Schott CHP horse

I'll take an oldie but a goodie...

I did a search of CHP Motor Officers, and almost all were wearing fabric jackets! Are they doing what more and more police forces are doing, phasing out the black leather jacket?

nick123 said:

I'll take an oldie but a goodie...
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Yeah...I dig it!

Point taken on the gussets, perhaps these CHPS jackets were never meant to have them, still would be concerned about mobility though, depending of course on how much back room was left.

They've got a more reasonably priced (and also non gusseted) version here https://www.schottnyc.com/products/chips-california-highway-patrol-leather.htm?catID=7 which I actually dont' mind the studding on (maybe could do without the collar). Also diamond quilted lining suggest someone might actually use it on a cold day at 80mph.

And then perhaps a slightly more rider oriented version here with gussets https://www.schottnyc.com/products/police-motorcycle-leather-jacket.htm?color=1&catID=7 but no diamond quilted lining.

Make up your mind Schott, which of these three is for riders and which is for fashion? I'm leaning toward the studded version for riding, sized up due to missing gussets, but with an appropriate liner.

FWIW, I see CHiP out here wearing lots of different jackets on bikes. I don't know what the reg's are, but it seems there is some flexibility here.
I've seen lots of leather and some look older. I've seen lots of non-leather as well. Cali is one place where you can ride and not worry about the rain most of the time.

This is a sharp jacket. Don't know if it matters if it's not "custom" if one will fit you off of the shelf. I've had a few Schott's and they are very high quality.
And the chances of seeing someone else wearing one is slim if the production numbers are true.

As regards gussets, while most of my riding jackets have this feature, my Vanson/Insurrection "PLU-3" version of the Comet does not. It is the most trim-fitting jacket I own and it has plenty of room across the back. When zipping it up for the first time, I thought to myself "Self, you're going to be in trouble with this one..." but that has not been the case. The jacket did seem to be a little "poofy" in the upper back region when new but has settled down and now gives quite the slim appearance.

Don't feel like making a separate thread just for this, but has anyone seen this Schott Sunset Delivery Jacket? https://www.schottnyc.com/products/leather-delivery-jacket.htm?catID=5
They've started to pick up on the vintage deal...

This however I do believe is overpriced, as you there's a perfect, custom made alternative available, for the same kind money.

Aero Sunburst.

I really like the new Schott Sunset jacket. It's caught my eye and I also really liked the first version of the Sunset that Schott made back in 2011, albeit in a really shiny leather, but still very cool:



Here some more pics of the original:

https://www.schottnyc.com/forum/posts/p635_sunset_jacket_for_sale.htm

While it's still quite expensive at $900, dollar for dollar and pound for pound, off-the-rack, it's still cheaper than the Aero Sunburst at £650 ($1,005) at the current exchange rate. But if you need it tailor-made, you can't go wrong with Aero. I guess that sunset back is very labor intensive.

Wow, I love the look of that leather. The shine will wear off and it will look freaking amazing.

Schott seems to be upping their advertising game along with their prices. Maybe Aero could get Sloane, Otter, WDW, et. al. to stand around in their jackets out in the cold looking troubled. Sales would skyrocket.

HAHA I actually laughed out loud when I saw this. You can get an RMC j-100 from japan for not much more right now. Not the same jacket, but just a point about how ridiculous the price is. Still, you can get the J24 from RMC for less than $1600. That's only $300 more. The quality difference? Not even CLOSE. Not sure what Schott thinks they are doing.

I wouldn't question the quality of the company that makes jackets that look like this after 55 years of wear and use:

...doesn't mean the quality is the same. I never said the jacket was bad. It actually looks quite nice. However, I don't think anyone here is willing to pay Aero prices for a Schott jacket.

Schott jackets last for a lifetime. There's no better than that, they are just as good as Aeros in that regard. Buying Aero or Schott is a matter of personal preference and taste in leather.

The only reason I can make out why some people here are prone to Schott bashing is because Schott is an evil capitalist main stream company while Aero are the nice guys who many of us had very pleasant experience with. But the fact that I like Holly won't make me attack another company, not even when their marketing is better than Aeros.

jacketjunkie said:

Schott jackets last for a lifetime. There's no better than that, they are just as good as Aeros in that regard. Buying Aero or Schott is a matter of personal preference and taste in leather.

The only reason I can make out why some people here are prone to Schott bashing is because Schott is an evil capitalist main stream company while Aero are the nice guys who many of us had very pleasant experience with. But the fact that I like Holly won't make me attack another company, not even when their marketing is better than Aeros.

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Well played, sir.

The jacket in the op look nice.... though I've always been put off CHP jackets by the tie-sides. Too hippy looking for me (I don't claim any remotely rational thought here; it's purely a subjective aesthetic preference). Their run on the Sunburst looks nice. Not as nice, imo, as the Aero Sunburst, but for that, it's a simpler design which also has its charm. I suppose, as ever, the market will set the price. I personally find Schott too expensive in general in the UK (a new Perfecto 618, for example, will be about GBP500 now), but clearly plenty of people are happy to pay their price or they wouldn't still be in business. I bought a second hand 618 a couple of years ago, and it's a cracking jacket. Not as good as the Aero MC I've owned, imo (having both to hand and being able to comparel ike ofr like, both steer), but still a great jacket for all that. A lot of folks value Schott for being the 'original'. American pricing for the most part seems much fairer for Schott (as with so many things imported into the UK from the US!). But again, it's all subjective. I'd say with these jackets, Schott are banking a lot on the exclusivity to sell them at the higher price. Also, there's the fact that at some point somebody had to develop their pattern for this, and if they've only done a couple of runs of fifty (this isn't the same as any model in their standard production line, afaik?), they're further from recoupiing certain overheads than on the likes of the 618 which haven't changed in decades... Another thing I wodner is whether they're raisingp rices on some of these models in order to try to raise the perceived value of the brand. I doubt it's Aero they're seeing as a direct competitor (too niche, Schott are aftrer the mainstream), so they're quite likely looking at the fashion market (see how much has been made of that Rihanna girl wearing one in the last couple of years, for instance), and wnating to place themselves alongside thel ikes of Belstaff, or Gucci, or whomever.... Inevitably that means a price-hike.

I don't think that anyone here is necessarily bashing Schott. I will tell you this..I bought my first Schott (perfecto style) in the early '70s. Since then I've had two Schotts used for MC riding purchased five or six years ago. The first jacket had the fused lifeless hide with loose lining threads subject to unravel. I sold it on. With the second jacket(that I have now..purchased through LegendaryUSA) Schott dropped the felt fusing and liner threads are better sewn. For a while it was a quality crap shoot, however. In the 60s-70s Schott's common steer hide was normally differently finished than those of today and did age well developing great patina. Another problem particularly with Schott is that the sleeves tended to be somewhat short for a dedicated riding jacket for taller riders where Vanson and some others more often offered longer sleeves for reach. Today Schott's are more in line with the older jackets as pictured above), but something is, indeed, missing compared to jackets of the '60-'70s. Seems they source their hides from tanneries that now use finishes differing quite a bit from those of the past. At least that has been my experience. Yet, they do seem to up their game (and price) with the limited additions, if more standard sizing can fit your riding style. That's my 2 cents.
HD

jacketjunkie said:

Schott jackets last for a lifetime. There's no better than that, they are just as good as Aeros in that regard. Buying Aero or Schott is a matter of personal preference and taste in leather.

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Exactly! If I wanted a repro of a certain vtg style, I'd go to Aero, same as if I wanted a Perfecto style jacket, well, what else is beside the 618?

There's really no point in comparing the quality of these jackets, I would say. Aero, RMC and Schott all know how to use sewing machines, they all have their tested methods of making leather jackets, one that in Schott's case has proven to be extremely good as we see 50, 60 years old Schott jackets in flawless condition popping up every day on the Bay. Ditto for the skins they're using. Schott steer may not be displaying so much character as some of the leathers used by some other brands but there's no denying that these are premium quality, hard wearing hides they're using even today. So, what exactly is this quality we speak of? There's really literally nothing that RMC can do to improve on Schott - not taking factors that are of a purely subjective nature into account, such as leather type, etc. - and Schott knows it! Which is why if a fashion company can ask for $1600 for a vintage-inspired jacket design, so can Schott for an original. And they're not, since the original Schott Perfecto still goes for $600. Not a repro, not an inspired piece, but the real deal! I think that's really nice, to still be able to own a piece of history that made us fall in love with these jackets like that.

So yeah, I've no trouble with Schott price tags. Sure, I can't afford a Schott, but think about it; Aero's copy of a Schott Perfecto costs $1100! I mean, imagine you were running Schott; would you be okay with another company charging twice as much for your design? Whether or not Schott came up with the design is arguable but it has become so synonymous with the company that the matter is beside the point.

Schott bashing makes zero sense. What jucketjunkie said, there's no better than Schott. There's as good, but not better.

Edward and HD made some great points, but while I agree with the sleeves on Schott jackets tending to be too short, I've always felt that for the sleeves to be adequately long on a bike, they'd have to be 30".

Another thing about the Schott 618 vs. Aero MC jacket, while they're both undoubtedly great jackets, as a dedicated motorcycle jacket, the 618 wins hands down.

^^^ And no one ever seems to complain about small, fragile zippers being sewn into the Schott jackets.