You?ve just invested a lot of money in a new set of motorcycle gear. The next step is enjoying your new clothing for as long as possible. But did you know that motorcycle clothing requires maintenance? This extends the life span of your gear, which means you will get pleasure out of your clothing for longer.
Maintaining leather motorcycle clothing
Leather motorcycle clothing is very pretty. Take for instance a rugged kangaroo-leather race overall, or a vintage jacket made from buffalo-leather. The trick is to keep your leather clothing looking good. That?s why we?ve come up with a few tips to make this easier for you to do.
- Let the leather breathe. Hang leather motorcycle clothing out to dry after you?ve been out for a ride. Definitely don?t seal it in an airtight bag.
- Don?t bring your leather suit to the laundrette and do not put it in the washing machine.
- Clean your suit with a damp cloth or with special leather cleaner.
- After cleaning, rub down the leather with a feeder. Do this at least twice a year, depending on how often you wear the clothing.
- Spray impregnation spray on your motorcycle clothing regularly. This keeps your gear water resistant and protects it against dirt and water. Do this after cleaning for best results.
Simply cleaning is not enough, feeding your leather motorcycle clothing is also very important. Exposing the leather to the weather conditions puts a lot of strain on it. Using a special type of leather ?gel? makes the leather supple and keeps it water resistant. A thin layer rubbed into the leather is sufficient, otherwise the leather will lose its natural breathing function.
Maintaining textile motorcycle clothing
Textile clothing needs the same kind of love and attention as leather clothing. Keep your textile motorcycle gear looking good and functioning well with the following tips.
- Spray impregnation spray on your motorcycle clothing regularly. This keeps your gear water resistant and protects it against dirt and water.
- Wash your clothing by hand with special washing liquid. These liquids don?t affect the membranes and breathing fabrics. Don?t forget to remove the protection pads.
- Do this when your clothing is dirty or when it loses its waterproof function. Washing your motorcycle clothing can restore this function.
- Do not use any softeners while washing the clothing. Do not put waterproof membranes in the washing machine and do expose the membrane to heat or direct sunlight.
A lot of textile motorcycle clothing is equipped with a breathing waterproof membrane. These features can deteriorate over time. This is often due to the microscopic pores of the jacket or pants filling up with dirt. So washing your gear from time to time does not only keep it clean, it also keeps it in fully working order.
Gore-Tex
Motorcycle clothing with a Gore-Tex membrane has other washing instructions than a ?regular? waterproof membrane.
- Gore-Tex motorcycle clothing can go in the washing machine. Wash at max. 40 degrees celcius, without protection and with special washing liquid.
- Gore-Tex motorcycle can also go in the dryer. This helps the process of recovering the waterproof function of the membrane.
- Impregnate the clothing with a special spray after every wash. This makes the clothing more resistant to dirt and less prone to leaking.
Washing motorcycle jeans
Motorcycle jeans, they look just like normal jeans but they protect you against a possible impact. To keep your jeans looking good and lasting longer, check out these tips.
There are two different kinds of motorcycle jeans on our site. Motorcycle jeans by Rev?it! with PWR|Shield and regular motorcycle jeans (often containing Kevlar). The following three tips are for Rev?it PWR|Shield jeans only.
- Wash your jeans inside out in the washing machine, remove the protection pads beforehand.
- Do not wash above 30 degrees Celsius.
- Do not use softeners and do not put the jeans in the dryer.
If your motorcycle jeans contain Kevlar you should refrain from washing them too often. Washing the jeans does not compliment the Kevlar in any way.
Maintaining motorcycle gloves
We also have a few tips on how to keep your gloves in good shape.
- Let wet gloves dry naturally. This means you shouldn?t put them on the radiator or try to wring them out. Putting old newspapers inside can speed up the process of drying.
- Store your gloves in a dry, dark place. Preferably not inside your helmet.
- You can wash your gloves, do this by hand in cold/lukewarm water and preferably with a special washing liquid.
- Solvents, fuel and other cleaning products can affect the colour and other features of the gloves.
- Leather motorcycle gloves should be fed and treated with leather balm now and again. This keeps the leather in top condition.
Maintaining motorcycle boots
Boots are comparable to gloves. Leather boots require a little bit more maintenance than boots made from artificial leather. They need to be regularly fed and treated just like leather gloves and a leather suit, this keeps the leather supple. You can also impregnate them now and again to improve the water resistance of the boots.
- Let your motorcycle boots dry naturally. This means you should not put them on the radiator.
- Store your boots in a dry, dark place with sufficient ventilation.
- You can clean them with a damp cloth or a soft brush.
With these tips you should be able to keep your gear clean and in good shape. All you need is a little discipline and your motorcycle clothing should last you for years.