J
Joe Guilbeau
Guest
(Note - this is a re-post of a 2006 purchase with current links, the jacket is still stellar in every respect)
Well,
I finally got a replacement of the old leather jackets that had accumulated over the years... my bike is a 1981 GS1100EX that I purchased new in a Houston dealership in the summer of '81.
I use the bike for work and pleasure, averaging about 12,000 to 15,000 miles per year on her.... about 25 miles per day going to and from work... and have also been to both coasts, New York and Colorado etc...blah, blah, blah.
The jacket is $399 on sale and is one, if not the best natural drum dyed full cowhide leather jacket that I have ever worn. (update, this has been edited from circa 2006, the Vented Racing Jacket is now selling for $422)
Here in San Antonio, it was 100-Degrees F today and with the jacket fully closed up with all the vents open and the sleeves unzipped it was actually not bad. The leather is 1.4mm - 1.6mm thick, and this helps keep the sun from soaking thru the leathers. I purchased it two sizes larger than my jacket size so it billows up with air flow nicely, while the leather keeps the sun from baking me inside. Just don?t stop in traffic long?
The craftsmanship is truly outstanding. I have a 48" chest and purchased a size 54 Regular, so that the insides will fill up with air without closing down airflow as a tighter fitting jacket would do.
Very heavy, it comes to about 10.5lbs...nice heft to it. The black leather is butter soft, and Fox Creek Leathers has a pretty good return policy and a lifetime warranty on the garmet.
Mesh lining on the inside with a thinsulate zip out lining covering the mesh. Seams and stitching are first rate as well. These are made in the U.S.A., although how they keep the cost down for such a great riding jacket is a mystery, a $23 dollar increase from 2008 to 2014!
They have extra leather patches on elbows and have articulated areas on the back of the shoulders so it doesn't bind, which reminds me to ask the collective?how many leather jackets have you seen with leather front side pockets instead of cloth or mesh?
Zippers are heavy duty brass with brass snaps with a Fox Creek Leathers printed circumnavigating a U.S.A. Flag inside, nicely done too! Check out the photo on the Brass Snap at the end of this message.
The real treasure is the buttery soft leather that is so heavy duty, it is thick, and soft. Best leather I have seen on a jacket, of 1.4mm ? 1.6mm thickness.
Inside lapel pocket has what looks like taffetta nylon and will hold a wallet. Left and right hand outside pockets lined in LEATHER!
The brass zippers lay in their own "troughs" with a small posts with a brass ball for a pull tab at the end, they are #10 Brass YKK zippers.
Pulling on the seams results in NO GIVE of the stiching. Now granted I am not pulling for all my worth, but when I have done this on other leathers, the comparison is not even close.
The zipper pulls will not be accessible while riding with gloves, unless your gloves are thin, perhaps similar to thin Deerskin. They hide well underneath their "sheaths". This is good for me, but adjusting vents and front zipper while riding just ain't gonna happen very easily. I can live with that.
Like I said, outstanding quality at an outstanding price from an American Company... worth every penny, this may be the last jacket I will ever have to purchase.
Be sure to inquire about armor, although I believe that they will work with you on a custom design, if you decide to opt out of this standard feature. It will have to be a bit longer delivery as the leathers now are transitioning to this standard feature.
Here is the jacket that I purchased... pictures are good, and the quality of the leather is excellent (as noted in the pics). Did I mention that it is really heavy, heavy, heavy?
For gloves, these are hard to beat?
http://cdn3.bigcommerce.com/s-cll2t...ets_76250__69580.1414298146.1280.1280.jpg?c=2
Back to the Fox Creek Vintage Jacket, here are the images.
Large Image of jacket front...
https://s3.amazonaws.com/foxcreek-i...s/1/huge/1_1_front_1_1000x1000.jpg?1244522035
Large Image of jacket back...
https://s3.amazonaws.com/foxcreek-i.../1_1_backjkfgvents_5_1000x1000.jpg?1244522043
Collar - No interference with helmets or any base layers for cold climate riding
https://s3.amazonaws.com/foxcreek-i...30/huge/1_1_detail_3_1000x1000.jpg?1244522039
Back {?with optional Side Cinch Lacing, I did not choose this option}
https://s3.amazonaws.com/foxcreek-i.../1_1_lacedjkfgback_8_1000x1000.jpg?1244522049
Armpit Venting
https://s3.amazonaws.com/foxcreek-i...1_1_sleevejkfgvent_6_1000x1000.jpg?1244522045
Well,
I finally got a replacement of the old leather jackets that had accumulated over the years... my bike is a 1981 GS1100EX that I purchased new in a Houston dealership in the summer of '81.
I use the bike for work and pleasure, averaging about 12,000 to 15,000 miles per year on her.... about 25 miles per day going to and from work... and have also been to both coasts, New York and Colorado etc...blah, blah, blah.
The jacket is $399 on sale and is one, if not the best natural drum dyed full cowhide leather jacket that I have ever worn. (update, this has been edited from circa 2006, the Vented Racing Jacket is now selling for $422)
Here in San Antonio, it was 100-Degrees F today and with the jacket fully closed up with all the vents open and the sleeves unzipped it was actually not bad. The leather is 1.4mm - 1.6mm thick, and this helps keep the sun from soaking thru the leathers. I purchased it two sizes larger than my jacket size so it billows up with air flow nicely, while the leather keeps the sun from baking me inside. Just don?t stop in traffic long?
The craftsmanship is truly outstanding. I have a 48" chest and purchased a size 54 Regular, so that the insides will fill up with air without closing down airflow as a tighter fitting jacket would do.
Very heavy, it comes to about 10.5lbs...nice heft to it. The black leather is butter soft, and Fox Creek Leathers has a pretty good return policy and a lifetime warranty on the garmet.
Mesh lining on the inside with a thinsulate zip out lining covering the mesh. Seams and stitching are first rate as well. These are made in the U.S.A., although how they keep the cost down for such a great riding jacket is a mystery, a $23 dollar increase from 2008 to 2014!
They have extra leather patches on elbows and have articulated areas on the back of the shoulders so it doesn't bind, which reminds me to ask the collective?how many leather jackets have you seen with leather front side pockets instead of cloth or mesh?
Zippers are heavy duty brass with brass snaps with a Fox Creek Leathers printed circumnavigating a U.S.A. Flag inside, nicely done too! Check out the photo on the Brass Snap at the end of this message.
The real treasure is the buttery soft leather that is so heavy duty, it is thick, and soft. Best leather I have seen on a jacket, of 1.4mm ? 1.6mm thickness.
Inside lapel pocket has what looks like taffetta nylon and will hold a wallet. Left and right hand outside pockets lined in LEATHER!
The brass zippers lay in their own "troughs" with a small posts with a brass ball for a pull tab at the end, they are #10 Brass YKK zippers.
Pulling on the seams results in NO GIVE of the stiching. Now granted I am not pulling for all my worth, but when I have done this on other leathers, the comparison is not even close.
The zipper pulls will not be accessible while riding with gloves, unless your gloves are thin, perhaps similar to thin Deerskin. They hide well underneath their "sheaths". This is good for me, but adjusting vents and front zipper while riding just ain't gonna happen very easily. I can live with that.
Like I said, outstanding quality at an outstanding price from an American Company... worth every penny, this may be the last jacket I will ever have to purchase.
Be sure to inquire about armor, although I believe that they will work with you on a custom design, if you decide to opt out of this standard feature. It will have to be a bit longer delivery as the leathers now are transitioning to this standard feature.
Here is the jacket that I purchased... pictures are good, and the quality of the leather is excellent (as noted in the pics). Did I mention that it is really heavy, heavy, heavy?
For gloves, these are hard to beat?
http://cdn3.bigcommerce.com/s-cll2t...ets_76250__69580.1414298146.1280.1280.jpg?c=2
Back to the Fox Creek Vintage Jacket, here are the images.
Large Image of jacket front...
https://s3.amazonaws.com/foxcreek-i...s/1/huge/1_1_front_1_1000x1000.jpg?1244522035
Large Image of jacket back...
https://s3.amazonaws.com/foxcreek-i.../1_1_backjkfgvents_5_1000x1000.jpg?1244522043
Collar - No interference with helmets or any base layers for cold climate riding
https://s3.amazonaws.com/foxcreek-i...30/huge/1_1_detail_3_1000x1000.jpg?1244522039
Back {?with optional Side Cinch Lacing, I did not choose this option}
https://s3.amazonaws.com/foxcreek-i.../1_1_lacedjkfgback_8_1000x1000.jpg?1244522049
Armpit Venting
https://s3.amazonaws.com/foxcreek-i...1_1_sleevejkfgvent_6_1000x1000.jpg?1244522045