Wolverine X-MEN vanson motorcycle jacket

[H8ter18]

i used some mink oil on my wested, it did darken it up a bit.
the stripes however didnt change, there are some worn spots on them where the top layer has rubbed off and it is more of the color i want. so any of you know what effect it will have if i take that first layer off? obviously it will make them softer and flimsier, but will it make them alot weaker and prone to damage? kinda like suede?


thanks
mike

i will post a few pics soon.

 

[H8ter18]

here is the jacket last january

and here it is today, after i used the oil

imageshack lost the image so lets try it again....HERE

 

[Logansrun07]

has there been any advance on the X3 jacket yet Spamtron?

 

[Spamtron]

Yep, vanson is almost finished with my X3... I hope to see it within the next couple of weeks.

H8 - I literally SANDBLASTED my jacket and it just made it look better... I say you take some fine grit sandpaper or a wire brush to those stripes if you want to distress them a bit. Won't make them weaker, it's only scratching the surface to rough up that top thin layer of the leather.

 

[H8ter18]

i may try it, kinda scared to, and it's not a $600 jacket either :P.

yeahi can't wait to see the Vanson X3, have you seen the pattern they actually are using, i wonder how much they listen to the details.
are you buying an X3 too?, or just helping make it?

 

[OnlyOneSnake]

Sure Thing Spamtron. Here is a pretty good pic. I haven't taken any in a while and it's now fall time so I can actually wear it out! I'm gonna try and get some nice outdoor shots soon.

 

[H8ter18]

i still can't believe you tore that stripe off
looks good though, but took some ballz.
since the westd is "pre-distressed" it'd probably die if i weathered the main jacket any.

 

[OnlyOneSnake]

Yeah, I hesitated at first about cutting off the stripe, but once the first few threads were cut, there was no turning back. I already voided the warantee by stripping and redying the jacket, so yeah...not much to lose. I put so many hours of work into this jacket it's ridiculous.

 

[H8ter18]

i believe it
took me about 2hrs just to oil.
forget that i didnt have to strip or dye one time let alone 2!
what did you end up doing with your other vanson?

 

[Spamtron]

Snake - I know what you mean on the time, my sand blasting sessions were a couple hours each. I think total time for putting that much wear on the jacket was at least 8 hours of work... and that's not even counting the 40 hours of wearing it around time that helped break it in fast.

H8 - they sent me the actual pattern to go over before finalizing. I'm helping them develop the X3 for my personal jacket and to add to the website so others will have an accurate jacket to purchase.

Well I had a nice surprise when I got home today...apparently they were closer to finishing than I was lead to believe.
Sorry for the crappy pics, better ones will be coming.

 

[H8ter18]

looks pretty good, looks so "new"
are you going to "age" this one as well?
i know its screen acurate, but i like when the sleeve zips go to the elbow :P
i wish i worked where you do to drop so much $$ on these jackets...are they hiring?

anyways damn good job, it'll be even beter once broke in.

 

[Spamtron]

Ha, why do you think I started up a site and became a distributor? Just to be able to afford the jackets!

This one will be aged properly as well...

Here's a correct daylight color shot of the X3..

 

[Logansrun07]

looking quite good so far - without wanting to sound picky or anything is there blue and yellow for the stripes as close as they can go, just that they look a bit too bright on the pics, even the outdoor pic? Will it be available in a pre-distressed version as well btw?

Well done so far Spamtron and keep up the good work!

 

[H8ter18]

i thought that too at first, but if you think about the movie jacket, and how dirty and beat up it is, they are probably about the same color.

SPAM; any thoughts about doing the X3 in the same brown as the X1?
i think the color may be closer, but again, all changes with a lil sandblasting :P

 

[Spamtron]

L-07 - The primary colors tend to pop very well with my camera outdoors...notice how vibrant the green of my lawn and trees turned out as well. I have taken color samples from many various screen shots throughout X3 and the blue and yellows are pretty much spot on.
Same goes for the GA2 Brown used as the base color. As the jacket wears it will become even more apparent.

The jacket will of course be available to order with other color combos as people always have their own preference... this will be the standard color set unless specified differently on the order.

As far as coming weathered... I will be happy to offer weathering service for the jackets, but honestly that would run about $200 extra as an option on top of the regular price. It is a lot of work and time involved, and again people tend to have their own preference for the weathered look.

 

[H8ter18]

hey spam any chance you could post som close up pics of the arm and waist stripes?

i wanna see how they look

 

[knightofistari]

Abbyshot Clothiers has a pretty accurate looking X3 Wolverine Jacket.

I just saw it the other day. I little pricey but much cheaper then a Vanson or Bates, I believe.

 

[Spamtron]

knight - AbbyShots' is $525US...my LogansCloset/Vanson is $560. I don't see being $35 less for far less accurate jacket that much cheaper and definitely not a deal by any means... but to each their own if you think it's worth it.
The arm stripes are the wrong size, the leather is thin, the chest zippers are way off, there's a big seam down the middle of the back, the sleeve gussets are brown, their shoulder stitch line isn't correct, and they've missed the 1/4 inch top stitching that this jacket should have everywhere.

 

[Spamtron]

My vanson version

 

[knightofistari]

knight - AbbyShots' is $525US...my LogansCloset/Vanson is $560. I don't see being $35 less for far less accurate jacket that much cheaper and definitely not a deal by any means... but to each their own if you think it's worth it.
The arm stripes are the wrong size, the leather is thin, the chest zippers are way off, there's a big seam down the middle of the back, the sleeve gussets are brown, their shoulder stitch line isn't correct, and they've missed the 1/4 inch top stitching that this jacket should have everywhere.

Wel, when you put it that way....

Actually I'm looking into buying one of the X1 jackets from your site...I just got my own motorcycle and would like a nice looking jacket.

Spamtron, I had a question....did you have to get a different size in order to fit the Blue jean jacket underneath?

Also, I tend to have long arms for my body size apparently, when I order certain jackets, etc...it fits perfect except for my arms...(case in point I wear mediums in Wrangler flannels shirts but I have to buy large's in order for them to not ride up on my arms) would you suggest ordering a size bigger just in case?

But I'm certainly wanting an X1 with vintage blue stripes instead of gold....thats my next purchase after my bike I bought...

 

[Spamtron]

knight - BTW I am by no means putting AbbyShot down... they make some awesome stuff, and I personally hope to get one of their Mad Max jackets some day (that thing is spot on!) But I do feel they came up really short on how good the X3 could have been for them... And I'm glad I continued with my X3 venture even though I saw AS was coming out with their X3.

I just like to be sure everyone has all the facts (including myself) when making a $500+ jacket purchase. In my mind if you're paying that kind of $$ for a jacket it better be freakin' awesome. It took me a long time to justify spending that kind of $, but I came to the realization that to get what I wanted I had to make it happen. I wasted a lot of $$ and energy trying to get lesser companies to produce the right jacket until I finally ended up dealing with vanson, and now I couldn't be happier with the results.

For sizing, I got my standard 44R fitment for both the X1 and X3... since these jackets are meant to have a snap-in cold weather liner they fit great with or without that extra layer underneath.

I'm also in the slightly longer armed club, and so far vansons seem to be cut in favor of that... But I can get a better idea of the sizing you'll need if I had your height, weight, chest, and arm length measurements.
The other cool thing about vanson is if you need an adjustment made for proper sleeve length and still keep the jacket fitting properly that is an easy option. Noone is limited to just the standard sizes, these can be made exactly for you.
Like I said, if you're going to buy in this range it better be perfect.

I love your color idea, I'm sure it will look bad-ass!

 

[knightofistari]

Spam, one last question. Something I've always loved about the X1 is the way the collar folds away from the neck (I hate tight necks). I noticed it does this in your pics also. Is this a result of the design or of the weathering?

I just rode my bike today for the first time - through an hour and a half of freezing wind - lots of fun, at the moment I'm wearing my old Indy Wested that I ordered when I was 18 (I'm 26 now).....which made me realize that I really need a good bike jacket. I won't be able to afford the X1 for at least a month or two (thanks to my bike) but I really want a good biking jacket. With competition weight leather and comfortable design as the X1 looks to be, its #1 in my book as of now. ( even though my friends tell me its "gay" to order a Wolverine jacket, I feel as long as its a style I like AND I get my own color choices, then its MY jacket. No different from buying a jacket off the rack which joe blow can get.)

And in answer to your earlier questions, I'm 5'9, 160 pounds....I honestly don't know my waist, except my jeans are 30-32 (lowrise Levi's). But as I'm heavily involved in theatre I'm sure I can get the right measurements when the time comes to order my jacket.

 

[Spamtron]

knight - for the collar, as you can see in post #15 when my jacket was brand spanking new the collar easily folds down away from the neck. If you wear it this way rgularly it will relax and settle down even moreso, and it will keep that memory even when closing the collar and opening it up again on those really cold days.
Another "cool" riding feature is the chest pockets... Even though they are pockets more than actual vents, the jacket and pocket lining is cotton, so I feel air flow easily through them when zipped open.

I think that's hilarious that you are heavily involved in theatre and your friends consider the Wolverine jacket to be "gay." Since you're big in the theatre I'm sure many of your friends are also, so stereotypically, shouldn't that make at least half of them "gay" anyway?

 

[knightofistari]

knight - for the collar, as you can see in post #15 when my jacket was brand spanking new the collar easily folds down away from the neck. If you wear it this way rgularly it will relax and settle down even moreso, and it will keep that memory even when closing the collar and opening it up again on those really cold days.
Another "cool" riding feature is the chest pockets... Even though they are pockets more than actual vents, the jacket and pocket lining is cotton, so I feel air flow easily through them when zipped open.

I think that's hilarious that you are heavily involved in theatre and your friends consider the Wolverine jacket to be "gay." Since you're big in the theatre I'm sure many of your friends are also, so stereotypically, shouldn't that make at least half of them "gay" anyway?

Thats good to know about the collar, I love that collar...something alot of motorcycle jackets won't do.

As far as my friends...yes if it was my theatre friends the I'd agree, but these are the guys I worked in computers with. I used to be a Network Technician...although oddly enough I now work at a gun store...that degree in Theatre has really paid off

Either way, I don't care. Like I said, with my own color choices its just the same as picking a jacket off the rack which they'll do. And at least I'm getting a quality jacket that will probably last my life, whereas theirs won't.

 

[Spamtron]

I like your color idea regardless, and you'll have a one-of-a-kind that will be far better quality and fit than anything they'll find off the rack.