Wearing Classic Leather Motorcycle Jackets

[garzo]

I've been visiting the forums for quite a while now and am a big fan of vintage-style clothing, especially leather jackets. I have a G&B "historical" A2 and an Aero Highwayman that I wear often.

I'm still a big fan of Schott (even though they're not exactly "vintage") because I like quality jackets and they are well-made and comfortable. I own the military-like 184 SM and their 141 Racer jacket.

All of those jackets are great to wear around town. I don't ride a bike and have been struggling to justify my growing interest in leather motorcycle jackets. I live in Berlin and am outdoors quite a lot, I tend to do a lot of walking in the city and really enjoy wearing good leather rather than down jackets or some North Face fleece-lined waterproof high-tech thing.

I've been checking out some of Schott's classic horsehide motorcycle jackets like their Black Stallion, Trojan Horse and Beck series, but have also come across quite a number of motorcycle enthusiasts who take offense at people like me who would dare to wear a "motorcycle jacket" on foot.

I just wanted to gauge some opinions about non-bike-riders wearing things like classic-styled MC jackets. Of course I'm not talking about the modern, brightly colored, fully armored bike jackets, just the tough classic, sometimes belted double-breasted jackets. I was originally thinking of getting a simple Schott 118 but the more I look at it and all the chrome snaps and zips, the less I like it. I really love the Trojan Horse and was sorry to see it's no longer made.

Anyway, any comments on the subject would be welcomed.

 

[DJS Press]

I'm also a fan of classic motorcycle jackets like Schott, Buco, Langlitz, etc.

But like you, I don't ride. Probably never will because at the ripe old age of almost 48 I don't want to push my luck.

That being the case, I'll probably never get such a jacket. I don't want to look like a "poseur". Still very cool, though.

But hey, it's not likely to get you beat up if you did wear one. Of course, then again, it might....

 

[Edward]

I've been wearing 'Brando' style jackets since I was 15 - never once had a bike. Got into them through Alice Cooper... then Joey Ramone.... then Marlon Brando (working backwards, I know). I love the look, and have never considered them to be exclusively bike jackets: to me, they're as much rock and roll / punk rock jackets as anything else. If you like 'em, i say wear 'em, and hang what anyone else thinks (especially that guy with the Harley he bought to deal with his midlife crisis). As someone round these parts recently said in a similarly themed thread, how many A2 and Irvin owners nowadays are actually pilots?

 

[Feraud]

but have also come across quite a number of motorcycle enthusiasts who take offense at people like me who would dare to wear a "motorcycle jacket" on foot.

Tell them your bike is in the shop.
Enjoy the motorcycle jacket.

 

[garzo]

Cheers to you all for the positive feedback.

Edward, I concur whole-heartedly. No reason bikers should claim those great jackets all for themselves.

By the way, what brand 'Brando'-style jackets do you wear? Horsehide or cowhide? Schott?

It's such a shame those Schott Trojan Horse jackets are gone. I can't believe they were on sale a few months ago for something like $399 at Legendary USA and I missed out.

Now I'm looking at Legendary and Schott's Black Horse jacket. But haven't made a decision yet.

 

[Smithy]

Garzo you might very well like this link...

http://www.lewisleathers.com/

 

[erikb02809]

Garzo,

If its any consolation, the quality control on those Trojan Horsehide jackets by Schott was, based off my own firsthand experience, total crap. Missed stitches, extra stitches, and loose stitches all over the place. I was tempted to give it another shot when they were on sale, because it was a good looking jacket, but then I remembered my experience with the first one I bought. Only plus was that due to the lousy quality, I didn't lose any sleep about putting some patches on it.

If I could do it all over again, I'd have just saved up another 200 bucks and gotten an Aero.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Strange.....
Good quality on this Schott '30s Retro HH MC jacket. No missed or loose threads. I've owned Aero...Buco...Langlitz...etc...and this is my fav for riding. Have it with me most times I throw a leg over. Also quite stylish for the street IMO.

HD

 

[johnnyjohnny]

'wHat've yOu GoT?"

in the fiLm most 'credited' with popularizing the 'biker' jacket, 'the Wild One' (1953), johnny (another johnny) strabLer, brando's character, is asked what he's rebelling against...

johnny answers 'what've ya got?'

guess that's the rap on bikerz in general...society gets all bent outta shape cause they break aLL the rules...well, i love ruLe breakers

uhhhhh, one rule i like to break is the one about 'only bikers can wear motorcycle jackets'

 

[garzo]

Smithy, those Lewis jackets are very nice indeed, but far too pricey for my checkbook.
And I have to say I'm not to crazy about those Lewis Leathers logo patches. For those prices, they shouldn't be adding extra advertising on their jackets.
One of the things that has attracted me to the Schott horsehides are their prices. The dollar-pound exchange is literally 2 to 1. Your looking at around 250 pounds for a Schott, 450 pounds for an Aero and 650 pounds for a Lewis -- that's a $400 difference between a Schott and an Aero and a whopping $800 difference between a Schott and a Lewis!

Erik, I never got to see one of the Trojans up close and am sorry to hear yours was so poorly made. I only know that my cheaper naked cowhide Schotts are really well made for what they are.

And HoosierDaddy, that MC jacket looks pretty awesome, another great model that is no longer available. I love the way it looks in the back. Is it longer than most bike jackets?

Like I said, I like the Black Horse but am not crazy about the side laces, and it is a bit too CHiPs style, but I also like its simplicity. A lot of the MC jackets just have way to many zippers and pockets for my taste, but I just love the double-breasted cut.

Johnny, I dig.

 

[Edward]

By the way, what brand 'Brando'-style jackets do you wear? Horsehide or cowhide? Schott?

Ah, the one I have is - I think - "Leather World" or some such. It's a cheap cowhide one I bought for about sventy quid (including postage), back in 2002 - that's about USD140 or so in today's money. It's been worn a lot and does the job well enough - I might want something a bit more upscale if I was actually wearing it out on a bike, but as it's "only" a jacket for me, it does. Eventually I'd like to own something better - I have my eye on an Aero, don't recall the model name, but it's the one that they do to the same pattern as Brando's from The Wild One, as put together by them originally for the Tussaud's Brando as Strabler figure. Horse. Once I had that, I'd be tempted to paint up my old cheap steer (which is 'close enough' in detail) as a replica of Strabler's.... Going to be a while, though - still "need" a couple of A2s, an Irvin, and one or two others first.....

Schotts seem nice, though I've always felt their stuff was a bit pricey when compared to "real" motorcycle kit.... The Aero stuff definitely appeals. Lewis jackets are lovely, but drastically overpriced, IMHO.

 

[erikb02809]

With wearing motorcycle jacket, I say go for it, biker or not. I first got into the style similar to how Edward did, namely, as a huge Ramones fan (gotta love the Coop too though). Halfway through college, I had enough saved up to buy a motorcycle, and the fact that I basically had all the riding gear I'd need except for a helmet due to my punk rock days was pretty convenient. Now, even when I'm not on my motorcycle, if it's jacket weather, I'm wearing leather.

I would, however, be aware of certain ways that people who do not know you might read into your choice of fashion. Depending on how you accessorize, there's a few different stereotypes that come to mind when people see a grown man in black leather. The black motorcycle jacket is such an iconic bit of American fashion that it's tough to avoid, imho.

I've had strangers see me in my jacket and assume I'm homosexual (which I'm not, not that there's anything wrong with that), after getting an extra close crew cut I've had people see me in my jacket and assume I was a white supremacist (which I'm not), and I've had strangers see me in my jacket sans bike and assume I was some sort of wanna-be biker, because apparently the fact that I do own a motorcycle and that perhaps it just was not in sight at the moment was just unfathomable to them. Oddly enough, I don't seem to bump into many people who assume correctly that I'm an active motorcyclist and a Ramones fan.

Ultimately though, if people are going to make uninformed assumptions one way or another, that's a reflection on them, not you.

fftopic:
I'll be the first to admit that I seem to be in the minority when it comes to receiving a Schott-manufactured jacket of such poor quality. Their reputation and history is quite good, which made my experience all the more disappointing. The stitching on the little snap thing on the end of one of the sleeves is so loose it's in danger of coming off, there was a gap where the lining attaches to the inside chest of the jacket that I could fit two fingers through, etc, etc. I've bought $150 jackets at Wilson's with no flaws at all, so to have issues like that on a $600 jacket was really aggravating.

I gave the jacket the once over out of the box, figured, "hey, the whole thing is the same color and its not missing a sleeve or anything, so it must be ok" and took the tags off. Then after wearing it for a couple of weeks, noticed some of these issues regarding quality which I had taken for granted based on positive past experiences with far less expensive leather jackets from other manufacturers. But because the tags had been removed, I was stuck with it. I sent it back to have the lining repaired, and when I got it back, the lining was fixed with some noticeably crude stitching, but to access it, they took apart the inside chest pocket and did not put it back together correctly. So I had a hole in the pocket now that I had to get fixed. This made me suspicious, so I thoroughly examined every visible seam, snap, etc,( found many problems) and realized just how bad I got ripped off before I brought it to a local seamstress to repair everything she could.

It's a shame, because the jacket was so expensive. Also, it looked great (I regret slightly putting the patches on. It went from a "wear anywhere" jacket, to a "wear when I'm feeling counter culture-ish" when I did that), and the quality of the horsehide was really nice.

 

[BellyTank]

If I was to buy an MC jacket, I might opt for this one, Aero's "Indian Ranger".

http://www.aeroleatherclothing.com/...ge?page=displayproduct&subcatid=33&prodid=350


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