Motorcycle Jackets

Winter is on its way. And winter makes the Harley Owner think of just one thing--Motorcycle jackets.

So I ride over to the Harley store. Wow! Big time leather prices-You can get something from $500-$650 that is fairly cool. Well, I guess I could buy it-but my mother did not bring me up to pay those kind of prices.

To e-bay I go. Perhaps we can cut those prices down some. Unfortunately I am at that awkward size when some times I wear a large and sometimes I wear an x-large. No one can tell on any one coat and that is tough to do on e-bay. So it is a veritable conundrum. Too cheap to buy retail, too variable to buy on e-bay.

Can I live without the Harley logo on it. Sure, I can. So I use the leather jacket I already have.

This morning I woke up dreaming about the Greatest Motorcycle Jacket of all time. When my brother and I were kids motorcycle jackets came out for kids. Were they ever the thing. They looked just like real motorcycle jackets and had all the silver snaps and everything. They were to die for.

Now my brother and I were righteously raised in a good Baptist family. Believe me, my parents were not too excited about their two baby boys dressed up like motorcycle "hoods." Besides we were a normal family. That meant that you had three pairs of jeans, 5 tee-shirts, one suit for church on Sunday-and one winter coat. My younger brother had the same things as I but generally the blue jeans and suit were hand- me- downs. Hey, and we were not poor, either. That was just the way it was back then. You also had one pair of dress shoes and one pair of tennis shoes. Not designer, not expensive. Black and white tennis shoes, and they served for every purpose, except for going to church on Sunday morning.

Mom and Dad could not get too excited about us parading into church decked out as motorcyclists. After, all Dad was a deacon and we had been raised right. Imagine the shock and outrage of the members.

My brother and I had visions of how cool we would be in school with these great motorcycle jackets. No more Mr. Nice Guy for us. We worked Dad and Mom over for months. If you have ever seen the movie "The Christmas Story" where the boy wants a b-b gun. Well, that was my brother and I. We were about that age and looked about the same. It was about the same time in history as well. I watch the movie every Christmas because it evokes such memories. Well we got plenty of "You are going to shoot your eye out" from all the adult family members.

At any rate, my brother and I finally go on a fast until we get the jackets. Now I am not sure where we got this idea. But that is how much we wanted those jackets. At any rate, Mom and Dad somehow relented. Besides it was the first time that my brother and I had ever agreed upon anything.

Before long, my brother and I were wearing those motorcycle jackets not only to school -but also to church. Somehow, Dad kept his job as a deacon at the church. The church members did not abandon church . The children were satisfied and all once again was at peace in the house.

Today, when I think about clothing, those motorcycle jackets were something I will always remember and cherish. I wore that jacket until I had grown out of it-and you can bet my wise parents bought it big so I could get several years use out of it. That is the way all of our clothes started. They began too big and ended too tight.

When I went to school-no longer did I walk in shame. I was cool. I had a new coat and a new attitude.

No $600 Harley leather motorcycle jacket will ever hold a candle to the most wonderful motorcycle jacket of all.

This HaleyDad riding the BlogExpress signing off.