nah. my favorite 2 leather jackets are/were hd tough as nails shirt jackets, super low key with minimal branding and top quality leather. i have a heavy solid one and had a preforated leather one that survived a slide down i95 but, later died from it's injuries... the tailor couldn't save it. replaced with speed and strength killswitch.

i'm just not into the tacky skulls & flames crap, cheesy HD knock-off Schott Perfectos, or HD billboard stuff.... especially when other true leather folks make way better stuff for the money HD asks for that poorly styled garbage that floats around the dealerships.

would yo rather wear this cheap/tacky garbage:




or this timeless 641HH
https://www.schottnyc.com/store/men/jackets



why be a billboard?

my mesh stuff is hd tatted up but, they are cheapo $80 summer riding armor jackets.

 

some of the more "well nourished" folks don't exactly look good in those jackets

 

Me too...

 

Find yourself a good leather jacket and vest if you want. But really stay away from the Harley apparel. The majority is not manufactured in this country anyway. (Indonesia, Pakistan, and China) I can't see why the apparel has the HD logo on them and inside. At the top of the care tag you'll note the country they were manufactured in. (Indonesia, Pakistan, and mostly China) If Harley Davidson is an American Icon, then everything with that logo on it including aftermarket parts which Harley sells should also be made in America which most are not. (An American Icon made in China!)

If you are looking to trash a jacket or vest with billboard patches (free advertising) go to LeatherUp.com or Jafrum.com . Both offer leather at cheap prices which are also made in countries like China and Pakistan.

However, if you really want to look like a BadAss, then leave all the patches off both the jacket and vest. (A real biker doesn't need to advertise anything)

 

I will say this, I went to the Fox Creek store last year an the products are top notch...Suggestions are just that. Buy what you wNt and do what you want to do to make it your own. It’s your money.
You could wait until you go to some rally...or if you go to Knoxville or Atlanta check out Wilson’s leather, they have decent jackets at a good price.
Hot leathers and leather up have really low down prices...don’t forget to look at small biker shops in your area, you might find a gem.

 

I've tried on a number of leather jackets by H-D and none of them impressed me at all. Most feel way too physically heavy (size L) and bulky to me. I recently tried on a new HD 115th Ann. (leather) jacket and it was a BLOCK to wear. Loved the look though.


The reality is I don't care for branded jackets with big logos and lots of advertising. That's just me... and I know lots of people want the all the HD and other sew-ons they can get. No problem with that of course.


This is more my style...and no patches of course:





And this might be the best HD-branded jacket I've ever laid eyes on:

 

Dude DONT let anyone tell you what to do!!!!!
BUT....
If i was you id buy one already patched and save yourself a lot of time and money!!!


OR


But Honestly...Plain Black leather is always ok also...

 

Waiting for the fallout

Can't resist though....
If you look at "water proof" bags/luggage you will see that they seal all there seems/stitches...

With that said, I have not seen to many (if any) made of leather.
Why because the would be soaked (most likely).
That is why we have rain gear.

I wonder if they make a leather riding coat with a gore tex liner?
If they do/did you would (technically) not want to stitch through the gore tex (water proof liner) or it would be the week spot for leaks.

IMHO....

As for the Harley VS other brands of jackets (not considering the patch thing)....
#1: If possible I buy AMERICAN (as long as the quality is there and the price is not off the chart).
#2: I look for function, ventilation, zip out linner, exc.
#3: Almost as important as number one, style (the style I like).

IMHO I have noticed a down hill slide in some HD clothes/coats (products) especially for the price.

 

Are the cows from China too? We all know the reason things are made over there, the lazy whining north americans expect a 6 figure salary to sew them together and call in sick on sunny days eventually claiming an injury that lets them sit at home and get paid instead. If the stuff was made here to satisfy the patriotic they would complain its too expensive and not buy it, sounds like China is their only option.

 

My HD has minimal advertisements and is excellent quality. Bought it from one of the 20% discount HD dealers when they ran a free shipping deal. I added a patch to my real old, well worn Sears police style jacket. It basically was ruined with the holes.