Orson Posted January 4, 2008 Posted January 4, 2008 A couple of years ago, an Italian fashion house bought the rights to the Belstaff name, and I figured that was the end of that. I just looked at the new Belstaff web site, and wow! They issued a retro line of jackets and they look pretty good. They have a "Sammy Miller Replica" made of wax cotton just like the old trailmaster. I'm still not sure if this is considered serious biker kit or if it's just fashionista stuff. Anyone in the UK know about the new Belstaff kit? Is it real riding kit?
mdude Posted January 4, 2008 Posted January 4, 2008 I had a look at some of the jackets the other day. Looks pretty good, great quality. But the prices..... the prices have become italian.
pete roper Posted January 4, 2008 Posted January 4, 2008 F@cking hell. Waxed bleeding cotton! as a FASHION STATEMENT! God give me strength! If there was ever an argument that the 'Good old days' were only good because they are over waxed cotton is the exemplar! It's vile, it doesn't work very well at keeping water out, it smells, it is a lousy insulator and if you're living in a squat in Camden and despatch riding in the day the mice eat it while you're asleep. The only people who would consider wearing waxed cotton by choice are the members of the British Royal Family who are of course a.) Horribly inbred and b.) German. So they should be treated with either pity or scorn depending on your viewpoint. I rode from Belgium to Wales in March in the early '80's on my Triumph wearing these poxy, crap garments and the ONLY reason I'm still alive to tell the tale is because I had a bloody great great-coat and stuffed the inside of my Belstaff's with days old copies of the 'Sun' newspaper, ( A truly un-great Organ Of Record!) for extra insulation, but only after I'd carefully cut out all the pics of Samantha Fox's tits as if they's got cold I would of been crushed to death by her nipples! Pete
antonio carroccio Posted January 4, 2008 Posted January 4, 2008 Héy Pete, do you still remember Alamo?
mike wilson Posted January 4, 2008 Posted January 4, 2008 F@cking hell. Waxed bleeding cotton! as a FASHION STATEMENT! God give me strength! If there was ever an argument that the 'Good old days' were only good because they are over waxed cotton is the exemplar! It's vile, it doesn't work very well at keeping water out, it smells, it is a lousy insulator and if you're living in a squat in Camden and despatch riding in the day the mice eat it while you're asleep. The only people who would consider wearing waxed cotton by choice are the members of the British Royal Family who are of course a.) Horribly inbred and b.) German. So they should be treated with either pity or scorn depending on your viewpoint. I rode from Belgium to Wales in March in the early '80's on my Triumph wearing these poxy, crap garments and the ONLY reason I'm still alive to tell the tale is because I had a bloody great great-coat and stuffed the inside of my Belstaff's with days old copies of the 'Sun' newspaper, ( A truly un-great Organ Of Record!) for extra insulation, but only after I'd carefully cut out all the pics of Samantha Fox's tits as if they's got cold I would of been crushed to death by her nipples! Pete Didn't know I was an inbred and Royal German. 8-) The big problem with Belstaff waxed cotton is that it's a ripoff. The original and by far the best is made by Barbour. This is the stuff that we Royals wear. Because it works. It stinks, though..... http://www.barbour.com/ (poxy Flash site - skip the inrto) Here's the last piece of motorcycle gear that they do - don't even do matching trousers any more. http://www.barbour.com/index.cfm?fuseactio...3&RangeID=1 Used to make a wicked pair of overmittens. I tell a lie. There's another jacket. http://www.barbour.com/index.cfm?fuseactio...3&RangeID=1 Yuck.
Tom M Posted January 4, 2008 Posted January 4, 2008 Pre-buyout Belstaff stuff is still available at here, including the old waxed cotton Trialmaster. FWIW I have a five year old Belstaff Zodiac jacket that's held up well except for some sun fading.
macguzzi Posted January 4, 2008 Posted January 4, 2008 The new jackets were worn on long way down both riders constantly complained of being wet whenever it rained, not much of an ad for waterproof clothing. Would have to agree with Pete wax cotton is cold and is not waterproof, it would seem even their modern products don't have good waterproofing.
Dan M Posted January 4, 2008 Posted January 4, 2008 If you need to wax nostalgic so to speak. Aerostich makes a waxed cotton jacket that has the modern stuff like armor and vents http://www.aerostich.com/product.php?produ...=395&page=1
Orson Posted January 4, 2008 Author Posted January 4, 2008 It's vile, it doesn't work very well at keeping water out, it smells, it is a lousy insulator and if you're living in a squat in Camden and despatch riding in the day the mice eat it while you're asleep. The only people who would consider wearing waxed cotton by choice are the members of the British Royal Family who are of course a.) Horribly inbred and b.) German. So they should be treated with either pity or scorn depending on your viewpoint. I guess it sounds like fashionista stuff then. I should have known from the looks of the rest of their line...sunglasses and whatnot. Maybe one of you oldtimers can clue me in on this waxed cotton... Do you need to apply a new coat of wax every so often to keep it waterproof? (supposedly)
pete roper Posted January 4, 2008 Posted January 4, 2008 Do you need to apply a new coat of wax every so often to keep it waterproof? (supposedly) Yes, you're supposed to smear it with this disgusting slime. That doesn't work very well. When I was despatching we, that is I and a bunch of other blokes, used to go and get pissed and then go to a 24 hour laundromat. We'd all throw our jackets and trews into one of the big, industrial driers and then chuck in a couple of the cans of the waxing treatment and then go back to the pub for a couple of hours with the tumble dryer going hell-for-leather. Needless to say it rendered the tumble drier useless, if not downright toxic, for anybody who simply wanted to dry their newly washed clothes but it DID ensure that our poxy waxed cotton *waterproofs* at least pretended to do their job! We were an anti-social bunch of angry young bastards back then Pete
ArtD Posted January 4, 2008 Posted January 4, 2008 My on this subject: About 5 years ago I got one of the Belstaff TrialMaster cotton jackets, the "old school" one that is being discussed here. When I first got it, it really stank. After a bit, the wax probably wore away, and the smell went with it. I never have gotten around to re-waxing it, but I will one of these days I wear it very often, its my jacket of choice for just about every occasion, out to dinner, etc and etc. I do ride with it at times on my CA special. Imho, its a excellent, well made jacket. Its warm, but not suitable for sub freezing wear. It is waterproof, to a point, but in a tropical deluge there might be better choices out there. Huge pockets everywhere are nice as well. for the rainy Pacific NW coast where I live, its just about perfect. Its now an good old friend. I liked it so much, that a couple of years ago, I got another Belstaff Jacket from the guys at British Motorcycle gear, this one http://www.britishmotorcyclegear.com/jackets.asp . Dollar for dollar, (insert imho here) this is THE best jacket that you can own I cannot say enough good things about this jacket. Just wear any sort of undergarment/underwear and Its absolutely toasty in freezing conditions. Take the inner liner out, and your good for the summer. Yes, its quite waterproof, I have downpour tested it Its extremely well made, got reflective stuff everywhere, its easy to see anyway , its got armor, plenty of pockets, and its priced right. And, of course, its probably been discontinued, or "improved", i.e. ruined. isn't that how it always is?
Frenchbob Posted January 4, 2008 Posted January 4, 2008 They last about three outings in the rain, after which you have to reproof them, then the next time the sun shines they melt all over your jeans. The way round this, of course, is to wear waxed cotton trousers as well. If you ever wear waxed cotton trousers, it will become immediately apparent why they're not re-issuing them as a fashion item.........! I suppose there might be a niche market among our fetish-loving friends in Holland and Germany................. I do have an original waxed cotton bike jacket with a strangely-stained, cloth Guzzi badge on it that I no longer wear, although next door's cat sleeps in it at the moment - I can honestly say it's the most use it's ever been!
Guest BelstaffPaul Posted January 5, 2008 Posted January 5, 2008 A couple of years ago, an Italian fashion house bought the rights to the Belstaff name, and I figured that was the end of that. I just looked at the new Belstaff web site, and wow! They issued a retro line of jackets and they look pretty good. They have a "Sammy Miller Replica" made of wax cotton just like the old trailmaster. I'm still not sure if this is considered serious biker kit or if it's just fashionista stuff. Anyone in the UK know about the new Belstaff kit? Is it real riding kit?
Guest BelstaffPaul Posted January 5, 2008 Posted January 5, 2008 Thanks for the plug. I own BritishMotorcycleGear.com and we were the Importer for the Stoke on Trent company Belstaff and have been selling the product line since 1988. The Belstaff brand was bought by an Italian based fashion house in 2004. We will be carrying the new Italian line which is currently on order. You may have noticed the new line in "The Long Way Round" and "The long Way Down" part of the line is for motorcycling and will soon be available in the USA it is already available in the UK and Italy. Paul Brooks CEO www.BritishMotorcycleGear.com
antonio carroccio Posted January 5, 2008 Posted January 5, 2008 Jaap, I guess we have got another site sponsor
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