Do leathers get ruined if caught in the rain??

[chunkygoat]

You'll be alright, at long as you don't SOAK your gear in the bathtub overnight - ha.

But if you're really worried they sell a can of waterproofing spray for under 5$ at any sporting goods stores (or walmart probably).

I have ridden with my leather chaps and leather jacket through countless rainstorms and they're still going strong. 3 years later, you can tell I actually use my gear though - definitely not fresh or clean looking anymore.

 

[dolau]

I spent a long weekend in Scotland and after repeated soakings I was left with white stains on my trousers....... no not that!.... but with some dubbin and elbow grease they came back up like new after a few applications but in sunlight you could still see the tide marks. Didnt shrink

 

[dolau]

Forgot to say... if your leather gloves stink after they have got wet- allow them to dry thoroughly and then wait until wifey goes out for the day and put them in the freezer.

Apparently the stinky bit is bacteria in the leather and lining which is killed by the freezing temperature and they come out smelling sweet- no smell in the freezer just dont let 'er indoors catch you doing it.

I have tried this and it works a treat!

 

[Nelly]

Leather is fine as long as It's looked after. One area not mentioned at all is the stitching. Which is not leather. Synthetics do last well but over time will become brittle. Personally I think its prudent to use a product like "Nicwax" to waterproof the panels and stitching. Definitely let your gear air dry.
Nelly

Sent from my HTC Desire S using Tapatalk

 

[Norbert]

I'm pretty sure leather weakens over time with sweat and rain.
Take a look at my Spidi Race Vents after about 12,000 miles.
They've been through plenty of rain. I didn't always have the luxury of drying them out after it rains.
Would you want to crash in these? Probably not.
Would they have lasted another 12,000 miles? I doubt it.
I went with Motoport gloves, which have pretty good protection and should last longer.

 

[mrphotoman]

I'm pretty sure leather weakens over time with sweat and rain.
Take a look at my Spidi Race Vents after about 12,000 miles.
They've been through plenty of rain. I didn't always have the luxury of drying them out after it rains.
Would you want to crash in these? Probably not.
Would they have lasted another 12,000 miles? I doubt it.
I went with Motoport gloves, which have pretty good protection and should last longer.

and leather weakens if you use them and if they are old. motorcycles wear out if you ride them, so do tires. point is, a little rain does not hurt leather suits but everything wears out at some point or another. they are made to be used and will last within reason. being caught in a rain storm will not destroy leather. my leather shoes get wet all the time and last years, i have owned/worn leather shoes since i was a little kid and i do not ever recall them falling off my feet when i was caught in the rain lol. any reasonable person should be able to see that a reasonable amount of use of a product for what it was intended is perfectly fine. my leather interior on my car gets wet when i open the door in the rain to get inside, so far it seems perfectly fine, etc...

 

[greg]

i got told off by the nice man at the dainese shop for wearing mine in the rain

that said i don't think a bit of rain is a problem, just make sure you use some leather conditioner to keep it supple every once in a while or after a heavy soaking.

also let it dry naturally, radiator heat isn't good for them AFAIK

 

[CCHOUSEKY]

Im actually saving up for the GP2 kevlar pants Motogiro has. Those things are sweet. If its in the budget maybe i will spring for a new kevlar jacket as well.

I'm actually doing the same thing. I'm planning to purchase either their Air Mesh Kevlar or Stretch Kevlar jacket in the spring and I'm wanting to get pants to go with it as well.

I know a few members here have their stuff so I have a couple of questions. First, what's the turnaround on their jackets and pants? I know they like you to send a pair of good-fitting jeans (optimally) when they're crafting the pants. How early would I need order in the year and how long did it take to get your suit?

And, living in Kentucky, it can get very humid here in the summers. Does the Stretch Kevlar material flow much air or would you recommend the Air Mesh stuff?

I've got 2 leather 2-piece suits now and good cold-weather gear, but I love that their stuff comes so highly recommended and is machine washable. That's a huge plus!

 

[Norbert]

I'm actually doing the same thing. I'm planning to purchase either their Air Mesh Kevlar or Stretch Kevlar jacket in the spring and I'm wanting to get pants to go with it as well.

I know a few members here have their stuff so I have a couple of questions. First, what's the turnaround on their jackets and pants? I know they like you to send a pair of good-fitting jeans (optimally) when they're crafting the pants. How early would I need order in the year and how long did it take to get your suit?

And, living in Kentucky, it can get very humid here in the summers. Does the Stretch Kevlar material flow much air or would you recommend the Air Mesh stuff?

I've got 2 leather 2-piece suits now and good cold-weather gear, but I love that their stuff comes so highly recommended and is machine washable. That's a huge plus!

it depends on demand. the demand is seasonal. i ordered my gear in november and it took about 3 weeks.

it's humid in MD too. sucks.
i have the stretch. the stretch kevlar does flow air, but not as much as the mesh. if i wet a tshirt i can feel the air hit me. if it's 50F outside i have to wear heated gear. some of it's personal preference, windscreen, etc....

i'd rather not have mesh in the pant area, since i'd like to block the hot air coming from the engine (i sit very forward in the seat). i like motogiro's idea of mesh panels. that would be nice in the jacket. wayne at motoport may do that for you. it's worth asking him. then again, you may not want that during the winter.
a few other options to talk to wayne about:

• velcro to hold the collar down when you're in stop-and-go traffic.
• zip-in mesh kevlar panel in the front of the stretch jacket. (i heard this is only ok, again, depends on bike/windscreen,etc.)

i personally think the stretch is better because it's more versatile. but you can make the mesh work in whatever condition. you just need to use heated gear or the rain liners sooner than you would with the mesh.
the liners are very breathable, btw. you can keep them in a wide temp range and not really sweat.


I did about 1,000km of dirt in Labrador and the motoports got extremely filthy. I ended washing my gear in a laundromat in MD and everything was fine. nice the have gear that lasts a while. i don't plan on getting anymore gear for a long, long time. barring any weight gain....
i suggest taking your time, do some research and talk to wayne. there are a bunch of things he can do that he doesn't advertise on his website. one gripe i have is that with all the dirt the zippers on the sleeves got hard to secure. i may ask wayne to use all velcro in that area.

 

[CCHOUSEKY]

Thank, OMG_WTF. That's EXACTLY the type of information I was hoping to hear. BTW, I love the setup you're wearing in that picture.

I would prefer the Stretch simply from a safety standpoint (although I realize their Air Mesh isn't your typical mesh, but mentally, the Stretch just SEEMS safer). Plus, if the Stretch flows a bit of air, then I think it'll be much more useful in extending the riding season. As I said before, I've got great cool/cold weather gear, so this gear would be more for summer (twisty) riding.

Their website is a little confusing so I'll ask another question. I'd prefer to have a 2-piece suit (I know they offer the zip-together option) that basically mimics my current leather 2-piece suit. In other words, I'd like to have pants that aren't "overpants", but ones that could accept knee pucks. Should I be looking at the GP-2 Kevlar pants for that?

As far as the jacket goes, I'm thinking the GP-2 Kevlar jacket would be the way to go (with the GP-2 Kevlar pants). I'd like a short jacket that still zips to the pants.

Opinions? Advice?

 

[Norbert]

Thank, OMG_WTF. That's EXACTLY the type of information I was hoping to hear. BTW, I love the setup you're wearing in that picture.

I would prefer the Stretch simply from a safety standpoint (although I realize their Air Mesh isn't your typical mesh, but mentally, the Stretch just SEEMS safer). Plus, if the Stretch flows a bit of air, then I think it'll be much more useful in extending the riding season. As I said before, I've got great cool/cold weather gear, so this gear would be more for summer (twisty) riding.

Their website is a little confusing so I'll ask another question. I'd prefer to have a 2-piece suit (I know they offer the zip-together option) that basically mimics my current leather 2-piece suit. In other words, I'd like to have pants that aren't "overpants", but ones that could accept knee pucks. Should I be looking at the GP-2 Kevlar pants for that?

As far as the jacket goes, I'm thinking the GP-2 Kevlar jacket would be the way to go (with the GP-2 Kevlar pants). I'd like a short jacket that still zips to the pants.

Opinions? Advice?

Oh I forgot: Wayne is about to sell "cold black" gear that doesn't get hot. I think he's going to sell khaki color too. I'd love to get a khaki colored jacket and pants, since it hides dirt so well. Don't get me wrong, I'm not buying new gear for looooong time. Well, maybe some MX boots...

If you have good cold gear then maybe you should get the mesh. I dunno. Try to meet someone with both in your area. I'm sure there's a Kentucky motorcycle forum. Try to find a local BMW forum and ask them. Those BMW losers love that high price gear.
I want one piece of gear for everything, since I like to go on long trips. I just want to swap in/out liners. I don't want to haul around a big jacket when it gets cold on my long trips. My sense is that the stretch is more versatile, but isn't as good in hot weather as the mesh. One thing to consider is that heat coming off the engine in stop and go traffic. Mesh would suck there. I don't know what wouldn't though.....

My jacket/pants fit over my work clothes, but just barely. I just wear a polo and khakis. Typical nerd uniform. But it does fit with just underwear on, so I dunno.

You'd have to call Wayne and just talk to him. That's the best answer. Take down some notes....tell him the type of riding you want to do.
We do different types of riding so it don't think I can answer your questions very well. Motoport did a custom setup mixing the stretch and mesh, for example:

Not saying you should do this, but you can really customize your order beyond what's stated on the website.

There's a long thread on advrider with a lot of info:
Motoport Kevlar first impressions (long, many pics...) - ADVrider
Google helps, too:
marathon jacket motoport advrider - Google Search