THE MAINTENANCE & CLEANING OF YOUR MOTORCYCLE HELMET

So, you have spent good money on a high-end, beautiful and well-designed motorcycle helmet, but if you don’t maintain and clean it properly, it will become a beat-up stinky brain bucket before you know it.

Your motorcycle helmet is one of the most important pieces of gear for you. Not only does it protects you during a crash, but is also protects your face from bugs and road debris. It insulates your face from any weather conditions, and needs to be comfortable for month after month, for years. Quality helmets can do that, no questions asked, but if you, the rider, don’t do your part, it will turn into a beat-up funky brain bucket before you know it.

Helmets absorb a lot of sweat and body oils over long term use. It permeates the liner and foam and causes an odor that can make a helmet pretty unpleasant after a while. On the outside, you’ve got bug guts, dust, buildup of soot and smog, grimy fingerprints, and more to deal with. A helmet that gets used the way it’s supposed to is going to take a beating – that’s just how it is.

Despite that, the number one cause that damages helmets the most, in my opinion, is the lack or improper maintenance done by the riders who try to clean them. Not maintaining your helmet properly is bad, but doing it wrong is even worse.

With this Coronavirus (COVID-19) going around, follow these simple steps to keep your helmet clean.

• Use mild soap when cleaning your inner liner such as mild laundry detergent or baby shampoo.
• A towel soaked in HOT water to left to soak on the outside of your helmet, will loosen bugs guts and dirt for an easy wipe. Lots of riders just wipe the helmets dry, this causes them to pull on the debris and scratch or chip the helmet.
• Use a scratch free towel on your helmets, always.
• Use minimum pressure around the visors area and or on a gloss shell to prevent scratching.
• Cotton swabs are good for cleaning the little vents and ports for air flow.
• Use Silicone based lubricants on all moving parts.
• WEAR A SKULL CAP!! If you know that you sweat a lot, wearing a skull cap will protect your liner from absorbing sweat and body oils between washes.
• Air drying is the key!! Use a fan.
• On gloss helmets, use a good quality automotive wax on the shell after cleaning. It helps to remove bug guts a lot easier.
• If you are renting a motorcycle or borrowing someones helmet, ask about the maintenance of the helmet. I like to use Lysol from time to time to disinfect the liner when someone borrows my helmet. It leaves a nice smell, but remember to go light and not to soak it with it. A little goes far.

Let us know what you think, and share your experiences on what works for you!

I AM POWERSPORTS!! See you on the road!