This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 21st, 2008 at 2:21 pm and is filed under Accessories, Motorcycle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
October 21, 2008
Leather motorcycle apparel is made predominately from cowhide and on a lesser extent from sheep, deer, and buffloe hides (re: skin). Just like your own skin leather motorcycle jackets and leather pants and chaps need care to remain supple, smooth and attractive. The old saying applies here that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
When new the first thing to do is to use a good leather protectant. This will seal the natural oils in and prolong it’s beauty and service life. Depending on environmental conditions, sunny hot and dry or humid / moist environment, you will need to take the appropriate measures to care for your motorcycle gear.
Hot dry air or prolonged exposure to the sun will rapidly deplete the natural oils so a good leather conditoner should be applied serveral times a season. Before applying the conditioner the leather apparel should be clean. So, how do you clean your motorcycle jacket or chaps? First, always follow the manufacturers cleaning instructions, usually on a label on the interior of the garment (my jacket label says: DO NOT MACHINE WASH). If the leather is soiled with everyday road grime you should use mild soap (baby shampoo) with warm water and sponge to clean the surface. Then treat it with the conditioner; Lexol comes to mind but I’m sure there are plenty of good leather conditioners out there. After the conditoner is completely dry re-coat with a leather protectant to seal and waterproof.
In humid climates you often get caught in sudden thunder storms. Massive amounts of water will really shorten the service life of leather if proper care is not taken. DO NOT mechanically dry the leather. Hang the leather item in a cool dry place and allow to air-dry naturally. Mechanical drying will cause drying and cracking of the leather. Recondition and it is especially important to use a leather protectant for waterproofing.
A tip about protectants. Do not use anything with petroleum, mineral oils or silicone they will damage the leather over time.