We love to ride, we love thrills, you’ve surely noticed our immoderate love for two-wheeled fun. Motorcycling isn’t a serious thing, motorcycling is a toy for adults who don’t want to grow up, motorcycling is one of the last ways to achieve a form of freedom, when you’re on a bike you disconnect, your body is welded to an unreasonable machine that pushes you to the limits of all precautions. No mathematical equation will predict the trajectory of your front wheel when it decides to kiss the sky. Try to answer the phone, eat a sandwich, or think about your last doggy style when you pin the throttle. I'm not a good rider, but some of us are, and I love watching them play tightrope walkers and defy mathematics.
We decided we had to test the Maico 250 and stretch the legs of our Suzuki 600 DR Flat track, but in a muscular version. We don't spare our bikes, we don't pretend to play. Ben hadn't tested the Maico on sand yet, I thought he'd go easy, but this guy is on/off...
"Vintage bikes aren't sugar, if they were performing back then, they still are" he tells me!....Illustration....
We can always dress ourselves in head-to-toe protection, the problem is that
Gentlemen's Factory doesn't sell protection apart from the
Loubard leather jacket and then... I didn't think we'd go this far on this sunny winter afternoon, in the still warm sand with such inspiring light.
Ultra-resistant denim shirt,
organic T-shirt,
Bell Moto 3 helmet,
Barstow 100% goggles,
Chippewa boots,
approved motorcycle gloves as our only armor (not to be replicated if you're not an ace) we pull the bikes out of the van. Here, far from all civilization, between dunes and ocean, we'll be able to make our machines roar; in the distance, buggies and quads jump between the dunes. The sand gnaws at human traces and constructions, the asphalt slowly disappears under a west wind.
I like to get as close as possible to the bikes when I photograph them, it’s like dancing with them, it’s like a bullfight... I like to feel the heat of the engine even if I’m not on it. Ben rides, forgetting about the photos, he’s having fun, he goes far from my lens and only the sound of the engine connects us to him. Sitting in the back of the van, we wait, a drink in hand or a cigarette in our mouths, but what does it matter, the sky is blue! We have clothes to shoot, T-shirts, sweatshirts, shirts and customizable vintage racing outfits... In the end, we let ourselves be carried away by the rising tide and the setting sun, forgetting about work. I also forget about the breakdown of the Maico abandoned in the soft sand, which we’ll have to push 1km back to the van...
We thoroughly tested the
Barstow 100% goggles; they comfortably protect the eyes, they are wide enough to offer a significant field of vision, and if we set aside the effectiveness of these motorcycle protective glasses, it is ultimately for their look that we buy them. Here, they fit perfectly into the
Bell Moto 3 helmet. However, in a
DMD 75 helmet (a copy of the Bell Moto 3), we have to put them on from the inside of the helmet... less cool!
How to wear our genuine "Dude" denim shirt?
The Dude series consists of 2 shirts, one is raw, the other (pictured) is used, with tears, elbow patches, mending... These shirts are made of real denim, not cheap stuff!! Thick, resistant with quality seams and buttons, they can be worn as a shirt or an overshirt. Manual wash and perfect cut, they are cool to wear.... Ben fell in the sand, the shirt is spotless.
Customizable vintage racing outfits!
The Enduropale du Touquet vintage, flat track races, old-fashioned motocross or enduro races, and even BMX – you can customize our outfits with your name, your logo, or your club's name, not to mention your favorite race number. In short, our
"vintage jerseys, shirts, or outfits" travel the circuits of Europe!
Text and photos: Laurent Scavone
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Maico 250 CC Motocross - Photo Laurent Scavone[/caption]
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Suzuki 600DR Flat Track Gentlemen's Factory, DTRA, Dirt track, vintage motorcycle, vintage race, vintage racer[/caption]
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Vintage Motocross Bike - Maico 250 CC Gentlemen's Factory[/caption]
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Maico 250 vintage motocross Gentlemen's Factory - Dude used denim shirt[/caption]
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Organic Hooded Sweatshirt, vintage motorcycle illustration Gentlemen's Factory hoodie[/caption]
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Gentlemen's Factory customizable vintage racing outfit[/caption]
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"Dude" used denim shirt Gentlemen's Factory[/caption]
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Suzuki 600 DR - Rider Laurent Scavone[/caption]
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Suzuki 600DR Flat Track Gentlemen's Factory, DTRA, Dirt track, vintage motorcycle, vintage race, vintage racer[/caption]
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Suzuki 600DR Flat Track Gentlemen's Factory, DTRA, Dirt track, vintage motorcycle, vintage race, vintage racer[/caption]
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Maico 250 vintage motocross Gentlemen's Factory - Bell Moto 3 Helmet and Barstow Goggles[/caption]
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Maico 250 vintage motocross Gentlemen's Factory - Bell Moto 3 Helmet and Barstow Goggles[/caption]
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Organic long sleeve denim indigo t-shirt[/caption]
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vintage speedshop sweatshirt[/caption]
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Suzuki 600DR Flat Track Gentlemen's Factory. 2017 T-shirt collection[/caption]
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Vintage Motocross Bike - Maico 250 CC Gentlemen's Factory[/caption]
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Maico 250 vintage motocross Gentlemen's Factory - Bell Moto 3 Helmet and Barstow Goggles[/caption]
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Maico 250 CC Motocross - Photo Laurent Scavone[/caption]
