The Cure For Motorcycle Vest Envy

Note: This is a sponsored review; however, the opinions I’ve expressed are my own and were in no way influenced by the fact that I got free swag in the form of a motorcycle vest. I hope you find the review informative and entertaining. ~Curt

When I became a member of the Gruene Chapter Harley Owners Group (HOG) one of my first purchases was a motorcycle vest. I was amazed at how expensive they could be and looked for the cheapest vest I could find. I was relatively new to riding and wasn’t sure if I’d like being part of an organized group so I didn’t want to invest a lot of money in a vest. As it turns out, I really enjoy riding and participating in HOG activities. Therein lies my problem.

Motorcycle Vest Envy...I Got It Bad

My cheap ($20) vest isn’t wearing well and I haven’t been happy with it for a long time. It’s made of leather but I don’t know what animal it came from. It was supposed to be buffalo, but I’m pretty sure it’s not the American Indian type buffalo I pictured when it was ordered. Truth be told, I seriously believe it might be some sort of Chinese water buffalo. I thought maybe with some wear it would soften-up but in two years that hasn’t happened. It’s pretty thin, it’s hard, and it feels a little like cardboard. Bottom line…my vest sucks and I want a new one. I really wish I had invested a little more to get a better quality vest. Lesson learned.

Fortunately, the motorcycle gods have been looking out for me because  I was recently contacted by motorcylehouse.com. They told me they’d send me some gear and that I could keep it in return for posting an honest review of the product on my blog. I ask if I could pick out a vest, and to my surprise they said, “Sure.” I was impressed with the selection offered on their website and ended-up picking out a First Classics Prima Leather Motorcycle Vest listed for $99. I placed my “order” and waited anxiously. Turns out, I didn’t have to wait too long. I received a UPS Tracking Number via e-mail within 24 hours of placing my order. I quickly clicked the enclosed link and discovered my vest had already been shipped via UPS from a warehouse in Uniondale, New York and was scheduled to arrive in four business days. Cool!

The vest arrived right on schedule. I was excited to see the box on my porch when I pulled into my driveway after work. Like a kid on Christmas morning, I made a beeline for the package and quickly tore into it. As soon as I opened the box and removed the vest from its plastic protective bag a sweet familiar aroma permeated the air. This was a “real” leather vest, no question about it. I carried the vest to my kitchen table to take a closer look. The leather seemed thick and supple and had a nice amount of heft to it. The vest appeared to be solidly constructed and the stitching was impressive as was the cotton and polyester lining. I examined the metal snaps, all eleven of them…five up the front, two on the scooter collar, two on the outside pockets, and two on the inside pockets. They looked and felt solid, snapping and unsnapping with just the right amount of force. My initial reaction was, “This is a nice vest!”

I Found The Cure!

About that time my wife walked over, looked at the vest, looked at me, and said, “Looks a little small, what size is it?” I replied, “It’s a large,” as I slid the vest on to check the fit. I admit it was a little snug on my 5’7” 195-pound frame but an x-large would have been much too big. I definitely won’t be wearing it over a jacket without vest extenders, but hey, now I have some additional motivation to lose those 10-15 pounds I’ve been trying to get rid of. I wore the vest around the house for the rest of the evening and did my best “Magic Mike” impression before going to bed. At the end of the day, my wife admitted the vest looked good on me.

The next afternoon I wore the vest on a short ride and was pleased with its performance. It got a little chilly as the sun was setting but the vest kept me nice and warm. I did decide that although I liked the looks of the scooter collar, it wasn’t practical for me…I’ll probably never ride with it snapped closed. Fortunately that shouldn’t be a problem. Over the next week or so, I wore the vest everywhere to get a better feel for it. Hell, I even wore it to work. The vest is comfortable and stylish. For riders who like to listen to music, you can put an MP3 player in the left pocket and run your ear buds through a buttonhole in the pocket flap. From a real estate perspective, the vest offers plenty of space for patches and pins; however, the back is made-up of multiple panels so a club or chapter patch will overlap a few seams. Overall, I’m very impressed with the looks, feel, and yes, even the fit of the First Classics vest. Only time will tell how well it wears but I have high expectations that it will look great and last a long, long time. I’m already looking forward to putting some new HOG patches and pins on it. Best of all, that nagging case of motorcycle vest envy I caught from my old vest is gone...I’ve been cured. Thank you motorcyclehouse.com!

Coming Soon
To see the First Classics Prima Motorcycle Vest up-close and personal watch for the upcoming Live Free and Ride Hard Product Review Video. It’ll debut sometime in December…don’t worry, “Magic Mike” will not make an appearance.