Kit cleaning

[Scort]

I was going to title this "looking after you helmet" (hrrrr) but thought an all-encompassing post about kit upkeep might be helpful - maybe we can share tips (arrrgggghhhh another pun) about how we keep our riding gear nice and clean...

I'm usually quite lazy about my kit, I will clean the visor obvs, but the lid itself not so much - the only times it was regularly cleaned, was when I used to pop into theo ffice once a week, post the Vid; as they always had mahoosive packs of dettol wipes, so I used those to clean off the flying debris. For cleaning leathers, I still opt for fragrance-free baby wipes, does the job, and occasionally I might use a sponge and some Autoglym leather cleaner too.

I've had a can of helmet fresh since passing DAS, so that stuff is probably well and truly useless now, mind you, it still smells of cleaner and foams up - but I don't really find I get a stinky helmet, hence why it's lasted 16 years.

Any hacks/tips you use for kit?

My tip - if you struggle riding with a low sun, then pop a strip of black electrical/insulation tape on the inside of your lid at the top - it's like having a flip down sun visor in the car.

 

[Tykey]

Don't ride mine often enough to have to concern myself with keeping my kit clean

 

[BUDFORCE]

I very occasionally put some like leather care stuff on my jacket.

But otherwise other than wiping the visor I don't bother.

 

[Hammy]

good wipe over with a damp cloth before taking kit off well apart from the Lid them dead fly's dont fade away lol nothing as bad as putting jacket etc on and its covered with dead fly's

 

[JonRGV250]

I tend to change my bike before any kit gets dirty enough to clean, then I need a whole new kit to match the new bike.

 

[chaparral]

Any hacks/tips you use for kit?

May also work for bike kit

 

[Scort]

May also work for bike kit

Looks like the woman behind can smell my kit too

 

[The Deuce]

i normally give my helmet a good polish, i don't wash my textiles or leathers

 

[Nomisf]

I find drying is key to making gear smell nice again. My kit cleaning regime is to get soaked through on an ill advised ride - then use my cheapo boot/kit dryer from ebay to cook it all dry. With UK weather it usually happens often enough to keep me smelling acceptable.

 

[TripleT]

I took the inners out of my helmet for the first time last week and washed them. The water wasn't a nice colour!

 

[chaparral]

I find drying is key to making gear smell nice again. My kit cleaning regime is to get soaked through on an ill advised ride - then use my cheapo boot/kit dryer from ebay to cook it all dry. With UK weather it usually happens often enough to keep me smelling acceptable.

I saw this helmet dryer on amazon a few days ago and never thought of something like this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Porotmotor-Helmet-Ventilation-Motorcycle-Helmets/dp/B0BFWQ5S57/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2UUZL14FTHLX9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.3bDlQsAk1cUb9hr7pMb1w17XPih9zDgl71HoU8g4BULxqID12Cci4U4eaN-Ti2cvqeDtkfhWvR6pasir1UbtG-qgXpn-n8mx27LToCGUCZfRT9QkapTZ1JIh568KA00qTC_A1abXeFgEHoxd3w_hi5lqI-_kD_BmUS_wx7cnUmNKxQjRS_ikuTHkHRsGEpLKBn7awkAUObU9mlqWmuB1Ok5fEEKxHpdEgggB95JXMgIYgfzPWRCxxyOc-xPaAOtYBVwo0PsC5AFVxOnYioZOXrVpK8UDOFCleTb7mri41W4.NFoP3wRzY7ySULKH3vRwbJV1u7JXO4BFDUx1_bNdftg&dib_tag=se&keywords=helmet%2Bdryer&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1728857127&sprefix=helmet%2Bdryer%2Caps%2C117&sr=8-4&th=1

Or £188 for what looks like round bit of plastic with a fan in the middle

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Allstar-ALL13018-Helmet-Dryer/dp/B08TB6N276/ref=sr_1_28?crid=2UUZL14FTHLX9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.3bDlQsAk1cUb9hr7pMb1w17XPih9zDgl71HoU8g4BULxqID12Cci4U4eaN-Ti2cvqeDtkfhWvR6pasir1UbtG-qgXpn-n8mx27LToCGUCZfRT9QkapTZ1JIh568KA00qTC_A1abXeFgEHoxd3w_hi5lqI-_kD_BmUS_wx7cnUmNKxQjRS_ikuTHkHRsGEpLKBn7awkAUObU9mlqWmuB1Ok5fEEKxHpdEgggB95JXMgIYgfzPWRCxxyOc-xPaAOtYBVwo0PsC5AFVxOnYioZOXrVpK8UDOFCleTb7mri41W4.NFoP3wRzY7ySULKH3vRwbJV1u7JXO4BFDUx1_bNdftg&dib_tag=se&keywords=helmet+dryer&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1728857127&sprefix=helmet+dryer%2Caps%2C117&sr=8-28&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.d7e5a2de-8759-4da3-993c-d11b6e3d217f

Sure i could make something myself using an old computer fan or something

 

[Griffo]

I'm a textile boy and after my last expedition to Salisbury I just repeatedly hosed it where the mud was. Then gave up. It didn't really work perfectly and the black trousers still show some shady parts. The jacket is sand coloured so looks fine. I've yet to machine wash this jacket & trousers although maybe I should as it's been about 10k miles.

When I used to commute I'd just wait till a dry spring morning and take all the armour out then wash it all with whatever the textile wash stuff is, plus the waterproofy thing after. In between that, rain rain rain was my cleaner!

I don't tend to overheat/perspire when I'm riding, so don't have any issues there. I carry a little bottle of visor cleaner with a microfibre towel in my glove box (KTM 1290GT yay) and just give it a quick clean when i'm waiting for a friend to note down how many litres he just put in the tank .

As for drying, my garage is now relatively well insulated for single-brick, and has a dehumidifier. Everything dries pretty quickly. Not quick enough to prevent final-drive corrosion on a K1300, but quick enough to prevent corrosion on any part of a KTM. I believe that's the scientific unit of measurement.

@chaparral I made something similar to move air around a keezer (beer storage/serving thing) with an old pc fan driven by an old Arduino. Even that was probably overkill as really it just needed something to bosh out the correct voltage. But I've never really got rain inside a hat.

 

[Tefal]

I was going to title this "looking after you helmet" (hrrrr) but thought an all-encompassing post about kit upkeep might be helpful - maybe we can share tips (arrrgggghhhh another pun) about how we keep our riding gear nice and clean...

I'm usually quite lazy about my kit, I will clean the visor obvs, but the lid itself not so much - the only times it was regularly cleaned, was when I used to pop into theo ffice once a week, post the Vid; as they always had mahoosive packs of dettol wipes, so I used those to clean off the flying debris. For cleaning leathers, I still opt for fragrance-free baby wipes, does the job, and occasionally I might use a sponge and some Autoglym leather cleaner too.

I've had a can of helmet fresh since passing DAS, so that stuff is probably well and truly useless now, mind you, it still smells of cleaner and foams up - but I don't really find I get a stinky helmet, hence why it's lasted 16 years.

Any hacks/tips you use for kit?

My tip - if you struggle riding with a low sun, then pop a strip of black electrical/insulation tape on the inside of your lid at the top - it's like having a flip down sun visor in the car.

Soak the visor/leave a wet wipe on it for a while or a wet cloth before you clean off dead insects.

Chitin will scratch the visor when it's dry but not when it's wet

 

[.one.]

I have some 20,30 year old spray cans for cleaning various parts on motorcycles, I will Type out what it says on the tins regarding usage will give you good laugh would be distasteful for some now.lol

 

[Sin_Chase]

Baby wipes and renapur wax for leathers.
Microfibre and water for helmet.
Silicone grease for helmet visor hinge and latches.

Textiles on jacket do not really need much cleaning but when they do its normally just a microfibre and a very dilute water/detergent mix.

 

[Scort]

The V sponge was my go to for visor cleaning, but being a tight arse, I got a bunch of similar sponge material on Amazon, cut it to size - wet it and bung it in an old V sponge sealed bag. I also chopped a microfiber cloth in half, and have that to wipe the water off after a sponge clean (keep these under my rear seat cowl)