I have seen many motorbike guys wear leather vests. I never really wanted one until recently. The reason is not about looking tough, about the protection of leather or really anything about vests... As my wonderful friend Paula K. (Rest in Peace, darlin') said "I'd do anything as long as there is a badge or patch involved...it's all about the patch!"
I have a very modest collection of patches. I have my Saddle Sore patch which you can only get after completing the certified ride and having it verified by the Iron Butt Association. I have my new Louisville Scooter Group patch that we just got this year. I have a Yamaha patch that I ordered from ebay and was shipped from Japan. Then I have five patches from the four scooter rallies I have attended (Gasoline Rally 2008, WKRP Rally 2009, Gasoline Rally 2009, and the Burgman/Dragon Rally 2009) Also I have one patch with a pinup gal that they were selling at Gasoline Rally this year. So...I had all these patches on my old worn out Jafrum textile jacket. They were not sewn on (big mistake) but put on with cloth glue. I got a new jacket this year (the Power Trip Dakota II) and had it altered to fit me about perfectly. This was not an unsubstantial cost. I was reluctant to transfer these patches to my new jacket using the cloth glue... I decided to remove them from the old worn Jafrum jacket and then decide later. After removal, the jacket was trashed. This made me even more reluctant to put them onto the new jacket. What happens if my new jacket gets trashed, or I get a new jacket in a couple years? Plus what do I do about displaying my patches when it's too hot to wear that jacket and have to use the mesh?
My friend Jim Owen told me he was getting a vest, so I looked around and gave it some thought. For a long while I did not see a vest that I like. They all looked either western, or would make the statement "I wish I owned a Harley instead of this here scooter". Finally I found one on sale that did not give either impression. Does it look odd? Well, that might be because you are used to seeing something like this say "SWAT", "FBI", "ATF", or something like that on the back. They style is "Bulletproof"...distinctly different than the western or biker vests I had seen previously. I like how it looks and it is also pretty comfortable. I may not wear it while riding much because I do like the protection of a fully armored textile jacket. But it will be the perfect thing to use when I want to be the normal casual me at scooter rallies and meetups. My girlfriend Kat only worries "I hope nobody shoots at you to test it out!" My only worry? I might get a few more patches and have to get these removed and rearranged!!! By the way, Ms. Chong does a fantastic job applying patches on leather (or anything else).
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