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Anyone wear a vest on the highway?

scts

Member
Got a pretty nice leather vest from my wife a little while back, came with the chain snaps and I've been wearing it mostly on crusing rides (back-roads around the sticks).

The rub comes when I've tried to wear the vest in to work (again this morning), as soon as I cross the 65mph barrier the vest snaps open and it's off 'blowing in the wind'. Tried without the chain snaps, and have the same problem - anything below 65 is good, but as soon as I get on the last strech of highway it opens up.

Obviously, not riding with a windshield and really don't do much highway riding except when I ride to work... even up and around 65 on the two lane roads I'm fine.
 
I've never had that problem. Are the snaps closing up tight? I have always worn my colors when riding whether local or highway.
 
Got a pretty nice leather vest from my wife a little while back, came with the chain snaps and I've been wearing it mostly on crusing rides (back-roads around the sticks).

The rub comes when I've tried to wear the vest in to work (again this morning), as soon as I cross the 65mph barrier the vest snaps open and it's off 'blowing in the wind'. Tried without the chain snaps, and have the same problem - anything below 65 is good, but as soon as I get on the last strech of highway it opens up.

Obviously, not riding with a windshield and really don't do much highway riding except when I ride to work... even up and around 65 on the two lane roads I'm fine.

What will close the snaps a bit tighter is if you place the back of the male part on a vice or something similar and very gently tap the face that mates into the female part with the rear of a ball peen hammer.Place the ball part of the hammer in the snap and tap the face of the ball peen hammer with another hammer lightly. It spreads the snap open a bit and it will snap tighter. Don't over do it, just a little at a time and then try it.
 
The snaps problem is why I found a vest with a zipper instead, no more flying open. The zipper vests are few and far between so you have to really want one.
 
What will close the snaps a bit tighter is if you place the back of the male part on a vice or something similar and very gently tap the face that mates into the female part with the rear of a ball peen hammer.Place the ball part of the hammer in the snap and tap the face of the ball peen hammer with another hammer lightly. It spreads the snap open a bit and it will snap tighter. Don't over do it, just a little at a time and then try it.

Fabric store or leather/crafts store has the mandril "mushroom" headed driver tool and dished out "anvil" tool. Or you can use to reset as Glider says, the snap end (non-spring side) using small ball peen hammer w/ 2nd plastic hammer to tap the ball end into the snap expanding it ever so slight... There is also a plier like tool that may work also, or hand machinest bench tool (if you are lucky enough to have some well equipped friends. :s
 
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Thinking about the zipper.... you could take it to a seamstress and have a zipper installed for maybe ten bucks or so. That's a price I got to have an existing zipper taken out and replaced on a nylon jacket.
Just a thought.
 
I've tried a couple on and just don't like the way they fit. I would like to have the available pockets but just haven't found a good fit yet.
 
Thanks for the tips Glider, will take it out to the garage tomorrow morning and see if I can slightly modify. Thought about the zipper route, but can't picture it on the vest (or at least can't picture it looking right - maybe just a lack of seeing examples).
 
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