{"id":2633,"date":"2017-06-08T11:48:20","date_gmt":"2017-06-08T10:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/american-v.cso2w.com\/?p=2633"},"modified":"2019-02-05T15:55:14","modified_gmt":"2019-02-05T15:55:14","slug":"review-rsd-clash-jacket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/american-v.cso2w.com\/hub\/review-rsd-clash-jacket\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: RSD Clash Jacket"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Roland Sands on one of Shaws Harley-Davidson’s XR1200 Trophy bikes at Mallory Park in 2010<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

We\u2019ve seen plenty of Roland Sands\u2019 custom parts for motorcycles over the years: partly because they stand out but also because he makes so much good stuff.<\/p>\n

That hasn\u2019t come from being born into the industry \u2013 his father, Perry Sands, founded Performance Machine \u2013 but from having been involved with motorcycles from a very young age and at all levels.<\/p>\n

He was riding at 5, sweeping floors at Performance Machine at 14 and went to the California Superbike School at 19 \u2013 a precursor to a nine year road racing career at the top of the 250GP tree \u2013 and having won the 1998 250GP Grand Championship, he got a factory ride from Honda in the British Super Cup series!<\/p>\n

It is said that his competitive edge was dulled by too many racing injuries so he took his race engineering and fabrication skills and moved into custom bikes. A\u001cfter a stint at Performance Machine as head of R&D he set up Roland Sands Design in 2005 and burst onto the custom scene with \u2018Glory Stomper\u2019 the same year.<\/p>\n

He has since worked with Victory on a 200mph bike, was a guest rider for Shaws Harley-Davidson in the XR1200 series and put together the Indian Scout Super Hooligan bikes for the launch of the Scout Sixty. And he has built a succession of ground-breaking custom bikes, using them to promote a stunning range of custom parts.<\/p>\n

In recent years, he has thrown himself and RSD into Dirtquake in the US, which spawned the Super Hooligan class, and not just as a promoter but a passionate rider with no hint of his competitive edge having been dulled.<\/p>\n

You could call him the rider\u2019s rider.<\/p>\n

And a talented artist and designer with the potential to go beyond just bikes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>So why the potted biography?<\/p>\n

Because it gives you an insight into who he is and what he stands for, and the experience that he can draw upon in creating a range of riding gear that is pure RSD.<\/p>\n

He builds the bikes he wants to build, and by extension designs the sort of gear that he wants to ride in: functional, well made and stylish … and like nothing else out there.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>It has the attention to detail of a custom engineer and the style of an artist, taking established designs and playing with finishes, materials and production methods.<\/p>\n

These aren\u2019t just double-breasted lancer jackets with branded press studs and an expensive label in the back of the collar, or mobile billboards with RSD writ large across the back.<\/p>\n

Not that there is anything wrong with either of those approaches but that\u2019s not RSD\u2019s way.<\/p>\n

One such is the Clash jacket, part of the Limited Steel Collection, seen here in Tobacco \u2013 less in-your-face than Ox Blood, more colourful than black \u2013 which has got echoes of the classic BLJ but one that has been taken on a journey.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>It is both exquisite and understated with lots of detail but nothing that jars.<\/p>\n

Inspired by the Scott Perfecto jacket \u2013 held to be the \u001bfirst lancer-style motorcycle jacket \u2013 it is no slave to the original design and incorporates a number of improvements that make this an excellent rider\u2019s jacket. Few of them are unique in themselves, but combined in a single jacket \u2013 especially a jacket that incorporates them while adding to the style of the jacket itself \u2013 it makes it very special.<\/p>\n

The leather itself is a special case: they call it Airborne and it goes through a washing and air drying process that softens it. First the assembled leather outer is pre-oiled and then washed in proprietary \u001dfluid that makes it softer and more supple \u2013 as it would if you\u2019d been wearing it. It is then air dried for four days which gives it the beginnings of a bedded-in look: a long way short of being distressed \u2013 the finish is unbroken, unmarked \u2013 but it is developing a unique patina. The next stage is to add the zips and press-studs, and wax and oil it by hand, leaving it feeling broken-in but new.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>With ribbed sides, it has the feel of a sleek racing jacket when the zipper is closed, holding it close to the body, and the asymmetrical zipper concealing a diamond-stitched panel beneath \u2013 opposite the perforated leather of any inside panels \u2013 looks as good open as closed.<\/p>\n

You quickly notice that as well as a mandarin collar, there\u2019s a pair of press-studs missing compared to a regular lancer: you won\u2019t be pinning this \u001dflap back in the classic style, but you do have more freedom to wear it as you feel most comfortable.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Even with the Airborne treatment, those two layers of the 0.9-1.1mm leather \u2013 even with one of them perforated \u2013 are not supple enough when new for the open double-breasted front to fold back on itself, but as the jacket fits itself to the way you wear it, and as you work out what height you like the zip, it will learn. And that is one of the strongest features of a good leather jacket: the more you wear it, the better it gets.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth noting the main front zip is the only zipper on the jacket which is closed with its pull tag at the top, all of the pockets are zipped-down, and while that actually feels right on the pockets it does take some getting used to.<\/p>\n

To avoid embarrassment or panic, I would recommend that you keep any valuables in the hammock pockets of the satin poly liner and your most valuable in the zip-down inside pocket. The exception to that rule is your credit card \u2013 if you need ready access for toll roads or fuel \u2013 or your bike’s proximity keyfob, which are prime candidates for a small pocket near the cu\u001fff of the right sleeve.
\n\u001e
\n\"\"<\/a>The pre-curved sleeves aren\u2019t as tight fitting as seems to be the fashion these days, allowing long sleeved t-shirts or even something heavier in cooler weather, and the ribbed sides of the jacket have plenty of latitude to flatteringly accommodate many body shapes.<\/p>\n

\u001eThe diamond stitch motif continues on the shoulders and the lower kidney belt, but not the elbow patches which are Sands\u2019 \u2018Coffin-stitched\u2019 design, with small studs describing a diamond pattern: the same natural-\u001bfinish studs that are used sparingly around the jacket on major junctions.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>To say that it exudes quality would be an major understatement, but then at \u00a3595 plus armour it should, but then like the best leather jackets it fits like a second skin \u2013 and that\u2019s straight o\u001fff the hanger!<\/p>\n

RSD Clash Leather Jacket
\n<\/strong>Available in
\n<\/strong>\u2022 Black
\n<\/strong>\u2022 Ox Blood
\n<\/strong>\u2022 Tobacco
\n<\/strong>S \u2013 XXXL
\n<\/strong>RRP: \u00a3595<\/strong><\/p>\n

rolandsands.com
\n<\/strong>dpc-distribution.com<\/strong><\/p>\n

From American-V 86<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve seen plenty of Roland Sands\u2019 custom parts for motorcycles over the years: partly because they stand out but also because he makes so much … <\/p>\n

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