It pays to buy quality gear

[vito1943]

Finally accepting that my riding is done for the season, I took my two most often worn helmets out of the garage and put them on the shelf in my "riding" closet. I tend to hold on to gear even if I don't use it much, or at all anymore but just am not ready to part with the item. So the closet had seven different motorcycle jackets hanging there, covering the conditions for all sorts of riding. And one jacket in that closet still gets regular use even though it is by far the oldest one that I own. It is a First Gear heavy leather jacket that I bought in 1990 when I retired from the military and moved from always hot San Antonio to sometimes frigid Milwaukee. I was wearing that jacket when I had my only accident, a mechanical problem that put me on the ground in 2000 and almost killed me but the jacket was barely scuffed. I paid about $450 for that jacket, which was an awful lot of money in 1990. The jacket might have slightly shrunk in the intervening years since I no longer can be comfortable in it if I use the zip in liner, but without the liner it still works just fine. I consider that money well spent since I have gotten so many years of use out of it. My guess is that when the day comes that I have to give up riding, since I'm already 82, that jacket will still be as good as ever. I doubt that any of my textile jackets will last as long, even the Klim hot weather jacket that I enjoy. It pays to buy quality.

 

[RayBJ]

Buy once, cry once!
When I got back into riding after the 'kid gap', I cheaped out and bought a 'store brand' jacket. Once I was sure I was going to keep riding, all the remaining gear since has been mid to high-end items. ATGATT let me survive a few get-offs with no bodily damage.

 

[Bangorbob]

I agree with this. As with almost anything, cheap is cheaply made. Of course some of us couldn't afford good expensive gear, especially when in the armed forces. We just didn't make much and bought what we could afford.

 

[canamjhb]

Back in the 70s I bought an Eddie Bauer goose-down GorTex ski parka. I gave up skiing long ago but kept the jacket. Used it for cold weather riding. The wind, cold, and wet weather does not penetrate it. And after 50-some years, it looks good as new. It was very expensive at the time but worth every penny. Quality lasts......

 

[pegasus1300]

I also have a First Gear (Made by Hein Gericke in Europe) leather jacket. I have worn it steadily since 1993 and it still looks good. I treat it regularly with a leather conditioner/cleaner. It also has a shrinkage problem which I remedied by having an expander made for the front zipper. In really cold weather I can put my Safe and Warm liner under it and be just fine. I think I paid nearly $500 for it in 1993 but it has been more than worth the money. At about $22/year, that's a pretty cheap jacket!

 

[2dogs]

My wife and I wear the same sized jacket. A couple of years ago I bought two new military flight jackets. Well made, very warm, and nothing gets through them. The only downside is you can't roll them up and stuff them anywhere. That just ain't gonna happen. You have to wear them until you get back home.

 

[rjinaz86323]

I have a leather jacket that is almost 25 years old. It started out black, but now it is kinda a grayish tan due to rain, sleet, snow, and a lot of sun.

 

[Little Blue]

I too have a 'Jacket' that is starting to really break in for me. I believe it is about 30 years old now. Just can't zip it up. I have put on several extra pounds.

This week I started to work on the problem. Wish me luck.

 

[Kromm]

I learned this lesson a long time ago. Cheap gear wears out fast and then you have to buy it again, so not so cheap. Over 40 years ago was tired of my hands getting cold and wet in the winter, so I got me a very nice pair of winter gloves (gauntlet Leather). I think I paid about $30 for them (outrageous price back then), I still use them in the winter today. Then in 2003 I finally decided to get me a nice Leather riding jacket. I had purchased "cheap" jackets before, but nothing lasted. I think I paid $500 for the jacket, and again I'm still using it today. Only issue is about 15 years ago the zipper broke. The wife suggested me getting a new jacket, I told her it was just getting broke in. So I found a guy that did repairs, and he put in a zipper that was better than the original.

 

[blacklightning]

I have a leather jacket that is almost 25 years old. It started out black, but now it is kinda a grayish tan due to rain, sleet, snow, and a lot of sun.

That is the biggest issue that I have. My jackets fade after 3-5 years (normally that's 30-50k miles) of riding in the sun. That's when the wife says they look bad and badger me into buying something else.

 

[Bangorbob]

For some strange reason my gear shrinks over the years. It must be from the sun out West. Ya!