vintage motorcycle sweaters and raceware

[gasoline cowboy]

Hey All,

I've been riding Indians for 20 years and always wanted a Indian race sweater, so about 4 years ago I started researching and after a long while I came across Dehen of Portland, a family owned woolen mill dating back to 1920.


They dusted off their original patterns and made me a run of Indian red and cream sweaters exactly how they were done back in the day. The response from those was so great that we decided to go into business with Dehen to reissue their line of original motorclothes and raceware, these can be found at
http://www.gasolinecowboys.com

As one of the few remaining American Heritage brands, Dehen have been making racing sweaters for 89 years, the fact they are still in business is due to their commitment to quality.

Gasoline Cowboys are proud to be making the AMCA club sweater for this winter. Apart from doing custom club sweaters we have our first range of ready to wear sweaters now available.http://www.gasolinecowboys.com/history.html

attached is our summer weight Indian sweater in the harder to find blue and white getup.
http://gasolinecowboys.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=1





cheers Dave
gasoline cowboy

 

[BellyTank]

Hi, Dave- welcome.
Great sweaters and jerseys.

Are you/were you/do you know Ghost Motor Clothes?
Didn't they used to sell Dehen?

Sorry to be mentioining them, if you have no connection to them.

I can't find them on-line anymore, just mentions of them and a very
vague blog.

Interesting to see your products and I'd like to find out about GMC.


B
T

 

[Edward]

These remind me of the Indian sweater Anthony Hopkins wore in character in The Fastest Indian in the World. Really nice.... I might just look into one of these in a few months' time, when I see how funds go. Actually, I'm tempted by the custom option for a Rocky Horror themed sweater, combining two of my big interests, vintage and, well.... O'Brien's finest work. Seems appropriate, given that the classic sci fi and horror films that influenced the show were all solidly 30s through 50s.

 

[gasoline cowboy]

Gasoline Cowboys MC is Dehen's vintage range, we don't have anything to do with Ghost, I seem to remember them closing out their business some years back.
Thats right, the sweaters are reminiscent of fastest Indian, the difference being these aren't movie props, GCMC sweaters are made exactly to original 1930's - 40's patterns by the same company who were making them back in the day having a slimmer, more tailored cut.

cheers Dave

 

[reetpleat]

Really cool stuff. Isn't there any licensing or copyright issues using the brand?

 

[BellyTank]

You mean the "Indian" brand?

B
T

 

[Edward]

From what little I know of the motorcycle wear of the period, the design are unlikely to be sufficiently distinct from the generic to warrant a level of design protection now (c/f were, for instance, Aero or any other brand to try to claim copyright in the design of its Brando jacket...). The company names and logos would at one point, I am sure, have been registered as Trade Marks. Whether they still are is unlikely if the companies so depicted are long out of business. TM rights are perpetual, but only valid while the mark remains in use.

 

[JakeHolman]

Great looking sweater, thanks for the link.

On the same note has anyone seen the forthcoming line from Mister Freedom? Last year was his take 30/40s merchant navy gear and the new A/W line will be similar period motorcycle gear. As before, these aren't reproductions but original patterns based on what 'could have been'. Find more on the blog http://www.misterfreedom.com/

 

[kampkatz]

MisterFreedom does seem to be original.

 

[repeatclicks]

Insanely jealous of these! Gah, why does all the great stuff have to cost so much! :eusa_doh:

 

[reetpleat]

From what little I know of the motorcycle wear of the period, the design are unlikely to be sufficiently distinct from the generic to warrant a level of design protection now (c/f were, for instance, Aero or any other brand to try to claim copyright in the design of its Brando jacket...). The company names and logos would at one point, I am sure, have been registered as Trade Marks. Whether they still are is unlikely if the companies so depicted are long out of business. TM rights are perpetual, but only valid while the mark remains in use.

The trademark of Indian has been bought and revived for a line of motorcycles. I am sure they put out their own mediocre stuff and would not look kindly on this. Of course, you could claim you are just making sweaters for indians of American or sub continent origin, but if you are marketing them as motorcycle wear in the style of the past, that might not hold up.

Bottom line is few companies have the money to fight a legal action from a larger company. Ronal Teas and a rock band named the Toucans both had to cease and desist as the cost of fighting McDonalds and CW Post were too high.

Hope that doesn't happen to them.

 

[PoohBang]

I like your products. I might even have to buy one... logo or not...

 

[gasoline cowboy]

Insanely jealous of these! Gah, why does all the great stuff have to cost so much! :eusa_doh:

Hey there,

I'm stoked you like our stuff and we're aware they may seem pricey but these clothes are heirloom items, limited production garments made in Portland, OR. by US workers doing high quality workmanship.
Interestingly I made a price comparison to a 100% wool custom motorcycle club sweater from an advert from 1935 -- the price was $6, sounded cheap until I saw the average wage in 1935 was $1100! It actually worked out to being $230 in todays dollars with the average wage now at $40,000. That was in a pre-consumerism/walmart age when people spent more on things but expected them to last.

a wiser man said it this way

It is unwise to pay too much, but it is worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money... that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the things it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot... it cannot be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for the something better.
John Ruskin (1819 – 1900)

cheers Dave
www.gasolinecowboys.com

 

[Edward]

The trademark of Indian has been bought and revived for a line of motorcycles. I am sure they put out their own mediocre stuff and would not look kindly on this. Of course, you could claim you are just making sweaters for indians of American or sub continent origin, but if you are marketing them as motorcycle wear in the style of the past, that might not hold up.

Bottom line is few companies have the money to fight a legal action from a larger company. Ronal Teas and a rock band named the Toucans both had to cease and desist as the cost of fighting McDonalds and CW Post were too high.

Hope that doesn't happen to them.

It can be a tricksy area of the law, certainly. If the sweater company had been in business longer than the revived motorcycle mark, that would help their case, also if the public associated the mark more with them in some cases. That said, the easiest way is usually a licensing deal, assuming the mark owner is open to it. I'd have thought that the sort of official goods there are likely to exist would have been aimed at a very different market than these premium items.... Still, it's a funny old world, and it would be the first time if a TM holder tried to take a case against someone far less in breach of their mark than some, but much more of a competitive threat on the open market (c/f what Gibson seemed to be trying to do to PRS a couple of years back, though fortunately they failed at the appeal stage).

 

[repeatclicks]

Hey there,

I'm stoked you like our stuff and we're aware they may seem pricey but these clothes are heirloom items, limited production garments made in Portland, OR. by US workers doing high quality workmanship.
Interestingly I made a price comparison to a 100% wool custom motorcycle club sweater from an advert from 1935 -- the price was $6, sounded cheap until I saw the average wage in 1935 was $1100! It actually worked out to being $230 in todays dollars with the average wage now at $40,000. That was in a pre-consumerism/walmart age when people spent more on things but expected them to last.

a wiser man said it this way

It is unwise to pay too much, but it is worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money... that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the things it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot... it cannot be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for the something better.
John Ruskin (1819 – 1900)

cheers Dave
www.gasolinecowboys.com

Wise indeed. As you would expect I collect vintage clothes, some Ive paid for more than others. Sometimes Ive paid alot for a great piece, but then again Ive had great ones for $13, but the fact is they are still here after 60 years.

Dont worry, Ill come back to buy from you when money allows.

 

[gasoline cowboy]

Just in case anyone was looking for a exact re-issue of genuine Harley-Davisons competition sweaters, we at Gasoline cowboys just delivered these to the H-D museum.

 

[Deleted member 16736]

Great stuff. The Indian sweater is beautiful. I want one. But what do you wear it with? Just a t-shirt underneath? I've never seen one worn before.

I like the woolen car coats too. Could you ask them to post a picture of the backs? Thank you.

 

[gasoline cowboy]

They look great with engineering boots and 501's or period correct on a bike with leather breeches and tall riding boots

heres what the carcoats look like from behind

 

[Deleted member 16736]

They look great with engineering boots and 501's or period correct on a bike with leather breeches and tall riding boots View attachment 224

heres what the carcoats look like from behind

Amazing items. I am a future customer. And thank you for the fast reply. The picture looks great too.

 

[Jeff M]

Very very nice items.
Am thinking about getting a car coat.
I have a question about the sizing.
I take a size 44 mens regular coat size. Have a 44" chest.
This is usually a "Large" when it comes to S/M/L/XL sizing.
However....I see the "Large" chest size listed on your web site says it has a - 50.5 - chest, while the medium has a - 46.5 -.
Should I be ordering a "Large" or a "Medium" ?