Belstaff Textile MC wear?

An essentially new one just sold for $420 on eBay.

I have a textile Belstaff Trekker, and it is a great jacket. Comfortable and warm, but it lacks ventillation, and that relagates it to winter, or cool and/or rainy weather here in Arizona.

I'd want to see some data comparing waxed cotton to modern textiles (Cordura, etc) for abrasion resistance before considering one for street use. Do the Belstaff or Barbour jackets have any armor? Cotton, waxed or not, is very poor for abrasion. Even heavyweight denim is toast after about 10 feet of sliding on pavement.

I do remember back in the day when I was riding enduro here in New England that all the top riders (and best financed) were in Barbour suits. Steve McQueen and his ISDT teammates all wore them. Very stylish even today, but is it functional?

pete

na1g said:

I'd want to see some data comparing waxed cotton to modern textiles (Cordura, etc) for abrasion resistance before considering one for street use. Do the Belstaff or Barbour jackets have any armor? Cotton, waxed or not, is very poor for abrasion. Even heavyweight denim is toast after about 10 feet of sliding on pavement.

I do remember back in the day when I was riding enduro here in New England that all the top riders (and best financed) were in Barbour suits. Steve McQueen and his ISDT teammates all wore them. Very stylish even today, but is it functional?

pete

Click to expand...

My jacket is a 3/4 length. It has pads, liner, reflective material plus a collar for the really cold temps.

My wife and I both wore Belstaff wax cotton for years. As others said, they are messy right after they are treated, something that must be done once in awhile. They are also very waterproof, but I do not believe they breath well if they are overly treated. When they get dirty they can be washed, but be ready for them to shrink a size. I replaced mine a couple of years ago for more modern materials, but I do wish I had kept the Belstaff. I would have loved to washed the wax out and wore the jacket as an everyday jacket, I love the style.

Discovery Jacket

I believe they do not have a US distributor per se, at least that is what I was told by the person I talked to. The I only place I have seen them is at the Progressive International Motorcycle Shows Calendar and that is where the wife and I bought ours. Very warm in the cool temperatures. I have the Discovery and the wife has Adventure. So far seems like quality gear. Here is website: http://britishmotorcyclegear.com/

I have the classic Belstaff which my wife bought me years ago. I wear it a bit now but never riding. Waxed cotton really isn't comparable to modern synthetics in abrasion tests. Plus it has a bit of fabric padding at the shoulders but no armor anywhere.

Hi guys,
Surprised to see this thread's still alive.
I have a waxed cotton Barbour a international that a friend in England GAVE me a few years back I wear it occasionally. I've seen the britishmotorcyclesupply site, and looked over Belstaff jax there.

I wound up biting the bullet and making a lifetime investment in Rukka jacket, pants, and gloves. Several of my friends in Europe wear Rukka, have for years, and they swear by it. It's for 3 season usage- fall, winter, and spring. I don't ride too much in winter, living in the mid Atlantic region, so let's just say it's for cooler weather. I wore the jacket and pants this past June in 80+ degree heat. It wasn't pleasant.
Rukka gear is packed with high tech, innovative features like D3O "smart" armor, OUTLAST phase change material that supposedly regulates body temps, super duty GoreTex fabric, and more.

So hey, not to hijack my own thread...

I gave up on Belstaff gear. I recall seeing some at an International MC Show one year, but ultimately, full-on GoreTex is the way to go for sure dryness. I recall a leather jacket that was really sweet but was also around 700-800.00.
I do love my old Barbour International - but there's no armor or anything like that. I've worn it in LIGHT rain or mist... I wouldn't count on it for much more than some wind protection. I've heard that the waxed cotton will eventually seep water through the pores after hours of wet highway riding- but cannot substantiate that with real-world experience.

Cheers!
Tom