How much do you like your new Lewis Leathers Jacket?

[elrockers]

Hello all,

Of all the premium leather jacket makers Lewis Leathers appeals to me the most. I have heard that vintage Lewis Leathers jackets have not withstood the test of time as well as other competing brands because the quality of the leather was not as good. But, how about now? Has any of you purchased a Lewis Leather jacket recently. Naturally, it will be hard to predict how the jacket will look in 15 or 25 years. But, I am interested to hear about your first impressions (overall workmanship, quality of the leather and stitching etc). Also, I would love to hear about their customer service. The two styles I am most interested in are the Monza No. 438 and the Super Phantom No. 443. I must add that I ride a motorcycle practically every day. So, if you are a motorcyclist, I am specially interested to hear your impressions.

Thank you kindly,

elrockers

 

[Mojo1975]

The leather quality isn't anything like Aero, Vanson, or Langlitz. If you're interested in a Monza, I'd take a look at a Langlitz Cascade in either thick steerhide or horsehide. If you're interested in a Phantom, look into a short Langlitz Sidewinder with a mandarin collar in thick steerhide or horsehide. You'd be better off taking a fall in thick denim than in a new / repo. Lewis Leathers leather jacket. You might also want to check out the Vanson Dominator or the Vanson Chopper. Also, the Aero Daytona with a mandarin collar might interest you. These last three jackets mentioned are jackets that Insurrection Apparel & Boots orders on a regular basis for customers who want quality motorcycle leathers with the classic LL / English style. Here are the specs. that Insurrection uses as a base on the Vanson Chopper Jacket.

* Special waxed finish competition cowhide
* 2 Exterior zip close pockets
* 1 Interior lining pocket
* 1 Snap close leather lined gun pocket
* Brass hardware, black snap caps
* Quilted red sateen lining
* Double buckle side adjustere
* Short action back shoulder gusset
* Quilted leather detail on sleeve cap, shoulder and yoke

This jacket is a total hardcore moto jacket and will blow doors off of almost any other English style moto jacket....check out those buckles!!! Yet, don't rule out the Aero Daytona with a mandarin collar. My buddy just got one of those through Insurrection and it's sooooooo badass!!!

Yet, on all of the aforementioned jackets, go with nickel hardware. I've never seen a vintage Lewis Leathers or Highwayman or Interstate brand jacket with brass hardware, and I've seen a ton of the originals.

 

[Edward]

I think you're right on the colour of the hardware... Lewis' product line replicates models from its Sixties heyday; I believe many of the classic Lewis models were first designed around 1957 and thereabouts. By that period, it seems that the black and chrome look had become established as 'the norm' for biker leathers. Of the originals I've seen, I don't see many brown jackets from that period. Gold tone metal fitting on black seem to me to have been much more common in the late Forties / early Fifties than they came to be later on.

 

[elrockers]

mojo,

* thank you. lewis leathers might have great styling, but if i fall it will be my hide taking the heat! when time and money permit i might buy one for casual use.

* neither insurrection nor vanson leathers have the "vanson chopper" listed on their websites. insurrection is closed on mondays. so, i will give them a ring tomorrow.

* the option of a mandarin collar on the aero "daytona" sounds quite tempting. if i go this route i would ask them to get rid of the belt and replace it with waste buckles.

 

[Bonneville]

Mojo, do you have any more pics of that Insurrection jacket you can post here? Would appreciate seeing them as well as others you might have.

 

[Mojo1975]

Mojo, do you have any more pics of that Insurrection jacket you can post here? Would appreciate seeing them as well as others you might have.

Here are some more pictures of the Vanson Chopper jacket:

Yet, you need to go with Nickel hardware to get that English look, so Insurrection does Nickel on their Chopper jacket orders. The Chopper jacket ends up looking a lot like the Nickel hardware version of the Dominator. Here's me in the Vanson Dominator, which is pretty damn badass too! It reminds me a lot of the Lewis Leather's Lightning jacket, but with much higher leather quality.

mojo,

* thank you. lewis leathers might have great styling, but if i fall it will be my hide taking the heat! when time and money permit i might buy one for casual use.

* neither insurrection nor vanson leathers have the "vanson chopper" listed on their websites. insurrection is closed on mondays. so, i will give them a ring tomorrow.

* the option of a mandarin collar on the aero "daytona" sounds quite tempting. if i go this route i would ask them to get rid of the belt and replace it with waste buckles.

If you go with the Aero Daytona, I'd definitely go through Insurrection, as I'm pretty sure they have done a lot of work with Will at Aero setting up styles like this right. It's a very, very classic looking 1960s off-centered zip English style biker jacket with a D-pocket, which is very cool. My buddy went with NOS zippers that Insurrection set him up with...If it wasn't for the Aero tag, I would have thought it was an English jacket from the late 1960s. All NOS Nickel zips, which looked sooooooo sweet!!! It's practically impossible to find #5 NOS Nickel 1960s zips!!!

Also, for casual use, Insurrection has some original 1960s Lewis Leathers Monzas and Phantoms. Yet, I wouldn't ride in them. As you stated in your original post, the leather quality just isn't quite there. Yet, they're very, very cool jackets! Personally, I like the dark blue late 1960s / early 1970s Super Phantoms the best! Here's a picture from Insurrection's website:

 

[Bonneville]

Man that top Insurrection jacket is very striking. I'd like to see it with a full Lancer style collar.

 

[Twit]

I have a Lewis Dominator which I think is great, the quality is brilliant and it is great to wear! But you have to remember that it is basically the same jacket as the 50s one and the leather is not as think as some other companies.

If you want a riding jacket, it will do the job but maybe not as well as others. Again, its a 50s jacket and you have to take into account the speeds and conditions of bikes in the 50s as that is waht it is designed for. The bikes weren't quick, the roads were much emptier and the major risk was actually heading into a hedge, ditch or field rather than surfing at speed down the tarmac!

I think you have to be clear what type of jacket is wanted, if its a classic style riding jacket then function should be the major driver and I would go for a jacket from Fox Creak, I have a classic style jacket and as a bike jacket its great, warm and massively thick; also a bargain by comparison to some of the others. But any classic style jacket will not compare well to a modern leather jacket with full armour and back protection etc. On a modern bike that is the only type of leather jacket I would consider. If its casual bike jacket you want, and riding is secondary, then I would have no hesitation in going for the Lewis jacket, they are great!

 

[mrc]

My friend paid a decent amount (over $1350 USD with shipping, customs, etc.) to get a Lewis Leathers jacket, only to get it in the mail, be very disappointed in the jacket's quality, and sell it on e-Bay. He was afraid to ride in it, given the poor quality of the leather.

Definitely

for Insurrection. They can really get you into something great, whether that's Vanson, Aero, Schott, or something original / vintage. They design with both Vanson and Aero to create some of the coolest jackets that I've ever seen. The Aero jackets that Insurrection has are expensive, but they have all of the ad-ons that will make the jacket last forever so that you'll be giving the jacket to your son or nephew. I'm sure that this is true of the Vanson jackets that Insurrection sells too.

One thing that I like about buying from Insurrection (which I've only had the money to do once, but will be back) is that they support motorcycling like no other shop (road racing and supermoto pictures of all of the staff members cover the walls!). Everyone who works there is part of the racing scene in the Northwest United States and I know that they just became, according to PNW Riders, the sponsors for the Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association (WMRRA) Open Superbike class. It's great to know that by buying at Insurrection my money will go to help other motorcyclists do what they love most.

mrc

 

[Justhandguns]

My friend paid a decent amount (over $1350 USD with shipping, customs, etc.) to get a Lewis Leathers jacket, only to get it in the mail, be very disappointed in the jacket's quality, and sell it on e-Bay. He was afraid to ride in it, given the poor quality of the leather.

I wouldn't say Lewis's leather is of poor quality. They are in fact, top quality leather in a fashion sense, but they are no made for real bike riding anymore. Lewis is more like a fashion brand these days, especially if you look at how few real hardcore bikers wear them these days.

 

[Lama]

The Vanson Chopper in Nickle hardware is just badazz:

http://www.vanson.jp/file/Front(80).jpg

http://www.vanson.jp/file/Back(80).jpg

http://www.vanson.jp/file/Side(58).jpg

http://www.vanson.jp/file/Front2(5).jpg

 

[RatBikeJim]

came here to say

i just came here to say that on december the 18th last year i had pretty much the worst possible accident. a (combined speed) 120mph head-on collision with a car that decided to overtake on a blind bend. This was on my (4 day old ******NIT) 86' gsxr1100...

After what was described as "supermanning" straight over the car and breaking both my legs on landing i slid for a very long way. I was wearing my LL Lightning jacket and it did NOT wear through. even after dragging a few extra meters while getting myself outta the middle of the road (pitch black country road, i was dead if i stayed there).
It was however hacked off me by the paramedics (I still have the shredded remains for insurance purposes).

There may be thicker jackets out there but the leather they actually use in LL jackets is both supple yet tough as f*ck.Apart from a broken thumb and a few cracked teeth i didnt have a scratch on my upper body and so I have no problem recommending them.

For anyone interested i'm set to make a full recovery (being 22 is great, bones just glue back together in no time!), getting the cast off one leg in a week and the other had a rod in it making it stronger than new! I was in hospital for a week and a half and managed to buy a new bike on ebay whilst still there and have been riding it (cast is on tib/fib so i can bend my knee still) in my new LL lightning star jacket (same as lightning except shoulder and elbow detail and adjuster straps face backwards) for 2 and a half months already.

What i will say is it's a shame they dont have armor in them, however i have put shoulder and elbow armor in my new one then simply zipped the jacket up and the slim fit of the body and sleeves seem to keep them in place - i also use a full upper (and lower) body one-peice body armor set made for supermoto for when i intend to really push my luck.

For anyone on a big bike like mine (yes, i got another 86 gsxr1100 - the last one was killed but got halfway through the honda civic's engine and wrote the ba***rd off so i call that a win) i'd suggest either of these precautions in any unarmored jacket.

If you're going to spend a lot of money on only one thing then for f*ck sake spend it on your FULL FACE HELMET. Mine was proper mashed after that and if i'd been in a cheaper (or open face) one i would either be dead or brain damaged.

Ride safe guys and girls

 

[rocketeer]

As stated, the modern Lewis Leathers are more top grade fashion than a proper bike jacket these days. yes they will protect you in a crash but any decent leather jacket will, just keep away from anything made of napper lamb.
Compared to today the modern lewis jackets are nowhere near as tough as original 1960s jackets, have a look at a good condition original and you will see what I mean. On the modern version the leather is nice and supple but does not have that toughness that the old jackets have.
The guy who runs the shop is not even a motorcyclist, and he will admit that. I visited the shop last year and lost him discussing Tritons and A65s, the guy hadnt a clue what I was talking about even though he had a Triton in the shop(it belonged to his Japanese cutter)
Personally I think they are great well made items but well overpriced and just relying on past glories of the original jackets. Great for fashion though they will never gain the patina of an original due to leather differences, as a bike jacket in an old style, you could easily find better.
What do I know? I have been riding since 1977 on old British plodders(Still have a1964 A65, and now dress as some say here like a Power Ranger to ride my Hayabusa.
Anyone watching the TT?
Johnny T

 

[ButteMT61]

@RatBikeJIm: WOW. Glad you survived - yes, 22 is better than 52 to be playin' stunta! I wrecked my first and last time @ 29. I can't imagine how much more difficult it'd be today - assuming I lived. And yeah, full-face lids are key. I know the others look cooler, but that does your face no good if/when you go down.
Here's hoping you continued success in your recovery.

 

[Deleted member 16736]

RatBike, you're a tough customer. Glad you made it out in one piece. Drive safely.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

@RatBikeJIm: WOW. Glad you survived - yes, 22 is better than 52 to be playin' stunta! I wrecked my first and last time @ 29. I can't imagine how much more difficult it'd be today - assuming I lived. And yeah, full-face lids are key. I know the others look cooler, but that does your face no good if/when you go down.
Here's hoping you continued success in your recovery.

I've just always taken Hildo's advice.....

[video=youtube;vjFeC7g6_40]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjFeC7g6_40[/video]

 

[Don Tomaso]

Funny!

 

[rocketeer]

As a sportbikes fan, Brilliant:eusa_clap:eusa_clap
But why aren't there any Choppers and Rats in the TT
Johnny(The red and black Ranger)

 

[Edward]

I've just always taken Hildo's advice.....

[video=youtube;vjFeC7g6_40]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjFeC7g6_40[/video]

Amazing! Have to admit I'd assumed it would be the sportsbike would win, hands down. The ratbike is much more my style either way, but then it's not raw speed that appeal to me in a bike. I'm surprised he got that performance out of a Harley (given their reputation here as "built for comfort, not for speed"), though it does look seriously stripped down. I presume that's a part of what gives him the improved acceleration, as the other bike looks lie a hefty beast. Itd be interesting to see how they compared over a longer course, as opposed to a sprint where it's all about initial acceleration.

 

[Justhandguns]

Amazing! Have to admit I'd assumed it would be the sportsbike would win, hands down. The ratbike is much more my style either way, but then it's not raw speed that appeal to me in a bike. I'm surprised he got that performance out of a Harley (given their reputation here as "built for comfort, not for speed"), though it does look seriously stripped down. I presume that's a part of what gives him the improved acceleration, as the other bike looks lie a hefty beast. Itd be interesting to see how they compared over a longer course, as opposed to a sprint where it's all about initial acceleration.

His 'chopper' as they call it in the US, is basically a dragster. It probably geared for short burst of acceleration, like a traffic light show down. Sport bikes are not just built for pure acceleration, the better chassis can handle braking, bends, bumps, much better. So there is no real winner at the end of the day. But I do like the Harley style 'choppers'.