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Maintenance of your expensive riding gear

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  • #16
    Originally posted by ripper View Post
    Great Info. I always used detergents like Surf, Tide etc for cleaning my helmet lining. Will try ezee and post the experience here. Thanks for sharing.
    You're welcome

    Ezee is a gentle detergent, so it can only take care of light to medium soiled fabrics. Hence it is important that the maintenance be regular instead of waiting for the lining to become a different color (with dirt) and then wash it .If the lining is extremely grimed, then Ezee will be relatively ineffective when compared to heavy duty detergents.

    Comment


    • #17
      Thanks a ton Bluevolt! If only I had come across this thread earlier.

      My DSG Ark gloves were totally covered with a layer of green fungi after a ride in light rains. Sadly i was too pre-occupied with other stuff after that ride and that lead to the fungi. Add to that the fact that i store my gear in a wooden cupboard and the gloves were packed in the showroom spec plastic cover. I used diluted Dettol to get the stuff cleaned. Thankfully no damage to the leather. But yes a mild fungal odour is still prevalent. Light soiling had also occurred on my DSG Armortek gloves(no longer in production although its a great pair of gloves.) which is purely leather. I lost the awesome aroma of brand new leather on this one. But atleast the fungi went away.

      I now store my leather gloves in newspaper and i take them out and check on them once a week.
      Will consider buying the leather care products for my JR boots.
      Finally I'm so happy i bought DSGs rather than expensive AStars. Good learning curve for me as far as gear-care goes. I had a tough time finding info too. But not anymore. Thanks again buddy!
      Last edited by 46wannabe; 11-30-2009, 11:08 PM.
      10 Commandments:
      1)Thank thy God for being alive.
      2)Thou shalt respect one's own life and the live's of other road users.
      3)Thou shalt respect one's own bike.
      4)Love thy bike as thy self.
      5)Always wear safety gear.
      6)Alcohol is a strict NO!
      7)Thou may lust after thy neighbour's bike specially if its of the R1 kind!
      8)Thou shalt ride with 'ultra-most' care and caution when on Indian roads.
      9)Thou shalt never leave the engine running at long traffic halts.
      10)Thou shalt follow all of the above.

      Comment


      • #18
        @bluevolt: I have not seen a more useful thread than this in quite some time. I'm moving it to the Universal Threads category, and marking it as a sticky. Keep up the good work man.

        Hope people can keep updating this thread with their inputs.
        "Tough times never last, but tough people do." - Robert Schuller
        ---
        R.I.P Kriss; 15.06.1981 - 11.10.2009 -- You will not be forgotten.

        Comment


        • #19
          Originally posted by rossiter View Post
          @bluevolt: I have not seen a more useful thread than this in quite some time.

          Hope people can keep updating this thread with their inputs.
          Thanks for the information, Bro.

          Rossiter correctly said "I have not seen a more useful thread than this in quite some time." Please keep updating it with more valuable inputs

          Comment


          • #20
            @bluevolt
            super info. did alot of research about this topic but it seemed very vague.
            now i know how to keep my riding gears cleaner than before
            thanks.
            THE MEAN MACHINE!!!

            Comment


            • #21
              Home Remedies for Leather.

              Another way to keep leathers clean is by using milk. It's a tried and tested method for leather goods. Take a piece of cloth and soak it in milk. Squeeze out the excess and wipe down your leather article. Very good for immediate results from stains. Dry the article & wipe down with newspaper. Always wrap leather goods in newspaper when storing without use.

              A cheap and quick solution for those times when you don't have your Leather Master around.

              *Source:Home Encyclopaedia by J.B. Lobo [Retired Divisional Forest Officer & Ex-Chairman, Derebail Panchayat, Lower Kottar, Mangalore]
              Last edited by 46wannabe; 01-02-2010, 11:51 PM.
              10 Commandments:
              1)Thank thy God for being alive.
              2)Thou shalt respect one's own life and the live's of other road users.
              3)Thou shalt respect one's own bike.
              4)Love thy bike as thy self.
              5)Always wear safety gear.
              6)Alcohol is a strict NO!
              7)Thou may lust after thy neighbour's bike specially if its of the R1 kind!
              8)Thou shalt ride with 'ultra-most' care and caution when on Indian roads.
              9)Thou shalt never leave the engine running at long traffic halts.
              10)Thou shalt follow all of the above.

              Comment


              • #22
                For Helmet:
                First, the preventive method. Helmets have a notorious way of getting all smelly with sweat, oil(for those who uses hair oil), and dirt. I don't use oil, but still I sweat, especially on summer. I find the best way of keeping my helmet clean as long as possible is by using cotton Balaclava, especially on hot days. I simply clean the Balaclava once or twice a week. My helmet's inners are still clean and fresh for months.

                For cleaning the outer shell I simply use damp cloth and wipe them. I found partly damp tissue paper especially good for cleaning visor.
                Now for the inner parts, Its somewhat crude but effective. My inner paddings are removable so I remove them and clean it with detergent along with my other clothes in the washing machine . Most importantly I spin them dry. Since paddings are thick, it takes very long to dry without machine spin. squeezing/twisting is a no no.

                Ah! but thats not all. Unfortunately, not all the inner parts are removable (at least in my case). So I dunk the entire helmet in detergent water in a HUGE bucket. This cleaning is only once in a long while. After cleaning, I use piece of cloth to absorb as much water out of it as possible as use hair blower on it at medium setting. I don't like things to remain damp for long. The straps can be cleaned easily with soap & water any time. And No! it wont fit inside the washing machine spinner.

                Gloves:
                Been using sneakers all my life. My gloves are not very different, so I figured cleaning them can be done by same method. Dunk it in detergent water in a bucket. After washing, machine spin dry. Voila.

                Jacket (Mesh):
                First remove all paddings, then machine wash along with other clothes. Not forgetting machine spin dry. I can wear it within minutes . Been doing the same with my bags for years. They are more or less the same materials...so.
                Jacket gets embarassingly dirty within a week (I use daily). I dust them every day but theres a limit to my tolerance.

                Knee pads: Too new to comment

                No riding shoes, no riding pants, no one piece riding suit.

                Oh! almost forgot, My tank bag. Another one that gets dirty as hell within a week. Machine wash and....you know.

                Told ya! its crude. Not recommending to anyone. Just posting what I do. No problems so far.
                Last edited by kaynmantis; 02-12-2010, 06:17 PM.

                Comment


                • #23
                  An update before I forget:

                  Today I saw the Lifestyle department store in Opus( near Richmond road), Bangalore selling Leather masters (Dr Tork) leather care products, imported from Italy. It is on the third floor, in the furniture section close to the elevators.

                  Someone had pm'ed me on where to find leather master products, so here it is. If you know a pricey piece of leather riding gear, then look no further than Uniters (leather masters). The cleaner+conditioner set is Rs.1600 and is cheaper than what I paid abroad. That pack should last you a couple of years, even on a full leather one piece suit.

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    nice article very well written
                    http://www.facebook.com/captainkabir

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Jacket Maintaining:

                      Well as far as my experience goes, I simply Machine wash my DSG Nero Jacket (off course after removing the guards). But here is the tricky part, after the wash the main zipper should be dipped in oil (even a coconut oil would do) to ensure the smooth running, or else initially the zipper becomes very hard to manage and it simply won't close.

                      Helmet:

                      I am using COLIN to wipe off the dirt which is stuck on my Helmet. Works best especially if you happen to use a cotton cloth or a BANIYAN would also do.
                      sigpic

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Originally posted by bluevolt View Post
                        If you have locked your helmet to your pillion grab rail in a public parking, chances are you will find new scratches and chips on your lid when you come back. Carrying your helmet around can be a pain sometimes, but keeps it pristine. Also make sure NEVER to drop your lid from a height - if you do so, its crash absorption properties will get compromised (though it might appear fine from the outside) and it might not work when you need it most. If you drop your lid badly, it needs to be replaced, no matter how undamaged it looks from the outside.
                        To prevent all that ugly stuff from happening, we wear helmets. Modern, full-face helmets, if we have enough brains to protect, that is.
                        Motorcycle Helmet Design, Helmet Standards and Head Protection - Gear Box - Motorcyclist Online

                        I use the wet-dry tissue technique in a left to right sweeping motion to clean the visor everyday - this also improves vision while riding! Lubrication is also important when it comes to the attachment area where the visor is hinged to the main shell. To do this, detach the visor, wipe it clean and then apply silicon lubricant to the visor area which comes in contact with hinge mechanism. Below is a picture of my silicon lube supply, again easily available online:
                        I use colin and spray them repeatedly till they dislodge the bugs, else i try manually to remove them and i used a GP-One(not known for its visor) which required a dark visor once a year, clear visors required change more frequently
                        using a Sparx now
                        ^any help on lubricants Rahul?(i can't get them on-line)
                        For the rest of the helmet with fabric bits which cannot come off, I simply dunk the whole lid into a large bucket with the lukewarm water and repeat the cleaning process as I do for the lining. After the lining and helmet has dried, I use a wet tissue to wipe the surface of the shell and visor and then use a dry tissue. This takes care of any hard water stains.
                        How do you make the helmet dry? certainly not in the sun? AC? fan? or AC + fan combo?


                        I am using these and they are neither mesh. nor leather, how to clean them?

                        JoeRocket.com

                        JoeRocket.com

                        *pics of my riding gear is attached below

                        ^^we have enough of --"great thread Comments"
                        Last edited by sheelpriye; 05-27-2010, 12:22 PM.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          can someone please tell me where can i find a helmet bag like its shown in the picture. it is actually good.. i am in Delhi so please tell me according to that.
                          thanks in advance
                          Last edited by freesoul_sj; 05-27-2010, 09:24 PM.
                          700 kms

                          Love to call myself "free soul on my BIRD"

                          Best Regards

                          SJ

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Originally posted by sheelpriye View Post
                            How do you make the helmet dry? certainly not in the sun? AC? fan? or AC + fan combo?


                            I am using these and they are neither mesh. nor leather, how to clean them?

                            JoeRocket.com

                            JoeRocket.com
                            ^Bump
                            any help

                            does colin come with some chemicals which shall harm the coating of the visor? its specifically made to clean glass
                            please help, kinda confused
                            Last edited by sheelpriye; 06-07-2010, 12:31 PM.

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                            • #29
                              Err, still no help

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Originally posted by sheelpriye View Post

                                ^any help on lubricants Rahul?(i can't get them on-line)
                                I don't know of any shop which sells Silicon lubricant - online is the easiest, 20north.com has them.

                                Originally posted by sheelpriye View Post
                                How do you make the helmet dry? certainly not in the sun? AC? fan? or AC + fan combo?
                                Unless the ambient temperature is very cold, the helmet dries overnight by keeping it in room temperature. Before drying, put a bedsheet/towel inside and absorb the excess water trapped in the lining.

                                Originally posted by sheelpriye View Post
                                I am using these and they are neither mesh. nor leather, how to clean them?
                                These are mesh(textile) jackets alright. Use a warm water/detergent combo to clean the surface. Hand wash, rinse.

                                Originally posted by freesoul_sj View Post
                                can someone please tell me where can i find a helmet bag like its shown in the picture. it is actually good.. i am in Delhi so please tell me according to that.
                                thanks in advance
                                Online....always the best bet.

                                Originally posted by sheelpriye View Post
                                ^Bump
                                any help

                                does colin come with some chemicals which shall harm the coating of the visor? its specifically made to clean glass
                                please help, kinda confused
                                Never used Colin on a visor so don't know. I use a hand sanitiser on tours/rides and use a nifty chemical called 'Krud cutter' at home. I put some on a dry tissue and dry it.

                                I sometimes use warm water and Pril/dish washing detergent to clean up.

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