Review | Motone Customs Revolver riding jacket

Motone Customs Revolver tested

While the classic vibe fits with Motone’s overall ethos and existing customer base the Revolver doesn’t go in too hard with the retro, striking a neat balance between tradition and more modern technical features. The devil is in the detail in terms of design, with a restrained look obviously lacking the external armour and reinforcement of racier jackets, the quilting and gusseting to permit freedom of movement integrated without looking too ‘biker’ in more casual settings. It’s still a serious riding jacket, though, with a figure-hugging fit and arms cut to an elbows-out stance for the bike, along with subtle venting and adjustment zips at the waist to fine-tune the sizing.

Straight out of the box the waxed leather feels stiff, thick and of very high quality, with the sense it will soften and become more comfortable once broken in. Our size small was certainly a snug fit, even for a slim-built tester used to sizing down with other brands. But it still feels very comfortable, the thickness of the leather confidence inspiring, ditto the quality of the metal zips and other fixtures and fittings. We’ll have to hope the rather tight collar loosens off enough to pop shut, though you can secure the fastener back to stop it flapping about if not!

RE ZRO armour is another talking point, this innovative brand making waves with the material’s sustainable credentials and biodegradability. Fear not, this only happens once disposed of, so the armour isn’t going to disintegrate in normal use! But if you bin it off after a crash or otherwise dispose of it will break down entirely in around five years in landfill if you can’t find somewhere to properly recycle it. And if discarded motorcycle armour isn’t perhaps top of the environmental headlines it’s a nice touch and speaks to Motone’s sense of corporate responsibility.

Verdict