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My 3 year old DSG Nero riding jacket is gradually loosing it's waterproof characteristic. When riding in downpours both arms are getting drenched and there is water ingress on several other regions. Do these fabrics loose their waterproofing over time ? Is there any method / product available to restore the waterproofing ?

edit : One more query : Can the riding jacket be waterproofed using the wax and hot air gun method ?

regards arun

Update : With waterproofing products like Nikwax and Kiwi amounting to half the price of the riding jacket, I went ahead and used the hot air gun and candle wax method and must say that I am pretty satisfied with the end results. My DSG Nero is ready to hit the downpours once again :)
regards Arun

Riding gloves:
Little bit of carelessness on my part led my Aspida phaeton gloves to start cracking on fingers like this

and after few weeks cracks break like this


I had no option other than to buy new pair of gloves. Phaeton are just 2 year old with no usage in monsoons, so it must be me not taking good care of leather.
Having used semi-gauntlets so far I was interested in full gauntlets this time. After checking Shima & Richa gloves, ended up buying Rynox Evolution gloves. Have been using these everyday for last 2 weeks.




Knuckle protection


Bridge for last 2 fingers


Small holes for breath ability between fingers & on backside


Accordion placement on all fingers for ease of movement. White leather on fingers makes it dirty in few days, I need to clean it with wet tissue every weekend.

Touch screen compatible material on index finger & thumb. Works very well on my Motorola phone, also gives very good feel/feedback on side indicator switch.

Also visible is wiper rubber on index finger, this is available on both gloves, have seen some gloves offering it only on left glove.



Air vents on fingers

Scaphoid protection from Knox


Don't know what kind of leather is used beneath these, but gloves leave black patch on palm/inner glove after every ride.

Two sided flap closure for a tighter fit over riding jacket

Nice textured leather on closing flap
6662
Wrist protection with carbon fiber finish



These gloves can't be used in monsoons, I don't ride in monsoons either. But being leather, these make me sweat more. To counter that, I picked up inner gloves (inner gloves that are used by wicketkeepers).


I picked up Rynox gloves from MotoCentral in nana peth, Pune. Quite a revelation for me, hadn't expected such a store in Nana peth area. Owners are very well versed with products & quite customer friendly. They have entire range of riding gear with multiple brands in each category.

Picked up Spartan Eclipse Riding boots from their Kalamassery, Kerala showroom Rs. 7500. The fit and finish is good. Yet to use it. Is anyone using it here? Any reviews? Could not find much online.

I took my Thunder3 SV out for the first ride yesterday. My previous helmet is a Vega modular, which sounds like a plane taking off beyond 60 kmph. Observations:

1. Wind noise is audible past 70 kmph. It's significantly quieter than the Vega.

2. Closing the face shield makes the wind noise drop by several decibels.

3. There is lesser, but noticeable reduction from closing the air vent on top.

Picked up the full mesh Komine Jacket 086 from Orion Motors, Bangalore last month.
Full mesh, very light with shoulder, elbow, back and chest protection. Great quality and fit. Superb Ventilation. Great jacket for summers.

I'm looking for a summer riding jacket with the following characteristics:

1. Full mesh. As much air as it'll let in.
2. Not black colour. Why soak up all that sunlight? Lighter colours are better.
3. Clean design that I can wear off the bike without looking like a biker.

My current is a denim jacket I picked up off AliExpress (has shoulder, elbow+forearm and back padding, all replaceable). It meets criteria #2 and #3 but not #1. I have to ride buttoned up with the zipper down to manage airflow, but that doesn't help with the arms or when waiting at a signal.

I use a Decathlon Forclaz 400 for waterproofing. I've tested it with an hour-long walk in the rain and the only water it let through was via the liner on the inner bottom of the jacket. Decathlon insists it's not suitable for biking (saw a prominent notice pasted on the display shelf in the Whitefield, Bangalore store), but it's worked for me for 15-20 minute rides (longest I've tried). This jacket fits well over my denim jacket, but it's not a standalone motorcycle jacket, nor suitable for the sun.

https://www.decathlon.in/p/8302503_f...ket-black.html

After looking at every site I could find that ships to India and doesn't cost half a bike, the only candidate for all three criteria is the Rev'it Eclipse, available from High Note Performance. The price is almost the same as on Revzilla.

https://www.highnoteperformance.com/...nt=29588068368

Anyone got suggestions for another jacket I should be looking at?

How much was this, good looking design this one. My jacket is 4 years and with almost daily use time to replace them I guess.

This is the original Komine, costs 11K. I have friends who have used Komine for years and are very happy with the quality.
I also ordered the matching mesh pant from Japan https://japan.webike.net/products/22628077.html
Lots of discounts /coupons /sale items.
Came by FedEx on 4 days. Perfect fit and great ventilation.
Cost was 12K landed (including FedEx + Customs.)

Video: How to spot difference between Awful and Awesome riding gear.

Thanks 'surjaonwheelz' for sharing this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwwlvi1hf10

Planning on buying a pair of waterproof riding boots. The choices I've narrowed down to are Aspida Eclipse, Tarmac Tour or Royal Enfield Mid rise touring boots / Explorer touring boots. I'm more inclined towards the Aspida Eclipse, but based on my choices which would be an ideal pair for a day long ride with adequate water proofing/ rain protection?

Also have a look at Solace.
RE boots don't have that much protection compared to others at same price bracket.

I ordered the Zeus Tornado ZX -3 boots and Zeus Explorer H2O waterproof gloves. The boots are supposedly waterproof. Let's see how both of these fare in the rains.

Got my Waterproof riding boots and gloves from Zeus.

Got both of them last week actually, but the boots were a size small and had to get them exchanged. My feet size is 9 (Euro 43) but that wasn’t fitting my right foot. Returned them and ordered for Euro size 44 and they fit snug. The exchange turned out expensive though. I paid Rs. 350 to return the boots and again had to shell out Rs. 550 for them to ship the replacement.

I got the Zeus Tornado ZX-3 Dry Tech Riding Boots and paid Rs. 10,500.00.






The specifications as per their site:

• Wider metatarsal and lower toe
• Micro fiber and breathable, abrasion-resistant Cordura upper with micro injected inserts
• Genuine Leather bonded Extended Comfort lining
• Malleolus reinforcement
• Flexi fit Accordion panels on front and rear for maximum comfort and gear shift
• Micro injected shift pad and shin plate
• Reinforced heel counter
• Original YKK zipper and wide VELCROฎ brand fastener band
• Rear Reflective piping
• Anti Slip, Vulcanised Touring sole with specific grip areas
• Waterproof / Breathable 3 layer Italian membrane
• CE certified

It states Shin Plate on their site, but the boots I got only had a foam padding on the shin. Contacted their support team and even they said that these boots are made that way and doesn’t come with a shin plate. The benefit of going to a store and checking and buying a product, especially things like these, I understand now.

The Gloves were the Zeus Explorer H2O Gloves. I paid Rs. 4,500 for these.





They fit right except that the fingers are a bit long. But for my hands, all the gloves I buy have the same problem. The specifications as per their site:

• Constructed using Cordura and Taffeta
• Waterproof / breathable Hipora liner
• 40gm Thinsulate top layer provides warmth on the inner side
• Silicon palm with comfort padding panels
• Night Viz reflective trim piping on the front portion
• Exo-Stitch Safety Seam minimises interior seams to create a more premium feel and to provide maximum comfort
• Moulded, TPU covered knuckles provide protection
• Integrated wrist strap for excellent retention
• Additional EVA foam slider protection on the wrist
• Soft, brushed fleece interior

I still haven't used them on my rides and am waiting to inaugurate them on my upcoming monsoon ride to Mumbai.

My review of the Shima Strada (Poland) Motorcycle Boots posted here - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superb...ml#post4410697





Tremendous value for the quality at Rs. 7500/- bucks.


Cheers...