Barbour Motorcycle and Scooter Wear 1962

Founded in 1894 Barbour originally started out as an importer of oilskin cloth. It wasn't long before they had developed their own waxing process and soon after introduced their own range of oilcloth coats. The first Barbour catalogue of 1908 featured motorcycling apparel but it wasn't until post WWII that Barbour became the go to kit for the British Motorcyclist (along with Belstaff of course). Barbour is still family owned and still makes a range of motorcycling clothing. The waxed cottton jacket has been fully eclipsed by modern technology in both waterproofing and technology but there's still a strange appeal to the faithful musty smelling, nearly waterproof wax jacket hanging on the garage wall. Plus, of course, a waxed jacket looks the business on an old bike.

 

Goldtop gloves review

Round about a year and a half ago Santa was decent enough to throw me a pair of Goldtop gauntlets down the chimney. A few months later having given them a decent amount of usage I gave them a review, one that was pretty much glowing. So when I needed a new pair of summer / slightly less cold season gloves earlier this year I tracked down Goldtop at the VMCC Autojumble at Shepton Mallet and settled on a pair of 'Fleece Lined Windstoppers'.

Now, a few months down the line it seems like the decent thing to give the Windstoppers a write up too. Firstly, and obviously, they were chosen for looks - there is nothing in the way of armour here, they are just straight up traditional motorcycling leather gloves. And look fine they do, nice soft leather, red fleece lined and traditional Goldtop 'English Make' branded poppers on the two straps plus a ball ended zipper to keep them snug on the cuff. It's the same as with the gauntlets - the poppers need to be done up to their tightest position to keep the gloves on securely. The fit is generous - I usually take a 10 or 11 in gloves and with the Goldtops a medium was the right fit.

Same as with crash protection, waterproofing is fairly low level. Wax them properly and they should see you through a light shower but anything more and you will be wet. To criticise these gloves on protection and waterproofing though would be to miss the point, these are proper traditional well made gloves that fit perfectly in style with a vintage or classic bike and manufactured by a company well deserving of success and support.

Goldtop fleece-lined Windstoppers.

Traditional Goldtop popper design.

Period correct zipper.

Gold Top gauntlets review

The success of Lewis Leathers has prompted the revival of a couple of other old favourite British motorcycling apparel brands, Mascot and Gold Top. A good friend turned up on their bike with a pair of sheepskin lined Gold Top gauntlets a while back and I felt envious ever since. Luckily Santa Claus does indeed listen and Christmas Day under the tree these babies awaited me.

I've had the chance to use them for a while now. They look the part and are nicely made. The leather is spectacularly supple and the sheepskin lining toasty. They have, frankly, the waterproof qualities of a string vest but I guess you have to sacrifice something for style. Regarding protection, I think the best we can say is that they will offer it at vintage bike speeds. I had some concern that they would come off in a spill but if  you can be bothered to tighten the strap with the popper each time you put them on you should be ok.

Given the quality the gloves are good value and it's nice to know that a decent product can still be made in Britain and sold for a fair price. http://www.goldtop.co.uk/

Rukka 3 Finger 'Lobster' Glove review one year on

It's a bit over a year since I bought and reviewed these Rukka three finger gloves so it seems like a good idea to see how they are getting on. The answer is very well. I normally wear them without an inner glove but on occasion of proper freezing temperatures I've been using an inner and my hands have never been cold whilst wearing them. Comfort is good and so far durability has been good too. They are still waterproof, can't say they've seen a great deal of really heavy rain as I ride for pleasure so tend to avoid the downpours if I can. Warm and dry fingers are hard to put a price on but overall, though a fair whack to buy, I would say these Rukkas have been good value.

The Elkan Crook Hedtector - the world's least protective motorcycle helmet ever?

This gem has been sitting in a box in the shed for a long time. What possessed me to buy it in the first place I do not rightly know. It is unquestionably an item of great rarity; and with due cause many would say.

The astounding thing about this crash hat, for it is indeed that, is that it ever passed official safety standards for UK roads. OK, it was from a time when the wearing of helmets was not mandatory on British roads, but there was still a British Standard (BS!!) 'Kitemark' of quality for items that were sold as protective headgear.

What makes this 'helmet' yet more awesome, or scarey depending on your viewpoint is that it is still legal to wear to this day. Helmets have to meet the standards of the day, wearing a vintage helmet is perfectly legal, perhaps foolhardy, but none-the-less legal as long as it carries the Kitemark.

The genius of the Elkan Crook 'Hedtector' is in its one size fits all technology, that is to say that it is elasticated around the back of the head. The saving grace safety-wise is that it is unlikely that it would stay on your head above twenty five miles an hour given its lack of chin strap.

I cannot find any reference to Elkan Crook across the web other than they were based up in Gateshead near Newcastle and they dissolved as a company fairly recently. Before dissolving they were fabricating parts for the Ministry of Defense so it seems. Two parts are listed for them, a 'nuclear light' and a 'bushing sleeve'. Mysterious. 

The Hedtector. The weird bastard child of a union between an
engine drivers hat and a motorcycle helmet taking stylistic
references from the Blue Oyster Bar. 

The soft underside revealing the elasticated
headband.

Here it is. This is what you show the rozzers when they stop
you. Yes sir I am legal. They will definitely be impressed.
Note warning - 'This hat is NOT protection against falling
objects'

How could I picture this helmet without showing it modelled
and how could I ask anyone else to put it on their head.
When wearing this helmet you must have no shame. Here
am I.

Postscript: Thanks to Matt who points out that the Hedtector may indeed be an industrial bump cap. If so I am hugely disappointed but in the interests of historical accuracy I must mention it...

Davida Jet Ninety Two and Bob Heath Visor review

A few years ago I used to ride with a Davida pudding basin helmet. A  nice looking lid but devoid of British Standard mark so (ahem) illegal in the UK and the crash protection it offered was a heightened awareness of just how bad it would be to fall off and sustain a knock to the head. Change time came when someone pointed out to me that, not being approved, the helmet invalidated insurance, thus if severely incapacitated through head injury caused by another driver I would be very unlikely to get a payout.

Not being of entirely right frame of mind, to me the next logical step was to find a vintage pudding basin helmet which carried the 'Kite Mark' of British Standards and was therefore fully legal. Crash protection was certainly worse than the newer Davida pudding basin as my vintage Slazenger brand lid had a shell made of hardboard and lining of webbing and string. The Slazenger did however have the added safety feature of generating so very much wind noise that your speed was generally reduced for the sake of aural comfort.

Somewhere along the way in the passing of time I realised the error of my ways as I grew older and marginally more sensible. I can't bring myself to wear a full face lid on an old bike but I do like to have a quality Kite Marked helmet that is of a fairly recent vintage.

I've stuck with Davida in general over time as the quality is superb and styling right. The time had come to replace my old Jet and it seemed like a good idea to try the new slimline Jet Ninety Two. Santa Claus obliged me on that front and now a few miles down the road it seems like a good idea to give some riding impressions.

First: styling. Spot on. Davida set out to make a more authentic fifties / sixties looking Jet but meeting modern safety standards. They've totally achieved this. The shape is good, profile slim and the arched cut away at the back of the head is period authentic.

Second: riding. As out of the box the foam around the ears is ridiculously firm. I challenge anyone to get this lid straight on to their head from the box, if you do and you do not experience great pain in doing so then you, my friend, have a very weirdly shaped head. Luckily Davida seem to be aware that their standard ear inserts are very anatomically incorrect and provide a set of soft ones. These are slightly fiddly to fit  and somehow don't look quite as nice (they don't curve in around the chin as much) but they do make it possible to wear the helmet and are comfortable. On the road the lid is nice and light to wear, that authentic cut away at the rear looks great but in winter can give a bit of a chill to the back of the neck so really I would categorise the Ninety Two as a three season lid. All round vision is great, as is comfort (though that will of course largely depend on the shape of your head). The lid is entirely stable, no trace of lift at high speed - if you have experienced this you will know how disconcerting it can be to have your lid seemingly sucked off the top of your head at ninety mph making the neck strap bite in painfully.

Conclusion: Looks great, extremely well made, slightly cold on the neck in winter but an ideal choice if you want a road legal traditional crash hat.

Bob Heath five stud visor: My last visor was a Bell bubble. No complaints with that but I fancied a change and the Davida has facility for five stud fitting so it seemed like an idea to try out the Bob Heath. Back to the legal thing here - as far as I am aware there are no Kite Marked bubble visors available and same as the helmet if you have a visor it is a legal requirement that it is Kite Marked. The Bob Heath is indeed British Standard approved. I love the look of the Bob Heath shape, the fit is perfect on the Ninety Two and the two go together just right. Out on the road the visor is just low enough that it keeps the airstream from your chin and streamlining is very good, turn you head round at speed and there is no extra pull from air flow. The big drawback seems to be noise, there is a lot of it, nothing a good pair of earplugs won't block out  and to be fair it could be the helmet / visor combo as much as the individual visor. Overall though a great visor from a good old school British company, good quality and a decent price.

Rukka 3 Finger 'lobster' glove review

The last pair of winter gloves I had I eked out for a good ten years. The time finally came to buy a new pair when I arrived back home from riding the Hardy Trial with waterlogged frozen hands and threw them direct into the bin.

Given that a pair of gloves can last a very very long time in miserly hands such as mine I thought that this time I would invest in quality in the hope of warm and dry winter fingers. The Rukka brand carries a reputation of pre-eminence so it seemed like the way to go. Looking at the options for four season gloves the 3 Finger glove is the most budget in the range, Rukka claim them to be fully waterproof.

Pricing for Rukka products seems to be the same everywhere so I went to MotoLegends as I've bought from them before and the service is excellent. I went by MotoLegends' sizing guide and measured my hands up and put in an order. The gloves arrived swiftly and were...too small. No problem, I called up the customer service line and sent the old ones back. My return postage was refunded. I was recommended to go two sizes bigger, this worked - they are a generous fit but allow for an underglove in comfort.

The gloves have now seen a good bit of use, I wore them up to the Dragon Rally so they were certainly tested in the cold. I used them with undergloves and my hands were (admittedly though behind a fairing but without heated grips) very toasty for a long ride in low temperatures. They have seen showers but not heavy heavy rain and have remained waterproof. The comfort is extremely good and they are light, thin even, perhaps so thin that you cannot believe they will keep you warm. However they are very effective and I feel the Rukkas are money well spent. Perhaps I'll be reporting on how well they have lasted in ten years time...

Rukka 3 Finger 'lobster' glove.

Maple Motorcycle Jeans review

Lucky man that I am my wife bought me a pair of these last birthday. It was several months ago now and I've been wearing them since. As far as I know these are the first motorcycle jeans out there that look completely like normal jeans, and damned good ones at that. The price isn't low but neither is the quality, the denim is heavyweight and they are made in the US. The kevlar lining covers all the vital areas and the cut of the jeans is long and relatively high waisted so that they sit around your boots whilst you are sat on the bike and there is no trace of builders bum as you lean forward.

I wore them throughout most of the Moto Piston Santander Rally. The weight of the denim combined with the kevlar lining means that they keep the chill off nicely. They're pretty much just right for three season riding trousers, on the very hottest days you might be a bit too warm off the bike but then again you will be in most other motorcycle legwear too and how many of those days do we get in the UK!

There are two styles: the '1941' straight cuts which have a cinched waistband and the '1979' which is a tighter fit on the leg. Both have eyes for wearing braces. I went for the 1979s. Maple claim that their fit is 'true size' meaning that there is no generosity of cut. If it is a 36 waist that is exactly what it is: most clothing manufacturers give a little bit extra on fit so that we feel better for ourselves in the shop trying them on. I usually take a 34 waist but with Maple was a 36. The good thing is that service was excellent and they had no problems with me sending back to replace with another size, they even sent a couple of pairs on trust so that I could choose the one I wanted and return the other. Pay heed to what they say and measure your waist before ordering...

Overall, excellent jeans that have been thoughtfully designed with an eye for detail, well made, good protection and most importantly look great.

Have a look at the Maple site.

Maple 1979s (not yours truly modelling!)

Bikes and bits for sale



Royal Enfield 350 trials for sale.

 Time for a bit of a clearout. Too many bikes, too many projects and not enough money. If interested in anything contact through email to the right.

Most will be going up on ebay in the next few weeks if not sold here first. By the way I'm always happy to put for sales up on the blog. Might even start it as a feature if there are enough...

1947 Royal Enfield Model G
- This bike is needing a lot of love and attention. There are some bits missing, notably the headlight and speedo and some a bit rough. It's totally restorable though. I had thought it would make a good greenlaner. In its favour it has matching numbers and its original number plate with V5C. Plus it is the chrome shortage year model so restoration will be slightly cheaper! Price? £1300

1992 Royal Enfield 350 Bullet trials
- Featured plenty in the blog, prepped for long distance trials and ready to use in anger. Lots and lots of modifications and money spent. Click on the Royal Enfield link to the right to see more. Shame to sell it as it is finally so well developed and capable but I'm building up a 1960 Redditch trials bike for the same purpose so it has to go... £1650

1940 Royal Enfield J2.
- A bit scruffy and needing some work. A couple of workshop sessions should have it back on the road. Potentially a solid big powerful pre-war twin port 500. Rebuilt top end, mag and carb. £4500 now or a bit more when I get the time to make it roadworthy again.

1961 Royal Enfield Bullet frame
- Sound condition. SOLD

Barbour International jacket with fur pile liner.
- Good condition and freshly re-waxed. About 10 years old. Size 42. I've shrunk slightly and bought a new jacket. £100

Belstaff Trialsmaster.
- Had it since I was 16 and it was second hand then. Size 42. Very well worn but still looks good. £85

Lewis Leather Black Prince jacket.
- Or might be a Mascot, different folks have told me different stories and it has no label. No matter what, it is a very nice original fifties leather jacket. Well worn but not worn out. £110

Bell bubble visor

A friend from the States put me on to bubble visors. You don't see them much this side of the pond. Normally I've ridden with goggles or a Bob Heath Jet flip but decided to try out a bubble. The Bob Heath is pretty good but only for slower speeds, wind noise is fairly considerable when you're pressing on and the profile means that it catches the wind badly if you turn your head at speed. The choice around for bubble-wise is limited, either a Bell or a cheapy from Taiwan or China. I wasn't sure if the Bell would fit my Davida Classic lid but decided to give it a go. I ordered one to arrive through the post. It arrived, it fitted on to the Davida no problem and it's excellent. Wind noise is low for an open helmet and the aerodynamics are good. At thirty five odd quid it was pricey but it makes me look like a new wave moto hipster (from a great distance!) so it must be worth it...

Bell bubble visor & Davida Jet in harmonious
union.