I
have been riding motorcycles since I first passed
my test in England in 1976. In all these intervening
years, I have had to put up with badly-fitting men’s
motorcycle clothing. I am a small woman and even
extra small men’s jackets have wide shoulders that
end somewhere near my elbows. More recently,
manufacturers recognised that women ride motorcycles
too so they brought out ranges of hideous pink items
that we were supposed to be thrilled with. Whilst I do
not want to look like a man, this woman does not ride in
pink!
And then I came across the Gigi Montrose range and
my eyes opened wide. Not ‘girlie’ but fitted.
Try as I might, I cannot tolerate armour protection.
I have had accidents and falls but the broken leg I
sustained in Pakistan and the broken collar-bone in
Australia twelve years ago would not have been prevented
with armoured inserts so I am happy to ride without it.
Unlike other jackets I have owned, the “Speed” is fully-
lined in Dupont (TM) Kevlar (r) aramid. This jacket fitted
my requirements so I put my order in.
An online size-guide would have been useful but an
email to the ‘contact us’ facility giving my measurements
came up with a prompt reply and my order went in for an
extra small. It arrived in Melbourne, Australia from Los
Angeles within days.
I gasped as I took it out of the box. The first thing I
noticed was the rich dark cherry-red satin lining with a
tasteful paisley design. I had never seen anything like
it. Even the sleeves are lined with it, making it easy to
just slip on and off. The top-quality denim jacket has
the same red stitching around the pockets, button-holes
and seams and defines the shapely cut of the garment.
A really elegant touch is the lower part of the jacket
at waist level where it flares and dips a little making it
slightly longer so the jacket doesn’t ride up. Definitely
classy. A sturdy no-nonsense YKK zip gives the jacket a
perfect fit and despite having an abrasion-resistant lining
throughout, it does not look or feel bulky. I love a round-
neck collar so was delighted that this jacket has one with
a press-stud fastening.
I was on my way to Tasmania in late Spring and
decided this would be the time and place to put the jacket
through its paces. I have a history of adventure-riding
when appearance was the least of my concerns and
was afraid of spoiling my “Speed” on dusty dirt roads; It
looked and felt so wonderful, I hardly recognised myself
in something that actually fitted.
I rode onto the ferry from Melbourne to Tasmania
with my battered old 500cc Enfield Bullet, looking a bit
incongruous wearing something so smart and, with such
a beautiful lining, I left the jacket open to expose it.
The good weather was slow to pick up and I was happy
to have something warm around me. When the sun did
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