Just like your motorcycle, riding gear needs maintenance too.
Your gear WILL get dirty after a few trips. Dust and smoke clogging the outsides and to make it worse, your gear is soaking your sweat from the inside. Over a period of time your gear may even start to smell!
It’s time to give your gear a nice bath. Let’s see the steps on how to clean your motorcycle jacket (textile). The rest of your textile gear can be washed in the same way.
- Remove all the guards from your arm, elbow, shoulders, back. Check pockets for left items. Open zips if any.
- Gently dust off your jacket a couple of times to get rid of the dirt or dust stuck on it.
- Check for areas where which need extra attention. Bright areas and areas where dirt seems to be stuck. Scrub those areas with a bristle brush used for scrubbing clothes. Use ‘Bambi’ cuff and collar cleaner. It’s quite effective in places of heavy stains.
- We would recommend hand washing your gear. Immerse the jacket in a bucket of water with detergent mixed for an hour. Let the dirt on the jacket get loose.
- Scrub it with the brush again till all the dirt washes away. Keep rinsing it with clean water. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of hand washing it, you can also place it in the washing machine on gentle or moderate mode.
- The water repellent coating on the jacket wears off over a period of time. Add some waterproofing conditioner while machine and handwashing your jacket. (There are a few waterproofing solutions for clothes available in the market, or you’ll have to order Nikwax online if you can’t find any). This will restore the jackets water resistant ability.
- Do not dry your jacket in the washing machines dryer. The jacket is of course built to withstand crash blows, but the inner mesh and lining is delicate, and can tear off during washing. Hand your jacket over a hanger and leave it exposed to the sun to dry out. Use a blow dryer to help the jacket dry quicker.
- Once completely dry, insert all pads and armors back into place. You’re good to go and as good as new.
Remember this only for textile jacket and gear. Leather gears have a different cleaning process.