DRAGGIN ASS- I bought myself a B3 for my 40th birthday off of Ebay a couple years ago for $100... buy it now. I was the 3rd person to see it after it was listed and din't hesitate for a second. Best damn jacket I've ever had on. JOE
I noticed that there are some references to stiff leather in this thread. I used Leatherique products for a 20 year old leather convertable seat that would literally crack if you pinched it. I followed the directions and it eventually turned it to butter! No lie! I was amazed - used a hair dryer to help the process. I don't sell the stuff, I have just used it with great success. All natural - they sell a cleaner and an oil plus other things. Not cheap, but it works well. I used it on my leather jackets and all my leather stuff now. Heck, I even tried it on an old leather volleyball that had gotten wet multiple times. Soft as butter now and not greasy - fools people to see an old volleyball that soft. Apparently also used on antique restoration projects - I'd use it on a antique jacket to help preserve it if I owned one. www.leatherique.com Prestine Clean and Rejuvenator Oil is the shizz
ditto what he says. cool jacket by the way! i got a pair of A10 pants and b11 pants??? i forget... check out this one on egay! pricey! http://cgi.ebay.com/WWII-B-15A-B15A...oryZ4729QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Great thread Tingler. Bein a jacket nut - 17 at last count I can see I need one of these. Just the thing for those chilly mornings in the roadster....
Tingler....you had a Fonzie DOLL??? hahahaha!!!!! Say...the next time I get down to southern Oregon to visit my unk, I'll snap a few pics of his old jackets. He still has his from HS and was a hoodlum.hahaha Also has a few WWII Nazi jackets.......REAL ones.....
Couldn't afford an original one so I got a recent USAF issue A-2 (?) jacket, velcro patches etc. Warm as all get out - how does goatskin stack up in a prang ?
Stretching the topic a bit to Aero wear, I have a couple of trousers to go with the jackets. They are in rough shape, my dad wore them for ice fishing back in the 50's and 60's. They are now brittle and mildewed. I need to get some kind of cleaner/conditioner to try to bring them back The first is labeled "Type B1 ... Property of Air Force, U.S. Army" The second is "Trousers, Winter U.S. Navy, Aero"
Stew, see my post above. I used the oil first on some seats - sprayed it on and put black garbage bags over them in the late summer sun. You should have seen all the salt, dirt, etc. that "floated" to the surface of the leather as a grimy haze -and they looked great to start off with. The seats cleaned up nicely. Get those pants supple and then you can repair the damage. See their website for details. A small, family-owned company - owned by a car guy. You can email them about the mildew.
Holy cow, and not even leather. It was quite worn when I got it so I wore the shit out of it. Now I need to find someone that can replace the cuffs and band and fix or replace the zipper so I can wear it again. The zipper tore but still has all it's teeth. It has original grease stains too, patina baby.
ive seen all the replacement edging and cuffs on ebay, and the "talon" zippers. i think any dry cleaner/tailor can do it????
sorry to stay off topic... heres a couple "B1" pants i got. one has pockets sewn on prolly for tools or something, they are from a B-26 "Marauder" squadron. the only thing that sucks is that half the back is gone rotted away and brittle. i tore away all the shitty leather(it was litterally falling off) and im gonna try and get new pieces sewn in(i can make templates and cut the peices for them) anyone know anyone who can sew leather? the other are ok, but need a small patch i think the guy got hit with flack! it has a dark stain near the hole! been looking for boots too! i got a few diff. caps. ALSO, for everyones info leather was early ww2, they switched to the green cotton late war(i also have a set of green "A10" pants)
Anyone know when Excelled started making their version of the black motorcycle jacket? I've got one that looks to be from the Fifties or Sixties. Looks just like the ones they currently sell, but the leather is VERY aged (chrome is a little rusty, and the leather is starting to harden some and crazing in places) and the threads are all white instead of black. The guy I got it from found it in a barn some years ago.
Muttley, i cant help but drool over that brown jacket, do you remember the sellers name? i know its been a very long time..i ment to ask when this thread was new but totally forgot about it. Checked ebay didnt see it either..thats like the perfect jacket for me
Heres a lot more info i notice hasn't been mentioned yet.The irvin Flying jacket,as designed in 1926,is still available in the UK. http://www.flying-jacket.com/irvin.asp As a kid these were cheap from Army surplus stores as were leather gerkins ,leather pants and guantletts.All designed to stop you freezing at 20,000 ft over Germany while carpet bombing Dresden. In New Zealands Climate they were perfect for bike riding. I still have a WW1 flying coat,made in England by Alfred Dunhill . The front,it's got a silk lining which was ripped sometime in the past and it's been repaired with a piece of actual silk stocking... Considering the age ,at least 90 years old,it's in pretty good condition.Plenty of saddle oil over the years has kept it good.
my dads got a couple of those jackets there mercmad he wears em when hes out scootin on his 24 harley outfit.
Tingler first off please get a hold of these two books if you would like to know the history of the black leather motorcycle jacket. Both by the same author------ Rin Tanaka. Motorcycle Jackets: A Century of Leather Design by Schiffer Publications. Motorcycle Jackets: Ultimate Bikers Fashions by Schiffer as well The books tell you everything about the history and the makers as well as the details throughout the years and who made what and why. Buco, Schott, Beck, Trojan, Leather Togs---- it's all in there and gives a little inside on who actually made the best stuff. Marlon Brando's jacket was a Schott Perfecto One Star. The wardrobe department purchased the jacket for Brando at Schott's L.A. shop. For the most part pre ww2 motorcycle riding jackets were made on a darker brown leather primarily horsehide ---it's better--- the pores are tighter and the leather is more taught it's a different animal-- not fat ( the one guy is right it wont grab and fluff about when you hit the pavement like cheap cowhide.) Up until post WW2. The "w" style collar on the black leather jacket was also more prevalent right before and right after WW2 as well. The black leather jacket came about this time as well. A lot of the jackets worn by the guys on the lakes were A-2 flight jacket. (See some photos of Barney Navarro at the lakes) the quintessential American flight jacket and the Navy version --- the "G-1 " and the cotton with alpaca lining b-15. The navy G-1 WW2 variant was called a M-422a and in the Korean war the 55j14. The G-1 moniker did not really appear until the late 1950's. Nearly all A-2's were made of horsehide with about 10 % being goatskin. The Navy leather flight jackets were all made of goatskin. "Purple" The green cotton jacket that you pictured is a B-15 A the "a" comes from the Oxygen tabs on the front of the jacket "the two little leather tabs" the pilots would clip their masks to them when not in use. These really did not come into theater until the last few months of ww2 and it is rare to find one actually used in ww2. They were mostly used from surplus inventory in Korea. Guys if you would like a serious look into who makes some of the best reproduction (continuation) leather motorcycle jackets in the whole world check out Lost Worlds . www.lostworldsinc.com The guy isn't just a Mfr . He is a damn artist when it comes to the Black Leather Motorcycle Jacket. Some of the original Mfrs. are still around and Langlitz does make some nice stuff . So do these companies. www.aeroleatherclothing.com www.eastmanleather.com http://historypreservation.com/hpassociates/index.html as well as the aforementioned Lost worlds . "Axle" that A-2 you have is amazing. The 392 Bomb Group also known as The Crusaders . They flew b-24 liberators which compromised the of the 576th ,577th , 578th and 579th bomb squadrons. Pretty nice little piece of history there and a keeper of a family heirloom. I know the different squadrons painted that insignia different colors --- I gotta check on that one . Absolutely stunning . Cheaters vintage clothing division Jerome
I remember My grandfather wearing a schott leather jacket while riding his Indian. Grandma hated the clothing and the bike. (i'm 58) so that had to been in the early 40's late 30's
As an added amount of info..... The Beck distributing company (AKA) Beck /Northeastern Flying Togs was one of the first distributors of wholesale motorcycle accessories to almost every shop and every state as early as the 1920's . Some of their first jackets were made by a yet unknown company and unknown number of jackets .... but sometime in the late 1920's early 1930's eventually their jackets were madeby their longtime business partner Irving and Jack Schott . The "Perfecto" or Beck model 333 was released in the early 1930's. The Perfecto name is not Italian derived as someone had mentioned earlier but in fact named after Irving Schott's favorite cuban cigar The Perfecto Keep the shiny side up and ride free. Jerome
That appears to be the 'Hartmann' jacket by Eastman Leather Clothing. It's available in the brown finish or a black finish. It's based on a style worn by the world's top scoring fighter pilot, Erich Hartmann. They are lovely jackets, and have a very supple leather. This one also appears to the other Eastman 'Luftwaffe' style jacket, of a type often seen in the early years of the war. This style uses a stiffer grade of leather, but these ones do have a rather nice soft and warm lining. There was no 'issue' Luftwaffe leather flying jacket.....ever. They first started appearing early on in the war and were individualy bought on a commercial basis by each pilot, often based on French pre-war motorcycle jackets...... And Ike based 'his' jacket on the British Army 'battledress' tunic that he saw being worn when he came over to the UK to plan the D-Day landings.
Still looking for info on my Excelled brand copy of Brando's Schott Perfecto 618. CheaterRome, is there any info on Excelled in those books you recommend?
I am not saying black motorcycle jackets didn't exist ..just that brown was a more popular and prevalent color. Buco and Los Angeles sportswear were some prime Police jacket makers as well as California Sportswear . The introduction of cowhide and more mass production from major companies led to the eventual decline in quality as time went on. There are still some fine jacket makers out there but they are all custom for sure. The Excelled leather garment company... I really don't have that much information on but I can tell you that every one I have seen... never had ball and chain pullers on any of the pockets or pre war time Talon or Conmar main zipper pullers. So I would say pre war is out. They still are around today but like most mass produced stuff.... is crap .I do remember seeing most of the good jackets with late 1950's to early 1970's style main zips. To be for sure I would have to see photos of the jacket or in person. There is a lot of info you can gather just buy seeing construction and zipper manufacture just from a vintage clothing collector nerd perspective like myself. Rome
Thanks for that info, Rome. I've just bought a new camera and still have to learn to use it. My old camera went south just as I was getting the hang of it. I'll send some photos as soon as I am able to work the camera. The main zipper has "ACME" on the pull and "WM" (stacked W over M) on the zipper stop. The pocket zippers have a small chain with a circular ring pull. (Is that what a ball and chain pull is?)
so i ended up fixing the one pair of pants using a part from a bad section of the really bad pants.(that i posted before) i had to hand sew the patch in and it took me hours! and its still kindof half assed but im only gonna use em to do reenactments so its not really a big deal. heres a picture, this is a G1 jacket used by the navy, so technically its wrong. but i dont have the money to buy the proper jacket right now. man and it was 110 degrees out... man was that hot.
best jacket i ever saw was the one nick cage wore in ghostrider the one he took off the crook in jail, with the big flap across his chest and spikes on his shoulders pity ill look like an idiot in it though
I think I've finally got this new camera figured out. Here's some photos of my Excelled. It is hard to tell from the photo, but all the stiching is white. The current version that Excelled sells has all black stichting. I would appreciate any help dating this jacket.
And, here's a WWI Aviator's Tunic cut leather flying jacket. These are sometimes also called a Motorist's Tunic This cut became popular during WWI and continued to be popular until the early Thirties. They are still in the Sears catalog in the early Thirties, but by the time of my Winter 1942 Sears catalog they are no longer offered. This one has a hand sewn silk lining.
Heres a pic of my Great Aunt in her motorcycle gear...best guess on date: approx 1937-39. Great Uncle isn't wearing his leather jacket in this picture unfortunately...and its the only pic of either in their leather jackets that I have. The bike is a 1937 BSA OHV 250 or 350 Sport. Not sure on exact size but I'd guess the 350 as it was bought to ride double in hilly terrain. Looks like they were dressed up for a short trip to Church or some celebration.
Hackerbill, It is a bit hard to tell from the photo, but it looks to me that she is wearing an aviation/motorist tunic. They remained in fashion for women longer than they did for men.
The Jalopy Journal
