BKS British Police jacket 1980s-90s?. (pic heavy)

Picked this up a few weeks back, a superb jacket used by the British motorcycle patrols.
For summer wear I would think due to the vented leather. A heavy steer hide outer shell with fitted armour, the photo's tell the best story.
This is a large size around 40-42,but they were all hand made and tailored to fit each individual officer. I especially like the A2 style flaps with zip pockets and clean back design. Shoulder forearm and elbow armour are also fitted. A nice kidney panel and the sides are vented.
I am no authority to these jackets at all but first saw these for sale at auto jumbles and bike meetings around 18 years ago, I would like to know a little more, indeed when they were first used and when replaced by todays hi vis garments.having seen a few of these jackets I have yet to see the zip together matching trousers.
If anyone has a larger one to trade please let me know as this is a little small for me. Probably my favourite Police jacket and modern style of all time. This one is near mint with some dead insects collected along the way.
Here's a bunch of pics.

That is one beautiful and practical leather jacket.

Fell in love with these BKS jackets the first time I saw one. They pop up occasionally, both in perforated and regular versions, and I definitely plan to get one some day. Don't know anything about them, though... I just really love the design. They go real cheap, shouldn't be a problem to nab one in your size, @rocketeer.

rocketeer said:

Picked this up a few weeks back, a superb jacket used by the British motorcycle patrols.
For summer wear I would think due to the vented leather. A heavy steer hide outer shell with fitted armour, the photo's tell the best story.
This is a large size around 40-42,but they were all hand made and tailored to fit each individual officer. I especially like the A2 style flaps with zip pockets and clean back design. Shoulder forearm and elbow armour are also fitted. A nice kidney panel and the sides are vented.
I am no authority to these jackets at all but first saw these for sale at auto jumbles and bike meetings around 18 years ago, I would like to know a little more, indeed when they were first used and when replaced by todays hi vis garments.having seen a few of these jackets I have yet to see the zip together matching trousers.
If anyone has a larger one to trade please let me know as this is a little small for me. Probably my favourite Police jacket and modern style of all time. This one is near mint with some dead insects collected along the way.
Here's a bunch of pics.

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BKS leather, they seem to be a household name here in the UK

Hi I have a size approx size 44in same jacket ,,fantastic condition if anyone is interested..probably made for someone taller than myself,,I’m 5-9,,great jacket though & just waiting on a new owner,,pm for pics ,,thanks Peter

Monitor said:

Fell in love with these BKS jackets the first time I saw one. They pop up occasionally, both in perforated and regular versions, and I definitely plan to get one some day. Don't know anything about them, though... I just really love the design. They go real cheap, shouldn't be a problem to nab one in your size, @rocketeer.

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Yes they do pop up but as being hand made to measure it's hard to find one that fits in the arms for me too. There is one on there at the moment at a great price but 4 ins too long in the arm department.

red devil said:

BKS leather, they seem to be a household name here in the UK

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Possibly not the same company, or changed management /designs at least as this is not anywhere in their line up. Much poorer quality as well as being far eastern made

Peter Mackin said:

Hi I have a size approx size 44in same jacket ,,fantastic condition if anyone is interested..probably made for someone taller than myself,,I’m 5-9,,great jacket though & just waiting on a new owner,,pm for pics ,,thanks Peter

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See above. Is that your's on the bay right now? I'm same hight as you and 42-44 in a normal leather jacket(Read Aero / Eastman styles) this one is also too long in the arms.

No i very rarely sell ,,this one would probably be on the long side for you also it’s one of the best motorcycle jackets I have ,, just a tad too long to be perfect ,, but I have loads to choose from,,I’m going to need to move some on ,,sometime

rocketeer said:

Possibly not the same company, or changed management /designs at least as this is not anywhere in their line up. Much poorer quality as well as being far eastern made

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Good to know, with their prices I thought they were made in the UK.

Seems they're still in business...

https://www.bksleather.co.uk/information/police-emergency-services

Monitor said:

Seems they're still in business...

https://www.bksleather.co.uk/information/police-emergency-services

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Yep these are the guys, I was thinking of checking them out directly although it's a long drive from London

red devil said:

Good to know, with their prices I thought they were made in the UK.

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It looks like there are two companies for some reason. This one http://www.bksclothing.com trades from the J&S outlets, no mention of anything bespoke or emergency services. These people make the so called Power Ranger stuff and all accessories etc. One of the tag lines is "Designed in the UK" Confusing as this one is BKS Clothing.

I also encountered this statement to add to the confusion.

"J&S Accessories acquired the BKS brand in February 2011. BKS has been established for over 20 years and offers the ultimate in leather suits, gloves, boots, waterproof jackets and trousers, combining quality, safety protection, styling and comfort and wonderful value for money."

Monitor said:

Seems they're still in business...

https://www.bksleather.co.uk/information/police-emergency-services

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As our man Monitor says above, this one is BKS Leather. A little confusing but I may enquire to the cost of a suit if none come up on the dreaded 'Bay'.
Reading through my above quotes is strange as we delve deeper. BKS Leather appear to still be in business as they are advertising 2017 designed gloves. How does that relate to the above quote of the 2011 takeover?
(Well done Ivan)
Thanks, J.

BKS was set up by Brian Sampson, and he sold the rights to the name for an off the shelf range to Frank Thomas a few years back. I'm not sure if he consulted on the design, but I suspect he did. He retained the rights to the name for made-to-measure, and his team continues to produce them to this day in Exmouth.

Frank Thomas went bust, and J&S Accessories bought the name.

If you're wanting to see how tough the police BKS leathers are, a rider crashed after being hit by a car at 100 mph, and escaped with a scuffed suit and bruises.

Graemsay said:

BKS was set up by Brian Sampson, and he sold the rights to the name for an off the shelf range to Frank Thomas a few years back. I'm not sure if he consulted on the design, but I suspect he did. He retained the rights to the name for made-to-measure, and his team continues to produce them to this day in Exmouth.

Frank Thomas went bust, and J&S Accessories bought the name.

If you're wanting to see how tough the police BKS leathers are, a rider crashed after being hit by a car at 100 mph, and escaped with a scuffed suit and bruises.

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Thanks for clarifying!
So the guys I was thinking of going to check out are the real deal (they are indeed based in Exmouth)

red devil said:

So the guys I was thinking of going to check out are the real deal (they are indeed based in Exmouth)

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Yeah, BKS in Exmouth are the real deal, and well worth a visit. I've had two suits off them, the first ended up a bit big after I lost a load of weight.

Graemsay said:

Yeah, BKS in Exmouth are the real deal, and well worth a visit. I've had two suits off them, the first ended up a bit big after I lost a load of weight.

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Good to know! Will certainly go there

Time to update this thread... I was there yesterday

It was over 3 hours ride each way but well worth the time!
Brian, the founder, is a really nice chap, he really went out of his way to explain in details how riding suits are built, designed and the many characteristics to look into, and the options, etc. All in all a very thorough intro to the world of riding suits.

So, for the first suit, a two piece, I decided to forget about trying to get a vintage look, and went for functionality and safety instead. So it is a full on modern suit, which is as versatile as possible. Pretty sure I can use it all year long. Was hesitating between going for a discrete black so that I can use this suit with whatever motorbikes come next, but ended up matching it to my Kawasaki Z1000sx, so it will be black kangaroo base with green and silver accents. Since it's a full on custom, might as well go full on with the graphics as well.
The suit will also be compatible with Tech air, that air bag technology developed by Alpine Stars, hoping I never need it, but better be as safe as possible. This forces us to have a tech air logo in any case, so it pushed towards going the "full graphics" route.

Quite excited to get some serious riding gear (I have mainly been wearing the vintage jackets with no protection so far). I will most likely look into making a vintage style suit with modern armour later on, as Brian is quite open to the idea and told me he can literally make anything as long as we can get the hardware and hides.

They have nothing to do with the BKS line bought by J&S accessories, that was indeed a cooperation originally started between Brian and Frank Thomas. He was to design the suits for the off the rack models but unfortunately Frank Thomas went bust and this line never saw the light of day.

So the made to measure line is indeed made in Exmouth, and it is as high end as one could wish for. The measurements taken are the most complex I have seen so far, will update this thread as all the final details are hammered.

The police jacket at the top of the thread is of a style I remember seeing worn in the 90s by the RUC (as then was - I see BKS still supply to the PSNI as they became). I seem to recall that they had a very distinctive look - it was a very subtle thing, but you just did not see these suits on civilians (no idea if they were restricted somehow for the NI market; it would have made sense in those days, all things considered). Often a fluro- tabard sort of thing was worn on the top if they wanted to be visible. These days the motorcycle police I mostly see (London Met & City of London) seem predominantly to be wearing a fluro yellow textile jacket on the top, seemingly without a leather jacket underneath. Not sure whether this is a seasonal / weather option, or reflective of seeking to make financial savings. I know the general Met uniforms have been much-modernised in recent years (sweaters instead of the more traditional military-style tunics and such, poloshirts for Summer...) but I've not paid that much attention otherwise.

Edward said:

The police jacket at the top of the thread is of a style I remember seeing worn in the 90s by the RUC (as then was - I see BKS still supply to the PSNI as they became). I seem to recall that they had a very distinctive look - it was a very subtle thing, but you just did not see these suits on civilians (no idea if they were restricted somehow for the NI market; it would have made sense in those days, all things considered). Often a fluro- tabard sort of thing was worn on the top if they wanted to be visible. These days the motorcycle police I mostly see (London Met & City of London) seem predominantly to be wearing a fluro yellow textile jacket on the top, seemingly without a leather jacket underneath. Not sure whether this is a seasonal / weather option, or reflective of seeking to make financial savings. I know the general Met uniforms have been much-modernised in recent years (sweaters instead of the more traditional military-style tunics and such, poloshirts for Summer...) but I've not paid that much attention otherwise.

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There is a push for textile Police gears nowadays with the reasoning that it is more practical and comfortable. No idea which departments are pushing for this exactly though.
Not sure if the reasoning is correct, but the trend is certainly there

red devil said:

There is a push for textile Police gears nowadays with the reasoning that it is more practical and comfortable. No idea which departments are pushing for this exactly though.
Not sure if the reasoning is correct, but the trend is certainly there

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Doesn't surprise me. On bikers generally, if classic style is not something they care about, I seem more often these days to see textiles rather than leather. I'd be very surprised, all told, if the textiles didn't also offer a marked saving, which often is the deciding factor in the public sector.

Edward said:

Doesn't surprise me. On bikers generally, if classic style is not something they care about, I seem more often these days to see textiles rather than leather. I'd be very surprised, all told, if the textiles didn't also offer a marked saving, which often is the deciding factor in the public sector.

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Yes, leather has been relegated into the "if you're into that" category. Most biker shops recommend textile these days, or if you're a new biker, will recommend "lifestyle" type of gear.
Pretty sure, all the modern textiles are cheaper than adequate leather, so it wouldn't be surprising at all