Color vs Cleanliness

I am looking to buy some light colored (solids or accents of red, beige, blue, silver - but not yellow) gear (jacket for sure and maybe pants) so that I can be seen better - as compared to black which seems to be 80% of the gear that is available - especially if I buy on sale. I am also thinking that light clothing equates to cooler temperatures during our California summers as it gets over 90 during many summer days where I live. My current jacket is black and my current pants are beige that I have used for the past 4000 miles. I have noticed that the pants have been getting dirtier and dirtier as time goes by - even with repeated washings. So, I am guessing that lighter colors may not be very practical unless I can live with looking somewhat dirty as time goes by. This is true for my pants for sure - but can't say about the jacket as I never had a light colored jacket. While I never previously gave it much thought, I am now thinking that there is so much black clothing based solely on cleanliness/appearance issues - as black does not show nearly as much as lighter colors.

Questions: What has been your experience regarding 'cleanliness/appearance' when wearing a light colored jacket? Pants? When switching from black to light colors has 'cleanliness/appearance' been an issue? What has been your experience regarding 'excessive heat' when wearing a light colored jacket? Pants? When switching from black to light colored jacket has 'excessive heat' been an issue (assuming above 85 degrees with a bit of city driving involving waiting at traffic lights)? Pants? Thanks for your input.

Not being funny but I read somewhere that dog-blankets should always be a light colour so the owners can see when they are getting grubby; it follows that the same is true for material in general.
My urban camo Draggin' Jeans seem to attract grime but I guess that my black ones do, too - it's just I can't see it.
I have some summer-weight H-G trousers, lightish grey, and they also get grubby very quickly.
I wouldn't replace like with like in this case.

I went from "run me over" black to "don't hit me" yellow on my last jacket. I can see the dirt accumulation on the yellow jacket, but after riding for about 8 months with some of that being in Seattle rain, it still doesn't look that bad. The important thing to me is being seen. The dirt level hasn't bothered me.

Your observation about the black...or any dark color...absorbing heat is correct. I have some Fieldsheer Mercury pants in silver and they work great. I've worn them in 90+ heat on long rides and didn't find them particularly uncomfortable. If they had been black...I would've been baking in them.

If you're worried about safety as well as looks, keep in mind that red and the blue will also look like black at night. A friend who commuted about 45 miles each way on a BMW wore black all the time. One day he showed up with a hi-vis yellow vest. His reasoning was that he saw a black labrador retriever get hit about 9 times on the freeway. No one could see the black dog at night. He got to thinking about how that could be him if he took a spill at night...and no one seeing him till they ran over him.

One last thought...while my jacket is showing the dirt, I'll simply stick it in the laundry tub one of these days and hang it up to dry. When it's dry, I'll spray it with some waterproofing spray. It isn't a big deal to wash and like MikeO wrote, a light color will let you know when you should clean it. Think about how often you wash your car...and how your riding gear is really getting just as dirty.

Chris

Who cares if it starts to look dirty -----ride a lot stuff gets dirty and sooner or later wears out.

I like yellow hi vis, seems to work day and nite.

Dirty/worn look like you ride a lot----easy to sell on EBAY to some idiot that wants to look like he really rides. I have gone thru 3 or 4 Aerostich suits--always got fair return on ebay----my really worn yellow Darien jacket and pants also brought good money back. Good riding stuff=comfort and being dry/warm----being seen good idea,too. black just hides the dirt

john grinsel wrote:

...black just hides the dirt

...and hides you too.

Chris

It is interesting, the discussion about colors of material. I had back in 1977 a black Honda Goldwing jacket that was made of a material that was, (I'm going to go out on a limb here) impregnated with a "glass" fiber.

When you were out after dark headlights from traffic would actually light up that jacket as tho it had a battery and little leds on it. It reflected light so well you could be seen at almost any angle. Too bad they quit making that material. I think it coud be adapted to most any kind of safty wear.

As a matter of fact I still have the jacket, although it doesn't reflect light like it used to, and is a little too tight! Wonder why?

Daboo wrote:

john grinsel wrote:

...black just hides the dirt

...and hides you too.

Chris

My 'black' kit has reflective sticting intermeshed though the material and albeit 'black' it has a better than high reflective quality. However; at a financial cost!

Black riding gear doesn't have to be hot, there are textile suits available made from Schoeller® Coldblack® heat-reflective fabric, and leathers with the heat-reflective TFL COOL SYSTEM®. You can also zip open vents, wear a breathable base layer that doesn't absorb perspiration, or wear one of those Cool Vests you soak briefly in water, wring out and wear.

Not visible enough? Most black textile suits have some sort of reflective patches or piping usually 3M Scotchlite®, or wear a high-viz reflective vest.

Textile gear is easy to wash and waterproof, and if you're cold or getting your light coloured gear sprayed with road crap from other traffic, just put your rain suit on.

You can protect the waterproofing of clothing by using a specialist cleaner (Nikwax is just one but looking at an outdoor / mountaineering clothing website should have some others that could be used).
Black clothing - check out what some people wear in hot places e.g. the Middle East.

Cheers,

Its not often that this happens, but i agree with John G. Nothing makes a rider look more like a poser and a wannabe than crisp clean riding gear.
My favorite jacket is a 10 year old Moto GP leather number, never washed(or cleaned) just scrape the chunks of bugs off. My favorite scooter jacket is a moto GP as well, textile, never washed. My track suit is a Dainese kangaroo that looks like i was dragged down the road for a few miles. And all my gear has the latest Kevlar armor BTW. To bad Moto GP doesnt make gear anymore.

Tagg wrote:

Its not often that this happens, but i agree with John G. Nothing makes a rider look more like a poser and a wannabe than crisp clean riding gear...

Wow! Now that's an endorsement!!

I agree totally. I'm not a fair weather rider. When I look at my gear like I have for the past month, I'm judging whether the hi-vis yellow is still doing its job to make me visible and keep me from being road kill. I'm not worried about how pretty I look. I'll leave that to the "real" motorcycle riders who for some strange reason...aren't riding in this weather. Gee...I wonder why...

I will wash my jacket some day. I'm debating as to when because it needs to be with enough time to dry before I need it again. But when I do, it is for keeping me safe, not for appearance.

BTW, one of the reasons the jacket is showing the road grime is because I haven't been wearing a rain coat over it like I did with the old jacket. The Olympia GT Air Transistion jacket in hi-vis yellow is working well from the 20s to the 90s, and in the rain as well as the dry.

Chris

My now 6 yo Hein Gericke jacket and trousers are showing considerable signs of wear. Kinda makes me feel like I do ride so I must fall into the JG train of thought.

My thoughts right now are do I change the Hi Vis sleeveless cover I use as it too is starting to look worn. Stitching looking stretched due to excessive G!!!! and acceleration forces!!!!

My dilemma is this, if I change it it will be brand new and shiny as a shiny thing on national polishing day. I will look like a newbie. If I don't change it then I fear it will disintegrate due to the high re-entry speeds as I decelerate from high Mach speeds when arriving home from work!

Waspie wrote:

as I decelerate from high Mach speeds when arriving home from work!

Reduce "Mach speeds" before arriving home to avoid the sonic boom near your home ... usually over the ocean

Tagg wrote:

Its not often that this happens, but i agree with John G. Nothing makes a rider look more like a poser and a wannabe than crisp clean riding gear.

I've got half a dozen textile riding suits, including a couple I've had since the early 90's, and I wash and reproof them as necessary when they get grubby, sweaty, or 'wet out'. Wearing a liner keep my helmet clean and I apply leather dressing and waterproofing to all my gloves and boots. Explain how looking after my riding gear make me a poseur or wannabe?

Meldrew wrote:

Tagg wrote:

Its not often that this happens, but i agree with John G. Nothing makes a rider look more like a poser and a wannabe than crisp clean riding gear.

I've got half a dozen textile riding suits, including a couple I've had since the early 90's, and I wash and reproof them as necessary when they get grubby, sweaty, or 'wet out'. Wearing a liner keep my helmet clean and I apply leather dressing and waterproofing to all my gloves and boots. Explain how looking after my riding gear make me a poseur or wannabe? :|

Actually i said it makes you "LOOK" like a poser and a wannabe. You know, inexperienced, bitter, set in your ways, unable to see the benefit of change, that kind of thing.

So before you get all big eyed and indignant, try reading what i say, not what you want to see.

How does wearing wearing clean riding gear make me ''LOOK" inexperienced, bitter, set in my ways, unable to see the benefit of change? I was wearing an Aerostich Roadcrafter suit many years before any British bike magazine gave them a mention, and they're still a once every decade sight over here.

That's your response? A non mention of a suit in a magazine some years ago? You can do better than that surely. Your the one who took a statement not directed at you originally and made it personal to you, so back it up.

Heres the original statement by the way, one will notice that it doesnt say meldrew anywhere, and nowhere is there any indignant response till we get you. So back it up, or shut up, and stop thinking the world revolves around Meldrew.

Its not often that this happens, but i agree with John G. Nothing makes a rider look more like a poser and a wannabe than crisp clean riding gear.
My favorite jacket is a 10 year old Moto GP leather number, never washed(or cleaned) just scrape the chunks of bugs off. My favorite scooter jacket is a moto GP as well, textile, never washed. My track suit is a Dainese kangaroo that looks like i was dragged down the road for a few miles. And all my gear has the latest Kevlar armor BTW. To bad Moto GP doesnt make gear anymore.

I couldn't give a tinker's cuss what anyone else thinks I look like as long as I'm comfortable, warm and protected so if anyone feels inclined to have a go at me merely judging by appearences, go ahead.

I do occassionally buy new riding gear; what am I supposed to do before wearing it so as not to look inexperienced in the eyes of riders who should know better and be looking at the road ahead and not at what other riders are wearing? Roll in the dirt?

Or is it cool to look scruffy?

Do you mind!

Tagg wrote:

That's your response? A non mention of a suit in a magazine some years ago? You can do better than that surely. Your the one who took a statement not directed at you originally and made it personal to you, so back it up.

Heres the original statement by the way, one will notice that it doesnt say meldrew anywhere, and nowhere is there any indignant response till we get you. So back it up, or shut up, and stop thinking the world revolves around Meldrew.

Its not often that this happens, but i agree with John G. Nothing makes a rider look more like a poser and a wannabe than crisp clean riding gear.

Hello Tagg,

I see it's that time of the month again, so you're more bitchy than usual, I understand you're still sore at me for dissing your 40 years old joke on the SilverWing Tech forum, never mind. I've read your post and Mr Grinsels, and it's only you saying that 'Nothing makes a rider look more like a poser and a wannabe than crisp clean riding gear' and I'm still waiting to hear why you think this ? You could be just as much a poser and wannabe buying one of John's old faded and worn Aerostich suits off eBay to give other riders a visual impression you're a long distance touring type. I was going to say that you plugging your kangaroo leather track day suit on a forum for scooter enthusiasts sounds posey, but you'd only get hopping mad!


I think I've had a 'stop thinking the world revolves round Meldrew' in a previous post, it may have even been from you, and I've got better things to do than look. I'll tell you what, stop trying to needle me... you'll fail, answer my question and I'll send you a joke from this century to post on bigbird's Tech forum that was better than your last effort.

Posers in brand-new gear, posers in well-worn (by someone else) gear -- who cares? Buy the gear YOU like, that protects you, and take care of it so it will last YOU longer. If that means it gets cleaned once in a while, so be it.

BTW, I don't think we have many posers on this forum, if any. People buy Silver Wings because they like to ride them, and tend to do so a lot. If we were posers, we'd all ride uncomfortable, impractical cruisers, or crotch rockets that will never see 50% of their potential used. Not that there's anything wrong with a cruiser or sportbike per se, but that's where the true posers live. IMHO.

MikeO wrote:

I couldn't give a tinker's cuss what anyone else thinks I look like as long as I'm comfortable, warm and protected so if anyone feels inclined to have a go at me merely judging by appearences, go ahead.

+1

Just because its you mildew. If you could see the emails ive gotten commenting about your egocentric attitude from both sites, from your "friends" you would be shocked im sure.

Like i said in my previous post, you decided to take my statement personally, and start all this, probably not for the last time.

And my joke was great, you just have a uncontrollable need to 1 up people, or slam them down to make you feel better about your self.

Oh yea, if i see an old mildewey mummy on a new bike wearing new gear, i think they have little experience riding a motorcycle, and are just breathing their last gasp of manhood before they die. And my experience with the elderly driving, cars or bikes, makes them dangerous, and something to avoid. Theres your answer mildew.

On another note, i just bought a new Alpinestars jacket! Yea!

Like the dream mildew, live the dream!

Meldrew, Tagg,

You guys have gotten WAY off topic you need to get back on it or stop contributing to the thread. Also, cut the name calling.

1. While I have no problem with the tech forum (I'm a member too), one thing I learned from .org, is don't bring baggage from board to board.

2. Your both entitled to your opinions (don't care who "started" it)

3. However the personal aggression is making other members uncomfortable. While I think you should both have a thicker skin
than it appears, if there is really animosity here rather than good
old fashioned friendly banter, please backchannel it from here forward.
The rest of us don't need to see this get ugly.

4. I think it takes a bit of confidence to ride a Silverwing. Scooter guy (150cc) says "For 600cc why don't you get a real motorcycle?" and the Motorcyclst looks down on you and says "That's not a real bike" and yet we continue to ride our trusty steed immune to the snide comments because we know better than both of them why we ride the Swing.
So if we don't care about that, why do we care how seasoned a rider we appear to be? If you like the seasoned look, great. If not, great.

The best way to get the seasoned look is experience. Earn it!
You can also throw some oregano and paprika in your hair.


We all know the saying,
"Its not what you ride. It's that you ride."

I say,
"Its not what or who you wear, its that you don't go around naked." (Unless your from a country that allows that sort of thing)
Safety first.


MOD Dan

Mildew ? Now that is original and witty, I haven't heard that used against me before. And of course you're right, I can't see the emails you've gotten commenting about my egocentric attitude from both sites, and I haven't had any.

I assure nothing is personal, I'm just a saddo like you tapping away on a computer keyboard, only like you say I'm an elderly one. You still can't answer why 'Nothing makes a rider look more like a poser and a wannabe than crisp clean riding gear', and now you've changed to making assumptions of older riders based on a visual glance of at a new bike and new gear. You must be very worried, we Baby Boomers are everywhere.

Damn! I must go now, need to pee, and find my glasses so I can look for my medication.

Whilst accepting that even heated arguments and debates are part of forum life and admitting a) that I joined in and b) I'm not always comfortable with it, insults of the kind whereby people start name-calling are unacceptable.
No doubt most members are quite capable of shrugging them off and defending themselves, not needing nurse-maids, moderators in this case, with my mods hat on I have locked this thread temporarily now.

Per agreements among the MODs this topic has been reopened.
Hopefully both Tagg and Meldrew have had time to cool down.

Stop with the name calling, and focus on the original topic please.

MOD Dan

x

Thanks to all of you for your insights on this topic as I found them to be interesting, diverse, and with with insights on clothing/cleanliness that quite frankly I had never considered. I am thankful for the many forum members sharing their thoughts/experiences/opinions/suggestions (and for the moderators for keeping us on topic).

I've been away from the forum for awhile, and the topic looked to be interesting - but I must say it was a little spicier than I anticipated.

Anyway, speaking AS a newbie (I've only been riding since September, if you don't count my one summer in 1994 when I rode a Yamaha 450), I'd say that I'm quite pleased with my First Gear gear. The cloth white jacket has black accents and dark grey hi-vis piping along the pockets, shoulders and yoke. It has plenty of vents and a removable inner liner (which I leave on to help me slide past the kevlar armour). The pants, which I always wear, are black and my Vemar kevlar/fiberglass helmet is similarly white with black accents. I think the emsemble DOES make me look good - and visible.

But from what I hear, even hi-vis vests are hard to spot - which is why I bought a GIVI E52 topbox with Admore lighting. This is a much more I'm-here-so-don't-hit-me type deal where the lights are bright and at eye-level which will hopefully keep me safer at night.

The HiViz question is a vexed one; I always wear a HiViz H-belt because I want to make it easier for other road-users to see me - the ones who do try to avoid crashing into bikers, that is.
The point about 'Fixation' hadn't occurred to me and is now troubling me somewhat.
I certainly agree that a 'bright' topbox and Admore lightbar makes me far more obvious from behind.
I suppose there's really no satisfactory answer and until there is I shall keep my own counsel.

It's not a jacket, but is worth considering. I rode with some guys on the big Kawasaki touring bikes. The top box from the rear covered up everything but their helmets. The lead guy had a hi-vis yellow helmet. I could spot him a long ways away, even from the rear. I was telling myself that if I ever replaced my trusty Nolan N-102, it would be with one like his.

We stopped for a break at a lake with a gravel parking lot. My helmet was sitting on top of my top box...and fell...face down...into the sharp gravel. The visor was chewed up, and one piece for the hinge area blew off on the ride home. I went out and bought a Scorpion EXO-900 helmet in hi-vis yellow that afternoon.

Chris

The police bikers here wear bright orangey-red helmets and can be seen for miles.

I don't care what people think about what I wear. I like to ride in clean
comfortable clothes that seem to work well for the climate I am in or to show up at night. I ride because I like to ride and I don't give a rats a** what anyone thinks about how Experienced or Cool I might look.

Meldrew wrote:

Nothing makes a rider look more like a poser and a wannabe than crisp clean riding gear.

The important thing is to be seen, for this reason I wear a bright orange oversized t-shirt on top of whatever I am wearing on that day.
I allso wear a bright silver helmet.

Harry
from Atlanta

I just bought a new mesh riding jacket with the armor inserts.

If that make me look like a poser then so be it.

I didn't buy my Silverwing for how cool it makes me look

I haven't been cool for forty years

Old Sloppy wrote:

Meldrew wrote:

Nothing makes a rider look more like a poser and a wannabe than crisp clean riding gear.

The important thing is to be seen, for this reason I wear a bright orange oversized t-shirt on top of whatever I am wearing on that day.
I allso wear a bright silver helmet.

Harry
from Atlanta

I don't think I did say that, I'm a poser and wannabe that doesn't mind looking like an idiot in a lime green helmet liner to help prevent the inside of his helmet smelling like a lepers crotch, and only yesterday spent time spraying Scotchguard on his freshly washed two-piece rain suit and hi-viz vest.

The problem I have with washing my gear is that unlike some I only have one set. If I wash it, re-proof it I would be off the road for ages waiting for it to dry. Not prepared to stop riding just because my gear is dirty. What's underneath is clean!

When I'm out on my Shadow, I have 3 jackets I wear. One, is a black leather River Road jacket in the classic m/c style. I wear that up to about 90F. Above that, I have an Alpinestars textile jacket, black with blue and white on the sleeves and yes, the white gets dirty QUICK. But hey, between the dirt on the sleeves and the melted spot where the sleeve hit the pipes once (oops ) it looks lived in. For really cold and/or rainy days, I have an Alpinestars messenger jacket (also black...see a pattern :lol!: ).

Over all of them, I have a Bilt mil-spec hi-vis vest (helps to be seen and makes it easier to visit friends on Ft Bliss as they require hi-vis to be worn) Under them if it gets really hot I tend to wear UnderArmour t-shirts since they are moisture-wicking. Also have a couple golf shirts that are made the same so I wear them sometimes too.

MikeO wrote:

The police bikers here wear bright orangey-red helmets and can be seen for miles.

I wish they wore that kind of stuff here. The Sheriff's Dept and city Police tent towards the standard black and white 3/4 helmet they've worn forever (CHiPs style) AND the bikes they ride are black and white. They aren't too visible except when they ride "code 3". I have a 750 Shadow and their bikes aren't that much bigger. They also mostly wear long sleeve uniform shirts that are snug fitting like their pants.

I'd suggest a police-issue riding suit in hi-vis with "POLICE" or "SHERIFF" on it. (maybe I'll mention it to the Sheriff next time I see him - seriously, I've met him a few times)

I've read up on all the comments regarding colour vs cleanliness and i like to wear clean yellow Hi Vis type of jacket and trousers whilst riding and and hopefully you get noticed,if it gets too dirty or worn i would buy another ones. Yes you stand out but is'nt that what they are designed to do.Havind my first bike on the road at 16 i have been through all the fads and trends,riding with studded leather and baseball boot and wearing Levi's with half a BSA Road rocket engine still stuck in the grease on the outside of your jeans in the late 60s/70s to wearing sensible, easily noticed clothing.I want people to see me if it stops me having an accident and i don't care what people think.After 45+ years of riding i would like to think that i have some more years left yet even with some of the dreadfull British car drivers on the road.I don't like to criticise other peoples comments but the one made by Tagg on 15/ Jan/ 2012 regarding (Oh yea, if i see an old mildewey mummy on a new bike wearing new gear, i think they have little experience riding a motorcycle, and are just breathing their last gasp of manhood before they die) is out of order.The majority of people who have S/wings on this site are older than a 42 year old Tagg and probably got more experience,their reactions maybe a little slower so getting getting noticed cannot be a bad thing if it stops any accident.So please don't just judge people on their age. Be Seen Be Safe.

Waspie wrote:

The problem I have with washing my gear is that unlike some I only have one set. If I wash it, re-proof it I would be off the road for ages waiting for it to dry. Not prepared to stop riding just because my gear is dirty. What's underneath is clean!

+1 for me.

vmaximus, I can say with confidence that posts such as the one to which you refer as being 'out of order' haven't been made for some time and will be dealt with swiftly if they are.

Now, any trading of insults is such as takes place between friends.....or at least acquaintances who know each other well.

Waspie wrote:

The problem I have with washing my gear is that unlike some I only have one set. If I wash it, re-proof it I would be off the road for ages waiting for it to dry. Not prepared to stop riding just because my gear is dirty.

It's no more difficult to wash and reproof a textile suit than any other large items of clothing. Even with the rubbish weather we're currently having I've managed to handwash, dry, and reproof a two-piece textile suit, rain suit, and a hi-viz vest in under a day.

As for being off the road for ages, a couple of years ago I washed a pair of textile pants I'd stained when a carton of soup split, dryed them overnight, re-proofed when I got up, had breakfast while the proofing dried, then put them on for a 200 mile ride for the ferry to Belfast.

Cleaning and maintaining your gear is as difficult as you make it.

Even after a good downpour my gear takes over 24 hours to dry. Not prepared to tumble dry it as the heat will affect the seams on the GoreTex.

Anyway my Hi-Vis over vest takes the brunt of the muck and that IS easy to clean.

Waspie wrote:

Even after a good downpour my gear takes over 24 hours to dry. Not prepared to tumble dry it as the heat will affect the seams on the GoreTex.

If your gear is 'wetting out', the proofing has worn off, you need to reproof the material so rain beads up an runs off instead being absorbed, so why not wash it and reproof clean gear

Don't want to tumble dry on Cool, then use an airing cupboard, or a heated room. I've got gear where heat actually reactivates the waterproofing qualities of the garment.

Meldrew wrote:

...If your gear is 'wetting out', the proofing has worn off, you need to reproof the material so rain beads up an runs off instead being absorbed, so why not wash it and reproof clean gear...

+1 I've had times when my gear has become water logged and after an 8 hour time hanging on a hanger at work, it still hasn't dried out.

The cure is to do as Meldrew wrote. Wash it, hang it up to dry. In most cases in the USA, now is a great time because it is warm enough to dry quickly in the sun. Then spray it with a waterproofing material.

That won't keep rain from getting through, but will keep the material from soaking up the rain water.

Chris

Daboo wrote:

...One last thought...while my jacket is showing the dirt, I'll simply stick it in the laundry tub one of these days and hang it up to dry. When it's dry, I'll spray it with some waterproofing spray. It isn't a big deal to wash and like MikeO wrote, a light color will let you know when you should clean it. Think about how often you wash your car...and how your riding gear is really getting just as dirty.

Chris

Well, I've washed my gear...twice now. :D

I put it in the laundry tub and used a large amount of Simple Green. While I didn't think it looked too dirty...you should've seen the water. Brown. You could've dropped a silver dollar in the water and not seen it.

Black may not show the dirt, but the dirt is still there.

And as far as looking like a newbie, the jacket has some stains and marks still that aren't coming off no matter how much scrubbing I do.

Chris

Meldrew wrote:

Waspie wrote:

The problem I have with washing my gear is that unlike some I only have one set. If I wash it, re-proof it I would be off the road for ages waiting for it to dry. Not prepared to stop riding just because my gear is dirty.

It's no more difficult to wash and reproof a textile suit than any other large items of clothing. Even with the rubbish weather we're currently having I've managed to handwash, dry, and reproof a two-piece textile suit, rain suit, and a hi-viz vest in under a day.

As for being off the road for ages, a couple of years ago I washed a pair of textile pants I'd stained when a carton of soup split, dryed them overnight, re-proofed when I got up, had breakfast while the proofing dried, then put them on for a 200 mile ride for the ferry to Belfast.

Cleaning and maintaining your gear is as difficult as you make it.

I just hope your right!

It's whizzing round the machine right now!!!!! No washing label so a trip to the HG site kinda gave a clue!

Got my TXDirect ready to reproof!!!!

Oh this could be expensive if the kevlar stitching gives up the battle with the detergent!!

[quote="MikeO"]I couldn't give a tinker's cuss what anyone else thinks I look like as long as I'm comfortable, warm and protected so if anyone feels inclined to have a go at me merely judging by appearences, go ahead.

I do occassionally buy new riding gear; what am I supposed to do before wearing it so as not to look inexperienced in the eyes of riders who should know better and be looking at the road ahead and not at what other riders are wearing? Roll in the dirt?

Or is it cool to look scruffy?

I agree with you MikeO