A visit to leather jacket heaven in Thessaloniki - Thedi Leathers!

[Colin G]

O/T:

It's all getting a bit real now. I've been out today and bought my own crash helmet.

I grew up around motorcycles but was a late bloomer since I am a bicycle nut primarily. My older brother was into motor cross and café racers while I was into skateboarding and racing BMX.

I bought my First bike in my mid 30's, without ever really riding one and it was an old, finicky Norton 850.

The first time I took that old beast for a ride I hung on for dear life and had an adrenaline-fueled smile, emblazoned on my face from ear to ear. I felt like I was being pulled through the atmosphere by some oily old machine, rather than actually riding it.

After a few rides, I calmed down and it was not a matter of hanging on for dear life but finally becoming one with the machine, instead.

Barnabus, you're going to love it.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Here's my ride. 1200CCs of get out of the way. Very good handling for practically anyone. I've been riding Triumphs, Kaws and Harleys since 1964 and this is one of my all time favorite rides I am 6'2' 185 lbs.

 

[Colin G]

Nice Harley. ^^

Thread hijack and a pic of my Norton Commando I rebuilt. It is pretty zippy for a vintage bike since there is a hotter cam in there. Next stop is a dual Keihin carb kit for some instant zip.

 

[ProteinNerd]

If you make a mistake you'll go down whether it is a small or large bike.

Was going to say the same thing, if it’s going down, it’s going down regardless of “size”.

Just remember to use the rear brake and not the front when doing slow manoeuvring and you should be fine.

 

[JMax]

Was going to say the same thing, if it’s going down, it’s going down regardless of “size”.

Just remember to use the rear brake and not the front when doing slow manoeuvring and you should be fine.

Yep. Rear brake and friction zone. Master that and the bike will do some pretty amazing stuff. I started off on a big bike— about 20 years ago on a Harley Fat Boy. Learn on what you want instead of “upgrading” in a month’s time. That Fat Boy was the smallest bike I ever owned. I find that the big boys (Road Glide, Road Kings) actually handle better in the tight and slow stuff. And they are a dream on the highway.

 

[Edward]

Big bikes aren't an easy option for a beginner here in the UK since they put all kinds of restrictions on tests and licenses. Harleys are still popular with the City Boy types; they also seem to be the loudest bikes on the roads here! The Harleys I like tend to be the pre 47 models. Would be interesting to try riding one with the hand gear change and foot clutch.

 

[JMax]

There is a small group down here that solely rides truly vintage HDs. They even dress the part. Very cool. I may see them at a local watering hole today and will try to take pics.

While I love Harleys, my underlying point was to purchase the size bike you want. I am not a big believer in buying something smaller and then building up to what you truly want. Waste of money, many of the people I have known end up moving up in a month or two.

I had no idea about the tests and restrictions on big bikes. How difficult would it be for someone visiting to rent such a bike?

 

[red devil]

There is a small group down here that solely rides truly vintage HDs. They even dress the part. Very cool. I may see them at a local watering hole today and will try to take pics.

While I love Harleys, my underlying point was to purchase the size bike you want. I am not a big believer in buying something smaller and then building up to what you truly want. Waste of money, many of the people I have known end up moving up in a month or two.

I had no idea about the tests and restrictions on big bikes. How difficult would it be for someone visiting to rent such a bike?

The restrictions are age dependant for the UK driving licence as follows

So basically, if you're over 24 years old, you can take the unrestricted licence directly.

As a visitor, you wouldn't be bound by these rules, but depending from where you come from, you might need an international driving licence

Edit: forgot to mention that the roads in the UK are much smaller than in the US overall (including parking space), so you would need to adapt to tight roads and curves as well as different road rules

 

[red devil]

But yeah, I would recommend to go directly to the bike size you want. You can practice slow manoeuvring in an empty parking spot until you're comfortable with it. Or just take an extra lesson or two with your bike if you feel you need it

 

[Carlos840]

The new bikes are much better balanced than the old ones, so it's unlikely you would drop it this easily.



If you can ride a 125, you can ride a 500. You would just need a bit of time to adjust.

IMO smaller bikes are actually scarier to ride.
Big bikes (above 650cc) are stable and smooth, small 125 are super wobbly and lack power.
I did my training and license on a four cylinder 650 and then bough a similar bike.
The first time i rode a 125 a couple years afterwards was a scary experience, never again!

 

[Mich486]

Can you beat a 50cc in heavy city traffic though? To me it feels like the most agile thing you can get for that purpose.

Where I am from you start at 14 driving a 50cc scooter (and usually pimping it to have it hit 60mph) and then if you really are into motorbikes you move on from there. Starting directly with a big bike sounds pretty unnatural to me. But I don’t ride anymore too many near misses when I was young... lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Edward]

I love those little Japanese bikes with the 50cc engines that are tuned out the wazoo -some of them can hit a ton.

The only competitive riding league I was ever tempted by is one in which there are only two rules: 1] no engine bigger than 50cc, 2] all competitors must be dressed as a super-hero of their own devising....

 

[JMax]

The restrictions are age dependant for the UK driving licence as follows

View attachment 138870

So basically, if you're over 24 years old, you can take the unrestricted licence directly.

As a visitor, you wouldn't be bound by these rules, but depending from where you come from, you might need an international driving licence

Edit: forgot to mention that the roads in the UK are much smaller than in the US overall (including parking space), so you would need to adapt to tight roads and curves as well as different road rules

Thanks. The age requirements seem rather harsh. I much prefer curvy roads, why I miss Denver and Virginia. Everything is straight in Florida.

 

[JMax]

Can you beat a 50cc in heavy city traffic though? To me it feels like the most agile thing you can get for that purpose.

Where I am from you start at 14 driving a 50cc scooter (and usually pimping it to have it hit 60mph) and then if you really are into motorbikes you move on from there. Starting directly with a big bike sounds pretty unnatural to me. But I don’t ride anymore too many near misses when I was young... lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Learn on what you want, you will end up there rather quick. That said, I see the appeal of a smaller bike for big city riding, or lane splitting and filtering through traffic. I push it on my big bike but some gaps are impossible to get through with the bags and big bars lol. Now, if I had a Dyna as a 2d bike, that would work. Maybe I should sell some jackets?

 

[red devil]

Thanks. The age requirements seem rather harsh. I much prefer curvy roads, why I miss Denver and Virginia. Everything is straight in Florida.

Yeah, can't have a bigger bike before 21 and that's with passing the test twice.

 

[barnabus]

Fortunately, I am well old and have had my driving licence for thirty years. So I'm bashing straight on with the full A, letting me ride what I like.

I should be terrifying myself on something between 650 and 800 before Christmas.

 

[red devil]

Happy to report that I have been to Thessaloniki again, and I have good and bad news...

Let's start with the good news, a lot of new models, types of leather, and it is still as fun as ever to be in the shop!

The bad news? I got carried away and took only a few pictures.

Lesson to take from this? I need to go back

This time, I was not on my own, my other half came as well for her first serious jacket, a perfecto!

And @Jejupe joined in on the fun!

First thing we noticed immediately is a new slew of longer jackets, so I immediately tried the sample on

I really like the back, the belt is attached by a button to easy to remove

And the front is up there as well!

The sample size is a bit too small for me,but still gives a good idea of what this jacket is like. There was also a very nice peacoat, a longer shearling jacket, and a few more... And yes, I should have taken pictures of all of them...

I also found this jacket very interesting

Really like the clean front, It would work very well with all types of material combinations

The back is much more intricate, but I think it works overall pretty well. Minimalistic front and a detailed back is an interesting concept for a jacket.

This new cafe racer has quite a few interesting details

The accordion part (if this is what the folded leather part is called?)is a first for me in a Thedi jacket, not sure I have seen it before. Anybody knows when these were first implemented?
It should give a good range of motion to the wearer, making it a very good riding jacket.

I had at least six jackets I wanted, and paring it down to a reasonable level was quite a challenge. I ended up not ordering the long jacket for now, the one pictures above, although it is firmly in my mind, potentially as is. The leather on it was fantastic!

I ended up going with 2 jackets for myself, one of the new prototypes in a thick sheep hide which was available this time. My first in such a hide, it looks very interesting and unique! I got distracted just as I was about to take a picture of it and only realised much later when I was trying to send it to a friend!
Funnily, it actually is in the pic of the long jacket, hanging on the lower left side. You can see it a bit. And no this mystery was really not intended lol

The other jacket is a long term project that will take more time, same as the CR I ordered some time ago and that I should get in couple of months or so. It will be a challenge to make and spec but it will be pretty unique.

Theodoros and Alexandra have again been great hosts and I can not thank them enough! The shop is a real danger to us here, especially for our bank accounts. The different leather smells, the variety of styles, details, the setting...

So overall, another very nice trip with a lot of positive outcomes:

- A new jacket incoming, another in the works
- A jacket for my other half, she is starting to understand the passion, and is already thinking of a shearling as her next order
- And more thoughts and ideas to process

So clearly, I will be back there again!

 

[jacketjunkie]

Happy to report that I have been to Thessaloniki again, and I have good and bad news...

Let's start with the good news, a lot of new models, types of leather, and it is still as fun as ever to be in the shop!

The bad news? I got carried away and took only a few pictures.

Lesson to take from this? I need to go back

This time, I was not on my own, my other half came as well for her first serious jacket, a perfecto!

And @Jejupe joined in on the fun!

First thing we noticed immediately is a new slew of longer jackets, so I immediately tried the sample on

I really like the back, the belt is attached by a button to easy to remove

And the front is up there as well!

The sample size is a bit too small for me,but still gives a good idea of what this jacket is like. There was also a very nice peacoat, a longer shearling jacket, and a few more... And yes, I should have taken pictures of all of them...

I also found this jacket very interesting

Really like the clean front, It would work very well with all types of material combinations

The back is much more intricate, but I think it works overall pretty well. Minimalistic front and a detailed back is an interesting concept for a jacket.

This new cafe racer has quite a few interesting details

The accordion part (if this is what the folded leather part is called?)is a first for me in a Thedi jacket, not sure I have seen it before. Anybody knows when these were first implemented?
It should give a good range of motion to the wearer, making it a very good riding jacket.

I had at least six jackets I wanted, and paring it down to a reasonable level was quite a challenge. I ended up not ordering the long jacket for now, the one pictures above, although it is firmly in my mind, potentially as is. The leather on it was fantastic!

I ended up going with 2 jackets for myself, one of the new prototypes in a thick sheep hide which was available this time. My first in such a hide, it looks very interesting and unique! I got distracted just as I was about to take a picture of it and only realised much later when I was trying to send it to a friend!
Funnily, it actually is in the pic of the long jacket, hanging on the lower left side. You can see it a bit. And no this mystery was really not intended lol

The other jacket is a long term project that will take more time, same as the CR I ordered some time ago and that I should get in couple of months or so. It will be a challenge to make and spec but it will be pretty unique.

Theodoros and Alexandra have again been great hosts and I can not thank them enough! The shop is a real danger to us here, especially for our bank accounts. The different leather smells, the variety of styles, details, the setting...

So overall, another very nice trip with a lot of positive outcomes:

- A new jacket incoming, another in the works
- A jacket for my other half, she is starting to understand the passion, and is already thinking of a shearling as her next order
- And more thoughts and ideas to process

So clearly, I will be back there again!

The first, longer one is interesting. He clearly drew inspiration from 40s-50s German Motorcycle Coats there. The back design, the large foldover seams, the yokes, it's all there. I have found longer styles don't work well on my 5'9" frame, otherwise I would seriously consider it in a dark olive/green hide, being a nod to German styling and all.

 

[red devil]

The first, longer one is interesting. He clearly drew inspiration from 40s-50s German Motorcycle Coats there. The back design, the large foldover seams, the yokes, it's all there. I have found longer styles don't work well on my 5'9" frame, otherwise I would seriously consider it in a dark olive/green hide, being a nod to German styling and all.

I really like it and he did tell me that it is a German style.
A dark Olive version would look great!

 

[Edward]

In all truth, when ot comes to lethers I find it hard to get past my beloved Aero. That said, of all the competitors, I find what is coming out of Thessaloniki the most exciting. Thedi's ealy dayswre a bit too modern for me, but as they've gone on they seem to have gone more vintage. What I especially appredciate is that they've entered an established market with the approachof doing their own thing rather than doing atake-off of whatever general line is popular, and they have established a strong brand identity as a result. It's especially interesting to see some of the more Germanic style coming out down there. I begin to wonder too whether that is in part a product of 'vintage' designs coming from an era before contemporary fashion homogenity, thus 'Greek vintage' will look very different fromn 'British vintge' from 'American vintage' and onwards....

Thanks. The age requirements seem rather harsh.

Largely statistics based, in that young men of a certain age re far more likely to overdo it and have the sort of spill that with luck only kills them and not someone else as well. In theory, smaller bikes keep them at lower speeds and out of trouble. Other methods were tried first: young rockers trying to do the ton on public roads was a key reason national speed limits wre introduced to the UK in 1968ish.

Learn on what you want, you will end up there rather quick. That said, I see the appeal of a smaller bike for big city riding, or lane splitting and filtering through traffic. I push it on my big bike but some gaps are impossible to get through with the bags and big bars lol. Now, if I had a Dyna as a 2d bike, that would work. Maybe I should sell some jackets?

But surely you need to have the right bike to go with the jacket? (THat's how it works, right?)

Fortunately, I am well old and have had my driving licence for thirty years. So I'm bashing straight on with the full A, letting me ride what I like.

I should be terrifying myself on something between 650 and 800 before Christmas.

THat's presumably the bonus of having driven all that time - you'll have the more affordable insurance. (I've had a licence since 1994, but not driven a car or, more to the point, been insured on one since 1999. Was just never any point living in central London.)

The first, longer one is interesting. He clearly drew inspiration from 40s-50s German Motorcycle Coats there. The back design, the large foldover seams, the yokes, it's all there. I have found longer styles don't work well on my 5'9" frame, otherwise I would seriously consider it in a dark olive/green hide, being a nod to German styling and all.

THere are a lot of really interesting 30s German bike styles out there. I'd love to see more of them revived. Back during the Lauder era Aero tried one that, if memory serves, Jon Lever suppleid the original of, but the production model I've never seen in the wild; it compromised a lot of the original design for more popular features and to my eye lost something in the translation. I've been hoping Ken would turn his eye to it in due course.