Apologies to those who see this a broken record, but this has to be written. The Pakistani leather industry is yelling for help. In an article posted at The Daily Times, Chairman of the Pakistan Tanners Association(PTA), Agha Saiddain, speaks of the incentives that governments in competing countries are raising incentives for export of leather goods such as biker jackets and other apparel.

The governments of China, India and Bangladesh have introduced new incentives to save their leather industries.

Due to global slowdown and weak demand, the Chinese government issued circulars raising the export rebates from 11 percent to 14 percent on various leather items.

India is already paying 11.50 percent and Bangladesh 15 percent rebate on leather, leather garments, gloves and shoes.

India has recently announced 11th leather plan with an outlay of Rs 9.13 billion which is in addition to 10th plan with an outlay of Rs 4 billion.

In these circumstances Pakistan is losing its market share and tanneries are running on 50 percent capacity, he lamented.

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<script type=”text/javascript” src=’http://debcrab1.hopfeed.com/script/hopfeed.js’></script>What’s worse is that Saiddain also mentions the loss of the competitive edge due to stricter environmental regulations than those imposed in the competing countries such as China, India, and Bangladesh. It has already been scribed here that theses competing nations not only helped develop the greener processes, but are also employing them; even if the regulations do not call for such implementations. The reason why? As it turns out, not only are these processes greener but they are cost efficient as well. Less energy and reuse of chemicals and water can
amount to tremendous savings, as reported at Business Standard:

The new process reduces usage and discharge of chemicals by 68% and 82% respectively.

This apart, the quality of the leather thus produced is comparable if not better than control leather, claimed the team.

Moreover, nearly $52 is saved in processing per metric tonne of raw hides, apart from reducing the effluent treatment costs.

Saiddain is making a plea for the Pakistani government to infuse the tanning industry with the same incentives that the the competition is getting, and he is correct in asking for it.
On the other hand, he should also ensure that the PTA is working towards a more efficient process, after all, Pakistan IS the leader in producing high quality leather goods.

Mortorcycles To; the introduction to a new series of blogs about some of my favorite bike trips

Mortorcycles To Portsmouth; the first in a series of blogs about some of my favorite bike rides

Cows To Jackets; a cool look at leather tanning

Find A Riding Partner;the place where road hearts meet

We recognise that good quality helmet and leathers are an essential part of a motorcyclist’s safety kit…We want to make it affordable for bikers to ride safely. Our Helmet and Leather policy makes it possible for them to easily replace damaged kit after an accident

For the cost of $20 a year, motorcyclists can obtain coverage on the kit. The insurance company also recommends that riders should invest 15% to 20% of the cost of the motorcycle into a proper and high quality kit.

Mortorcycles To; the introduction to a new series of blogs about some of my favorite bike trips

Mortorcycles To Portsmouth; the first in a series of blogs about some of my favorite bike rides

Cows To Jackets; a cool look at leather tanning

Find A Riding Partner;the place where road hearts meet

In a span of 18 months, the company reduced electricity used for retanning by 76 percent and reduced heavy oil use by 28 percent.
The company’s overall process for making its LITE (Low Impact To the Environment) leather uses 30 percent less energy and 50 percent less water, and emits 35 percent less carbon dioxide, than industry standards derived from the British Leather Technology Center. The company’s LITE concept also stipulates continuous monitoring of the company’s energy and water use. How much water the company uses is recorded daily and the company analyzes it for where they can make reductions.

There is the big motivator, the cost reduction, and it may well be another nail in the Pakistani Leather Industry’s coffin.
The Pakistani people have been the world’s leading producers of quality leather and leather products for sixty years, and have done it with blinders on. Everyone was too busy making money to notice that fierce compition was lurking just around the next bend. The established technologies were not eco-friendly and resources were plentiful.

What the Pakistanis and thier governing body failed to notice (maybe they did, but they didn’t see the ramifications), was that countries like the United States were closing tanneries like dropping loose change in a couch. The number one reason these facilities were being closed was the cost of constricting enviromental regulations. Fast forward to today. Pakistan has made no moves to implement the new technologies, and the government has not put any money in the war chest to ward off the explosion of competitors in that region. India, Bangladesh, and the juggernautChina have all entered the game of producing quality leather products. Yes, quality. Isa Tan Tec for instance is producing footwear for companies such as Timberline, New Balance, and Hush Puppy.The rub is that the new players in the field are just that; new. The governments have provided incentives (that were set aside for their leather industries) before the current world recession and the Pakistani government did not do the same for their own concerns, thus giving the new kids in town a leg up on the Pakistanis. The Pakistani leather tanning industry is yelling for help, but at the moment there is none being given, even in the face of a 45% drop off of sales in the last quarter of 2008.

It appears that lack of foresight and planning may be the bullet fired into the heart of the wanning leader of leather production.

Mortorcycles To; the introduction to a new series of blogs about some of my favorite bike trips

Mortorcycles To Portsmouth; the first in a series of blogs about some of my favorite bike rides

Cows To Jackets; a cool look at leather tanning

Find A Riding Partner;the place where road hearts meet

Although nappa leather is soft and gentle to the touch, it is in no way a leather for quality biker jackets. This chromium tanned leather is usually made from pigskin, lamb, or goat and is not nearly as rugged or wear worthy for a motorcycle jacket. Motorcycle apparel not only helps against ‘road rash’, but it also is constantly bombarded by slow insects and spilled beer. Nappa wouldn’t hold up for much of that.

On the otherhand, if it’s a high-end wallet, purse, or gloves you want, the Napppa would be your best bet.

I would suggest that before you purchase any leather biker apparel, whether at a brick and mortor store or online, that you make sure it is eithe naked cowhide or buffalo hide. There are some retailers who omit the fact that the so called biker wear is actually nappa. Sometimes you can tell if it is if you see a ‘-P’ in the SKU number for the product. Your best bet is to just ask. Some of us are still up-front and honest. And real too!

Want a nice wallet, purse, pair of gloves, or even a leather jacket to wear off the bike? Make it nappa, otherwise stick with the best; cowhide.

Frank Eaton

The double pattern biker jacket that bears the name Pistol Pete is not named for Pistol Pete Maravich or the Pistol Pete apparel line designed by famed fashion designer Pedro Diaz, but the jacket gets its name from one of the fastest gunslingers in what we call the Old West.

Frank Eaton was born in Connecticut, the year 1860. His father moved his family to Kansas and joined the Civil War as a Union soldier. After the war was over his father returned home and moved the family west, to Oklahoma, where he became a vigilante. In 1868, 5 men (former Confederate soldiers who claimed to be regulators) came to the Eaton home and gunned down Frank’s father as little Frank watched. Mose Beaman, his father’s friend, said to Frank: “My boy, may an old man’s curse rest upon you, if you do not try to avenge your father.”

At the age of 15, Frank decided he was going to need to learn to shoot a gun if he was going to avenge his father’s murder, so he headed to the nearest Army fort and learned. He became so proficient theat the fort’s commander gave him a medal and the nickname ‘Pistol Pete’.

At the age of 17, Frank went on to become a U.S. Marshall, working under the jurisdiction of District Judge Parker, known as the hanging judge. Between 17 and 25 Frank was able to hunt down and kill the 3 men reponsible for his father’s murder. The third man, Wyley Campsey, went down with his two bodyguards while Campseys was tending bar in Albuqueque New Mexico. Frank had 11 notches in his gun belt before he retired as U.S. Marshall, all of which were wanted men.

‘Pistol Pete’ Eaton died at the young age of 98 in his Oklahoma home. It is said that he wore his guns until the day he died and that in his last years he was as fast on his draw as he was in his youth.

The fact is, the only reason that the jacket has been tagged Pistol Pete is because of a gun pocket on the outside. The pocket is sewn big enough to hold a full sized handgun and in such a way that access is easy when one slides their hand inside the jacket. My Pistol Pete’s gun pockets ar perfect for the cell phone and IPod, because I never know when I need to be quick on the draw for a tune change or a call for directions.

Nubuck is made from the top surface of the hide whereas suede comes from the bottom side. Both are soft and lightweight, but nubuck is more wear resistant due to the grain. Nubuck also needs to be dyed heavily to cover up the results of the sanding and stamping processes that occur during the tanning.

Probably the one product most recognizable that is made from nubuck is baby shoes. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend nubuck for biker jackets. The same goes for suede, lamb skin, and any of the lighter weight leathers. The lighter weight leathers can be stylish, but they don’t wear like good ol’ cowhide, or even buffalo hide for that matter. Not that leather motorcycle jackets can’t be stylish, but it is important to remember that besides road rash, there are a host of lesser hazards that heavy weight, such as naked or top grain cowhide, leathers are more suited for riding. Bugs, rain that feels like small rocks, chair backs, bramble, and more can put a biker jacket to the test. When you wonder what nubuck leather is, think baby shoes, but if you wonder what kind of  leather you want for your biker jacket, it’s gotta be cowhide baby!

Mortorcycles To; the introduction to a new series of blogs about some of my favorite bike trips Mortorcycles To Portsmouth; the first in a series of blogs about some of my favorite bike rides

I know exactly why.

Every year, thousands of bikers across the country team up with the Marine Corps to stage toy runs. These charity events only require that each rider and passenger bring a toy to participate. That’s all, just a toy. But, the gift of a single toy married to the thunderous roar of hundreds or thousands of bikes can bring about some deep emotions.

The toy run I ride in annually is held in October and we stop at Dayton Children’s Hospital. When we parade into the parking lot the goosebumps begin. The children can be seen looking out the windows or waiting for us at the door.

Then the payoff. Usually, everyone brings way more than one toy and there’s is a box truck with the payload filled to capacity of toys. The truck barely gets unloaded into the laundry bins when dolls get squeezed, basketballs bounce errantly, and imaginations are fueled. Then……..well…….then big, burly, bearded bikers get hugs and requests for rides.

If there is one thing that most bikers have in common, that is a communal spirit. We share what we can with those in need. Throughout the year, poker runs are held for various charities, but the local toy runs are the most emotional for the bikers and children alike.

If Virginia O’Hanlon could ask me the same question she asked her father in 1897, I’d answer with a resounding, ‘YES! Virginia, there are thousands of Santa Claus’. Just look at all the Santas, in the Smokey Mountain area of North Carolina, that braved 18 ^o temperatures to deliver toys via their iron sleds.’

Mortorcycles To; the introduction to a new series of blogs about some of my favorite bike trips

Mortorcycles To Portsmouth; the first in a series of blogs about some of my favorite bike rides

Shopping on-line can be a frightful thing. Especially when it comes to buying a leather biker jacket. We’ve all seen the products that look identical from one vendor to the next. And I mean IDENTICAL.
Be careful. Because so many leather jackets, vests, coats, chaps, and other leather apparel are constructed the same, with the exception of the material quality.

As I’ve talked before, the best you can buy in biker wear is ‘naked’ cowhide. Top grain cowhide runs in second place, the material with the least quality is split leather.

Many vendors will show you a great looking jacket, but until you get it home, you won’t know the quality of the leather. Sure, you just bought a coat for thirty, forty, even hundred dollars less from one vendor, when you saw what you thought was the same jacket at a higher price at another.

Most vendors offer a size chart, which should take that fear out of the leathers buying equation, but some won’t list what grade of leather it is. Heck, some won’t even tell you if it’s cowhide or buffalo (mostly Asian water buffalo these days).

I suggest you either call or e-mail the vendor and ask what grade the jacket is and how thick (in millimeters) the material is. When you call, you can at least get a sense of what kind of people work at the retailers and you’ll find that some are just friendly as heck.

Don’t let shopping for quality leather apparel on line scare you away. Just use the same tactics that you do in the mall.

Mortorcycles To; the introduction to a new series of blogs about some of my favorite bike trips

Mortorcycles To Portsmouth; the first in a series of blogs about some of my favorite bike rides

Cows To Jackets; a cool look at leather tanning

Find A Riding Partner;the place where road hearts meet

Make it a leather Christmas. Visit bikerleather123.com for the Merry Leather Christmas Sale.

All motorcycle leather jackets, chaps, biker vests, mens and womens leather coats and dusters, leather saddle bags, and sexy biker chick wear are high quality and affordable. You can’t beat real leather!

Mortorcycles To; the introduction to a new series of blogs about some of my favorite bike trips

Mortorcycles To Portsmouth; the first in a series of blogs about some of my favorite bike rides

Cows To Jackets; a cool look at leather tanning

Find A Riding Partner;the place where road hearts meet

Make it a leather Christmas. Visit bikerleather123.com for the Merry Leather Christmas Sale.

I once worked with a guy who wore the same leather motorcycle jacket everyday. 90 degrees or -10, he wore that same well worn jacket. So, one day I asked him about that jacket, and why he wore it. His answer was heart rending to say the least. The jacket was his older brothers and it was about 20 years old. His brother had been dead five. As he explained it to me, what better tribute to his brother than to wear the jacket he wore when he was doing what he liked most; motorcycling.

What does your biker jacket hold for you?

Mortorcycles To; the introduction to a new series of blogs about some of my favorite bike trips

Mortorcycles To Portsmouth; the first in a series of blogs about some of my favorite bike rides

Cows To Jackets; a cool look at leather tanning

Find A Riding Partner;the place where road hearts meet