2022 Union Garage Gift Guide
We’ve compiled our annual list of holiday gift ideas, from the easy-and-obvious (gift cards!) to the over-the-top, like an “Uber Deluxe” 3rd Gen Union Garage Tool Roll, or a brand new Shoei.
We’ve got lots in between: maps, mugs, coffee to go in said mugs, books, magazines, belts, shaterproof ridings glasses...all ripe for the picking. Click through for a collection slam-dunk gift ideas for any two-wheel-riding loved ones, starting at under $10.
// Peak Design Phone Cases & Mounts
California based bag- and camera accessory/tripod-maker Peak Design has, in our opinion, come up with the the ultimate system for mounting a smart phone to your motorcycle. It’s the most glorious pyramid scheme of which we are willing dupes—starting with a sleek magnetic phone case and family of well-designed motorcycle mounts (with integrated vibration dampening, naturally), and ending with, well, there’s really no end to how deep you can go, from Wallets to car mounts to wireless desk chargers.
// Butler Motorcycle Maps
We love the tactile old-school idea of a quality map, and when it comes to motorcycle maps the only name in the game is Butler Maps. And these are no generic AAA trip-planners, they’re made for motorcyclists, by motorcyclists, and they specifically call out the Gold Standard (G1) best roads for two wheels, as well as off-road routes. We’ve got the whole dual-sport BDR series as well as Butler’s G1 road map series covering the entire USA. Each map is waterproof coated and tear proof — ready for service at the campground picnic table or at the bottom of a tank bag.
// Union D3 Moto Gloves
We’ve carried Lee Parks Deerskin Gloves since Day One, and for the last couple of years we’ve co-produced a special Union Garage D3 Moto version that blends LPD’s legendary quality and craftsmanship with our own spec D3O knuckle armor. These gloves come complete with touch-tips at the thumbs and index fingers, ready for use with your smart phone on the fly. And they’re on sale now through the end of the year. Available in Black/Tan and all Black.
Riding season on pause? Already have a set? Pick up a tin of balm to help condition and weatherproof your gloves for seasons to come with LPD LeatherAide.
// Shop Swag
Our best selling swag is in stock and ready to ship.
> New: 6-Pack Sticker Set
Order anything from our store, and we’ll include a hand-written thank-you on your receipt with a complimentarily sticker. But the only way to get the whole suite is to plunk a 6-pack sticker pack in your cart. Six matte-finish vinyl stickers, guaranteed to class up any pannier, helmet, toolbox, or urinal.
> Haberdashery
We've also got 5-panel (tank bag) caps, and a smattering of classic Union Garage t-shirts. Like all Brooklyn branded merchandise—the mugs are on sale while supplies last.
>> The Hawbuck X Union Garage Dyneema wallet is an exercise in minimalism. Hand-made in Chicago, with material from the Space Program, these seriously lightweight low-profile wallets are guaranteed to reduce the bulk of a traditional leather wallet by 700%. The Dyneema is tough and ready for years of steady service.
>> Put em up
We had a bunch of these bandanas made when we were all still regularly dressing up as bank robbers a couple years back. Featuring our two “dirty Bird” mascots (Hank the Pigeon; and the Fugly Eagle from the old storefront in Brooklyn), this USA Made bandana has been discharge printed to make a lasting impression, and will serve you through many a bank heist. It's also good for keeping helmet hair under control, and keeping your helmet fresh, or keeping drafts out of said helmet when worn as a gaiter.
// But First... Coffee
Having a cortado (or espresso, or Americano, or ice coffee in the summer) at the showroom is a hallmark of the Union Garage showroom experience. And now you can enjoy that same high-quality coffee at home with this take-home kit. We’ve always proudly served Stumptown’s medium-road Hair Blender blend, which we've now got packaged in 12-oz bag ready to go.
We’ve also got sturdy diner mugs, emblazoned with the mark of your favorite independent motorcycle gear outfitter.
The whole-bean coffee is the freshly roasted and the mugs are all on sale while supplies last.
// Shatterproof Riding Glasses
These high-quality riding glasses are ANSI Z87 rated, and if you snap on the optional side-shields, they’re even Z87+ — that's good enough to safely make some serious sparks on a Union job.
Either variation will get you out of a NYPD Gotcha ticket, and more importantly, they’ll all do a great job of keeping your eyeballs free of roadside dust and debris. As a bonus they serve as great safety glasses in the workshop, and come in a black-frame/smoke lens option that make great everyday sunglasses, too.
// Lee Parks Design Motorcycle Tie-Downs
There are a hundred different options when it comes to ratchet straps. Skip the telltale orange Home Depot version, especially when it comes to tying down something as precious as your motorcycle. These motorcycle-specific tie-down straps from Lee Parks Design have been verified after years of use hauling everything from dirt bikes to Vermont in the summer to retail fixtures across state lines, in the snow. They're ridiculously overbuilt, and simply the best. Sold in pairs; made in USA.
// ADV Rider Magazine - Collect ‘em All
ADVrider, which started (and continues) as a popular online forum, is now available as a seasonal periodical. It's guaranteed to inspire. We’ve got all four volumes in stock—and if you plunk the full set into the cart we’re running a buy-3-get-one-free deal.
// Total Control - Book Form
The promise of Total Control is simple and substantial: “to significantly improve your ability to control any motorcycle.” Based on the proven techniques of expert coach Lee Parks' critically acclaimed Advanced Riding Clinics, reading this book cover-to-cover will no doubt improve your skill (and safety) on a motorcycle. Or put it this way: as a gift, this book is guaranteed to make the reader a better rider.
// How to Build a Motorcycle
This brilliantly illustrated and executed hardcover book deserves a place on any motorcycle rider’s bookshelf. Suitable for age 3 through 103, it contains a valuable overview of the nuts and bolts (literally) of building and maintaining a motorcycle. Even if you never realistically will build your own bike, it’s an entertaining read with plenty of informative pictures to thumb through. 192 pages. 300 Illustrations.
// Lone Rider, by Elspeth Beard
It’s been a few years since Elspeth came to the old shop and regaled a packed audience with the first-hand account of her incredible journey around the world on a 1970s air cooled BMW, but she sure did leave an impression.
You can catch a grainy archive Facebook video of the talk on Union Street, but it’s really no match for the book, which in poignant and surprisingly personal detail spells out an epic around-the-world journey that will leave any reader properly gobsmacked. For a mere $20, Lone Rider presents an absurd value.
There’s also a highly reccomended follow-up publication available exclusively through Elspeth directly—her self-published photo book called “Lone Rider - The Photographs,” which serves as a great complement to this memoir. If you’d like to check out a copy we’ve got one on the coffee table at the shop.
// Gift Cards. Can't go wrong.
The easy and instantaneous way to cross something off a holiday gift list: A Union Garage gift card. Starting as low as $25, these gift cards will be delivered via email and can easily be printed out and slipped into a card, or forwarded along. Holiday shopping: Done.
// John Doe Leather Belt
Offered in three colors and 3 sizes apiece this quality leather belt from John Doe is a no brainer. They come in a nicely packaged container and have withstood our own personal testing with flying colors.
// The U.G. Tool Roll
The Union Garage tool roll comes with an assortment of meticulously sourced high-quality tools from Germany, the US, and Taiwan. The whole kit was inspired by the original BMW factory tool rolls, and it’s evolved over the years to this latest iteration, which comes fully loaded, with Proton 1/4” ratchet set with sockets, extensions, a flash light, a SOG knife/pliers multitool, and Heyco drop-forged wrenches. It's got so many extra bits it comes with a separate waxed cotton zippered pouch to hole 'em all. The roll itself is made in Harlem, USA. Good for use on any Metric motorcycle.
We don’t want to get morbid, but once you’re gone your survivors will fight over these tools because they’re going to outlive you—they’re that good.
// Go Big: Shoei Flash Sale Starting Now through 12/21/22
You can tell someone you love them, or you can show them—with the ultimate gift of cranium safety. These premium Japanese-made full-face helmets are a longtime shop favorite and come rife with smart features.
The build quality is second to none, from the well-engineered shields and pads to the fastidious paint quality. Closing the shield on a Shoei yields a reassuring thunk, like closing the door of a luxury car. For a brief spell you can get into a Shoei for less than $400.
Shop online, or come by the store—we’re here the all week through Sunday, 12/18; and Thursdays and Fridays through the end of the year. The showroom is closed for both the Christmas and New Years holiday weekends.
Even when the showroom is closed we're shipping orders as fast as they come in.
For this critical holiday shopping season, order before 2PM on a weekday and we’ll get your order out via your chosen shipping method the same day. UPS Ground or USPS Priority usually equate to next-day shipping within the tri-state area, and we’re happy to ship globally.