Harley-Davidson Accolade Jacket & Gargoyle Helmet

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There is an old saying that gentlemen bikers can never have too many leather jackets. There are so many occasions to be prepared for when only the appropriate coat will do. So a diverse closet of casual, work, play and formal biker-wear is required. Of course, you need wet, cold, hot and the-weather-in-between seasonal gear, as well as the occasional need for, of course, Old West fringe or ski slope chic.

I may have just made all of that up, but I believe we can all agree motorcyclists live in a different world, a place where rugged is needed and fashion wanted. A combination of both form and function is best. We all want to look good on and off the bike, but few offerings do both. Enter Harley-Davidson’s Accolade jacket, a style statement in leather, sherpa collar, and padded shoulders and elbows.

The jacket is made from cowhide, featuring zippered venting, action back and enough pocket space to lose your keys. Don’t know about you, but I can lose stuff in my motorcycle jacket pockets, especially if I wear a vest with more pockets. They pretend to be helping, but they’re really plotting to keep us locked out from our homes so we need even more pockets. Think about it, makes perfect sense.

The Harley-Davidson Accolade riding jacket. Stylish and versatile.

Officially, the Accolade has four pockets; two outside, two inside. It feels like more. It’s a classy and comfortable retro jacket, made from “heavyweight leather” but feeling middleweight, so wearing it off the saddle doesn’t feel like a bag of bricks on our shoulders. It’s vintage updated look fits the Hydra-Glide Revival I rode for my last three stories like an old friend. It was a road test of steel and leather, with both scoring high marks. It provides warmth without a lot of weight, helping me over snowy mountain passes as well as serving well for desert night rides. In the baking wasteland sun, nothing will actually keep you cool other than cockamamie hydro packs trickling water down your back. Normally, this just turns your jacket into a sauna.

What’s best is a coat that breathes, so the Accolade’s zippered venting helps. It also helps to remember to close them before riding off into the mountains. I usually forget. The detachable sherpa collar is synthetic but looks great and keeps your neck warm. The usual armor pockets can be filled as a not-included option. There’s some reflective piping. I guess it’s a good idea, but don’t like it. I’m usually a 2X, but opted for a 3X that I could layer. It was a little bit too big, but I liked the roominess. Overall, I found the Accolade has good versatility, does its job and looks good doing it. Men’s Accolade Jacket, $330 on the Harley website, reduced from $550.

Quite comfortable in all conditions.

There is also another old saying: If you have a $10 head, buy a $10 helmet. This one I didn’t make up. Felt my head might be worth more than a double cappuccino, a sentiment, mind you, that has been argued more than once, I tried H-D’s Gargoyle X07, which now is curiously absent from the Motor Company’s site. In it’s place I found the Pilot 3-in-1 X04, which looks very similar and does the same things.

The Gargoyle is a modular helmet with detachable chin bar or as Harley put it, “face mask.” The side or ear panel, or what H-D dubs “comfort sleeve,” also pops off to turn the helmet into a half-shell. So the Gargoyle can go from full face to full open to half-a-helmet, bringing the lid from highway to cafe hopping mode in seconds. I enjoy this versatility, and it’s better than carrying around two or three kinds of helmets. On trips, I often take two lids for highway and street. On the long ride through Utah and Arizona, only the Gargoyle was needed. Saved room, weight and bother.

The Pilot 3-in-1 X04 takes the place of the Gargoyle X07, apparently. Still a fine helmet.

The tinted sun visor is nice but not exactly ideal for night riding. It can be swapped out for a clear visor (not included), but then there’s the burning bright sunshine. So, in practical purpose, pick one, unless you like to carry two visors and enjoy the detach and reattach ritual. The face mask comes off easily with a release button, and reinstall was just as easy.

The ear panel was a bit trickier. I didn’t have to figure how to get it off; it did that all by itself. While at a stop, I left the Gargoyle on the seat and it, of course, rolled off. The ear panel popped off when it hit the ground. Was that supposed to happen? It was pretty disconcerting. It’s been reported that modular helmets aren’t the safest lids you can buy, and this punctuated why. H-D includes a disclaimer in its product description, indicating the “additional components are for comfort only and do not provide any safety features.”

The helmet’s convertibility certainly came in handy on several occasions.

Still, I rode for a full day without the ear panel, discovering the hard way, like I learn most things, why they call it a comfort sleeve. Over a long ride on a hot day, sans sleeve, I was left with ringing ears and a major headache. I later fumbled around trying to reattach the sleeve, and with some assistance, got it back on. And left it on. With visor down and comfort sleeve in place, I found the helmet to be a comfortable highway lid. I didn’t use the face mask much, even though I thought it looked pretty cool. For me, it felt a little too tight against my face.

My hat size in 7 1/2, so I ordered a 2X. I understand helmets should fit snuggly, but that just hurts my head. I like them just a little looser, and can compensate for any wiggle with a bandana or do-rag, if need be. This is probably not recommended, but I’ve been known to, you know.

The Gargoyle lookalike, the Pilot 3-in-1 X04, is Scorpion private label and available on the Harley site for $275.

J. Joshua Placa

Men’s Accolade Jacket (S-5X/Part # 98001-24VM)

Pilot 3-in-1 X04 (S to 2X/Part # 98193-17VX)