Vintage...

Not referencing myself, thanks for asking.

On our last trip to the storage unit, Joan pulled out a bin and a large duffle bag full of motorcycle gear.  We used to do long-distance motorcycle touring... really haven't done that since... the turn of the century.  (that phrase makes a guy feel really old)  On, we rode, but the bikes got smaller, moving from a full-dress Harley to a sport touring BMW, and to an adventure-touring V-Strom.

And, when it got painful for me to toss a leg over that V-Strom, at Joan's suggestion (and it was a really good suggestion), we moved on to the scooters.  The PCXes were great scoots for us, as long as we didn't feel the need to do much in the way of highway riding.  They stayed around 6 years, second only to that last Harley in how long we kept a bike.  As of right now, we are both very content with the scoots we have: her Xmax and my Vespa suit our riding.  Adding up the miles we've ridden since I got the Vespa last year, we rode more in the past two years than we did in the previous 10.

Riding gear goes along with the style of riding you do.  We had matching Hein Gerrike leather coats on our last Goldwing.  Switched to heavier Willie G, leather coats with the last Harley.  We didn't toss those coats... they went into a closet, then when we moved south, they got moved into a storage unit.  While going through things this last week, Joan pulled out various leather jackets, chaps, gloves, and other assorted riding gear.  Today, she went through it all, putting leather conditioner on the jackets, and brought me several pair of leather gloves... "Do you want to keep these?"

Oh, nice Bob Allen shooting gloves, a pair of elk-skin ropers that work great on a motorcycle, and these fingerless Harley gloves...

That's a pair that I won't wear again... seems that my taste in protective gear has changed over the years.  ;-)  The other gloves will get recycled for use on the scoot.

Those Willie G. jackets I mentioned...

That's Joan above wearing the jacket and holding a pair of leather pants and matching vest; me below with the jacket that matches hers and holding leather chaps...

I am guessing there will be some eBaying in our future.  It might be hard for me to give up that jacket, though - it feels like it was made for me.  Weighs a ton, though.  The last time I recall wearing that jacket...

It can handle whatever weather you throw at it.  Well, except perhaps heat.  In the day, we had lighter leather coats with zippered vents to allow airflow for those hot days.  Yes, Joan has those jackets in the sprucing up process, too.  She is working on all this out on the deck (where we took the photos) - covered, so out of the rain, but keeps the smell of the leather conditioner outside, and plenty of room to spread out all the gear.

Almost makes me want to get a bigger bike again.  Almost.  That heavy Harley jacket would be serious over-kill on the Vespa.

It's a rainy day in the Tropical Tip.  I'm not riding anything on two wheels today.  But, Joan did come across rain gear while going through the stuff - she said, "It looks like new."  No doubt... I didn't like riding in the rain back then, either.  ;-)

Joan said, "When you're ready to sell some of this stuff, just remember: it isn't old, it's vintage."