How do I Bike With a Leather Vest?

Biking with a leather vest involves climate awareness and proper leather care.

Leather is a protective material that makes exposure to the elements more tolerable for bikers. According to the Biker Super Store's eBay Guide, leather protects your flesh if you make contact with the road. A leather vest can be worn alone, over a shirt or jacket or under a jacket for warmth. Biking with a leather vest involves climate requirements, proper care of the vest and the option of customizing the vest to motorcycle club or personal preferences.

Things You'll Need

• Leather vest
• Shirt or jacket (optional)
• Sponge
• Water
• Mink oil product (optional)
• Leather stain remover (optional)
• Leather conditioner
• Soft cloth
• Patches, embroidery or artwork (optional)

Instructions

Biking with a Leather Vest Based On Climate

1. Wear a leather vest beneath a motorcycle jacket, leather or denim, to increase warmth and retain body heat if you're traveling in a cold climate. According to The Biker Super Store's eBay Guide, choosing a vest or jacket with lacing sides keeps the leather snug on your torso.

2. Wear a leather vest over a lightweight jacket in a climate that is expected to change. This allows you to remove the vest or jacket when the temperature changes.

3. Wear a leather vest over a shirt in hot climates. The vest offers the protection of a jacket without the weight. Vests with vents are cooler for hot climates.

Biking and Care of your Leather Vest

1. Wet a sponge. Squeeze most of the water out until the sponge is damp but not dripping. Wipe the dry vest with the damp sponge to remove debris. According to the Biker Super Store's eBay Guide, if your leather vest gets wet, you should let it air dry at room temperature away from excessive heat and oil the dry leather with mink oil. Purchase mink oil wherever leather is sold.

2. Remove stains with a leather stain treatment, available in grocery, shoe and leather stores. According to online bike accessory store the Bikers Den, you should never have your vest dry cleaned because the process strips essential oils, making the vest stiff. Let the vest air dry.

3. Pour a capful of leather conditioner onto a cloth, and rub it into the leather in circles. Buy leather conditioners in shoe and leather stores. Allow the conditioner to absorb for 30 minutes. The Bikers Den suggests cleaning and conditioning frequently worn vests every three months. If the vest gets wet, dry, clean and condition it immediately.

4. Use a dry cloth to remove visible conditioner. Wipe the vest with the cloth until the conditioner is absorbed or comes away on the cloth.

Biking With a Personalized Leather Vest

1. Purchase a leather vest with a seamless, single-panel, smooth back to customize your vest according to your motorcycle club logo or personal preferences. The smooth back panel provides a flat area to add patches or paint.

2. Take leather vests to a professional motorcycle store or custom embroidery store to have patches attached or custom embroidery added to the vest's back. Many motorcycle clubs have a logo that everyone in the club wears on the backs of their vests and jackets. According to Tennessee-based Smokey Mountain Trading, patches may be heat-transferred to fabric vests, but leather vests require patches to be sewn.

3. Take the leather vest to a professional airbrush artist to add custom painting to the leather. This is best accomplished by a professional who can treat and seal the paintwork on the leather.

References

• Bikers Den: Leather Care
• The Biker Super Store's eBay Guide: Before You Buy a Biker Motorcycle Jacket Vest or Chaps
• Smokey Mountain Trading: Applying Biker Patches