Harris HTM
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Photos of my gf's mc jacket made of italian soft horsehide. For comparison also photos next to a black vicenza and a black CXL FQHH jacket - all Aero's
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Aero "Black Soft Steerhide"?
- Thread starter SklounstDraxxer
- Start date
I love it when you see 'buttery soft' used as a recommendation for a biker jacket...
They can be "buttery soft" ?? ... goat, deer and kangaroo can be incredibly soft hand leather yet they can be a factor or two better than steer and horse regarding sheer strength and abrasion resistance. NO leather will protect you from an impact perspective (that's what armour is for) but it doesn't need to be thick and stiff to be abrasion resistant which TBH is the main function of a leather jacket.
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Yeah, as far as I am concerned, buttery soft leathers are what you want on a bike. Literally the last thing you need on a bike is feeling uncomfortable, least so 'cause of some stiff leather jacket you can't move in. It's really distracting and the idea of breaking in your new leather jacket on a motorcycle is hipster bs. You shouldn't be doing anything else on the bike except for being careful.
So as far as the riding goes, I infinitely prefer leather jackets made from soft leather. You want to forget the jacket's there once you sit on a bike so "buttery soft leather" is a big plus in my book.
So as far as the riding goes, I infinitely prefer leather jackets made from soft leather. You want to forget the jacket's there once you sit on a bike so "buttery soft leather" is a big plus in my book.
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Any chance for some fit pics? Desperately needed especially after that "trucker shorts" thread. XD
Harris HTM
One Too Many
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haha, no way, she would never ever pose!
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Same here... And we found her a beautiful CR jacket that she loves but photos, no dice.
I think we're talking about a difference in terminology: goat and and MWHH leathers have a soft 'hand', but by nature are tough as nails. Fashion jackets makers use lambskin etc that certainly have a similarly soft drape but are 'buttery soft' in the sense that they tend towards tearing before scuffing and look shabby and tired over time rather than developing character.
SklounstDraxxer
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Thanks for sharing these pics!! It's great to finally see a pic of this leather as a completed jacket. I can't tell you how long I've spent trying to visualize how the sample of this leather would look as a jcket. I do have some follow-up questions...sorry for so many!
- In the comparison pics, is the bomber Vicenza and the one with the buckle FQHH?
- If the bomber is indeed Vicenza, it looks better than I've seen it (at least, the pics of brand new Vicenza jackets that Thurston posts). It looks more matte and also less pebbly than those other pics, which are both pluses in my book.
- Aesthetically, I think the soft black Italian horsehide looks awesome. However, do you think it's too "fragile" for a jacket, in that it might stretch or tear easily? I wouldn't be using this for riding at all. With the sample of it that I have, I'm concerned because I can very easily stretch it out and it doesn't really return to its original shape.
- How does it compare to Vicenza in terms of lightness, thinness, and drape?
Lewis Leathers, Mascot, Belstaff and Rivetts (to name but few) used Lambskin in the manufacture of their jackets in the 60's, 70's and 80's ... indeed some of their modern versions are still lamb. By modern standards they were indeed about as abrasion resistant as denim 
yet they command huge used prices even when they look knackered. Indeed many on here would suggest they look awesome, but I wouldn't want to use them on a bike.
However, it's not solely down to the original animal source. Indeed Peckards used to tan lambskin in the 90's for gloves which was incredibly abrasion resistant, in fact surprisingly so. The issue is some respects is the tanning and the quality rather than the origin (although not wholly) ... after all look at the quality and resilience of the Irvin jacket when compared to it's American counterparts.
Equally Horsehide (in the Taber test and many of the std. test which support ISO 17076-1:2012 and ASTM D7255) is often less abrasion resistant than equivalent tanned steer (read CXL here). Vanson's competition weigh steer scores particularly highly in the ASTM tests yet I have seen Vanson competition weigh suits which have a buttery soft hand and are much more supple than many of the jackets we see posted here, especially from the early 00's when the fashion was for softer hand rather than jackets like armour. Alpinestars, Dianese, Kushitani and RS Taichi made some of the buttery softest racing suits and gloves worn by many of the top team in MOTO GP and WSB which have an abrasion resistance greater than Kevlar against many tests even in what many on here would consider flimsy weights. Layering is one of the keys, two, three and sometimes four or more layers are MUCH better than the equiv single thickness, indeed when you add in modern composites like Aramid and Cordura the results are staggering for such flimsy materials..
In the early 00's I did a pile of work with Paul Vansferry and Prof. Ron Wood (two of the experts in the field at the time) ... indeed we tested Vanson, Scott, Alpinestars, Lewis and Aero products and materials ( I headed up Castrol Global Motorcycles Business and we were producing very high end motorcycle clothing). From experience, "hand"is no indication of sheer or abrasion resistance alone.
However, I agree a fashion jacket will never be a Furygan or a Vanson !
yet they command huge used prices even when they look knackered. Indeed many on here would suggest they look awesome, but I wouldn't want to use them on a bike. However, it's not solely down to the original animal source. Indeed Peckards used to tan lambskin in the 90's for gloves which was incredibly abrasion resistant, in fact surprisingly so. The issue is some respects is the tanning and the quality rather than the origin (although not wholly) ... after all look at the quality and resilience of the Irvin jacket when compared to it's American counterparts.
Equally Horsehide (in the Taber test and many of the std. test which support ISO 17076-1:2012 and ASTM D7255) is often less abrasion resistant than equivalent tanned steer (read CXL here). Vanson's competition weigh steer scores particularly highly in the ASTM tests yet I have seen Vanson competition weigh suits which have a buttery soft hand and are much more supple than many of the jackets we see posted here, especially from the early 00's when the fashion was for softer hand rather than jackets like armour. Alpinestars, Dianese, Kushitani and RS Taichi made some of the buttery softest racing suits and gloves worn by many of the top team in MOTO GP and WSB which have an abrasion resistance greater than Kevlar against many tests even in what many on here would consider flimsy weights. Layering is one of the keys, two, three and sometimes four or more layers are MUCH better than the equiv single thickness, indeed when you add in modern composites like Aramid and Cordura the results are staggering for such flimsy materials..
In the early 00's I did a pile of work with Paul Vansferry and Prof. Ron Wood (two of the experts in the field at the time) ... indeed we tested Vanson, Scott, Alpinestars, Lewis and Aero products and materials ( I headed up Castrol Global Motorcycles Business and we were producing very high end motorcycle clothing). From experience, "hand"is no indication of sheer or abrasion resistance alone.
However, I agree a fashion jacket will never be a Furygan or a Vanson !
Harris HTM
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Hi Draxxer,
indeed the bomber is Vicenza (the Happy Days model, essentially an A-2 with handwarmers) and the Long Half Belt is the CXL FQHH.
The Happy Days has some panels where the vicenza is relatively smooth while other panels are far more grainy. I wouldn't say pebbled (as a goatskin can be) but showing prominent grain.
For the soft italian horsehide I wouldn't be afraid of stretching it but I think its abrasion resistance is less than a Vicenza, I think it will show far more scratches.
It is thinner and lighter than Vicenza (though not by far a lambskin fashion item) and drapes almost like a textile jacket.
Which model are you thinking?
If you are indecisive, you are a perfect fit on this forum.
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bluesforchallah
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Looks very similar to my Vanson Comet when it was new.
