How to take care of leather saddlebags
Are you wondering about how to take care of your leather saddlebags? Do not worry about it, we will tell you everything there is to know about it. Motorcycle lather accessories can really take a beating. Let’s face it, even the most pampered motorcycle can fall victim to wind, weather, and road conditions. Therefore proper leather care is not only important, it’s vital for the survival of all the leather accessories installed on your motorcycle. So, how do we take care of leather saddlebags? Leather cleaning, conditioning and protection is part of our motorcycle detailing.
How to take care of leather saddlebags
Enough with the talking, let’s see how to take care of leather saddlebags and make them last forever. The steps are rather obvious and simple if meticulously followed. Cleaning, treatment and protection are 3 keywords that you always have to keep in mind when it comes to preserving your saddlebag quality. In this article we will explain 3 easy operations that will allow you to easily take care of leather saddlebags and – as a consequence – your motorcycle look.
How to keep leather saddlebags clean
First things first: get a bucket and get a soft cloth, one of those in microfiber will do the job just fine. Fill the bucket with warm water (caution: water temperature is really important, it must be warm to a point it is comfortable for you to keep your hands in it. Water that is too hot will harm you and ruin your bag forever.) and use the soft cloth to wipe all dirt off your saddlebag. Please remember to not apply too much friction on the leather surface, if some dirt spots are harder to clean just pass over them a couple more times, do not attempt to remove them with friction. Once your bag is all clean, let it dry for a couple of hours. Please remember that sun drying and blow drying can damage your leather saddlebag.
How to condition leather saddlebags
Now that your saddlebag is all clean and dry, it is time to condition it. We use our leather care products but any other vegetable tanned leather care product will work just fine (beware of products that include alcohol and/or chemicals, those will damage your bags). Most kit on the market will have a soft sponge that will allow you to spread the product all over your bag; if not, look for the softest sponge possible. Vegetable tanned leather can be easily damaged, therefore you will need to use gentle pressure while spreading the conditioner all over your bag. Product quantity is also very important, do not overkill: drop the product on the sponge, then apply it on the bag. Once the conditioning is over, let the bag dry for a couple of hours. Again, sun drying and blow drying must be avoided.
Patina Removal
Your saddlebag is now alive again. It has a nice color to it and it looks brand new. Sometimes leather products can produce a patina which needs to be removed. Nothing to worry about, it is a rather simple task: get a dry soft cloth and gently pass it all over your bag. The job is done. Your saddlebag is now ready to be re-installed on your motorcycle.
Taking care of leather saddlebags is not that difficult and is not time consuming either. The outcome has an impact on your saddlebags durability, quality and, therefore, your motorcycle overall look. We recommend to repeat this process every 3 months, however, it is important to do so after every long run under heavy rain.Is there something more you guys want to learn about, please write it in the comment section.
