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2 Questions - Rain Gear & Wheel Cleaner

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israguard

Active Member
Hi everyone,
Two questions for you please:
1) When it comes to rain gear (I have one of those tops/bottoms that rolls into a small ball type from HD) Is it usually guys that wear leather that should put it on when it rains. Why I ask? I am headed on a trip soon & rain will meet us for sure. I have leather HD jacket as well as HD gor-tex type black HD jacket with the reflectors and shoulder/elbow pads. The gor-tex I believe is totally waterproof so if I wear this set do I still need to schlep a rain suit Just not sure with which jacket to leave with? I always prefer leather, but space is limited so worse case I take the gor-tex jacket. Any thoughts ?

2) Wheel cleaners. Do I need to by something from S100 or can I use same one I use to clean the mags on my car.

Thank you
 
IMO you cant beat leather for over all protection, tho if space is limited I would pack the rain gear and wear the leather til it starts to rain, as far as wheel and tire cleaner I ride too much in the rain to give you a good answer here and I am lazy when it comes to detailing my wheels:s
 
I am not familiar with the HD Goretex jacket. However, my experience with military gore-tex jackets is that they are water resistant but NOT WATERPROOF. In a light rain the goretex will do just fine but if you are riding in anything heavy I would recommend a regular rain suit. If space is limited I would leave the leather at home. JMO

As far a wheel cleaners go it really depends on the type of wheels you have. I have chrome wheels and have been using pledge without any problems. I hesitated to use pledge at first but I read so much about it on this site that I gave it a shot and it works great!
 
1- Leather is great for protection, even for a light rian but once mother nature settles in, you need something else, I would say try your rain gear over your leather If it al fits, you juts take your little ball of rain gear along.

2- On wheels, I use a black magic wheel cleaner followed by soap and water.
 
No comment on cleaning/polishing products for rims. I wipe them down when I wash. But, I can't really see the rear due to the saddle bags and they are both stock rims, so I don't really care how they look. I only care if they spin and the bearings are good!:p

+1 on the rain suit that rolls up into a ball. I bought mine to fit over top of my leathers but it is too warm now for me to wear leathers underneath. If you are really going to ride in some real rain the suits offer benefits with seals at zippers. The pants usually extend above your waist and the jackt is typically a 3/4 length. I have a Road Gear brand and love it. I would also suggest bringing another set of gloves. I hate riding with wet gloves and I have a synthetic set that I use for rain. They are a HD model with a bright orange mesh on the back of your hand with a thin leather palm. They dry very quickly and I think the bright color is helpful in the rain for signaling or catching the attention of another motorist. Don't forget to re-treat your seams from time to time with a water repellant. All of the suits will eventually leak at stitched seams. I use the Coleman tent spray but it is a bit stinky until it cures.
 
As to leather jacket remember that they are warmer to begin with. If caught in rain then putting on rain suit it can be very uncomfortable. I would use the Gortex and take the rain suit. Cleaning wheels I just used the wash and wax product I put in the bucket while washing bike. Riding as much as I do I do not spend any additional time on wheels except when washing.
Have a great trip and enjoy.....
 
Thank you all for your great input as usual. I leave Tuesday 05:00 and depending on weather will decide on leather or Gortex. But for sure will visit dealer today for 2nd pair of gloves.

Thanks again
 
israguard said:
Thank you all for your great input as usual. I leave Tuesday 05:00 and depending on weather will decide on leather or Gortex. But for sure will visit dealer today for 2nd pair of gloves.

Thanks again
Click to expand...

I wash my "rain" gloves before I wear them. I had dyed hands for a few days the first time I got caught in the rain from the fabric/leather dye.
 
As far as rain gear is concerned...all I take is a pair of rain pants as my HD riding jacket has a waterproof liner. To wash the wheels...I just use Maguire's mag wheel cleaner and rinse with water...does a great job.
 
I have several leather jackets in my closet right now. When I ride I always grab my Tourmaster textile jacket. Waterproof (I tested it several times) ventilated and armored. It also has a liner for cold days and I find it to be the most comfortable jacket I have had.

As for cleaning wheels as well as the really dirty parts under the bike I use Bike Bright, followed by a rag with some pledge on it. the Bike Bright also makes a good engine cleaner for the pickup and cars. It doesn't affect the paint but dissolves the grease.
 
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