How to clean your motorcycle gear

motorcycle gear

Keeping your motorcycle clean is a chore that most motorcyclists don’t mind. Working on your bike is a great feeling and seeing it all shiny gives most owners great satisfaction However, cleaning motorcycle clothing and gear is a task that motorcycle owners usually like to postpone until there’s no other option than to take it to the expensive cleaners. Don’t let your gear get smelly and dirty, and learn how to clean your gear properly. Keep your clothing fresh and lasting longer by applying the tips in this article. 

Leather motorcycle clothing

Leather is the most difficult fabric to clean. It cannot be washed by machine, but instead needs to be rinsed by hand. After each ride, leather suits should be hung outside in the fresh air. This is the easiest way to get smells out of your leather suit. If you have stains on your suit, it’s best to use a soft toothbrush and a green soap solution. Never put a leather suit in the dryer. This will dry out and damage the leather. Let it air dry instead. 

Leather can turn dry after a while, especially when used in the sun for a ling time. To prevent this, leather suits should be treated with special leather care products that can be purchased through ChromeBurner.com. You can also treat your suit with special leather grease or oil, to keep it soft and flexible. 

For black leather, black grease is available. This black grease is also great for masking small scratches and other damage. After treating your leather suit with grease, you can impregnate it with a special spray to make it more waterproof. However, leather can never be completely waterproof as it soaks up water when exposed to participation for a long time. 

Textile motorcycle clothing

Textile motorcycle clothing is much easier to clean than leather. Most textile clothing can be washed in the washing machine or hand washed. To make sure if your suit can be washed and/or dried by machine, check the washing direction on the label inside the suit. 

Protectors and waterproof membranes should not be washed and should be removed from the jacket before putting it in the washing machine. You can impregnate your motorcycle suit with a special spray to make it waterproof again or use a special soap for waterproofing your suit when washing it. Always air dry your suit and do not centrifuge it. 

If your motorcycle suit is made with Gore-Tex, you should check the washing directions on the label first. Most Gore-Tex suits can be machine washed, but membranes and protectors should be removed firstly. Washing Gore-Tex products once a year is enough. If your suit is smelly, you can hang it outside until the smell is gone. Never wash your Gore-Tex suit with softener or stain remover as this can damage the material.

Boots and gloves

Just like keeping your motorcycle clean, it is important to keep your boots and gloves clean as well. Motorcycle gloves made of leather should be treated just like a leather suit. Turn your gloves inside out and hang them in the fresh air to get rid of smells. If you do want to wash them, they can be washed in lukewarm water with a little soap for leather. Don’t dry them on a heater, as they might dry out and get damaged. Instead, fill them with newspapers to pull out water faster. You can then treat them with leather grease and impregnate them. Leather boots can only be washed by hand wash with lukewarm water and leather soap. Mud should be dried first and can then be removed with a soft brush.