Review – The Viking Cycle leather jacket from Motorcyclehouse.com

Motorcyclehouse in the USA approached me asking if I would be interested in reviewing one of their jackets. I said yes, but told them that I wouldn’t say good things about it if they weren’t true, and that they would have to give me the time to test it thoroughly. They were up for that and said, “Have a look at our website to see what you like the look of.”

When I hunt for a bike jacket I look for several key things. Is the protection enough, will it keep me warm and as dry as possible, does it fit properly, and is it well made? This time I added in another target. I wanted a leather jacket that would work off the bike for every day wear too. In due course a Viking Cycle jacket arrived. The colour is great. For my tastes, deep brown is a good for both on the bike and off; a great bashing around colour.

I’m always a bit edgy about sourcing such things on line because you can’t feel the quality, see how well something is stitched, and of course there never is a guarantee as to whether it’s going to fit. I was impressed straight away by the system Motorcyclehouse use to do their best to ensure that you’ll get a good fit. The jacket arrived and it fitted perfectly. But there was an immediate problem. The zipper was on the wrong side. Now, if I was a leftie then this would be an advantage, but as I’m not I contacted the company. Their instant reaction was to apologise and to get it sorted. Mistakes happen, but it’s the way they get dealt with that’s so important isn’t it. I started to like the company, but do I like the jacket?

Well, I’ve had it a couple of months now and I do. Why? There’s useful elbow protection and a back pad. The leather seems to be good quality and I haven’t found any panels that are thin. I also like the padded rear section of the collar; it gives good chill protection. The zippers are solid, smooth running and they all have tags which make them easy to use with gloves. There are air vents in the arms and back.

The chest vents are absolutely trick; they work well too. I’ll tell you what; the designers of this jacket have had some fun. Not only are there two poppered inner chest pockets and two zipped pockets for your hands, but the outer pockets are terrific. You have a zip that runs from chest to waist and this hides the air vents, and the zippers for the outer pockets. I was a little nervous about things perhaps falling out of them; that zipper goes all the way down. Not a bit of it, and inside those pockets are smaller pouches for your wallet, keys etc.

You know when you get a bit of kit and you get the feeling it’s going to become an old friend? I think I’ve just found one.

Is there anything I don’t like? The only problem I had was that the poppers that hold the removable lining in, in the sleeves, tend to un pop a little too easily. Easy to fix. I just squeezed the popper nipple with a pair of plyers. Job done. The liner itself, though seemingly thin, makes a noticeable difference.

Cost $99.99