No, No No. !
Cardigans and pipes belong to matchless or AJS owners or maybe Velocettes. :-)
Back in the day, we wore jeans (leather if you were really flash) leather jacket with lots of badges, Knee length boots with seamans socks tuned over the top and helmet and goggles. Top that off with a half hat or jet helmet and googles and white silk scarf for real sartorial elegance.
Maybe a Barbour or Belstaff waxed cotton jacket for the long distance serious look.
I' can't comment on what our American counterparts were wearing 'coz I wasn't here back in the day.
Love those Goldie silencers though. Headlamp peaks were common in the sixties. I was never a big fan, but they appeared on a lot of British twins and singles, but were more common in the late fifties/early sixties and less common later in the era. At least that's how it seems to me.
Great looking bike
Japan Meets Britain
Don't worry Teaz, I have all the proper regalia: Belstaff Trialmaster, Schott Perfecto, Defender boots, seaboot socks, proper gauntlets, a bevy of open-faced helmets (one of which has a 1960's Stadium Perspex shield like Dudley Sutton wore in The Leatherboys), silk scarf, a selection of Halcyon goggles, even the striped Russian Navy shirts. My wife thinks I'm totally around the bend with all this 'costuming', but hey you gotta look just right on a bike like this!
Graham - thanks for sharing that great photo. Yes, you would be a bit young there for a pipe. Maybe some shortbread and a spot of Twinings though! My reaction to that post was OMG. But in reality we all dress up in different ways for our bikes. Some of course dress down and the rest of us are all creating some sort of image from cool to cafe to modern look etc. Some of that is about practicality and the rest is pure theater.
The difference is that you are aware and most of us aren't.
This is currently at the top of my lust-list: http://www.britishmotorcyclegear.com/Be ... Jacket.asp Last year it was this helmet, and that's been checked off the list: http://www.exclusivehelmets.com/belvedefrance.html Yes, I'm slightly obsessed.....just slightly. That's cheating!!
A 'proper' Belstaff jacket is made of grimy waxed cotton which rubs off on your shirt collar. It's supposed to melt and attract dust and flies in the summer. In the winter it hardens to the extent that it's like trying to wear a plywood suit of armour. I remember it all too well. Leather and $750! It's just not right...... Does look nice though.... G '60 C77 '60 C72 '62 C72 Dream '63 CL72
'61 CB72 '64 CB77 '65 CB160 '66 Matchless 350 '67 CL77 '67 S90 '77 CB400F
I do have the proper Belstaff (pre-Italian takeover!) Trialmaster, as well as the matching pants. The only thing I don't like about the original is that it has no padding. So while you might not get road rash, you will probably have a broken elbow. I do have a Forcefield armored shirt that would probably fit underneath the waxed cotton Belstaff, but I haven't yet tried it on the bike. That should actually be a fairly protective combination. Plus, when treated properly the waxed cotton is quite waterproof. I've worn the ensemble in full-blown downpours, and I've remained fairly dry. This is particularly helpful when traveling any distance, as you don't have to pack a separate rain kit. Yes - $750 is a lot of money. But even the new Belstaff Trialmaster (post-Italian takeover) is about $500. But the new versions have removable armour, which is nice to have. The thing I like about the Belstaff instead of my Schott Perfecto is the amount of pocket space, plus that extra length. It's hard to find a leather motorbike jacket nowadays that doesn't leave you with this big gap at your backside when you lean forward on the Superhawk. Most medium-sized leather jackets are about 25" long, and it gives you about a 2" gap between the bottom of the jacket and the top of your pants. Guess another solution would be to wear high-waisted pants, but I think that's from another era.... Aaahh - I remember those pockets. They were big enough to fit an Ordnance Survey map. Later on, Belstaff made boots. I had a pair with the white seaman's socks - turned over the top of the boot, of course. Still have my silk scarf that my Mom bought me with Honda logos on it.
What I need is an authentic 1960s American outfit for when I ride around on my CL77. Do you have any photo clues? G '60 C77 '60 C72 '62 C72 Dream '63 CL72
'61 CB72 '64 CB77 '65 CB160 '66 Matchless 350 '67 CL77 '67 S90 '77 CB400F
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