Leathers

Leathers For Everyone!

To improve motorcycle safety many countries mandate the wearing of protective clothing by motorcyclists, especially a helmet. Other protective gear may include certain types of jackets, gloves, boots, and pants.

Jackets meant for motorcyclists are typically made of nylon, leather, or Kevlar. These jackets typically include heavy padding on the elbow, spine, and shoulder regions. Gloves are generally made of leather or Kevlar and some include carbon fiber knuckle protection.

Boots, especially those for sport riding, include reinforcement and plastic caps on the ankle and toe areas. A well-protected motorcyclist will wear boots with heels that fit on motorcycle foot rests (pegs) and provide good ankle support.

Pants are usually leather, nylon, or Kevlar. Except for helmets, none of these items are required by law in any state in the U.S. but are recommended by many of those who ride.

Here at "Leathers" you'll find biker leathers as well as leathers for everyone who enjoys leather.

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One Percenters

Members of motorcycle clubs are often viewed in a negative light by traditional society. This perception has been fueled by the movies, popular culture, and highly publicized incidents. One of the earliest and most notorious of these occurred in Hollister, California in 1947 and is now dubbed the Hollister riot. Whether or not an actual riot occurred is debatable, but there was a motorcycle rally in Hollister from July 4 to July 6 of that year that was attended by about 4000 people. Several newspaper articles were written that, according to some attendees, sensationalized the event and Life magazine ran an article and a staged photograph of an intoxicated subject on a motorcycle parked in a bar. The film The Wild One, starring Marlon Brando, was inspired by the event, and it became the first in a series of movies that depicted bikers and members of motorcycle clubs in this stereotypical manner. The press asked the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) to comment on the Hollister incident and their response was that 99% of motorcyclists were law-abiding citizens, and the last one percent were outlaws. Thus was born the term, "one percenter".

During the 1940s and 1950s, at rallies and gatherings sponsored by the AMA, prizes were awarded for nicest club uniform, prettiest motorcycle, and so forth. Some clubs, however, rejected the clean-cut image and adopted the "one-percenter" moniker, even going so far as to create a diamond shaped 1% patch to wear on their vests as a badge of honor. Another practice was to cut their one-piece club patches into three or more pieces as a form of protest, which evolved into the current form of three-piece colors worn by many MCs today. One-percenter clubs point out that the term "one-percenter" simply means that they are committed to "biking and brotherhood", where riding is not just a weekend activity, but a way of living. These clubs assert that local and national law enforcement agencies have co-opted the term to paint them as criminals.

Ninety-Nine Percenters

While one-percenters garner much publicity for their activities and misdeeds, there are many, many more motorcycle clubs and bikers that instead identify as ninety-nine percenters, that is to say, not one-percenters. Indeed, as of March, 2006, the American Motorcyclist Association, an organization that is the very antithesis of one-percenters, counts 269,884 active members and many chartered clubs.

99%er MCs include police, military, and firefighter clubs (or a combination thereof) such as the Iron Pigs MC, Steel Horse Posse MC, Iron Warriors MC, Shamrocks MC, Blue Knights MC, Choir Boys MC, Knights Paladin MC, and Wind and Fire MC. Various military and veterans MCs include the U.S. Military Vets MC, the Vietnam Vets MC, the Leathernecks MC, and the Buffalo Soldiers MC. Still other MCs include the Boozefighters and San Francisco MC. One online directory of MCs lists 216 clubs.

In addition to actual MCs, there are a great many motorcycle riding clubs, including those sponsored by various manufacturers, such as the Harley Owners Group, Honda Riders Club of America, BMW Motorcycle Owners of America, American Legion Riders and others. Other riding clubs exist for a specific purpose, such as the Patriot Guard Riders, who provide funeral escorts for military veterans