brando style black motorcycle jacket. In my opinion, any store that specializes in vintage leather jackets will probably rip you off. To me, it would be better to try craigslist or ebay. With craigslist, you have the opportunity to get a great price and a chance to try on and check out the condition of the jacket (just be careful of who you meet and where). With ebay, you basically get to pick from hundreds of quality vintage jackets. If you don't care about having the most top of the line jacket, I recommend a Brooks cafe racer from the 60s to 80s. You can easily find one of those for less than $150.

Also remember: the sizing of this kind of jacket varies immensely, so get accurate measurements of yourself and the jacket you want to buy, and don't be surprised if the picture does not match the jacket in person. These jackets photograph beautifully, even if there are major flaws, so watch out.

 

[ShrunkinCowboy]

I still recommend searching on flea-bay.

Some of THE nicest vintage cafe racer jackets around that I own, are from Canada.
Brimaco, Bristol, Wolff, British Cycle, are all top-rate brands.
My 60's or 70's Bristol blueish-black Clix zipper cafe racer jacket is 2die4!

Good luck!
Steve

 

[TroyManic]

I am looking for the same jackets as well. Anyone online shops that sell similar kind of vintage jackets?

 

[mrc]

+1 for Insurrection. I collected a lot of jackets using ebay, but I never found one with the right fit, even when the measurements were stated and correct. I'm a stickler for fit and it was great to be able to try a vintage jacket on before purchasing it! I know that flying in to Seattle may not be an option (still cheaper than all the money I shelled out for jackets that I couldn't return... ), but I know they sell a lot of vintage jackets nationally and fit people over the phone with great success, so see what they can do to get you fixed up in a vintage cafe racer that you will be very happy with! Call Wade at (206) 550-3545 and he can fit you!

 

[mrfish]

Well, my old brooks shrank, so I got this:

It's a discontinued, I think, style from Belstaff called the Montana.

Better pic:

I wear it on the Guzzi's and the old beemer. For a higher quality jacket, try searching for Vanson on e-bay.

John

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Pre 1950s Cafe Racer leather jackets

I realise I'm probably using the term Cafe Racer incorrectly, but here I'm using the term to refer to leather jackets with short stand collars. These have all come from London vintage shops over the last 4 years and cost peanuts; total under £100. There is another (included in the £100 total) that I'll photograph tonight. The first one is Canadian. The deer one is almost certainly Canadian. The black one I have to photograph is also Canadian.

1930s/early 1940s. Lining has been replaced; the remnants of the original plaid liner are in the seams. The top pocket originally had a zipper - no doubt ball and chain-type - which i will replace when I replace the acetate replacement liner with the correct plaid wool.

1940s. All zippers replacements.

Lilac leather inserts in the pleats at the rear belt. the same leather in inserted into the pleats at the front waistband top.

Late 1940s. American. Now in the possession of Benstephens

 

[Baron Kurtz]

A comparison of the collar construction of the early 40s brown one and the 40s deerskin one.

 

[njmaki]

Any chance you have a brown Brimaco or British Cycle your willing to part with? I put up a post here about me trying to find one.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...le-Leather-jacket-Brown&p=1500552#post1500552

Thanks,
Jonathan

 

[Seb Lucas]

Insurrection is good but expensive. Try Vintage Trends, much cheaper and a good range too.

 

[trapp]

Vintage Brooks cafe racers are really nice, esp. if you get one from the 60s. You can date them quite easily from their labels (I used to have a link to help with that but can't find it at the moment). They do seem to be getting a bit more expensive on ebay, last I checked...selling at auction for $200 -$300 depending on condition. Still a good deal.

 

[Deleted member 16736]

How old are cafe racer motorcycle jackets?

When did they first come out? I associate them with the 1960's, but I think they date back to at least the 1950's. Do they go back to the 40's? I'm thinking about buying one and I want to know what period I can wear it with. Thanks for any input.

 

[Fanch]

Wikipedia states the following:

"A cafe racer[1] (/ˈkæff reɪsər/kaff racer)[2][3][4] is a term used for a type of motorcycle, as well as the motorcyclists who ride them. Both meanings have their roots in the 1960s British Rocker or Ton-up boy subculture, although the type of motorcycles were also common in Italy, France[5] and other European countries. The term, which originally arose as an insult from motorcycle enthusiasts towards riders who they thought were playing at being a road racer but merely parked outside cafes,[6] refers to a style of motorcycles that were and are used for fast rides from one transport cafe[7][8] or coffee bar to another.[9]"

 

[Seb Lucas]

They came to be called cafe racer jackets later, but I'm pretty certain they were just motortcycle jackets before the name change. I think I've seen 1930's versions on the VLJ forum. They used to be unlined and were sometimes known as leather shirts or tunics.

 

[Deleted member 16736]

Okay, thanks. Yeah, the 60's association with cafe racers were with the motorcycles and the riders, not the jackets. The jackets took on the name of the riders who wore them later.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Depending what you mean and how stringent your requirements for inclusion in the category …

leather motorcycle jackets without collars, bearing only a remnant "stand" were particularly popular in Canada in the 30s and 40s. According to David Himel of Himel Bros Leaher, they were produced mostly by 2 or 3 shops in Toronto, who all copied patterns from each other. I own 3 of them … there's a thread here somewhere.

 

[gtdean48]

I've always considered them "scooter jackets" worn by cafe racers.....