Gifts for Motorcycle Riders, From a Man Who Rides
Gifts for Motorcycle Riders, From a Man Who Rides
Cold air at speed, old engines, long roads. Gifts that understand all three.
The short answer
Give a rider something that works on the bike and looks right off it. Gloves that stay soft. Leather that wears in. Denim that can sit on a saddle all day. A tool made for the engine he loves.
I ride vintage motorcycles, at home and twice a year in Japan. These are the pieces I would want under the tree.
The cold is faster than it feels
The National Weather Service wind chill formula, in use since 2001, shows why riders want warm hands. On a 40 degree day at 60 miles an hour, the air against you feels like about 25 degrees. Speed turns a cool morning into winter.
For the hands
The Deerskin Pile Lined Gloves are medium weight deerskin over a 14oz pile lining, tanned and made in the USA. Deerskin dries soft after rain and molds to the hand. For warmer days there is the Drivers Fine Touch Glove.
For the neck
A cotton bandana does a lot of work under a jacket collar. The We'll Die Standin' Up Bandana and the My Japan Indigo Bandana are both printed cotton.
For the ride itself
The Rough-RIDER COMMANDER Jacket is horsehide tanned for us by Horween, worn raw side out with the finished side in, so it needs no lining. The hide runs around 3 to 4oz. It closes with custom Black Bear Brand YKK snaps and is made in the USA. Our friend Robert Patrick coined the name COMMANDER. In 2026 he was inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame.
There is also the BLACK CHARCOAL COMMANDER. Both are sold only by preorder, in windows that open three or four times a year. The holiday preorder is open now for the Rough-RIDER COMMANDER Jacket and the BLACK CHARCOAL COMMANDER Jacket.
For the saddle
The Indigo Cowboy Jeans are my daily jeans. They are 13oz shuttle loom woven selvedge made in Okayama, Japan, with a front pocket shaped for a large buckle and gold triple needle stitching. They come in a 40 inch cowboy inseam, long on purpose.
For the engine
The Motorcycle Plug and Wrench Tool is made to order in Japan by Free Way in Oita, the shop whose bikes I ride in Kyushu. It is made only for Panhead and Shovelhead engines. Spark plugs are not included.
A Way Of Life.
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Motorcycle Plug and Wrench Tool
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