Lost Worlds Speed Demon

[Monitor]

Wanted to do a proper review on this jacket for a while but... Well, figured there isn't really much to tell. I mean, if you've ever handled a Schott Perfecto - or any other decent diagonal zipper leather jacket for that matter - you should know all there is to know about this style.

I mean, regardless of the obvious superiority of material and construction, LW clearly took a lot of cues its more famous counterpart, the two jackets sharing nearly identical styling.

Also, I don't feel there's any need to parrot all the positive things you've heard countless times about Lost Worlds. Perfect stitching, unparalleled construction, bulletproof leather, blah, blah... Yeah, most of it is true.

So instead I'm going to address some of the things I personally don't like about the jacket.

The sleeve openings are a bit too wide and the sleeves are kind of baggy. This jacket is definitely boxier than even the Perfecto which isn't a bad thing of course but... If you're after a slim fitting cross zip, I'm afraid you are going to have to keep on looking.

But my biggest gripe about this jacket is the placement of the sleeve zippers.
While the zippers are located at an identical position as on a Schott Perfecto (bottom sleeve panel) what happens is that they rub against the jacket and damage it.
If the leather wasn't as tough as the good 'ol LW claims it to be, I'd expect the zippers to chew through the front panel within a couple of years. My jacket already looks like a very mean cat had a go at it and that's something I'm not overly happy about.

This doesn't happen on a Schott jacket where the sleeve zippers never come into contact with the jacket, even though they're rotated the same way, toward the jacket.

That's about it as far as the negatives go. Everything else is... Well... What you'd expect from a top shelf jacket. Not needlessly light-years ahead of the competition but I personally haven't handled a better quality leather jacket.

What LW did here is they took this classic style and turned it into a tank of a proper motorcycle jacket.

Is it worth the money? Definitely.
Is it a $800+ better than the competition? Debatable.
Does it do something that, I dunno, Vanson doesn't? I'd say it doesn't.

So it's all down to whether you want a Lost Worlds leather jacket.

Among all the things LW did right on this jacket, they absolutely nailed the shoulder gussets.
Possibly the best I have ever, ever, ever had on any leather jacket and considering all the dozens of makers that can't get it right, this isn't a small feat.

Anyway, I guess there isn't much else to say other than that I really, really love this jacket. On to the photos. . .

 

[Monitor]

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Absolutely stunning jacket and thanks for the insights!

I have to echo what you say about the sleeves. This is what puts me off Lost Worlds more than anything else. Their wider sleeves sometimes ruin the look when actually being worn in my opinion. This is a shame, because they look brilliant otherwise. Even the grain looks wonderful on this one!

More fit pics needed though

 

[jeo]

Damn that’s a beautiful jacket! Great review too!!

Yeah that’s also something I don’t like about lost world jackets. Most of their jackets just have really baggy sleeves. That’s why I sold my lost worlds ryder.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JMax]

Ha, I thought you were gonna say it was for sale. I was soooo excited to open up the thread. Of course you aren’t selling this rig, it is perfection and looked great on you.

 

[Hh121]

LW is still the best maker for me, my best looking jacket still is LW, only Ton-Aero collaboration can compete with that.

 

[ton312]

Great write up Ivan and it’s interesting to note that this jacket, from my experience, seems to be the reverse of my two j-23’s. While the upper body and arms on the j-23 were quite slim and well tailored, the fit at the gut was massive. So much so that wearing it unzipped wasn’t even an option. The jacket would stand 8” out from my body. I think the more tailored waist in this model looks superb. And for what it’s worth, the sleeves don’t look stove pipe large when worn. It’s a beautiful jacket. Schott on roids.

 

[Psant25]

Thanks for sharing. Do you have any strong opinions for or against the quilted lining?

 

[Guppy]

Schott should try making this jacket.


I can just hear Stu telling you off: "The sleeves ain't too baggy; your arms ain't man enough!"

 

[Superfluous]

 

[Pio]

Wanted to do a proper review on this jacket for a while but... Well, figured there isn't really much to tell. I mean, if you've ever handled a Schott Perfecto - or any other decent diagonal zipper leather jacket for that matter - you should know all there is to know about this style.

I mean, regardless of the obvious superiority of material and construction, LW clearly took a lot of cues its more famous counterpart, the two jackets sharing nearly identical styling.

Also, I don't feel there's any need to parrot all the positive things you've heard countless times about Lost Worlds. Perfect stitching, unparalleled construction, bulletproof leather, blah, blah... Yeah, most of it is true.

So instead I'm going to address some of the things I personally don't like about the jacket.

The sleeve openings are a bit too wide and the sleeves are kind of baggy. This jacket is definitely boxier than even the Perfecto which isn't a bad thing of course but... If you're after a slim fitting cross zip, I'm afraid you are going to have to keep on looking.

But my biggest gripe about this jacket is the placement of the sleeve zippers.
While the zippers are located at an identical position as on a Schott Perfecto (bottom sleeve panel) what happens is that they rub against the jacket and damage it.
If the leather wasn't as tough as the good 'ol LW claims it to be, I'd expect the zippers to chew through the front panel within a couple of years. My jacket already looks like a very mean cat had a go at it and that's something I'm not overly happy about.

This doesn't happen on a Schott jacket where the sleeve zippers never come into contact with the jacket, even though they're rotated the same way, toward the jacket.

That's about it as far as the negatives go. Everything else is... Well... What you'd expect from a top shelf jacket. Not needlessly light-years ahead of the competition but I personally haven't handled a better quality leather jacket.

What LW did here is they took this classic style and turned it into a tank of a proper motorcycle jacket.

Is it worth the money? Definitely.
Is it a $800+ better than the competition? Debatable.
Does it do something that, I dunno, Vanson doesn't? I'd say it doesn't.

So it's all down to whether you want a Lost Worlds leather jacket.

Among all the things LW did right on this jacket, they absolutely nailed the shoulder gussets.
Possibly the best I have ever, ever, ever had on any leather jacket and considering all the dozens of makers that can't get it right, this isn't a small feat.

Anyway, I guess there isn't much else to say other than that I really, really love this jacket. On to the photos. . .

 

[Pio]

Those baggy sleeves remind me of my Aero J-106...It is a wonderful jacket though.

 

[Mich486]

Very nice indeed! I like the slim belt with the low key buckle. The inside details scream quality too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bobby Peru]

That beautiful jacket is going to be even more so as the graining continues to bloom. I’ve owned many, many LW jackets and never knew that their sleeves were considered too baggy by others. Most were custom but even the ones off of LW’s ’sale’ page that I purchased in the early 2000’s all fit me fine.
Now I am unable to not zero in on the sleeves first every time I see a picture of one.

 

[navetsea]

cool, also leather has a lot of character, congrats Monitor!

 

[Lebowski]

Gorgeous patern, gorgeous leather. Gorgeous jacket. Only one big NO - YKK zippers on such nice repro. What for? Crowns would suit perfect to this beast, also Talons or Conmars might be, at least.
The jacket still looks superb to my taste. But its YKK zippers don't, just don't like them being on such perfect repro. It does deserves historically correct zippers.

 

[Bfd70]

Wondering, are wide upper sleeves period correct? 3 Vansons I’ve owned all were baggy in the biceps. I’s always attributed it 51% to my build.

 

[Carlos840]

Wondering, are wide upper sleeves period correct? 3 Vansons I’ve owned all were baggy in the biceps. I’s always attributed it 51% to my build.

In my experience the first thing that binds arms when reaching forward are narrow biceps, i have jackets with action backs that have poor forward reach because they have very slim/narrow biceps.
Maybe brands that are geared towards motorcycle riding have a tendency to make biceps a bit larger to help forward reach?
When i received my j-23 i also felt that the wrist opening were pretty wide even when zipped shut, i asked Stuart about it and he said originals where like that, he thought it was done like that so that gloves would fit inside the sleeve and you could then zip the sleeves tight over the glove.

 

[Bfd70]

^ interesting, I’ve found the best thing for keeping warm on a bike is tight wrists and longer gauntlet gloves.

 

[Carlos840]

^ interesting, I’ve found the best thing for keeping warm on a bike is tight wrists and longer gauntlet gloves.

That was actually my answer to Stuart, i was under the impression that back in the early days of motorcycle gauntlet gloves were more common than today, but what do i know...
Like you i would rather have a tight wrist and a gauntlet over it, IMO it works better.