One tends to do a lot of reflecting upon reaching ten years in business. Lately, I’ve been looking back at some of the more remarkable places and events Cafe Racer magazine has been to over the past decade and one London spot comes up time and again. On a quiet, shadowy side street, we found Lewis Leathers, the world’s coolest motorcycle riding gear emporium on the planet. Not only does Lewis offer high-quality riding kit with decades of development and history behind it, the place, run by our pal Derek Harris, is a veritable rocker culture and motorcycle leather museum. Inside visitors will find themselves entranced by the racks of thick, black leather jackets, pants and classically-styled boots that I dare anyone, regardless of how cheap you are, to resist buying. There’s a display case filled with rocker badges to decorate your new jacket with and above the racks are dozens of antique racing and street riding jackets representing more than a century of British motorcycling. I’m not much of a fashionista- though my wife would attest otherwise- but the simple act of donning a piece of hand-made riding kit from Lewis actually makes one feel more confident during a ride. If you’re in London and dig leathers, motorcycles or ton-up culture, you MUST take a side trip to 3-5 Whitfield Street and check out Lewis-your motorcycling experience is incomplete without it.
