A certainty. Invoked by the name, Cesar, like the emperor who conquered Gaul half a century before the birth of Christ. Part of those lands became France, where in 1967 the “Segura” brand was born, specializing in leather clothing for motorcyclists. The Cesar jacket is a “four seasons” (black or brown color), with removable 90 gram padding, to be able to face even temperatures close to zero degrees. There line is inspired by the world “Café racer”, maintaining a sobriety that does not make it disfigure even in the combination with motorcycles with another vocation. But above all, the buffalo leather is treated to be soft, even in the points where the protections (shoulders and elbows) involve greater rigidity.
How it is made
For this model, Segura has chosen the line of sobriety, but without giving up some small quirks. As the pocket with two press studs on the right side, at chest height, used to carry the “Segura” logo on the closure flap. Just above, on both sides, there are vertical pockets closed by good quality zippers, with “teardrop” leather flaps to make it easier to grip even with gloves. The same choice also for the pockets at the waist, with almost vertical sliding. Let’s be clear, a leather jacket with this cut will never have pockets with “touring” capacities, but the space is more than enough to accommodate the wallet, the booklet, the keys of our two wheels or even a mobile phone, provided that is not extra-large. To avoid the “pouch effect” (that of the kangaroo), the designers of “Segura” have also placed a pocket with zipper on the left forearm and one on the right arm, rebalancing the imbalance of the double pocket with flap and brand on the right. In addition, there is an internal «Napoleonic» (with zip) on the right and two vertical bellows closed with Velcro on the sides of the padding at the waist. The sleeves have button adjustments, to adapt the opening even to less voluminous clothing.
The back is smooth, crossed by the “T” seam to join the shoulders with the waist. The collar is high enough, but it doesn’t interfere with the helmet. And just below the seam, another habit: one crescent where the number 70 stands out (homage to the years of the «Café racer») framed by the trademark.
The front closure is with vertical zip, up to the top of the collar. At the waist, then, there are three buttons for adjustment, useful when we switch from the winter / autumn configuration to the one without quilt. To secure the padding to the jacket, Segura has chosen the solution of the single zip, which starts from the right side and runs all the way along the shoulders up to the waist on the left side. The sleeves, then, are attached to the jacket through two buttons each, to avoid screwing the padding every time the jacket is put on and taken off. In the «light» version, the Cesar has a fixed mesh lining, a pocket for the back protector and two vertical pockets at the waist with Velcro closure.
How are you
The test took place in the city, on the ring road and on provincial roads (when the “yellow” area allowed it), with temperatures between 4 and 17 degrees. The configuration was the winter one, with padding inserted. Under the jacket, no technical clothing: a shirt and a light wool sweater with a zip. The choice is linked to the type of jacket, designed precisely to emphasize the style, safeguarding safety and versatility even passing from the office desk to the bar table for an aperitif. Despite the choice of “urban” clothing, travel has always been characterized by comfort. There tightness to air and cold was excellent. The same goes for the aerodynamic impact, which is still a strong point of motorcycle leather clothing. In the test, the «Cesar» showed a good balance between softness and stiffness on elbows and shoulders, where the protections have never “aimed” and have favored the naturalness of the movements. In the guide, then, the jacket never “got up” as sometimes happens with clothing that is too stiff, revealing portions of the abdomen or back: a skill appreciated above all by motorcyclists who have already turned 25 for some five years.
A final note concerns the waterproof membrane, with an air-breaker and anti-water rivet along the entire length of the padding: time has graced us and we have not tested the seal under beating water. However, this is not his “mission” anyway. Also because, the collar is not so soft as to allow a “suction cup” adaptation under the back of the helmet and it does not even fit into the fit. The water could run inside, nullifying the effect of the waterproof membrane. Beautiful, comfortable, warm, but the “impossible missions” must be faced in another way. Finally, the price: Segura’s recommended retail price for the Cesar jacket is 419.90 euros.
