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Happy Easter to all; sorry but I was way too busy to post over the weekend.
Well, the FedEx guy showed up with my stuff on Saturday, and it was pretty much what I expected. The "classic" leather jacket is made of about as cheap a grade leather as you can probably find - just short of the vinyl off the front bench seat of a '72 Impala. On the other hand, what do you want for $90? The jacket does have a nice heavy weight to it, like a decent leather should, and the zip-out liner is nice. There is a gun pocket, which I like. The differences are the little things that mean more or less depending on who you're talking to. The texture of the leather isn't what you'd call supple, and the smell isn't that nice leather smell, it's sort of chemically. The zipper pulls are cheap little black faux leather tassles that I'm going to be cutting off before being seen in public. Speaking of the zippers, they are YKK, but not very smooth if you know what I mean. So, it is what it is, crap from China. It will keep me warm on the road this spring and fall, until I get back into the kind of dough that will let me order a nice one from Fox Creek.
Lady R - you are still going to have to wait for the chaps photo shoot. They were actually half-way decent, but were way too tight. I'm going to be sending them back for a bigger size. As far as the boots go, they were probably the best quality of the lot, but they were too big! I'm sending them back for a half-size smaller. With any luck, I'll get the replacement stuff in time to make the ice-breaker ride. All in all I have to say that getting a jacket, chaps and boots for around $230 is a great deal when the finances are low. I could do without the agro of having to return stuff, but I knew that may happen from the get go. We'll see how this works out...
Well, the FedEx guy showed up with my stuff on Saturday, and it was pretty much what I expected. The "classic" leather jacket is made of about as cheap a grade leather as you can probably find - just short of the vinyl off the front bench seat of a '72 Impala. On the other hand, what do you want for $90? The jacket does have a nice heavy weight to it, like a decent leather should, and the zip-out liner is nice. There is a gun pocket, which I like. The differences are the little things that mean more or less depending on who you're talking to. The texture of the leather isn't what you'd call supple, and the smell isn't that nice leather smell, it's sort of chemically. The zipper pulls are cheap little black faux leather tassles that I'm going to be cutting off before being seen in public. Speaking of the zippers, they are YKK, but not very smooth if you know what I mean. So, it is what it is, crap from China. It will keep me warm on the road this spring and fall, until I get back into the kind of dough that will let me order a nice one from Fox Creek.
Lady R - you are still going to have to wait for the chaps photo shoot. They were actually half-way decent, but were way too tight. I'm going to be sending them back for a bigger size. As far as the boots go, they were probably the best quality of the lot, but they were too big! I'm sending them back for a half-size smaller. With any luck, I'll get the replacement stuff in time to make the ice-breaker ride. All in all I have to say that getting a jacket, chaps and boots for around $230 is a great deal when the finances are low. I could do without the agro of having to return stuff, but I knew that may happen from the get go. We'll see how this works out...
7 comments:
Seems like if you want a decent leather jacket you gotta go $250 or more. I'm at a point where buying gas and motor oil is about all I'm willing to spend money on.
My brother Bones has a jacket almost exactly like the one you have and described. He loves it and has had it for years. He likes it because it offers enough protection without being too bulky. Sounds like you are almost ready. Are we getting the David Lee Roth chap shots? heh...do us a favor and shave before taking the picts. My chaps fit horrible, but I only wear them when its really cold to block out the wind chill factor.
It's a good thing I'm a patient Lady. Actually, I'm sorry this task of getting leathered up and ready to ride has turned into something of an ongoing mission for you. I keep thinking of your Rodney Dangerfield post and just chuckle. Does this kind of thing happen to you often? Don't sweat it bro, just keep us laughing!
By the way, I haven't told you this yet, but my good buddy The Beaver is a Mass-Hole. He usually tells folks that he's THE Mass-Hole. I forgot to ask him the last time I talked to him, but do ya'll have to take turns being THE Mass-Hole? Or is everybody in general Mass-Holes? ;D Lady R
Lady, there's actually 3 of us (Mass-holes) and we each take an 8 hour shift, so it works out ;)
Get ya some good leather treatment for em man and act like it's the good stuff.......Honestly I'm not a big leather fan though I do wear chaps when it's cold enough but reading about Fox Leathers has me wanting some of their stuff........
Hang in there man......Your readers depend on you.......and there seem to be many of us.....
Ronman
Glad you got your stuff in time (hopefully) for exchanges. I'll wait on your chaps picture...though you can check out mine in my "To Ride Bitch or To Ride My Own" article http://roadcaptainusa.com/2008/02/08/to-ride-bitch-or-to-ride-my-own/ on Jay's blog. I look pretty damn good in them if I do say so myself! ;-)
I got 2 cheap jackets from Hot Leathers when I first started rifding ($99 each). The cordura one has zip-out lining, but it is just a vest--no sleeves. I like it, but it has several loose threads that keep hanging. The leather one is pretty decent (doesn't hold a candle to the "buttersoft leather" NFL Ravens jacket I got as far as smell or texture, but it will do). It is not very warm, but it fits well and works great for moderate temperatures. The zipper doesn't have a stop at the top, so when Jay decided he needed to zip me all of the way up (grrr), he zipped the pull right up off the jacket! I don't recall what kind of surgery we had to do to get me out of the jacket or to put the zipper back together, but somehow we got it back to new.
So yeah, you are not going to win any fashion contests with the cheap stuff, and it will likely have some "finishing" issues, but the stuff does its job. Don't get yourself down about it. I know sometimes the anticipation when you are waiting for an order to come in gets you expecting more, so when it arrives you are disappointed. But time heals, you get over the initial disappointment, and move on. You'll likely decide down the road that it's all good. :-)
Don't sweat the details!
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