The body of a cb350, the guts of a xl350r. This 1971 Honda is everything you’re looking for in a light, well-rounded build.
Jane Doe
You may have noticed I put “special thanks to Jane” up above. That’s because when I saw Spectre, she was on display at Jane Motorcycles in Brooklyn. Even though they don’t normally allow display bikes to be ridden, they made an exception, for which I am very grateful for (This entire project is really just a con for me to experience every bike I possibly can).
Origin Story
They build bikes at Jane. But they don’t exclusively sell bikes they build. Spectre, for example, is a bike they have curated from local builders in efforts to promote and support the local bike culture. It gives a bigger stage for those who roll up their sleeves to showcase their quality of work.
The bike was built by two brothers @second_shift who build after hours and, by the looks of The Spectre, have impeccable taste in motorcycles. I would have opted for a leather instead of rubber for the seat; but not every bike needs to look the same.
Suzuki GSXR front end, custom headers, and stripped down to its bare necessities. A proper cafe racer.
Grade A bike. It was $7k. I wonder if it sold by now…
Overall thoughts:
A-plus to the boys at Second Shift.
THE THREADS
Post Disclaimer: I’m not a blogger, nor do I get paid for reviewing these brands. I wear what I wear. I’ll let you know if that ever changes and I become like Roger Federer.
Suits are bespoke. In my opinion, it isn’t really a suit unless it is bespoke. An argument can be made for RTW suits with free floating canvases. And I may accept that as valid, if I’m being rationale that day. Not that I have anything against RTW “suits”. I own a few (by few I mean 2). Pretentious? Me? Not at all. I would say just the opposite to my accuser and point the finger right back. Here’s why:
Let’s take this particular suit made by Cielo. I’m not entirely overjoyed at testing new bespoke brands. I stick to the proven men (Alexander Nash, Duncan Quinn, Lordy Willy’s to name a few…) especially now that every instafamous lad in a Zara suit believes himself to know enough to make his own line. But Cielo had one point that made me spend my bespoke money that hooked me, they pre-soak and cut their own canvas. I can’t think of another American suit maker that still does that. I had to try it.
For those of you that don’t quite know (and that’s perfectly alright), the entrails of a real suit should be of a canvas made of horse hair. Why? Because the hair moulds to your body over time and ensures a longer lasting and better fit. Most suiting company’s buy precut/pre-soaked canvases made from size templates. It saves two days worth of work on the tailoring. Cielo cuts the canvas and then soaks it in a tub in their studio. So we’re clear, that’s impressive.
So before that impressive step, in bespoke suiting, a pattern is created from scratch for the wearer (read: a size is developed). Then the fabric is cut and sown by hand to those exact specifications. Considering it can take from 60-90 hand tailoring hours to create one suit, it’s kind of pretentious to say something cut and made by machines, and machine assisted assembly, lines in less than two hours can be called a suit as well. One is a work of art, like a bike build; the other a brand churning a product for profit.
Details
Shirt: Cielo | Bespoke. You get what you pay for.
Shoes: To Boot New York | Best value.
3pc suit: Cielo | stretch wool, perfect for riding.
Gloves: Ralph Lauren | American Classic.
Eyewear: DiRocco | Carbon fiber eyewear, need I say more?
Helmet: Biltwell | The helmet comes black, I did the art myself.