Vintage 1950s German Motorrad Leather Motorcycle Jacket RUHR Zip

A West German motorcycle jacket from the late 1950s to early 1960s, made by Leder Wagner of Wiesloch, near Heidelberg, and still carrying its original maker’s label. It’s cut from heavy black cowhide and built to the full specification of a serious riding jacket of the period, with a feature rarely found on jackets of this type: a leather kidney belt built into the lining.

The kidney belt is wide, backed with elastic, and fastens across the stomach with two steel buckles. Riders of the period usually bought these separately, to support the lower back and keep out the cold on long journeys. Here it’s part of the jacket.

The outside is made for protection. The shoulders are quilted in raised rows under braided leather epaulettes with woven leather buttons, and the elbows are padded with concentric stitched rings. At the back, a pointed yoke and panelled construction allow movement across the shoulders when leaning forward over the tank. Below that, a diamond-quilted kidney panel curves over the hips to a scalloped hem. The front closes on the diagonal, overlapping across the chest, under a broad stand collar. Cream piping picks out the chest seams and every zip opening. There are three zipped pockets on the body, one on each forearm, and zips at the cuffs.

The hardware supports the dating. The outer belt fastens with a buckle stamped “Gutos Pforzheim D.B.P. 822025”. Pforzheim was the centre of the German jewellery and metalwork trade, and D.B.P. (Deutsches Bundespatent) is the West German patent mark, used only after 1949. Collectors generally date Gutos buckles carrying this mark to the 1950s. The zips are German RIES, with a RUHR main front zip. All of them have been cleaned, polished and lubricated in the workshop after years in storage, and they run smoothly.

Inside, the body is lined in black moleskin cotton, quilted across the lower back to follow the outer panel, with grey sleeve linings and a leather-welted chest pocket with a button tab. The green and gold woven label reads: Leder Wagner, Wiesloch, Hauptstr. 92. A named and addressed maker’s label is uncommon on German riding jackets of this age.

Condition & Restoration

Very good vintage condition. The leather has been specialist cleaned and conditioned in-house.

The cowhide is strong, supple and structurally sound, with natural creasing and a soft sheen from age. The cream piping is intact, and the braided epaulettes and buttons are complete.

All the zips, both RIES and RUHR, have been cleaned, polished and lubricated in the workshop, and they run smoothly. The Gutos buckle and the kidney belt buckles show light surface age to the metal.

The moleskin lining is complete, with light wear and some marks from age. The lining seams around the armholes show some wear. The original Leder Wagner label is present and clear.

Key Features

• Original late 1950s–60s German Motorrad leather jacket
• Maker’s label: Leder Wagner, Wiesloch, Hauptstr. 92
• Heavy black cowhide
• Built-in leather kidney belt with twin buckles
• Gutos Pforzheim buckle, stamped D.B.P. 822025
• RIES zips, RUHR main front zip, all refurbished
• Diagonal front zip, stand-up collar
• Cream piping across the chest and zips
• Braided leather epaulettes
• Quilted shoulders and padded elbows
• Diamond-quilted back panel with scalloped hem
• Five zipped pockets and zipped cuffs
• Black moleskin lining, quilted at the lower back

Garment Measurements, Laid Flat

• Chest, armpit to armpit: 22" / 56 cm
• Shoulders, seam to seam: 18.5" / 47 cm
• Sleeve, shoulder seam to cuff: 25" / 63.5 cm
• Underarm seam to cuff: 17" / 43 cm
• Back length, base of collar to hem: 25.5" / 65 cm

Best suited to: 40" chest, regular / Size Medium

Fit: The label is marked German size 52, which would normally convert to a UK 42. Sizing from this period runs small, though, and riding jackets were made to be worn close to the body for protection, so the measurements are a better guide than the label. It sits snug at the waist with the belts fastened and finishes at the top of the hip. Please compare the measurements above with a jacket you already own.