Cycle Leather

While you are getting your bike ready for the spring riding season:  charging and re-installing the battery, checking the engine and tranny oil, topping off the brake fluid, and checking the tires, brakes, and lights.   Don’t forget to give your leather motorcycle jacket and leather chaps a checkup and tune-up if needed. 

Check for cracks and/or dryness especially in creases and where the leather flexes, such as the elbows, knees, across the shoulders and under the arms.  Give a generous treatment of a good leather conditioner to any problem areas that you find (of course you should also have done this prior to storing it away at the end of last riding season, if not - a little extra care now can fix most problems).  

Next,  give a light treatment overall to moisturize and prepare the leather to be worn again after winter storage.  This is especially important of you have a brown leather jacket and/or brown leather chaps because while this leather is extremely durable and wear resistant, it is less resistant to the elements and requires just a little extra care to keep it supple and weather resistant.

Any small loose seams or hems, such as at the sleeve cuffs, collar, or pant cuffs can be repaired with some rubber cement and allowed to dry thoroughly before wearing. 

Other motorcycle leather, such as saddlebags, travel bags, and tool bags, should be given a good coat of leather waterproofing compound to renew their water resistance for the coming season.  Just a little maintenance will keep your bike, and your leather happy and healthy for another summer season.  Ride On!

Don’t go freezing your bum off while you roar down the road on your motorcycle. Wear warm, comfortable clothing especially during cold months.  Choose from the many styles of men’s motorcycle jackets today that will suit your tastes and personality while protecting you from the elements.  In addition to their obvious functionality, they also make you look cool when you are hanging out with your friends. 

A good motorcycle jacket can be a faithful companion for many years to come. Learn to take care of it well.  Leather jackets usually have removable liners so they are easier to clean. They also come in different colors, textures and design options.

If a motorcycle goes down at highway speed, or even moderate speed, the rider can slide for a considerable distance on the road surface before coming to a stop.  This sliding and or tumbling causes damaging friction, much like exposing your skin to sandpaper or a grinding wheel (not a pleasant thought at all).  Exposed skin can suffer devastating damage from exposure to the road surface, cotton shirts and jeans also offer very little protection before being torn away or shredded.

Leather motorcycle jackets and chaps provide a barrier of protection between the riders skin and the harsh road surface, absorbing impact and abrasion.  The tough leather jacket, and padding underneath, will wear away on the road surface, absorbing friction and giving the rider time to slide to a stop before the road surface reaches their vulnerable skin. 

Nobody ever climbs on their bike planning to be involved in an accident before reaching their destination or returning home, but accidents do happen - and if it happens to you, I guarantee you will be thankful you were wearing leather. 

That would be ’Unidentified Flying Road Debris’   

But seriously, if you’ve been riding more than an hour, I’m sure you are familiar with the pebbles and road debris that can be kicked up by passing vehicles and vehicles you may be following from time to time.  Wearing a leather motorcycle jacket and leather chaps protects a riders skin from these usually small, but potentially injurous missiles.  The toughness of the leather and padding will help to deflect and absorb the impacts of these objects.

And let’s not forget about ‘bugs’.  Impacting a large, hard-shelled bug at highway speed and be quite painful on bare skin or thin clothing.  And that’s if it is just an ordinary bug, you also run the risk of impacting a bee or wasp, which puts you into a whole new category of pain (I can tell you from experience).  Depending on the location of the impact, this can pose a serious safety and/or control risk to the rider operating the motorcycle.  The thick, resilient protection afforded by leather can easily absorb these impacts unscathed, sparing you the pain and risk.  For obvious reasons, we also recommend wearing a helmet, with a face-shield, and gloves.

Motorcycle leather should be treated with leather conditioner periodically.  This will help to keep it waterproof, as well as soft and comfortable, while extending it’s life.  Even in a rainstorm at highway speed a properly treated leather motorcycle jacket, along with the accompanying leather chaps and gloves will do an excellent job of keeping a rider warm and dry. 

Even when the leather becomes somewhat damp from prolonged exposure to wet weather, it still acts as an excellent windbreak to keep the rider from getting severely chilled. 

A good quality leather motorcycle jacket can also help to keep you cooler in warmer weather and protect you from the sun’s harmful rays.  These jackets have vents that can be opened to allow airflow between the jacket and the rider’s skin, carrying away excess heat and moisture in the process.

Leather motorcycle jackets, pants, vests, chaps and gloves are a trademark style for many motorcyclists. They don’t just wear these leathers to make a fashionable appearance, they wear them for comfort and protection as well.

Well folks, as reluctant as winter seems to give up it’s hold on us, the fact is that spring is now just around the corner.  That means we get to move from bitter cold snowy weather to weeks (or possibly months) of damp, chilly, rainy weather. 

My favorite rain gear for spring is a good, long leather duster, and a leather hat.  These long leather coats are so versatile; give them a coat of a quality leather water repellent product like Pecard Waterproof Dressing, and you have a really sharp looking all-weather coat that will put your standard raincoat to shame. 

Personally, I favor one made from buffalo hide, since it is tougher and more durable than cowhide, yet softer and more supple at the same time. 

Some models also include a removable cape across the shoulders which sheds rain and weather away from the shoulder and neck seams, increasing the weatherproof integrity of the coat.  Many also feature removable liners to make them cooler to wear in warmer climates or during summer rains.

If you thought that donning a leather motorcycle jacket and maybe some leather chaps and a helmet were all the protection you would ever need while cruising the highways on your motorcycle, think again…

A Canadian inventor has been granted a patent, by the UK, for an Electromagnetically shielded motorcycle seat.  Apparently, tests have shown that motorcycles generate massive amounts of EMF (ElectroMagnetic Field) and ELF (Extremely Low Frequency) radiation, which can penetrate through the motorcycles seat and into the riders groin and torso.   Some studies have indicated that extensive, long-term exposure to these types of radiation may be linked to numerous health problems including cancer. 

The inventor claims that steel or even lead are not sufficient to shield riders from this hazardous exposure, but the highly processed materials in his patented design can.

Should you be concerned?  Click here to read the complete article and decide for yourself.

Here is another exceedingly cool eco-friendly idea…  Wooden Scooters!!

A Portuguese craftsman, named Carlos Alberto, made this beautifully crafted Classic-style Vespa recreation.  Using an actual vespa which had fallen into disrepair as inspiration, he crafted a new curvy body for the scooter using long-tested woodworking techniques.  The backbone of the bike is crafted from steam-bent and plastic coated veneers from which the other carven wood body parts are suspended.  Even the seat and cargo tray are made of wood.

Sporting a nice brown leather motorcycle jacket or scooter jacket you would truly look ‘as one with the machine’ and nature. 

View more details about this unique scooter by clicking here.

Have you noticed the increasing numbers of Women’s Motorcycle Clubs and Female Motorcycle Rallies across the country?   Wow, I can remember back in ‘97 when women motorcyclists weren’t even a blip on the radar screens of manufacturers and marketers. 

But now, we have our own events, our own clubs, even manufacturers making products targeted just at us.  I’m not just talking’ about pink leather jackets and chaps, although I do have one and love it. 

I’m talking about bonifide women’s motorcycle boots, women’s motorcycle helmets, and cycle manufacturers actually taking notice of and offering options that women want, like more comfortable seats, more attractive paint color options,  and more low-ride models in styles that women will buy.  Some of us girls have shorter legs than you guys. 

It’s great to see the motorcycling world finally taking us ladies seriously, ’cause guess what guy’s?  We’re here to stay!