Bison Track is a manufacturer of custom motorcycle suits, jackets, and related items. I have seen their race suits on social media and found they also offer made-to-measure jackets that buyers design on the Bison website. I have enough track suits but never enough jackets, so let’s give the Bison Track custom motorcycle street jacket a try.
I started by placing an order on the Bison Track website. This was easy and typical of online sales. During this process, I was not required to make any choices other than item, cow or kangaroo leather (kangaroo is $200 more), shipping, and payment. All the custom magic happened once I received the “next steps” email.
The only real challenges with the process are the myriad choices available; naturally, that’s the fun part. Leather and thread colors, patterns, perforation coverage/or not, pockets, snaps, logos, and more.
As you can see, I opted for a relatively conservative design, especially considering all the race-style patterns shown as suggestions on Bison’s website.
Once ordered, Bison sent me a comprehensive number of PDFs showing all the colors, perf options, hump or no hump, race or comfort fit, materials, and a chart showing me how to measure and record my sizes.
There were 19 measurements in all—more if I was to order a suit versus a jacket. I chose a comfort fit to allow room for the perforations to vent correctly, no hump, pre-curved arms, and Winner-branded elbow and shoulder protectors.
I wanted to have the Ultimate Motorcycling logo stitched on the sleeve but was told they could only emboss it and color the raised letters with black dye. That was acceptable. Over the left breast, Bison embosses its logo without coloring it. Likely, I could have done a logo delete, but I wanted it.
The design I chose was fairly involved with black diamond stitched shoulders and lower forearms over brown leather for the rest of the piece with a black draft flap, wrist edging, and zippered and snapped wrist gussets. While I could have added Keprotech Kevlar stretch panels in certain areas, I decided on all leather. I also chose level 3 perforations that included the chest, back, and arms.
After finalizing all the details, I received the jacket nine weeks later. It was manufactured in Pakistan, shipped to Oklahoma City for quality control, and then to me in California. It was beautiful, and the leather was thick, supple, and superb. However, it had two problems.
It was a skin-tight race fit and was missing the perforations. If this had been a race suit, I would have been happy with the fit. But the fit was wrong for casual, warm-weather riding.
Naturally, I was disappointed upon receipt and informed Bison. They told me they would make me another jacket. I lost nine weeks waiting but was glad that their attitude was to please me without having any arguments or worries. It appears Bison’s overseas cutter had trouble figuring out how much material to add to my measurements to create a comfort fit. Throughout the process, the folks at Bison were easy to reach, quick to respond, knowledgeable, and friendly.
Ten weeks later, I received the replacement jacket. This time it was just right, albeit still a bit snug. Still, it looks and feels just right when worn. The leather is butter-soft and, although not stated, feels like 1.5mm top grain. That’s a bit thicker than many jackets, especially at this price point.
The armpits are cut high, like on a bespoke suit from an expensive Savile Row tailor, so the sleeves stay put no matter how the arm is held. The proportions are excellent, and the fit is unlike any of my myriad ready-to-wear jackets.
I’ve worn the jacket on a few long rides and really like it. The Mandarin collar has two snap positions and is lined with leather, except for a soft poly material on the top edge. The zippers—front, two pockets, and two sleeves—are metal and YKK branded. I prefer metal as I’ve experienced zipper failures on jackets with nylon zippers.
There is a two-position adjustment strap on each side of the waist; I’ll need to shed a few pounds if I intend to utilize the tighter position. I did not specify any particular pattern to cut the jacket and was pleasantly surprised at how nice the sections of leather were put together. No small scraps were used in the Bison Track custom motorcycle street jacket’s construction. All stitching is straight and correct, with no odd alignments or inconsistencies.
The liner is the typical polyester seen on many jackets. It’s put together well and has a cargo pocket on each side with hook-and-loop closures. The shoulder and elbow protectors are CE level 2 and nicely placed. There is a pocket for a back protector, should you want to add one.
The more I wear this jacket, the better I like it. Given the thickness of the hide, I suspect there will be a long period until it’s fully broken in. Fortunately, this is not a concern because the leather is so soft. With the grade of leather used and the quality of construction, I would bet that this jacket might have the kind of lifespan I’ve seen on other high-end motorcycle jackets that really do last a lifetime.
With a personalized design and made-to-measure, the Bison Track custom motorcycle street jacket is a steal at $399, plus $20 for shipping. If you want a leather jacket that is truly yours, get in touch with Bison over the winter and be ready for spring with your new jacket.
Bison Track Custom Motorcycle Street Jacket Review
