Scooter attire – The Barbour

Barbour-biker1
Ok, so the sun is shining and it’s probably Harrington weather… but who know’s what the rest of the year has in store…
I’m pitching this somewhere between the full mod fishtail, and the biker jacket I posted previously. You really can’t go wrong with a classic Barbour. I’ve got something similar by another brand – Jack Murphy.
If you want to know why I got it wrong, and should have gone for a Barbour there’s a great article here. Although, to be honest, I’m pretty happy with my choice :).

Fishtail tails

05112007112_copy
05112007115

If you’re a Lambrettista, and something of a traditionalist… the motorcycle jacket I posted about previously won’t cut it for you. For some, the only gear to wear in inclement weather is a Fishtail parka. Well… an original M-51 Parka (The sixties classic, pictured) will set you back a few quid these days. Your looking at an eyewatering £400 or so for a good, used, but restored one. A (slightly) more affordable, and some say better, version is the M-65… warmer, lighter… and still with a vintage feel about it. Expect to pay around the £100 – £150 mark. If you want the look of a ’51 without the price tag, Mod clothing specialists Jump the Gun do a very good repro one for about £100. By the way… if you’re wondering what the codes stand for, it’s quite simple really… it’s the date of original issue by the US Army… M-51 issued in 1951 (so a lot of surplus around by the early 60’s), and the M-65 replaced it in 1965, a bit late for the original mods, but picked up by many revivalists, from ’79 onwards. 

A couple of good sources for Fishtails are fishtailparkas.com and the aforementioned  Jump the Gun.

 

You scooterist? I’m scooterist!

Parche2

Found this via the Vespamore blog, and did a bit of digging.

Slide-1-harry
I’m scooterist is a fresh new clothing brand… aimed at, (you’ve guessed haven’t you!) Scooterists. Oh, hold on, their NOT a brand… they’re a concept. Anyway… they’ve got a nice range of scooter related T-shirts. And you can never have too many T-shirts (or T-Shits as it says on their video page – titter). I wasn’t quite sure where the “A” went… you know… “I’m a scooterist”… but I think it’s more a statement thing… kind of “What religion are you?” “I’m Catholic”… “I’m Protestant”… “I’m Scooterist” kind of thing. Or a “I’m Spartacus” type statement. I like. I wish I’d filled out “Scooterist” on my recent census form now. Bugger. I bet I don’t remember in ten years time. Nice typography too. I like a bit of nice typography. 
Browse and buy here.

Detalle
Blava_ok

Scooter gear – Hi viz amoured waterproof jacket

263105681_o263105696_o

Well, this is as much ‘biker’s gear” as scooterists – it’s a far cry from the traditional mod attire of fishtail parka, or the scooterists jacket of choice the MA1.
But it does it’s job. And it does it bloody well. I bought mine off eBay in November, and wore it throughout the winter. It didn’t leak, on even the wettest of days.It has removable body armour, which coupled with the hi-viz green/yellow colour and genuine 3M Scotchlite trim along the arms make you feel much safer, and more visible.
now the sun has come out I’ve zipped out the inner liner, which kept me plenty warm enough even on the coldest days.

It’s got loads of big pockets – including a handy mobile sized one on the chest.
For about 50 + P&P on eBay you can’t really go wrong. Highly recommended.
BTW – this isn’t a paid for testimonial – I bought this jacket with my own pennies.

Available from Aussie Biker’s Gear online shop.

Heritage Helmets

Stgeorge

Liking the look of this new design, coming soon from Heritage Helmets. Check out there full range of Helmets, specially designed to compliment your classic scooter here.

Guys, if you’d like to send me one, to test drive, so to speak, I’m a Large! Although, as a proud Scotsman, I’d prefer one with the Saltire on it 🙂