Leather jacket in UK- Who still wears one?

Exmoor beast

Exmoor beast

Hero member
Location
Minehead,Somerset, ENGLAND OF COURSE
I’ve been looking at old pics of bikers, in the UK back in the day, all in leather jacket or a wax jacket. Unless you’re not going far, how often is it warm enough to wear either? I used to wear an all in one romper suit, quilted waterproof thing when I commuted 50 miles a day and I remember the dispatchers wearing them. Never had a lot of luck with wax cotton , always cold and damp even if it was dry- useless at keeping you dry in a down pour. First waterproof jacket that worked was a Baleno, which was just like a Rukka jacket, warm & bone dry. My point is if you look back at old pics of elephant rally,IOM TT or similar they are all underdressed, must have been freezing. I got off the IOM ferry at Heysham and rode to Rugby to a service station for petrol & warm up. Met a guy on a Z900 going back to Bristol, leather jacket, tee shirt & jeans, looked like a roadie for the Quo. He said goodbye and shot off with the crack of his arse showing as his jacket was short. Nowadays I wear a textile jacket that does all weather in perfect comfort and rarely wear a leather jacket, last couple of times I’ve worn a leather I was cold going home later.
 
I still wear a leather most of the time, if its wet I'll wear a waxed cotton or gortex and if it's West of Scotland wet I'll wear a black plastic waterproof over jacket on top. When I was younger and didn't have a car for 20 years and used the bikes daily for work I discovered that the only things that kept me dry throughout the winters were wellies and yellow Wimpey or orange Balfour Beatty plastic waterproofs that the construction boys were issued. In the old days we made do with whatever we had, most of the spare cash went towards keeping the wheels turning.
 
Could only afford ex-army and Levi jackets when I first started. Then graduated to a wax cotton Belstaff which was a 21st birthday present from my grandad 😆. Went on to a Rukka, pure luxury at the time, and used it through my dispatching days. Went onto various textile jackets from IXS & Rukka. Daily summer wear, at the moment, is a Roadskin (heavy weight cotton). I recently bought a leather jacket from Goldtop, not had too much use though as it's been too hot 😆.
 
8
Gary said:
I still wear a leather most of the time, if its wet I'll wear a waxed cotton or gortex and if it's West of Scotland wet I'll wear a black plastic waterproof over jacket on top. When I was younger and didn't have a car for 20 years and used the bikes daily for work I discovered that the only things that kept me dry throughout the winters were wellies and yellow Wimpey or orange Balfour Beatty plastic waterproofs that the construction boys were issued. In the old days we made do with whatever we had, most of the spare cash went towards keeping the wheels turning.
Click to expand...
You just reminded me of Derri boots, motorcycle specific wellies! They were 100% waterproof , but you looked like a gnome in them
 
Belstaff then Barbour for years, jacket and pants - always stayed dry - you had to retreat them now and then. Belstaff overmitts were amazing for warmth and dry - did overnighters in winter in that gear. Barbour right through summer - way too hot. Now have Blestaff padded synthetic waterproof pants - warm too. Had to rewaterproof them after 10 years. Australian Dririder jacket, incredibly good value - still going strong after 30 years. In warmer weather I use a Stagg leather jacket my other half got from the tip she worked at! On serious rides I wear my Dainese leathers bottom half. Otherwise, kevlar lined jeans. Another awesome product i still have are rubber overboots - like a galosher.
 
Last edited:
I’ve ridden in UK, continental Europe and in the US in three sets of full Bates Leathers in series since 1987, two sets now worn-out and one brand new a year ago - this will in the absence of an accident likely be the last set given that the second set lasted 25 years. The secret to keeping warm is to wear a waterproof textile jacket OVER the leathers, removed on warmer days. Thin tee-shirt and optional thinsulate jersey go under the leathers. Gaunlet gloves go over leather jacket and under textile jacket, thin ones when it’s warm and rain gloves when it cold and wet. Rain suit trousers are thin, go in a tank bag and are easy to put on over leathers when required on the side of the road. These go over the zippered connection between leather jacket and trousers, which is under the textile jacket. No wind gets in at all.

On a really hot day I wear the textile jacket without the leather jacket, but with the leather trousers.

All of the above is a lot of clothing. But nothing protects like full leathers and I ride 90% of the time with them on, wherever I am. I’m not happy wearing textiles only, but it’s a personal choice.
 
Last edited:
Out of the three jackets I have one is leather ........ But with all the body armour it weighs a ton , probably enough to knock 10 mph off the bike`s top speed ..........

Older leather jackets I`ve had in the past were pretty basic , with no armour ........ so less protection but more comfortable to wear ..........

I do use the modern leather jacket , but my preferred choice is a tatty old textile / nylon with basic protective padding ....... again less in the way of protection , but I feel comfortable and " right " when wearing it ........ which is probably just as important a safety factor as covering yourself in bulky layers of armour .........
 
I did wear my Lewis Roadmaster when I went to Guzzi factory trip and it was superb, it’s longer cut and totally windproof with loads of large pockets but it was very hot blasting through France & Italy. Back in the early nineties I bought a US made highway patrol jacket from Silvermans in East London. It’s made by Branded Garments NY weighs a ton, has a wooly lining and would probably stop a bullet. Still got it and still wear it , found a packet of Marlboros in the pocket a few years ago that reminded me of my youth. I also remember wearing a Frank Thomas waterproof suit in its own bum bag for when it pissed with rain and I got caught out. In fact, I have got five leather jackets ( if you include my Kett tassle jacket in the loft!) and two leather race suits. I had full armour in my race suit in 1988 which was revolutionary- now it’s in most jackets as standard, a very good thing I think. I remember anti scratch visors coming in- the one I had on my Paddy Hopkirk Agordo was like looking through a sweet wrapper- How are we still,alive?
 
I used Army issue camouflage combat jackets in the early 1970s augmented by Army issue orange plasticised fabric jacket and trousers in the rain and snow. I can remember some horribly cold long whole body chilling journeys when we had snowy winters, so cold that I would warm my gauntlets alternatively by reaching down to hold the exhaust headers of my Triumph Speedtwin 🥶. When I bought my T160 Trident in late 1976 I treated myself to a visit to Lewis Leathers in Great Portland Street London. The Lewis leathers jacket was a transformation in comfort. First long one day journey in the jacket in early March 77 was from Le Havre to a chalet in the French Alps 300m above the snow line, comfy the whole way even though the weather was cold and damp until I was south of Avalon. I must have ridden over 300k miles in that jacket including all my exploration of Europe on my trusty 3C during the late 1970’s and 80’s. I still have the jacket having prevented girl friends and daughters from sneaking off with it. Unfortunately I now struggle to get it on over anything other than single tee shirt which is a shame since it was far more comfortable than my modern armoured riding gear.
 
OWAGUY said:
I used Army issue camouflage combat jackets in the early 1970s augmented by Army issue orange plasticised fabric jacket and trousers in the rain and snow. I can remember some horribly cold long whole body chilling journeys when we had snowy winters, so cold that I would warm my gauntlets alternatively by reaching down to hold the exhaust headers of my Triumph Speedtwin 🥶. When I bought my T160 Trident in late 1976 I treated myself to a visit to Lewis Leathers in Great Portland Street London. The Lewis leathers jacket was a transformation in comfort. First long one day journey in the jacket in early March 77 was from Le Havre to a chalet in the French Alps 300m above the snow line, comfy the whole way even though the weather was cold and damp until I was south of Avalon. I must have ridden over 300k miles in that jacket including all my exploration of Europe on my trusty 3C during the late 1970’s and 80’s. I still have the jacket having prevented girl friends and daughters from sneaking off with it. Unfortunately I now struggle to get it on over anything other than single tee shirt which is a shame since it was far more comfortable than my modern armoured riding gear.
Click to expand...
Guzzi heads are like riding an Aga- warm your hands, dry your gloves and I also cook army rations on them- lamb casserole cooked while I put the tent up!
 
Exmoor beast said:
I’ve been looking at old pics of bikers, in the UK back in the day, all in leather jacket or a wax jacket. Unless you’re not going far, how often is it warm enough to wear either? I used to wear an all in one romper suit, quilted waterproof thing when I commuted 50 miles a day and I remember the dispatchers wearing them. Never had a lot of luck with wax cotton , always cold and damp even if it was dry- useless at keeping you dry in a down pour. First waterproof jacket that worked was a Baleno, which was just like a Rukka jacket, warm & bone dry. My point is if you look back at old pics of elephant rally,IOM TT or similar they are all underdressed, must have been freezing. I got off the IOM ferry at Heysham and rode to Rugby to a service station for petrol & warm up. Met a guy on a Z900 going back to Bristol, leather jacket, tee shirt & jeans, looked like a roadie for the Quo. He said goodbye and shot off with the crack of his arse showing as his jacket was short. Nowadays I wear a textile jacket that does all weather in perfect comfort and rarely wear a leather jacket, last couple of times I’ve worn a leather I was cold going home later.
Click to expand...
Started out a sixteen, in 1980, with a very old Lewis hand me down that was probably several decades old, I continuously had to restitch to keep the jacket from falling apart. I then graduated to a nearly new Buffalo leather jacket bought from my brother's mate who'd giving up biking after putting his RD350B through a shop window (the shop in question was the Joke Shop on the bend of Little Ealing Lane, opposite the Plough Inn). I then bough a Belstaff wax cotton Jacket and trousers..those did me for a few years until I gave up biking for financial reasons for a few years . Returning to biking in 1997, I got through a few leather jackets and trousers (always linked by a zip to stop that dreaded cold gap) bought from various bike shows, until in 2004 I bought a set of 2 piece Scott leathers (off the peg) at the BMF rally, and wore those for 15 years, before getting a made to measure 2 piece from Scott..luxury! Last year I bought a 3/4 length 'Benjamin button' leather coat that I pair with motorcycle denim jeans (both fully armoured) for commuting to work (around an 80 mile round trip), which is excellent as it has plenty of outside easy to access pockets! I've also had a Lewis Leathers mesh summer jacket which is excellent for the hot summers since the late 2000's.
 
Best and most waterproof jacket I had was a Frank Thomas Aquaguard ........ and with a removable tin foil lining it would keep you warm as well .....

The " Aqua " logo was used by FT on a lot of their products ........ I remember following a bloke wearing a Frank Thomas jacket with " AQUA " emblazoned in big letters on the back .......
Trouble was , to the ordinary person it rather looked as if he was a fan of the Danish / Norwegian dance duo who were called Aqua , and was probably whistling to the tune of " Barbie Girl " to himself as he rode along ...........
 
Last edited:
I started off with a Kett jacket, better than a Barbour as it had a padded lining to help keep the cold at bay. I also had a very fluorescent, sort of waterproof, jacket which I wore for awhile, but as it didn't seem to have any beneficial effect on whether any other road user could see me, or keeping the rain out, I stopped wearing it.
After I bought my 350 Monty look-alike from Avon Bikes I did splash out on a full set of TT International leathers, which I still have, and used them when I started racing in 1983. I switched to a new set of Dainese leather in 1985, bought with the money from an insurance payout, after I was knocked off my bike buy a deaf and myopic car driver. I still occasionally wear them (see photo to left).
I also wore things like combat jackets etc in those early days, but over the last 10-15 years it has been a mix of textile and leather jackets depending on the weather and what I am riding. I currently have a very good quality Halvarssons jacket, a slightly battered Frank Thomas leather jacket which I use in equal amounts and a relatively new two piece, zip together set of RST leathers (also bought with an insurance payout), for when I am out for a fast ride over the mountain etc.
 
I started with leather bibs and and a long surplus 50s jacket that went over my butt. Still have it but the sttching has fallen apart. Eventually saved up and had a fitted two piece suit made. Still fits 30 years later. For pottering around I have Held Kevlar jeans and a Held leather jacket that zip together. Held gloves too. They are absolutely great. Unfortunately the seemingly indestructible Alpine Stars Daytona boots I had forever spent a winter in a damp garage and were completely devoured by mould, same as my Harro Elefantenboy tank bag. Now I have Daytona boots (no relation). I have a nondescript rainsuit from Detlev Louis. And neoprene diving gloves - no protection but keep your hands warm when it rains.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top