This is a weird one because it’s almost a revisited review … except that we didn’t review these when they were new. And they are available in such small numbers now that you might question the value of reviewing it at all, but hey?
Some years ago – many, many years ago – Custom Chrome Europe had a range of tan leather riding gear comprising at least a pair of 5-pocket leather jeans, a pair of chaps and these duster coats, as I’ve seen these on hangers in the Hogfather Motorcycles for years. And as Hogfather has closed down their physical operation to concentrate on online business – as a last chance to see if they’re a utterly impractical as they seemed – I asked if I could find out.
The worst that could happen was that they were just that and they would end up in someone’s fancy dress box, but Custom Chrome don’t mess about when it comes the quality of stuff that they put their name on.
What if they turned out to be as good as they could be?
The jackets do have an issue. Somebody thought it would be a great idea to use painted studs as fasteners.
It wasn’t.
Not because the fasteners aren’t up to the job – you wouldn’t believe how windproof a jacket that doesn’t have a full zippered closure can be unless you’ve tried one – but because the paint has marked the beautifully supple, slightly oiled, oh-so thick and luxuriant leather.
That’s not a deal breaker, though. Leather looks better when it has been bedded-in over a few miles, and tan leather will surely tone down quicker than black?
Well, you’d think so.
Okay, so I’ve had the protection of a blade screen, but I’ve ridden through some foul weather on the Chief Vintage – which ironically doesn’t have tan seat and bags – and it looks as good with a four figure winter mileage as the first time out! Okay, so it’s toning-down a little, but at this rate it’ll be twenty years before it has the lived-in look that I was kinda hoping would result from the first decent shower.
I’m going to have to find something else to lose the stud marks, but so what: it’s a brilliant jacket. Well it is if you don’t need many pockets, but you get used to that.
Well-made and fully lined in a colour that’ll stop you from even thinking about dying it black, it features leg-straps to prevent all that leather flapping around at speed, a cape to protect the shoulder seams, a zip-out thermal gilet with a pass-through slot to access the sole inside pocket, and two external patch pockets that have hand-warmer pockets behind them. And, as mentioned, it is fastened by studs. Two rows of them to be precise, which require a few seconds of thought to work out which one needs fastening first.
Foolishly, I went out in February for what I thought was going to be a short-ish journey, with just a t-shirt and FXRG Kevlar jeans beneath it, which turned out to be the best part of a three hundred mile round trip in falling temperatures, in foul weather, and I was astounded by how well it kept the weather out. The bigger problem was that my gloves didn’t prevent air going up the voluminous sleeves and my arms were a bit cool, but not as cold as my hands. Go figure.
Spoiler alert, the leg-straps might work on horseback – which I’m guessing was their original intention – but they don’t on a motorcycle at 50mph+ but who cares?
In fact, there is a lot of leather to flap in the wind – the shadows it casts are quite something, reminding me of Bishop Brennan charging across the parochial house lawn – and when combined with an old Respro facemask, it’s Billy the Kid meets Ned Kelly … with a hint of ‘The Saint of Killers’ on the side.
It’s biggest sin is that it is tan – and was described in sales materials described as beige – in a black leather world, but then it pre-dated Indian’s resurrection, and it’s not as though there is a warehouse full of them to move.
There are four, in fact – two L and two XL – some pairs of cut-to-length chaps in XL and XXL, and a couple of pairs of jeans in 34 and 36-inch waists.
At six-two and 17-stone, the XL Duster Coat and XL chaps are the right fit, and at £200 and £120 respectively – for quality that feels like it will last a lifetime – the right price too.
The jeans are £120 too, and as both chaps and jeans used regular stud fasteners, they don’t have the transferred paint marks.
Because of the current situation – regarding lockdown and the transfer of stock between Hogfather and Peninsular Motorcycles, who are handling the sale of hard parts – they are currently in American-V’s warehouse in Crewe, so if you are interested contact us on american.v.uk@gmail.com and we’ll pass all enquiries on to Hogfather, and work out post or collection.