Bikers. It’s Official. Distressed Leather Look Is Back.

distressedleather3distressedleather1What is dictating what we wear when we ride? Of course the weather and the distance to be ridden. But also the type of motorcycle we ride. After the big chopper/beanie craze, and because most of what goes on the road has a retro feel, welcome to the Bobber/Brown “Distressed Leather” fashion statement.

Even Harley-Davidson embraces the vintage trend, not only with its new models but also by launching new accessories inspired by the WWII look. Harley just launched brown “untreated” accessories like seats, saddlebags, sissy pads and I am sure, much more to come. Harley states that “each is styled to impart the minimalistic style of a garage-built custom and that the supple untreated leather surfaces will age and weather like a vintage bomber jacket for a warm and comfortable feel”. I just went to my closet and I still have mine more distressed than ever and begging for a vintage ride. You have 3 years to wear this look, not more. Because in fashion, like in the custom motorcycle industry, trends change constantly. Especially when “Motor Boy Subculture” is for sale at your favorite Harley Dealer.

6 Responses to “Bikers. It’s Official. Distressed Leather Look Is Back.”


  1. 1 Boss Hawg Aug 10th, 2009 at 10:46 am

    Cyril,

    Good to see that the distressed leather look is coming back.

    Choppers and beanies are OK, but I am Old Skool and love the retro look of yesteryear.

    Boss Hawg

  2. 2 A 1 cycles Aug 10th, 2009 at 3:05 pm

    i love the line “garage built custom”..heeheehee cant stop luaghing..96 inches fuel injected plastic covers, chinese parts, i can see it now “nice seat man, is that a homebuilt custom?” what will be willy g’s nomenclature for that one? fxstgb?

  3. 3 nicker Aug 10th, 2009 at 3:38 pm

    Cyril,

    RE:
    “…You have 3 years to wear this look, not more. Because…… trends change…”

    Ya, but they always seem to come back at some point.

    So, could be just sticking to what ya have & know will get ya there eventually.

    “0ld is New”………… 🙂

    -nicker-

  4. 4 jatinder pal Aug 11th, 2009 at 1:40 am

    Total retro stuff….but i love it.

  5. 5 Dick Gazinia Aug 14th, 2009 at 11:24 pm

    Willie Nelson once said, “I change by never changing at all.”

    I like to paraphrase the Red-Headed Stranger’s sentiments with a line of my own: “Every 20 years I’m the coolest guy in the room.”

    Harley, I’m afraid your 107 years of fame are over. Nobody with a pulse or a spec of originality in their soul wants a $27k anything that looks like EVERYTHING else in the parking lot.

    I showed up to a SoCal wannabe OMG’s “bike night” on my early 70’s CB450 last month and shut the place down. Dozens of leather-clad faux hooligans in vests and rockers flocked around my Japanese commuter bike to see what the hell was going on. I actually felt sorry for the dude on the Dyna Softail Springer with fringed saddle bags, dual fishtail exhaust and 4-foot leather strap on the brake lever. He had spent $15k on me-too accessories and nobody cared.

    Sub-$10k motorcycles (Iron 883, XL883L, for example) are the smartest thing H-D has done in about 20 years. If the would stop spending marketing dollars on 100-, 103-, 105- and 107-year anniversary parties and brightwork tooling and just make motorcycles that people can afford, a lot more aging skaters, surfers and BMXers would give The Motor Company a second look. As it stands today, Harley tries to court Gen Y with the only bait they know: tired old “heritage” and “Americana” messages that don’t mean shit to anyone who was born after Operation Desert Storm.

    And let’s face it, Motor Company: the kids of ODS are 18. If your brand image wasn’t so wack and your products weren’t so goddamned expensive, there are some adrenaline-fueled teenagers out there who might just give your Nightster a first look.

    As it stands today, however, half these kids beg daddy for sportbikes and the other half get Scion XB’s for graduation.

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