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Fredrider	Nikwax		Lead	[-]
Posts: 5864 01/21/07 4:16 AM	Tags : None Anybody try this product to waterproof their riding gear? www.nikwax.co.uk/en-us/ac...OTORBIKING My TourMaster Cortech riding pants have never been waterproof nor even close to water resistent despite the claims of the manufacturer. One owner of Cortech pants says they can be made waterproof by washing them in Nikwax. I am just wondering if he is right. If so, how often do you have to wash them to keep them waterproof? Thanks for your help. Fred
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bamaTrider	Re: Nikwax	#1	[url]	[-]
HSATF 1st Officer Posts: 3702 01/21/07 9:48 AM	Sounds like a good product. I think I'll try this out on my boots and gloves. Fred, I noticed that there are dealers who carry this in your area as well as mine. Stan "We are different --yet we are the same." 1999 Ace Tourer (black/silver 2004 GL1800 Goldwing (Titanium) 2000 Suzuki VZ800
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Fredrider	Re: Nikwax	#2	[url]	[-]
Posts: 5864 01/21/07 3:36 PM	Thanks for checking local retailers for me Stan. I do see 4 local suppliers within 15 miles from my home and another that is 25 miles away. I may have to give Nikwax a try. I had previously tried a spray-on waterproofer I got from Wal-Mart, but that did nothing to make these TourMaster Cortech pants waterproof. Nikwax is a different concept which sounds like it will keep clothing, shoes and bags waterproof, but for how long? The website says that there are procedures to keep the garment waterproof between washings and then that the garment should be waterproofed every so often. Considering my pants require hand washing, I am wondering if it is going to be more work than just putting on rain pants for those one to three days a year I get caught in the rain. On the other hand, my traveling duffel bag does not even pretend to be waterproof. I only use it on the 3 trips I take a year. Even if had to hand wash it 3 times a year it would be better than waiting for it to dry out, which can take more than 12 hours after riding in a day long down pour. I'm intrigued and hopeful. This could get interesting... Fred
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mktobob	Re: Nikwax	#3	[url]	[-]
Posts: 2282 01/21/07 6:46 PM	Looks like this product is available at Cabela's. Oh my, I guess I will just HAVE to go there and get some! Bob
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dukey33	Re: Nikwax	#4	[url]	[-]
HSATF 1st Officer Posts: 676 01/21/07 11:38 PM	I've used their Techwash product and the Tx.Direct Wash-in re-waterproofing product. They were both very good products in my opinion and did what they claimed. However, I have never tried using their other products to waterproof something that was not originally. If your Cortech pants are leaking at a seam, I don't think these products will fix that, but McNett SeamGrip seam sealer is supposed to be an excellent product and should do a good job there. Look in your local sporting goods or outfitters. Around here I've seen these products at Academy, Sun & Ski, Sports Authority and REI. I know REI and Campmor carries alot of this stuff at their websites. duke
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Fredrider	Re: Nikwax	#5	[url]	[-]
Posts: 5864 01/21/07 11:56 PM	Duke, I have had two pairs of Cortech pants which TourMaster swears are waterproof. TourMaster even wanted me to send my second pair in so they could inspect them and waterproof them again. I had lost faith in them and did not bother to take their offer. Those pants and also the ones they replaced at their expense would get soaked and also soak my work pants underneath even riding on dry roads if I happened to be riding through mist or fog. It was not only the seems that leaked, but all of the fabric leaks. To me, what TourMaster claims and what is the reality is fraud, but I am not going to complain about it anymore. I very much like those pants. They do everything else, other than be waterproof, extremely well. Reading reviews of jackets and pants that are supposed to be waterproof is awefully confusing. Besides using those TourMaster Cortech pants since late in '99, I have also had a First Gear Kenya jacket for that long. My Kenya jacket has been through many heavy downpours and several all day rains. It has never leaked. Others have reported the same, but there are several riders who reported that their Kenya jacket was never waterproof, or was waterproof for a short time, then not. Thirty of these kinds of reviews can be accessed using the following link. www.motorcyclegearreview....prodID=392 First Gear is not the only company that has apparel that some claim is absolutely waterproof and other say is not waterproof at all despite the company's claims. How could several companies have textiles with that much variability? What is it about ballistic nylon that in some garments is waterproof and in others of the same model is not waterproof at all? Anybody know how this can happen? There is an REI in the next town east from me. I am going to have to go over there and check Nikwax out. Thanks for the tip. Fred
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dukey33	Re: Nikwax	#6	[url]	[-]
HSATF 1st Officer Posts: 676 01/22/07 1:49 AM	Fred, If there's one thing I have learned about product reviews from other riders, it is the type of bike they are riding will greatly influence their experience. A rider on a fully faired wing or K12LT will find their gear warm and waterproof while another rider on a 620 Monster will say the same exact gear is cold and absolutely not waterproof. In any case, insofar was waterproofing goes, the chemical treatments to the surface textile is only the first line of defense against water. The real protection comes from a waterproof membrane such as Gore-tex (as you may well know, their patent has expired and there are lots of competing products available now). The Kimberly-Clark Evolution material found on FroggToggs is another example of a waterproof/breathable membrane except it has enough weight and durability it can be made directly into garments and tarps/covers. I have a 12 year old Alpine Lowe hiking rainjacket that is old enough the membrane is crumbling. The outer nylon still looks serviceable and can repel water, but in a downpour, it will eventually get soaked and leak water. Sometimes the membrane is bonded directly to the outer material, sometimes it is not. But regardless, any textile garment without a waterproof membrane cannot be waterproof, but only water-resistant. PVC and latex based membranes or materials such as those used on rainwear will also be fully waterproof but those typically won't be breathable and might have a vent designed into the garment instead. good luck. duke
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alepel	Re: Nikwax	#7	[url]	[-]
Posts: 7800 01/22/07 4:23 PM	To make my ride in the rain to the Americade last year, I resorted to wearing a rainsuit I bought from Cabela's for hunting. It was a bit of a joke because it was a camo style pants and jacket. It was two piece with a 3/4 length jackets. I felt foolish wearing it but I was hoping to keep warm and dry with them. I was facing a three and a half hour drive and I wasn't about to cancel this trip. I've got to tell you I was, well frankly....amazed. I stayed dry from head to ankles. My feet got wet but that was a boot problem not a rainsuit problem. My Cabela's rainsuit is not breathable but that did not seem to be problem for me. When I got to the Americade I looked at several different styles of rainsuits and for the money I could not see myself buying something else. I realized I might a little silly wearing camo but I was dry, comfortable and did I say DRY. The suit proved itself again on the return home trip. More rain and it was cold. The suit keep me dry and relatively warm. So I'm thinking that this camo hunting rainsuit is going to stay as a part of my time proven riding gear. I will however continue to read with interest the experiences that the rest of you are having. There always seems to be a better product out there and I am always open minded to something that is new. alepel
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Fredrider	Re: Nikwax	#8	[url]	[-]
Posts: 5864 01/22/07 8:27 PM	Duke, I know there is a lot of truth to your statement about what bike and set-up a person is riding as to whether they get wet or not. My brother bought the same TourMaster Cortech pants and never got wet wearing them when he was behind the fairing of his '84 Gold Wing. Now that he rides a '03 VTX 1800R I will have to ask him what he thinks of those pants. On the other hand, even though I have a very large windshield on my T, not all of my body is out of the windstream. My arms are bombarded by the wind and water droplets when it rains, but still my FirstGear Kenya jacket keeps my arms dry. It does seem as though TourMaster tests their products for either when someone is standing out in the rain or behind a fairing, and not for people riding un-faired motorcycles. Don't some other motorcycle apparel manufacturers do a better job in that regard? Fred
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Fredrider	Re: Nikwax	#9	[url]	[-]
Posts: 5864 01/22/07 8:49 PM	Duke, I did visit a local REI store yesterday and that store did have Nikwax' TX.Direct. I think I will give it a try. Fred
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Fredrider		#10	[url]	[-]
Posts: 5864 04/01/08 11:26 AM	On Sat. I rode about 45 minutes in the rain. For the first time since I bought my First Gear Kenya jacket my arms got wet. So Sun. I went over to REI and bought some Nikwax Tech Wash and Nikwax TX.Direct Wash-In. First I washed my First Gear Kenya jacket and Tour Master Cortech pants in our washing machine with the Nikwax Tech Wash to get all of the dirt out of those garmets without hurting any waterproof aspects of the same, then I washed them a second time in the washing machine with Nikwas TX.Direct Wash-In. I have not have a chance to test them yet, but I sure hope my Kenya jacket is waterproof again. I am curious whether the Cortech pants are waterproof now. They were supposed to be, but they never really lived up to the manufacturer's claims. Duke, How long do your clothes stay waterproof when applied with Nikwax products? Fred
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CleRider		#11	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1904 04/01/08 11:47 AM	Fred, I've used the Nikwax products in the past. Not the clothing waterproofing products, but the boot conditioners and tent seam sealers. Also, REI has a great reputation as an outfitter and, in my opinion, only sells quality products. As I read your post I could only think of two things: - I'm sure you could convince Yvonne to pull out the garden hose and spray you down while sitting on your bike in the driveway... - Last summer, sitting in your garage, waiting for the rain clouds to pass. As I recall, there was only one rainstorm in your area, and it happened to be the very morning we were trying to get to Knoxville. Andy
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alepel		#12	[url]	[-]
Posts: 7800 04/01/08 12:15 PM	CleRider wrote: - I'm sure you could convince Yvonne to pull out the garden hose and spray you down while sitting on your bike in the driveway... alepel "Ride with the Spirit always, and in all ways"....hombldr
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Fredrider		#13	[url]	[-]
Posts: 5864 04/01/08 3:43 PM	Andy, That's why I need good rain gear. I don't want a rainstorm to stop my fun when it's road trip time, but coming back from Americade in 2006 I did have to stop riding in the middle of the afternoon. My feet were cold and wet. My shirt was also cold and wet. Rain had dripped down past the high collar on my Nelson-Rigg rain jacket. I gotta start plugging the leaks! Fred
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alepel		#14	[url]	[-]
Posts: 7800 04/02/08 7:18 AM	I agree Fred.....the ride home from Americade in 2006 was not only wet but very very cold. For all intents and purposes it felt like winter coming down out of the Adirondacks. And the irony of it is in 2007 it was just the opposite. Coming out of the Adirondacks last year it was warm and sunny. An absolutely gorgeous ride. But somewhere down in the "flat lands" it turned about 20 degrees colder and grey and overcast. It was wierd. We ran into some riders who were going up on a Saturday and we had to encourage them to continue with their trip telling them that it was warmer and sunnier further up the road. alepel "Ride with the Spirit always, and in all ways"....hombldr
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Fredrider		#15	[url]	[-]
Posts: 5864 04/02/08 11:35 AM	Andy, I already know the outcome of my wife spraying my First Gear Kenya jacket with a hose, even though she has not done it. After the jacket dried I picked it up and looked at it. Previously it had always felt stiff to me, but after being washed twice, first with Nikwax Tech Wash and then with TX. Direct Wash-In, I find it is not only soft (as are the Tour Master Cortech pants I also treated), it is thread-bare in spots and three seams have opened up in four places typically for a few inches each. Despite the treatment it is not waterproof anymore. I guess I should not complain. I wore that jacket summer and winter for the first three years I owned it. That was before mesh jackets were available. Even after I bought my First Gear Mex-Tex 1.0 jacket in 2002, I wore my Kenya jacket every winter. The last two winters, since moving to South Carolina, for about 5 months each year, I wore the Kenya jacket 4-6 days every week. After 8-1/2 years I guess I got my money's worth. I should still get to test the Nikwax TX.Direct Wash-In product via my Tour Master Cortech riding pants. I just do not feel like seeking out the rain. I prefer to wait until I have to ride in the rain. Fred
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